Lichcraft

Lucky looked up at Zion confused. Prior to them she didn't even know of the existence of magic, much less a witch. Zion gently stroked the soft fur between her ears. "It's ok, just rest for now, when you feel your strength coming back think over the last week and try to remember who you encountered and where you got water." Stepping outside the lab Zion turned to Cerberus. "A word.. in private."

Cerberus stepped outside and said defensively. "What did you expect me to do? I tried knocking first, but you were unresponsive. I didn't know how long you were going to be out.."

"I'm not upset about that." Zion interrupted. "You intentionally waited until I was gone to use the herbs to shift. I'm hurt."

"I didn't know there was a specific time I was supposed to use them. Am I not allowed to have my own life now?" Cerberus responded even more defensive.

Zion raised their fingers to tuck the loose hair behind Cerberus's ear. "You know this has been hard on me too. I've missed you."

Cerberus backed up and pushed Zion's hand away. "Don't."

Zion's glowing eyes flickered a little and looked sad. They turned around their back facing him. "You professed your undying love for me 6 lifetimes ago, but ever since I resurrected from that form it's like your love has rotted with that corpse. It wasn't even my original body. You fell in love with a shell that my soul animated and not me."

Cerberus grabbed Zion's arm and spun them around so that they stood face to face. "Don't you dare accuse me of not loving you. You've changed. Every body you occupy makes you different. You pick up all the vices of the former host and you refuse to acknowledge you have a problem. Just a few moments ago you were unconscious on opiates. The time before that you couldn't help but pathologically lie. How about when you couldn't stop stealing and you ripped off the king of the Fae?"

"Did or did not that dust come in handy?" Zion was indignant.

"See this is the thing, you always have an excuse. What about the time you occupied that gamer's body and spent 16hrs a day playing World of Lichcraft?" Cerberus clenched his teeth.

"I had a responsibility to my guild." Zion looked away.

"What about your responsibility to me? Did you forget it was the king of the Fae that cursed me? It's so easy to make excuses when the consequences don't affect you." Cerberus turned away.

Zion softened, reaching a hand out but then letting it fall to their side. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Cerberus said incredulously while turning around. "You're. Sorry. Well I guess that makes it all better then. Problem solved."

"Cerberus, I.." Zion tried to find words.

"Save it." Cerberus forced back tears. "It was bad enough that I got dragged into this mess, but that chipmunk in there doesn't deserve any of this."

"What did you want me to do? Just let her die? She didn't want to be resurrected." Zion said defensively.

"You are impossible! Who would ever want to be resurrected? Look at what it's done to you. You change bodies like they're clothes. I don't even recognize you anymore. You keep your soul in that burnished metal box locked away where nobody can see. Maybe you've found a way to live forever, but it's not you that's living. Don't you ever wonder why your soul fights you harder and harder every time you reanimate a corpse? I don't know what's happened to you, but the person I loved would never do this. That person was kind and gentle and only cheated death to stay beside the ones they loved. I don't know who you are anymore, but you and that person aren't even close. So don't act like I've quit. I'm stupidly still here waiting for you to resurrect. You're the most powerful necromancer that's probably ever lived and I thought that meant you would never die, but you've been dead this whole time. What's your power worth if you can't even keep yourself?" Cerberus stormed off to their room. Zion attempted to follow but Cerberus shouted back "I want to be ALONE."

Zion slowly slinked off to the den. They sat in their chair next to the fireplace flicking it on with a wave of their hand. Tears of orange fire seeped out of their glowing eyes.

Lucky, having heard the argument, hopped over to Zion and crawled up on their lap. Zion reached their hand out to pet her. She backed into their palm. "I'm sorry you had to hear that." Zion said. "Cerb and I go way back. We weren't always like this. A lot has changed and he's having a difficult time adjusting. Being without his human form has been hard on him and I guess I've been irresponsible. When you've lived as long as I have it's easy to get lost. You have to try to figure out how to adapt with the world around you without completely losing yourself. I guess I'm still learning that."

Lucky didn't say anything she just nodded and looked into the flickering fireplace. The lich stayed quiet too and they sat there together for some time in silence.