Lilia: A New Dawn

Fury and frustration welled up within Lilia as she stared at the rose in her hand. The Blade of War was missing. In its place, a cheeky note from the Phantom Thief was tied to the flower's stem.

Lilia's hands clenched, crumpling the note. That insufferable rogue! He had slipped the relic from her grasp during their escape. And now he dared taunt her with this invitation to his hideout, promising to return the blade if she came for a date.

Cursing under her breath, Lilia had no choice but to follow the address left by the thief. She needed to reclaim the Blade of War before it was lost forever.

As Lilia made her way through the streets, she passed a display of televisions in a storefront, all tuned to the local news. A stern anchor-woman was reporting on the failed heist at the Dalton estate.

"It seems the infamous Phantom Thief had aid in infiltrating the mansion," the reporter was saying. "Security footage confirms the involvement of an unidentified female accomplice."

Lilia frowned in annoyance as they played clips of her evading mansion security. So now the officials blamed her for the break-in as well.

"City police are urging SAD to allow higher-ranked heroes to participate in capturing this troublesome thief," the reporter continued. "Clearly, the current lower-ranked heroes are unable to contain this threat."

Lilia bristled in annoyance as she continued on. They were no doubt referring to her as the thief's assistant.

Shaking off her irritation, Lilia approached the gleaming apartment tower. According to the directions, the thief's unit was on the top floor. She rode the elevator up and hesitated outside the door, wary of another trap. Finally, she knocked sharply three times.

The door cracked open to reveal not the Phantom Thief but a young girl, perhaps 11 or 12 years old at most. She had an impish face and wore glasses, her dark hair cut in a bob.

"You must be Lilia!" the girl said brightly, opening the door wider. "Please come in, Tristan is expecting you."

Lilia followed uncertainly, thinking this must be another of the thief's jokes. But then she heard a cheerful voice call out from deeper inside the apartment.

"Lilia! So glad you decided to accept my invitation." The Phantom Thief himself emerged, sweeping into a bow. "Welcome to our temporary abode."

Lilia crossed her arms, regarding him flatly. "Enough games. You promised to return the blade to me as long as I come here."

Tristan chuckled. "Ah, but we are not mere thieves!" he replied. "Think of us more as... collectors, securing dangerous items that could be misused."

"First, allow me to formerly apologize for the theatrics earlier," Tristan continued, taking a seat across from Lilia. "I tend to get carried away in the role, I'm afraid. And I must admit, your reactions were quite amusing."

Lilia folded her arms across her chest, keeping her tone cool. "I care little for your theatrics. I'm only here for the Blade."

Tristan nodded. "I understand your apprehension, Lilia. In a gesture of good faith..." He pulled out the Blade of War from beneath his cape, resting it on the low table between them. Lilia tensed but did not move to take it.

"Now, if you would kindly hear me out, I have a proposal for you," Tristan said smoothly. When Lilia made no move to leave, he continued.

"My dear, your talents are being squandered! A woman of your calibre deserves better than skulking about at the behest of short-sighted fools." Tristan leaned forward intently. "Join us, and we can accomplish true good together."

Lilia's eyes narrowed. "And why should I ally myself with a thief?"

"Ah, but we are not mere thieves!" Tristan replied. "More like...collectors, securing dangerous items that might be misused." He gestured around the room. "We don't hold onto the relics; we find ways to safely neutralize them, sometimes by destroying them and sometimes by making them inert."

The young girl, who had been engrossed in tinkering with a gadget, suddenly chimed in with enthusiasm. "Hi! I'm Tina!" She offered Lilia a friendly wave.

Tristan smiled fondly at Tina before turning his attention back to Lilia. "My methods may seem unorthodox, but rest assured, our cause is just."

Lilia regarded them both, her expression carefully composed. Internally, she was torn between suspicion and intrigue about their intentions.

"You present an... intriguing proposition," Lilia said after a pause. "However, I will need time to consider it thoroughly before I can give you, my answer." She reached out, her fingers closing around the Blade of War on the table. "For now, do not assume this gesture makes us friends. Our goals may temporarily align, but you've made a decision yet, there is too much uncertainty about your group."

Tristan inclined his head. "A wise perspective. Very well, keep the relic for now. I hope in time you'll come around."

He escorted Lilia politely to the apartment door. But just as she moved to exit, Tristan gently caught her hand, meeting her eyes earnestly.

"Whatever you decide, know that I will always welcome you into our group should you wish it," he said softly. Before Lilia could react, Tristan lifted her hand and placed a chaste kiss upon it. With a final roguish wink, he bid her goodnight and closed the door.

Lilia stood frozen for a moment, stunned by the sudden act. Shaking it off, she headed for the elevator, eager to put some distance between herself and the vexing thief. The Blade of War was once again in her grasp. She puzzled over why the relic had refused to enter her inventory earlier. There was certainly something unique about these blades, yet all Lilia knew was that she was tasked by dream Lilia with collecting them. But to what end?

As the elevator descended, Lilia examined the Blade closely, angling it to catch the light. The spidery crimson veins seemed almost to pulse with life. On impulse, she channelled a trickle of mana into the dark metal.

To her astonishment, the Blade liquefied before her eyes, the inky substance flowing up her arm and solidifying into an intricate tattoo that resembled chains aflame. Lilia flexed her hand experimentally, marvelling at the phenomenon.

Refocusing her intent, Lilia willed the weapon to re-manifest. Sure enough, the Blade of War solidified in her palm once more. She repeated the process several times, satisfied that she had found a way to store the relic.

The elevator doors opened to the lobby, and Lilia swiftly made her exit. She had succeeded in recovering the Blade, though many questions lingered. The Phantom Thief and his group still weighed on her mind. If what he had said was true, why had he allowed her to leave with the blade?

Lilia slipped into the concealing shadows of alleyways switching back to her human guise. The night's events replayed in her thoughts, leaving her restless despite the late hour. So much had transpired in such a brief span.

At last, Lilia arrived home, the familiar sight easing some of the tension within her. Stepping inside silently, she quickly prepared for the night.

Yet sleep eluded her, its embrace chased away by lingering adrenaline and swirling thoughts. For better or worse, she sensed her path was shifting, veering toward unknown destinations still to come.

 

 

The morning sun streamed in through the curtains as James stirred in the bed. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was just past 6 AM. With a groan, he forced himself out of bed, the lingering exhaustion from his lack of sleep weighing on him.

After showering, James stood before the mirror inspecting his appearance. As always, the traces of Lilia remained. Reaching for his serum case, James retrieved a vial and loaded it into the injector.

Shaking off his lingering unease, James reminded himself today was about celebrating Alex's birthday. He and his friends planned a small gathering at Alex's house this evening. James smiled slightly, hoping the gift he had picked out would appeal to Alex's more reserved tastes.

After getting ready for school, James headed out, eager to catch some fresh air on his way. Along the way, he bumped into Nathan, who seemed surprised to encounter him.

"Hey man! Good thing I ran into you," Nathan said as James caught up. "Had to walk today cause Dad's car broke down. Anyway, you excited for Alex's birthday?"

James chuckled at his energetic friend's exuberance so early in the morning. "You bet. Just hoping he likes the gift I found for him."

"Can you believe he just wants to hang at his place?" Nathan said with an exaggerated eye roll. "I told him we gotta go out and celebrate properly, but you know how he is."

James chuckled. "That's Alex for you. But I'm sure we can find ways to make it fun."

Soon they arrived at school and met up with Alex and Mia out front. Alex gave a small, slightly awkward smile at their enthusiastic birthday wishes. The group chatted lightly as they headed to their first class, avoiding mention of James' reveal from the night before. For now, it was just another normal school day.

The morning passed swiftly, punctuated by well-wishes from classmates who had learned it was Alex's birthday. James noted his stoic friend seemed genuinely happy at the recognition, if somewhat overwhelmed.

As lunch break arrived, James' thoughts turned to the Blade of Pestilence, still in the hands of the New Atlantis Bureau of Control. He longed to examine the relic further, having learned more about their significance. But reclaiming it would be no easy feat.

Seeing Akari across the cafeteria gave James an idea. He approached the serious girl, who watched him warily. After exchanging brief pleasantries, James asked if there was any way he could at least see the Blade of Pestilence again, since he had willingly turned it over before.

Akari's expression instantly hardened. "Why the sudden interest in the Blade?" she asked sharply. "It is no longer yours to meddle with. You relinquished any claim when you surrendered it."

Flustered, James attempted to downplay his request. "I merely wish to study its properties out of academic curiosity," he claimed. "I have no ulterior motive."

Akari's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do not play games with me," she bit out. "First the Blade of War is stolen, and now you conveniently develop an 'academic interest' in these relics?"

Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized James. "Speaking of which, we have reports that the Phantom Thief had a female accomplice during the heist. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Lilia?"

James's eyes widened. "What? No, of course not!" He hoped his surprise seemed genuine.

Akari regarded him silently for several long moments before replying. "Even if I wished to grant you access, the Blades are not some toys I can simply hand out," she said coldly. "They are dangerous artifacts restricted to authorized agents only."

Her expression softened slightly. "Now please, for your own sake, stop pursuing this reckless curiosity."

Frustrated, James retorted without thinking, "Well what if I joined the Bureau?"

Akari looked astonished, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You...want to become an agent? But you're..." She lowered her voice. "Lilia, surely you're just making an excuse to get close to our relics."

Regretting his hasty suggestion, James quickly backpedalled. "I suppose I got ahead of myself. It was just a passing thought."

Akari continued staring at him like he'd grown a second head. Finally, she replied slowly. "I cannot tell if you are serious or simply manipulating me. But..." She hesitated before continuing. "Having you under official contract would grant more oversight on your activities."

James' eyes widened, not having expected her to actually consider the idea.

Turning back to James, Akari continued, "I will bring your proposal to my superiors. Provided both parties agree to the terms, an arrangement could be beneficial."

With that, Akari briskly walked away, leaving James stunned by this unexpected development. In trying to get access to the Blades, he had unintentionally opened the door to joining the very organization he wished to avoid.