The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 181

Chapter 181 – Changes

Things had moved rapidly, once I decided to have Risen Athelia apply to be part of the United Nations. To join, a country first had to get approved by the Security Council, and then make it through a vote in the General Assembly. The permanent members of the Security Council could veto an application, of course, like they could do any matter that came before them. However, out of those veto holders, only the US and Russia were unfriendly to Risen Athelia, and the Russian leadership knew that they could not afford to displease me, or I would take up my complaints with their posthumous successor. I did not have the same kind of leverage on the United States, however.

Thankfully, the US Ambassador to Japan was willing to listen when I showed up at his home, making it past all his security and guards without them ever noticing, to have a chat. Stealth wasn’t really my forte, given my power, but I was not incapable of it. Especially when I had enchanted gear to help, like a cloak I had made in the other world, which allowed me to take on a wraith’s form and abilities for up to an hour each day, or the ring which allowed me to slip through wards without setting them off.

Regardless, I believe that I properly impressed upon the Ambassador that it would be in everyone’s best interests for the US to not veto Risen Athelia’s application. Especially because I informed him that I would most certainly be visiting New York during the General Assembly. The manner in which I visited the city would depend entirely on how the Security Council voted. Naturally, I did not make any specific statements, but I felt I made my point perfectly clear, all the same.

The US President, despite being a blowhard who was still pissy about my taking Hawai’i and the other parts of Risen Athelia that had once been part of the US, apparently got the message, since the vote went through with a final tally of 13 to 0, with two abstentions. The US and Russia both couldn’t bring themselves to approve, but neither vetoed the application.

All of that meant that, next week, I would be attending the UN General Assembly in a more peaceful manner than I would be otherwise. Since I was being peaceful, I used my attorney, Lilah Morgan, and her firm’s connections to purchase an old warehouse in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. I’d demolish the thing when I visited next week, and have my servants start building something to my tastes. That would be my official embassy in the US, and for the UN.

It wasn’t my only property in the US, of course, the home I’d purchased just after returning, in Seattle, was now a consulate for Risen Athelia. The US Administration had made a few attempts to try and seize it through legal means once I’d declared myself my own country, but between the wards and Lilah’s legal wranglings, they had a better chance of stopping the heat death of the universe than taking my property from me. To say nothing of the fact that, if they started to make headway, I would get personally involved.

But that was not why I had called my disciples to me today. We were in my throne room, the same place where they had taken their vows and begun their apprenticeship years ago. Now, it was time for them to take the next step.

Smiling at my two disciples, I said, “You have done well in your training, my disciples. For five years, now, you have trained hard. Now, I will teach you one final lesson, one that any mage must learn before being declared a Master.”

Naya’s eyes widened. “You mean the Warrior Form spell that you used in the Seal of Shadow?”

“Precisely, Naya. As I told you and the Dragon Emperor then, the spell is powerful, but should be treated as a desperation move. For a mortal shell, it is likely to burn you out before long. However, if you find yourself alone and trapped, either unable to escape, or with someone or something you must protect at your back, and the foe you face is all but immune to magic? Then this spell is a weapon that might allow you to triumph, before you perish.”

The two disciples nodded in understanding. They’d been with me long enough that they understood that, sometimes, you could not simply avoid an unpleasant fate. Sometimes, you had to endure suffering to ensure that a more terrible fate did not befall those you cared for.

“The Warrior Form spell is simple, both in its imagery, and in its incantation. For the image, it is the same as normal Body Enhancement or Body Reinforcement, but instead of a measured amount, you focus on pouring your entire mana pool into the spell. Everything, without holding back and without restraint. As for the incantation? You have learned the High Athelian tongue. The spell’s incantation in that tongue is no more and no less than, ‘Take this Mage and make of them a Warrior.’

“The simplicity of both the image and the spell are part of the reason why mages, especially those who seek the higher levels of power, use a different language for their spellwork than they do for common conversation. Even saying the incantation idly would link to your image of it, and potentially activating it subconsciously. That is bad enough when it is something dangerous, but survivable, like a fireball, but with the Warrior Form spell? The results could easily be tragic.”

Ya frowned. “That seems too simple. Deceptively so. Is that why the spell is only taught when one is on the verge of Mastery?”

“Precisely so. A mage who has reached the cusp of being called a Master is capable of understanding both the image, and the incantation, and knowing the dangers inherent in them. They’ve also grown accustomed to thinking in another language for using magic, so they do not accidentally activate the spell. Most importantly, however, is that a Master will have a mana pool large enough for the spell to actually give them a chance at victory before their body fails them.”

Naya nodded slowly. “So, even someone like an apprentice or journeyman mage could probably use the spell, but they wouldn’t have enough mana behind it to make a difference before they died?”

“Yes. Just because it is possible for you to do something does not mean it is necessarily a good idea for you to do it, after all. But it is expected that a teacher would have beaten that into any Journeyman’s head long before they reached the point where they might become a Master.”

Naya took a breath, and nodded once again. “I understand. Does this mean we are Masters, now?”

“Almost,” I chuckled. “There is one last thing that, by tradition, a teacher shall do for one of their students who becomes a Master mage. Whether it is this world or the one I was summoned to, there are always dangers. A mage may go their entire lives without seeking combat, squirreling away in a tower researching and trying to plumb the depths of magic. However, that does not mean conflict and combat will not seek them out. And, in truth, a mage who has only the academic knowledge, without putting it into practice, is as useful as someone who has studied anatomy and medicine in detail, but has never once touched a living patient. While their knowledge might qualify the same as a surgeon’s, without experience, they are no better than a well-read intern. When speaking of a mage, a scholar who never puts theory into practice will often find themselves perishing against foes whose knowledge and power pales in comparison to their own.”

With that in mind, I reached into my storage space, and pulled out the items that I had made for them, a staff and a blade, and used a simple spell to cause them to float in the air beside me. “Thus, it is tradition that, when a student becomes a Master, that they shall be furnished with a weapon suitable for their skills, and usable as a focus. This way, they may go out, into the world, with some means of defense. For students who do not come from aristocratic backgrounds, the focus given to them by their Master is often the most valuable thing they have ever owned.

“Graduates of the Athelian Spire in Athelia-that-was would receive similar staves, a more mass-produced product, though tailored to their personal elements. For a Master who took on direct disciples, they would reach out to crafters they knew, to get an item made, and then either gave it over to an Enchanter, or did the enchanting themselves, if they were practiced in it. Most Masters, however, are not Master Crafters and Master Enchanters, as well as Master Mages, as I am. For you, my disciples, I have crafted your graduation gifts myself.”

First, I took the blade, a Chinese jian, with a scabbard made of hardwood infused with Fire mana, with a glowing ember in a crystal serving as the pommel. Slowly, I drew the blade, so that they could see the reddish hue of the steel. Looking at Ya, I said, “This is Lóngxī, the Dragon’s Breath. For one who wields Fire, there is no greater friend. For their enemies, no greater foe. The scabbard is made of hardwood infused with Fire mana, and conveys near-total immunity to the heat and flames, such that one bearing this scabbard could dance on molten lava and emerge unscathed. It will also draw on the ambient mana to repair itself and the blade over time, ensuring that your weapon is always in good repair, and the blade never grows dull.

“As for the blade itself? It was forged by adding an Essence of Fire to the steel, with another in the pommel. Any Fire spell you cast using this blade will be far more effective and cost less than your normal spellwork. In addition, you will find yourself being able to use some of the techniques that a Flameblade might use.”

I sheathed the blade once more, and offered it to her. She took it in both hands, reverence clear in her features. “Dai Ya, as your Master, as an Archmage, and as the Lich Queen of Risen Athelia, I proclaim you a Master Pyromancer. Henceforth, you are no longer bound to my will, and your oath is fulfilled. Always may you claim to be the disciple of the Lich Queen. You are permitted to wear the crest of the Royal Household of Risen Athelia upon your robes and your armor, no matter where you go, so long as you do not bring shame to that symbol. Thus says the Lich Queen.”

As Ya bowed respectfully, I turned to Naya, and took the staff in hand. It was two meters long, black as midnight, with silver tracing patterns of arcane might up its side. The headpiece was a piece of black glass in the shape of a skull, with eyes of glistening onyx. “This is Shinoshisen, Death’s Gaze. Crafted from white oak infused with Death mana until it turned black, and traced with runes of power hidden amongst the designs, this weapon is perfect for any who would walk the Mage’s Path through the Circles of Death. Holding this staff will allow you to step one foot into the land of the dead, being treated as both living and undead by spells and magical effects, depending on which is most beneficial to you. As with Ya’s weapon, this staff will repair itself over time with ambient mana.

“However, the greatest power is in the headpiece, made of glass taken from the sands of Egypt, over the Wellspring of Death, compacted into glass through Death magic in the Temple of Murena there, with eyes of onyx. Any Death spell you cast with this staff will have its power greatly increased, and its cost lessened. Yet, the true power of this staff is in how it affects the undead. Any undead you create or wrest control of will have their power increased dramatically, while others will find it much harder to try and take control of your creations from you. And, should you take the steps to join your creations in undeath, you will find these benefits apply to you, as well.”

I turned the staff sideways, and held it out to her. As Ya had done, she took it in both hands, her head bowed. “Aeko Naya, as your Master, as an Archmage, and as the Lich Queen of Risen Athelia, I proclaim you a Master Reaper. Henceforth, you are no longer bound to my will, and your oath is fulfilled. Always may you claim to be the disciple of the Lich Queen. You are permitted to wear the crest of the Royal Household of Risen Athelia upon your robes and your armor, no matter where you go, so long as you do not bring shame to that symbol. Thus says the Lich Queen.”

With that done, I smiled at the two women, and drew both of them into a hug before they could react. “I am so proud of you, my disciples. I know that, whatever you do from hence forward, you will go far.”