It was silent for a minute, then it began anew, as if waiting for a question that Cades had never ended up receiving, perhaps having hoped to stop being the only lead in this conversation, something that Lich hadn't reacted to as he had thought that Cades was intent on being the lead until about three quarters into the minute where it had then become too silent for him to continue on, something ingrained by society itself, and a weird effect of being raised by other people when one thought about it, not being allowed to disrupt other members of the family when they were talking and such especially when it was important, and even more so when you were actually interested in what they were talking about, not just forced to listen to your sister talking about pink hair, a funny thing that truly had less to do with this situation than a orange-dotted brown frog.
"Now, let's get to what I can do outside if you are to accept this proposal, shall we?"
It felt as if the never-ending stream of known knowledge he had never truly understood, was now halting, wavering, a bit unsure, a bit, weird, as if he had been affected by the social constructs of ehetria, as well as everywhere else, just as much as Lich had been, something that would've normally fascinated both of them but didn't really interest them right now, at least not Lich who was still listening to Cades words that now became more and more fluid as he got used to it again, having had to restart the conversation he was leading alone, something that more so resembled a never-ending speech, from the middle of it all.
"Once can do many things when ones consciousness is in the air, for example, I can control the mana excreted from the body to enhance your movements, I can talk to you, I can train with you and enhance your vision in many ways, I can spy for you, but most interestingly, and perhaps the most gruesome part about this multi-faceted skill that even I don't know the full extends of yet, something that really just requires creativity when using it, is the part because of which it is known as the light of dominion, or also, as the will of domination.
When I am outside, I can influence others, I can control them, and unless they are truly greater than me, I can steal their bodies, toy with them, puppeteer them, as long as they are at least a bit off, as long as their concentration isn't entirely on defending themselves, at least when at the same level of strength, I will be able to lead away attention, to create illusions without any truth, I am able to influence the minds and souls of others, though to be honest, it is hard to explain like this, it is multi-faceted and many parts of it are unknown, even to myself, after all, I don't even understand as to how someone does it when only a single consciousness is within the body.
Well... that's all good and such, but really, you'd just have to take it for yourself and witness it once we're back in the forsaken realm, it will take me some time to regain my footing and truly help you after all, at least more time than the last fight of this challenge will take you, that's for certain..
So, what do you say?"
He had been listening to all that Cades had already said, and he had found the boons to be great, the cons to be insignificant, though he still felt as if some were hidden away from him, some that might seem as boons only to the puddle in front of him that had now vanished almost completely, replaced by a reflection of himself, standing right underneath where he had stood before, having taken a few steps back during the entire conversation, almost without thinking about it, perhaps a show that his own, newly born subconsciousness was also fighting to get out of here, away from the great predator it must've seen within Cades.
Still, there was something much more deafening that caused him to believe this to be a good, no, the only real choice, that being the fact that he was certain that Cades was using this as a way to not only observe him, but also test him, to see if he was willing to take the risk to grow more powerful if it meant giving up his privacy, his own sanity perhaps, if he even had that left over from before, and so much more, it was a test to see whether he should truly be allowed to live, to continue on, because Lich already knew one thing for certain, had he been in Cades position, he would not have particularly cared for whatever his opponent might've had to say, but he would've at least given them a chance, a chance such as this one.
Yes, he was certain that he would be killed, if one could even die in this place, if he refused, and he didn't even need to answer, he already was certain that Cades knew that he knew, something he must've already thought of being a possibility, resulting in the second option he had kept open using the side-effects, the option of observing him through the subconscious, through reality, through his very own eyes, yet, he didn't even need to wait for Lich's answer anymore.
In a single instant, the world, everything, flipped, and he stood before himself, a sly smile atop his lips, the lips of the mirror in front of him, the lips of Cades, the hand stretched out, invitingly open, an infinite mass of powerful violently burning light atop it, now burning in a colour that he was certain to have no name, nor anything to describe it, a new colour that was not a true colour, simply a presence, simply a consciousness, powerful yet weak, eternal yet short-lived, and it was given to him, just like that, countless stars now up in the star, eclipsed like thousands of suns intent on burning everything, chains now starting to move from nowhere, rising from beneath the unmoving mirror that now began to change, waves spreading out from wherever the chains entered this realm.
Cades was a god, more powerful than anything Lich could imagine, as long as he was in this place, he was invincible, and now, he was ready to leave this place, even if only temporarily, as soon as Lich did something to that light, something he was certain Cades would tell him soon.
And indeed, there was a voice, eternal and invincibly superior, as if the mirror itself scratched aloud, as if the voice was made from countless glasses breaking, still calm, as if heard through endless chains wriggling for control, still silent and calm.
"Eat"