Lilia: A New Dawn

James took a deep breath as he stood outside the school entrance, mentally steeling himself for the day ahead. After nearly three weeks away, the prospect of diving back into his normal routine felt both strange and daunting.

Walking through the halls, James caught snippets of conversation about his prolonged absence. Rumours swirled, but most assumed he had been bedridden with some illness.

Upon entering homeroom, James found himself immediately enveloped by his friends, Nathan, Alex, and Mia.

"Dude, you're finally back!" Nathan exclaimed, delivering a hearty slap to James's back. "We were starting to wonder if you'd ever come back."

Alex nodded, his relief apparent even on his usually stoic face. "It's good to see you up and around. Are you feeling better now?"

Before James could reply, Mia crossed her arms and fixed him with a scrutinizing gaze. "You still look a bit sick. I like your new haircut though, makes you look more dignified."

Self-consciously, James ran a hand through his lengthened, slightly silver-tinted locks. "Oh, yeah... I was bedridden most of the time, so I couldn't get it cut."

His friends seemed to accept this explanation, though Mia continued to eye him with a hint of suspicion. Fortunately, she refrained from pressing the issue as the class began.

The day unfolded smoothly, almost mundanely, as James slipped back into the familiar rhythm of school life. Aside from the curious glances and whispers about his long absence, nothing has really changed.

After classes let out, the four friends reconvened outside the school gates, eager to make up for lost time.

"Man, it's good to have you back!" Nathan said, playfully tousling James's hair. "No offense to these two, but hanging out with just Alex and Mia gets dull."

"Oh please, we kept ourselves plenty entertained without you," Mia shot back, her smile toward James warm and genuine. "But honestly, we're glad you're on the mend."

Alex simply nodded in agreement. "We should do something fun this weekend to celebrate your return."

James's smile widened, buoyed by his friends' easy acceptance. "That sounds great. But first, you guys have to catch me up on everything I've missed."

The four chatted amiably as they walked to a nearby fast-food joint, simply happy to be together again. For the moment, James was content to revel in the normalcy of their company.

They spent the next hour talking and laughing, munching on fries and assorted snacks. James thought to himself how good it felt to be back.

But, as with all gatherings, this one eventually came to an end. They exchanged farewells, promising to reconvene over the weekend for an exhilarating outing at the laser tag arena.

After parting ways with Alex and Nathan, Mia sidled up to James with a conspiratorial grin.

"I've been practicing magic a lot!" she whispered, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"That's awesome. I bet with your talent, you're way ahead of me now," James replied, his tone laced with sincerity.

"No way, I just have beginner's luck. But for progress—come over to my place, and I'll show you," Mia said, her voice imbued with a hint of mischief.

 

James agreed, and half an hour later, they arrived at Mia's house. Her parents were, as usual, absent during the week, a fact that seemed to bother Mia little, if at all.

"Come on, let me show you a spell I've learned," she said as they headed upstairs to her room.

Closing the door behind them, Mia turned and extended her hand. She traced an intricate glyph in the air, with azure light trailing from her fingertips. The flowing lines curved and intersected, weaving into an ornate magical circle.

With a flick of her wrist, the circle flashed, and a shard of ice materialized, crystallizing into a hovering frozen spear above her palm.

James's eyes widened. "That's incredible!" He was really impressed with her progress, even as Lilia he  barely touched the cryomancy.

Mia smiled proudly. "I've been practicing whenever I had the chance."

She dispersed the icy spear with a casual wave of her hand. "Alright, your turn. Show me what you can do after being out sick for so long."

James swallowed nervously but nodded. He focused, summoning his mana and drawing the energy to his fingertips. Tracing a basic fire glyph in the air, he willed the magical diagram to take shape.

At first, only faint embers sputtered from his hands. But gradually, the glyph blazed with crimson light, summoning a flickering flame that formed into an arrow-like shape.

Mia's eyes lit up in surprise. "Whoa! Since when could you do that?"

James stared at his hand, equally bewildered. "I honestly have no idea. It was way easier than usual."

Mia smirked knowingly. "Uh-huh... so you've been 'sick' all this time, and now your magic has mysteriously improved? Did you actually skip school to practice spells without me?"

"What? No, of course not!" James protested, a bit too hastily. "I mean, I tried practicing a bit while bedridden, but trust me, I was really sick."

"Hmm, sure you were," Mia said, her tone sceptical but with a willingness to let it slide. "Well, whatever you were up to, I'm just glad we can train together now. We've got a lot of catching up to do!"

James nodded, a wave of relief washing over him. "Yeah, we definitely need to make up for lost time."

At that moment, Alistair sauntered into the room in his cat form, his tail swishing with curiosity.

Mia's expression brightened. "Alistair! I've got a little treat for you." She hurried to the kitchen and returned with a can of tuna.

As Mia opened the can, Alistair's nose twitched. He turned up his nose indignantly. "You dare offer such pedestrian fare to a noble servant of the Abyss?" he muttered under his breath.

Despite his protests, the savoury aroma made Alistair's mouth water. It seemed that, similar to Lilia, his transformation came with additional instincts. Finally, he relented, gulping down the fish with gusto.

Mia giggled and stroked his back. "Aw, I knew you'd like it! Who's a good little Alistair?"

The imp-turned-cat bristled at being treated like a common house pet. Yet, he could not deny the satisfaction of a good meal. Perhaps, just this once, he could overlook the indignity.

 

After a short break, James and Mia resumed their spellcasting practice. James meticulously drew fiery glyphs in the air, his control sharpening with each fire arrow he conjured.

Meanwhile, Mia effortlessly summoned ice shards, experimenting with their shapes and morphing them into various frozen figures. Her affinity for magic seemed akin to Lilia’s, rendering her errors less detrimental to the casting process. Yet despite her innate skill, Mia would, on occasion, mischannel her mana excessively, resulting in her spells dissipating prematurely.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Mia declared, dissolving her last icy creation. “But we should definitely continue this tomorrow. The more we practice together, the faster we’ll both improve!”

James nodded, fatigue evident in his posture as he sank into a chair. “Yeah, you’re right. I need to refine my control if I’m going to match your pace.”

Mia playfully punched his arm. “Oh, come on, you’ll catch up. I’ve just got a bit of a head start.”

“So, are we meeting up again tomorrow after school?” she inquired.

“Sure, that works for me,” James responded, a hint of anticipation in his voice. “I’m looking forward to it.”

They spent some time engaged in light conversation before James began to gather his things, Alistair following close behind.

“See you tomorrow!” Mia called out, accompanying him to the door. “And don’t even think about standing me up after I’ve waited so long for my magic buddy to return.”

James chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it. You have my word—I’ll be there.”

With a final wave to Mia, James stepped outside, the evening’s crisp air invigorating him after their intense magical workout. The brisk breeze was a refreshing change from the indoor stuffiness.

 

As he made his way home, James's phone erupted with a sudden ring. He fished it out of his pocket and saw it was his sister, Ren.

"Hey, Ren. What's going on?" James answered.

"James, I'm glad I caught you," Ren replied, her voice tinged with excitement. "I've made some discoveries on Lilia that you need to hear."

James's interest piqued. "Really? What did you find out?"

"I'd prefer to discuss it face-to-face. Can you make time to meet after school tomorrow?"

James hesitated. He had committed to another session of magical practice with Mia.

"Actually, tomorrow's not good," he said, regret lacing his tone. "Mia and I have plans."

"Ah, got it," Ren replied with a hint of amusement. "What about the day after then? Thursday?"

"That works. Thursday it is," James confirmed.

Before Ren could say more, James's second phone began to chime—the one linked to his alter ego, Lilia.

"Ren, can you hold on a sec? I need to take this call on my other line."

"Sure, no worries. We'll catch up on Thursday," Ren said, understandingly.

James ended the call and hurried down a nearby alleyway. Ensuring he was alone, he swiftly triggered his transformation into Lilia. Once changed, Lilia smoothly withdrew her second phone and answered.

"Lilia speaking," she said.

"Miss Lilia, I'm pleased we've reached you," a polite male voice replied. "This is Roland from the Superhuman Affairs Department. We're in need of your assistance with a delicate matter."

Lilia's eyes widened in surprise. She had registered herself as a new hero, but she hadn't expected to receive an official call for help so soon, especially since she hadn't yet taken any action since registering.

"Of course, I'll help however I can," Lilia responded professionally. "What's the situation?"

"I'd prefer not to discuss sensitive details over the phone," Roland replied cautiously. "However, a special task force has specifically requested you for this operation. It's quite time-sensitive, so we need you to come in as soon as possible for a full briefing."

Lilia's mind raced, ablaze with curiosity about why she had been singled out. Who needed her help, and for what purpose?

"I'll be there first thing tomorrow," Lilia confirmed.

"Excellent. Report to the Paragon Building downtown, room 1216," Roland instructed. "And please, speak of this to no one. The operation must remain strictly confidential for now."

"Understood," Lilia replied.

After finalizing a few more details, Lilia ended the call, her thoughts swirling. It seemed that registering as a hero would thrust her into the fray sooner than expected. But the secrecy intrigued her. What kind of situation required her specific abilities?

 

It was 7 AM, and Lilia found herself standing at the entrance of the towering Paragon Building, its glass façade reflecting the early morning light. After a brief pause, she marched through the front doors, her posture exuding confidence. This was the moment. Her first mission as a hero was about to start.

The lobby was all slick marble and polished steel, with various law enforcement and hero agencies occupying the floors. Lilia made her way to the elevator and rode up to the 12th floor.

When the doors opened, she was greeted by a familiar, yet unexpected, face.

"Akari?" Lilia exclaimed in surprise.

The agent gave a tense nod. "Lilia. I'm glad you could make it on such short notice."

Lilia stepped out of the elevator, eyes scanning the office space full of agents typing away at computers and speaking in hushed tones. She noticed Agent Collins was conspicuously absent.

"So, what's going on here?" Lilia asked cautiously. "The call mentioned a delicate operation."

Akari gestured for Lilia to follow her into a private room. Once the door was closed, Akari faced Lilia, her expression etched with worry.

"It's Agent Collins. He's been captured during a reconnaissance mission," Akari's voice was strained with concern for her partner.

Lilia's eyes widened in alarm. "That's terrible! Do you know what happened?"

Akari shook her head. "We're not certain. Collins was investigating a pleasure cult. We have reason to believe a succubus is involved."

She took a deep breath before continuing, "Any actions we take could provoke Collins' captor into harming him. But we think... you may be able to infiltrate without raising suspicions."

Lilia crossed her arms. "So you need my help rescuing your partner, even after all the suspicion and mistrust between us?"

Alistair jumped from Lilia's shoulder, transforming into his imp form. "Quite bold to request assistance from my lady now that you're in a bind."

Akari lowered her eyes guiltily. "I know we didn't start off on the right foot. But Collins means everything to me. Despite his stoic exterior, he has a kind heart. I can't bear the thought of losing him." Her voice quivered slightly. "Please, Lilia. You're our only hope of getting him back safely."

Lilia studied Akari for a long moment before giving a resolute nod. "Very well. I'll do what I can."

Alistair opened his mouth to protest, but Lilia silenced him with a stern glance. As frustrated as she was with Akari's past hostility, Lilia couldn't turn a blind eye to someone in need.

Akari's shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you, Lilia. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Over the next hour, Akari provided Lilia with all the intelligence they had managed to gather and Collins' last known location. Lilia committed every detail to memory, mentally preparing herself for the dangers ahead.

As Lilia turned to leave, Akari called out, "Lilia... please bring him home."

Lilia gave a reassuring smile. "You have my word. I'll bring him back."