The twenty-eighth of Tredecember. The last day of the last month of the year. A year people called 2091 Anno Lucis, in the Year of the Light.

  Just thinking of the phrase brought a taste of ash to my mouth.

  The calendar of Anno Lucis was established by the Great Hero, Luminus, whom the Church of the Holy Light claimed to be the saviour of all life and vanquisher of evil. The start of the calendar coincided with his greatest deed, the defeat of evil incarnate, the last ruler of the ancient Vesperan Empire and the empire itself. A necromantic empire that spread across most of the known world, at the time.

  For the past few weeks, students of all the school years had been chattering excitedly about the upcoming ball, ordering the finest clothes they could afford through the village’s shops, and nervously asking their crush or partner to be their date. All while the elected members of the event’s committee busied themselves like a kicked beehive.

  A stage was built in the grand courtyard’s far end, banners with the school's half risen sun on navy blue, and bunting in the same colour were strung up between the leafless trees, lanterns and statues that lined the courtyard.

  Not even the faculty was immune, with some acting like blushing and excited teens at the prospect of being able to dance with their chosen partners. Despite the ball being nothing new to them.

  The additions made by the students were the only changes the grand courtyard had gone through. The somewhat oval courtyard on the opposite end of the campus from the main courtyard, now hosted a myriad of snowy sculptures.

  Over the past days the snow had been building up on various places across the courtyard. On the west side human and wolfkin made of snow had appeared, with clothes, armour and weapons included. On the east side, snow bearkin formed a defensive line in front of a scattering of humans. Behind both groups, against the buildings, palisades had formed.

  Down the middle, as if walking across the courtyard, reindeer dotted the ground, with reindeerkin walking amongst them as both shepherds and guardians. Except for in the middle of the courtyard, where the founders' statue rested.

  The five founders stood eternal in white marble on a round pedestal in the middle of a frozen basin dead centre in the courtyard. A female knight in heavily decorated plate armour, a male in a plague doctor uniform, a female archer with an eyepatch on her left eye, a male in traditional mage robes with small critters climbing on them, and an androgynous person in priestly robes.

  On the eastern side of the basin, a boy in fancy clothes matching the bearkin stood. On the western side, a boy in fancy clothes matching the humans and wolfkin lay. In the middle, sat a man wearing nothing but a toga.

  Again, all made of snow, of course.

  I placed my hand on the marble feet of the half blind archer and closed my eyes, whilst the students and faculty members were filing into the courtyard. “I miss you loveable idiots...”

  I opened my eyes and stood up. For once, I had exchanged my standard simple, black dress for something fancier. A black stola and palla, both decorated with a band of golden embroidery. I still wore my sandals, though.

  My bone white hair was braided, for once, and looped around the crown of my head in a rather regal, if dated, fashion to match the more formal style of my clothes.

  For myself, it wouldn’t have mattered if it was freezing or not, however for everyone, and for some of them to be able to comfortably wear gowns, the temperature had risen to make the air feel like a comfortable spring day.

  With the sun already having set, and the sky clear to let the starlight through, it made a dazzling display of glittering snow and cosy firelight from the lanterns.

  In a corner, I spotted the table that Iakovos and Lupa, the mage and knight department heads, had insisted on putting up. Which, for some reason, housed an arm-wrestling competition between the mage and knight departments.

  I’d bet on the knights winning this round in the rivalry between the two department heads. Though, the true winner was me, as they hadn’t dragged me into their nonsense. This time.

  Next to catch my attention was Eweleanor. Her normal ball gowns would have fitted perfectly at a ball such as this one – I could spot several of a similar, puffy design being worn by students – however, she had exchanged it for a simpler, more subdued one.

  The puke-coloured contraption almost hugged her figure, as the odd sheepkin made her way over to me.

  “Shall we?” she asked, as she stretched out her hand to me.

  I took the offered hand with a soft sigh, and she led me to a more visual part of the courtyard wide dance floor.

  We only needed to wait for a moment, before the band started playing. With string and drum instruments, they produced a very soothing, rhythmic sound.

  Eweleanor took the lead and led me in one of the popular dance styles of the time.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Remind me,” I started as we danced. “Why are we doing this again?”

  “To open the ball, of course,” she stated matter-of-factly. “It’s tradition.”

  I purposely missed a step, stepping on her foot. Not that the woman let it bother her.

  “Because it’s good for people to see the brooding founder with the dashing headmistress,” she lied effortlessly, without missing a step in our dance.

  I shot her an utterly unamused look, to which she chuckled softly.

  “Because it makes you less broody,” she finally admitted truthfully with one of her motherly smiles.

  I sighed softly, not really upset with her. After all, it was working. Just like it had done ever since she'd become the headmistress and forced this ‘tradition’ on me.

  “You know most of them think we’re secretly dating, right?” I asked her in revenge, even though the very thought made me feel… iffy.

  As I anticipated, I felt her suppressed groan tremble through her, and her ever-so-pleasant mask broke into a frown of displeasure.

  “Please don’t remind me,” she practically begged, as the dig was mostly self-inflicted. After all, she was very much an aromantic asexual.

  “Then maybe you shouldn’t have forced this ‘tradition’ on me,” I needled her some more, just because. “Never once had I participated until you dragged me onto the dance floor, after you became a teacher.”

  She rolled her eyes, and our dance came to an end, which others, the more daring ones, took as a signal to take to the floor as well. “Oh, don’t make it sound like you enjoy it. I recall a certain someone laugh and smile the whole time we first danced together.”

  I shot her a heatless glare, as we made our way to the refreshment table.

  “That was only because the whole thing felt too ridiculous to me,” I said, before I let the faux heat dissipate with a soft exhale. “But you aren’t wrong. I very much appreciate your silliness. It gives me hope that the playful girl I once taught is still in there.”

  She rolled her eyes, and her attention was drawn elsewhere, leaving us to part ways before she could try to deny the truth.

  Before I could just simply wander around, I was drawn into something that I thought I’d avoided, proving my earlier statement wrong.

  “Come on, the honour of the mage department is at stake here,” Iakovos said insistently, as he dragged me over to the arm-wrestling table.

  “I’d like to remind you that I’m not technically a part of the mage department,” I hopelessly refuted, as I let myself be dragged along in resignation.

  “Sure, and I’m a dragon,” he said, after a snort. “Now, stop complaining and start winning.”

  With that, he shoved me towards the dreaded table, and as I sat down, Lupa took the seat opposite. She smirked at me, we both placed our elbows on the table before grasping each other’s hands, and a moment later my elbow bent the wrong way with a loud crack. Much to the horror of the spectators, aside from Iakovos and Lupa. Iakovos sighed in exasperation, while Lupa’s smirk faltered into a somewhat remorseful grimace.

  I could claim that this was natural to all liches, undead in general. But that would be a lie. The truth was that, despite my many years lived and trying various professions, I absolutely sucked at all things physical. Give me a sword, and I’d end up stabbing myself, somehow. Case in point: force me to arm-wrestle, and I’d break my arm.

  I waved off their concern with my good arm, whilst I got up from my seat. “I’ll be fine in a bit. Just go about enjoying the fun.”

  I stepped away from the table, whilst I cast a healing spell on my broken arm and grumbled in my native Vesperan tongue at the stupidity of their rivalry, yet again. I swore, I might meet my end at their hands of it one of these days. My greatest threat not being the zealots of the Church of the Holy Light, but two idiots in constant competition.

  I found myself a quiet corner and settled in to simply observe the ball.

  The ball was a resounding success, if the laughter and romantic developments were any indication. Students and teachers danced, sometimes with one another for fun mostly and not for some inappropriate reasons. At one point, someone got onto the stage and recited the tale of the Frozen Tribes, a more elaborate version. One that actually mentioned the names of the tribes. The Iskardal, Johtalanvuossa and Vetrovich tribes forever immortalized in the preserved tale.

  For the duration of the ball, I’d let Fluminix roam free, and she definitely made the most of it. She sniffed every statue, every sculpture, every lantern post, every bush, and… well, she just sniffed and explored everything in the grand courtyard. She also begged everyone in her sight for food, the little glutton. Sometimes, I wondered where all that food went, and then I remembered that she still had a whole lot of growing to do. She might be approaching the size of a medium-sized dog, but, considering that dragons were about as long as ten or eleven humans together were tall, she still had a lot of growing to do. Hence, her ever-eating nature.

  When the ball drew to a close, I tracked Fluminix down and picked the over-exhausted dragon up, before carrying her back to my chambers and put her to bed. She conked out as soon as I placed her in her velvety sheet nest on my bed. I still hadn’t gotten her a place the sleep of her own. Not that I actually used my bed myself.

  After, I made my way to my balcony and sat down on its stone banister with my knees drawn close and my arms wrapped around them to hug them close. My gaze turned forlorn as I looked out over the landscape beyond the school and its adjacent village.

  The rolling hills were still more or less the same, still familiar just as much as they felt foreign on this night. Phantom houses and villas replaced the seemingly endless fields in my vision, ghosts of the past resurfacing. My past.

  I clenched my eyes closed and took a few breaths.

  How I wished I could forget it all.

  No, that wasn’t right. I didn’t want to forget. I merely wished things had gone differently.

  The balcony door opened, interrupting my broody musing. When I looked over to see who it was that had interrupted me, I wasn’t surprised to find Eweleanor walking up to me. She silently sat beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

  This wasn’t our first time. And it probably wouldn’t be the last.

  I turned my gaze to the help-offering knight statue in the main courtyard, my features radiating a deep-seated regret. “I’m exhausted, Eweleanor.”

  That did get a reaction out of the sheepkin. She studied me with a look of surprise mixed heavily with concern, as I’d never voiced something like it to her before.

  But she didn’t speak. It’s what made it possible for us to become friends, she knew when not to speak, and when to tease.

  I closed my eyes again, before I looked out into the distance. “I’m exhausted.

  “Two thousand ninety-one years.

  “Two thousand ninety-one years since I lost it all.

  “Since I lost my family.

  “Since I became a lich in the vain hope that I could still save them.

  My gaze slowly turned to her. “You know, I have a perfect memory, and yet… I can’t seem to remember their faces. All I remember are their dying screams.

  My eyes once more falling on the statue in the main courtyard. “I want it to end.”

  “End what?” she asked, and I could hear the intensity of her worry in her voice.

  My gaze turned to the north, where I knew for certain I could find what I sought. “All of it.”

  lot of myself into her, from my struggles to my depression.

  Bad Mood Vibes