Lilia: A New Dawn

James skimmed the reply from Endless Fantasy II's support team. They hadn't managed to restore his character completely, but they had offered some compensation for the lost items and refunded his purchases. Yet, it seemed that all his character data, except for his levels, was gone.

Logging back in, James was prompted to recreate his character and pick a new name. He chose a simple human male this time, clinging to the hope that it might somehow influence his transformation. He played for a few hours, but the magic of the game had faded. It was as if something had completely drained away his excitement for the world of Endless Fantasy, to a point that he wasn't even mad that all his progress was lost.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, James stretched out on his bed, pondering his next move. Perhaps this was the perfect chance to hone the skills he'd acquired in the game. Glancing over at Alistair, who was lounging on his desk in feline form, James had somehow persuaded his parents to let him keep the 'cat,' under the condition that he took care of it. Luckily, as an imp, Alistair required neither food nor drink, making him an easy companion to maintain.

However, James nearly had a panic attack when Alistair spoke in front of his parents, addressing them as 'lesser beings' and praising 'mistress's cunning' for deceiving them. Thankfully, in his feline guise, it seemed only James could comprehend Alistair's words, while everyone else simply heard meows.

"Mistress, do you have another devious scheme in mind?" Alistair asked with enthusiasm, pulling James from his thoughts. "Is there any way I can I assist you?"

James smiled wryly at Alistair's eagerness. "Actually, I wasn't thinking of anything in particular just yet. But something did occur to me..."

James grabbed a folder that contained notes he had compiled on game's lore and Lilia's abilities and spells. "Actually, I was thinking we could go practice using some of my powers."

"Excellent choice, mistress!" Alistair replied. "Lead the way, and I shall assist wherever possible."

Just then, James' mother popped her head into the room. "Heading out sweetie? Here, I saved this snack for Alistair." She held out a treat.

Alistair sniffed at it disdainfully before deigning to nibble. "Don't expect gratitude for this meagre offering, mortal," he said in a tone only James could understand.

James' mom merely cooed. "Aww, he's such a polite little kitty. Have fun on your walk!" She left unaware of Alistair's condescension.

 

Akari adjusted her clothes as she slipped behind James, trying to remain unnoticed. Something about him seemed off today; a feeling in her gut urged her to follow him instead of conducting a regular surveillance. It struck her as odd that he skipped meeting his friends and instead went straight home, only to leave an hour later with a mysterious black cat on his shoulder.

Her curiosity spiked when he started talking animatedly to the cat. She only heard meows, but James appeared to be engaged in a deep conversation. She activated a talisman to conceal her presence, intrigued by this odd behaviour.

Upon reaching an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town, Akari tightened her grip on the talisman, further concealing her presence. She peered through a grimy window and barely suppressed a gasp. Inside, James transformed into a demoness she recognized, while the cat turned into an imp sporting a sleek suit.

They chatted with ease, and Akari struggled to catch their words through the window and the muffling effects of her spell. "Well done deceiving the mortals, mistress," the imp said with a sly smile.

Surprisingly, the demoness dismissed his compliment with a wave. "Let's just focus on the task at hand." Her indifference to the deception deepened Akari's wariness about their real plans.

While their behaviour seemed suspect, Akari observed no clear malicious actions. The demoness even started reviewing a stack of papers. After fifteen minutes of reading, the demoness finally took an action.

She addressed the imp, but with a voice too faint for Akari to make out the words. Then, after listening to the reply, the demoness raised her hand and released a surge of power. Surprisingly the demoness had only discharged a small burst of flame from her palm, barely scorching the concrete column.

"Well done, mistress!" the imp cried enthusiastically. "That Lesser Arrow was executed with finesse. Your magical prowess knows no bounds."

The demoness smiled, though with hints of sheepishness. "Thank you, Alistair, but that was accidental. I'd intended to cast an actual Fire Arrow."

Taking a steadying breath, the demoness readied herself once more. This time, when she released her hand, a blazing arrow erupted from her palm, streaking across the room to leave a sizable scorch mark in its wake.

The imp hopped around gleefully. "Splendid! It won't be long before Mistress remembers everything!"

For the next hour, Akari watched their training closely. The demoness was an adept learner, eagerly incorporating each piece of advice from the imp. Her command of the flames grew more precise with every trial.

As the practice session ended, Akari quietly withdrew, her mind racing. This demoness posed a real danger to New Atlantis. If her abilities continued to advance at this rate, within a year not even the mightiest of heroes would be a match for her. And although she might look harmless now, but demons were evil by nature and bound to cause trouble eventually. Akari knew she had to act before they became a true menace.

 

Lilia took a deep breath, surveying the scorch marks lining the warehouse walls with a sense of accomplishment. After countless attempts, she had finally mastered basic pyromancy a first step crucial to her Battle Mage class.

Lilia smiled, feeling a surge of pride fill her demonic form. All those days and nights spent honing her craft in Endless Fantasy had paid off in the real world too. She was starting to get the hang of these strange powers.

Walking out of the warehouse with Alistair at her side, Lilia was suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness. She stumbled, as her vision blurred. "Shit!" she cursed under her nose.

"Mistress, are you unwell?" Alistair's voice held a rare note of concern.

Lilia managed a nod, fighting to keep herself upright. "I think... I'm feeling mana exhaustion."

It was worse than the game would have her believe. A deep hunger and thirst clawed at her, and a headache throbbed in her temples. At least, it was still somewhat tolerable, albeit incredibly distracting. She couldn't believe this was only the first of three stages of mana exhaustion.

As a Luxa Demon, Lilia's mana came back painfully slow. With the exhaustion slowing it even more, she was in for a tough recovery.

Leaning against the wall, she tried to catch her breath, her headache pounding away. She knew she needed help fast. Thinking of her sister Ren, Lilia shifted into her human form and set out to spend the night at her place.

The walk was uncomfortable, but bearable; certainly, easier than stumbling around drunk. Alistair, in his cat disguise, nuzzled against her, his concern evident. The click of her heels echoed through the empty streets, highlighting just how helpless she was.

Out of nowhere, three men appeared from an alley, their eyes glinting with malice. "Well, well, what do we have here, boys," one sneered, stepping in front of Lilia. His cohorts quickly surrounded her.

"Look, I don't have anything," Lilia said, her voice faltering as hunger and thirst intensified. Her headache roared, almost drowning out their words.

"We're not after your stuff," another taunted, grabbing her arm. That's when it happened—her vision blurred, and a crimson haze took over, leaving her with only fractured images of what happened next.

She was smiling, nodding, and following the men into the alley. There was a scuffle, a surge of warmth and pleasure, and the gnawing hunger subsided, replaced by an odd sense of fulfilment.

When she snapped back to reality, there were three bodies on the ground. Terrified she might have killed them; she checked their pulses. They were alive, thankfully.

"Mistress, a most successful hunt," Alistair remarked, his voice laden with respect. "Your power is undeniable."

A wave of nausea hit at the implications. "But what... what have I done?" she asked, her voice quivering with fear.

Alistair gave a casual flick of his tail. "Simple. You promised the first a kiss and with that, you siphoned his life force. The others were too stunned to react before you did the same to them."

Mixed emotions flooded Lilia. She was relieved it was just a kiss and nothing more, but then horror struck her—she had actually kissed a man, three on top of that! Disgusted, she hugged herself, trying to shake off the feeling.

"I need mouthwash," she blurted out, a sense of urgency rising in her voice. Seeing a convenience store down the street, she hurried toward it with Alistair close behind, desperate to erase the memory and the taste of what she had done.

Lilia stepped out of the convenience store, a bottle of mouthwash in hand, hoping to erase the memory of the alley’s horrors. But as she emerged, two figures blocked her way—a woman with a stern expression and a grim-looking man.

"You'll answer for your sins, succubus," the woman, known as Akari, accused, waving an ofuda talisman menacingly.

Lilia stood still, shaking her head. “You’re mistaken, I haven’t done anything wrong!”

Agent Collins sneered. “Don’t bother with your lies, demon. We saw you.”

“Please, just hear me out,” Lilia implored, her voice tinged with fear. “Yes, I took some life force from those men, but they’re alive. It was an accident!”

Her words, however, only seemed to harden their determination. “We won’t fall for your tricks,” Akari said icily. “Surrender or face the consequences.”

Retreating slowly, Lilia’s hands were up in a gesture of peace. “I’m telling the truth. My name is James, just a student. Listen to me…”

But they weren’t listening. With a gesture, Akari launched a flurry of talismans at Lilia, who incinerated them with a spell just in time.

Collins unsheathed a sword, its crystal blade humming with energy, and sprang forward, his attack swift and dangerous.

In a panic, Lilia dodged to the side, a cry escaping her as the sword grazed her arm, drawing blood. She had to find a peaceful resolution, but how?

Using her instincts, Lilia evaded another strike and cast a fireball to create a diversion. The brief lull allowed her to sprint away, Alistair perched on her shoulders.

She weaved through an alley, aiming to shake them off. Yet they kept up, relentless. Lilia threw fireballs back defensively, but one caught Collins by surprise, throwing him against a dumpster.

Shock rooted Lilia to the spot, but Akari was on her, talismans flying true. One struck Lilia’s forehead, a glow preceding an excruciating pain that brought her to her knees.

“Mistress!” Alistair’s cry followed his attack on Akari, but she swatted him away with ease.

Collins, despite his injury, approached with a glyph in hand. “It’s over, demon. No more deception.”

Lilia’s struggle was weak, her sight dimming. “I’m not... a demon…” she whispered. If only they would believe her...

But it was too late. Collins pressed the glyph to Lilia’s chest. A burst of light enveloped her as her screams pierced the night, and then everything stopped.

 

Time seemed to stop around James as he hovered above the scene, as if in a weightless dream. It was like an out-of-body experience, and he could only watch as Lilia's body stirred into motion, moving with an uncanny grace and fluidity.

With just a simple flick of her wrist, Lilia sent a powerful shock wave. Talismans disintegrated midair, Agent Collins and Akari sent flying against the wall, knocked out. Her enemies defeated in a single motion.

As the last of the enemies went down, Lilia faced James, her eyes meeting his. Her gaze held a peculiar calmness. "That was a close call, huh?" she quipped, her smile tinged with irony. "I can't keep bailing you out, James. You have to master these powers as soon as possible."

James, still caught off guard, managed to sputter, "I... What just happened? How did you—"

Lilia interrupted, her voice direct. "I just showed you what we're capable of. But this is it—no more handholding. You need to master your abilities, or we're both in trouble."

Her eyes scanned the motionless bodies on the ground. "I can't always be your saviour. They won't be down for long, and we have more problems on the way. You're not ready to face them."

A sense of urgency swirled inside James. "More problems? Like what?"

Lilia's heavy sigh contrasted with her fierce appearance. "You're on your own figuring that out. Even speaking their names might bring them closer."

Suddenly, the world swam back into focus, and James was in Lilia's body again, the transition jolting. A warning still echoing in her head, like a pressing reminder.