Zain looked at Asher again. "As said before, liches are like necromancers… but darker. We don't just raise the dead, we become part of death itself. Our souls are tied to something beyond the body."
Asher nodded slowly. "A phylactery."
Zain's smile returned. "Correct."
Tay looked confused. "A what now?"
"A phylactery," Nova said quietly. "It's an object that holds our soul. As long as it's intact… we can't die."
Tay blinked. "That's terrifying."
Zain shrugged. "It's freedom. Power. A curse and also a blessing."
The fire crackled softly as silence fell again. In the distance, an owl hooted.
Asher stared into the flames. "So if someone finds your phylactery…"
Zain finished for him. "They can destroy me. But they'd have to survive long enough to try."
Asher scoffed, "I could destroy it if I wanted to."
