Lilia: A New Dawn

James sat in the passenger seat of his mom's car as she drove him to school. The morning sun streamed in through the windows, promising a bright new day ahead.

"So, catch me up, how have things been going lately?" May asked, glancing over at her son.

James leaned back in his seat. "Well, the transformations are still happening, but the serum Dr. Wolf gave me helps fight the changes."

He hesitated before adding quietly, "I'm scared that one day, it just won't work anymore."

May reached over and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "Don't stress yourself over this so much. No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you. Same goes for the rest of the family."

James smiled, cheered by his mom's unwavering support. "Thanks, Mom. I know this whole situation has been weird for you as well, but I'm glad you're so understanding about it."

May waved her hand dismissively. "Please, after being married to your father for 30 years, something like this barely phases me at this point."

They both laughed, the mood lightening. After a few moments, his mother said slyly, "Sooo...how are things going with you and Mia?"

James flushed, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic. "What? No, we're just friends."

"Mmhmm, sure you are," May said in a knowing tone. "I've seen the way that girl looks at you when you aren't paying attention."

James shifted uncomfortably. "Come on, Mom, it's not like that..." But even as he denied it, he wondered if there was some truth to his mom's words.

Distracted by these thoughts, James barely registered their arrival at school. As May pulled up to the drop-off zone, she turned and regarded her son warmly.

"Well, whatever happens, I know you'll make the right choices. I'm proud of you, James. Now get in there and give it your best today."

James smiled back. "Thanks, Mom. I'll see you after school." He grabbed his backpack and stepped out of the car, waving as his mom drove off. Taking a deep breath, James turned and headed into the bustling school, ready to tackle the day ahead.

James met up with his friends Nathan, Alex, and Mia as he entered school. The four of them chatted lightly as they grabbed their books from their lockers and headed to their first class of the day.

 

With James going through his usual routines in each class, the school day proceeded as normal as it could, up until Akari approached him during a break between second and third period.

"The Bureau has a request for...you," Akari said, lowering her voice on the last word so only James could hear. "They want you to escort and guard a VIP while they explore some ancient ruins in Italy."

James looked puzzled. "Italy? I thought the Bureau only operated in New Atlantis."

Akari let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, but we have allies globally. If you want the full details, you'll have to visit the HQ yourself." She clearly wasn't thrilled about relaying requests on the Bureau's behalf.

James nodded, thinking over the unexpected development. It seemed the Bureau wanted to utilize Lilia's talents abroad. He would need to learn more, which meant a visit to their headquarters after school today.

After James' brief conversation with Akari, the school day continued without any other abnormalities. He went through the familiar routines of each class, trying not to dwell too much on the unexpected request from the NABC.

When the final bell rang signalling the end of the day, James breathed a sigh of relief. He gathered up his books and headed out the classroom door, looking forward to relaxing a bit after classes.

As James walked down the bustling hallway towards his locker, he felt an odd sensation within him. Serene Wrath seemed to stir with heat. James rubbed his forearm uneasily. Why was the relic reacting now?

Before he could ponder this further, a thunderous crash rang out from somewhere outside the school. Students yelled in surprise, rushing to the windows to see what was happening. James pushed through the gathering crowd to get a view himself.

His eyes widened at the sight of the hero Metaman grappling with a large, winged beast in midair over the school grounds. With its scaly hide and sinuous serpentine neck, the creature resembled a dragon straight out of a fantasy tale.

James' blood ran cold. Though smaller in size, the monster's features were unmistakable - it was a wyvern, one of the dragon-type enemies that populated the early zones of Endless Fantasy. How was it here in the real world?

Despite its menacing appearance, Metaman quickly gained the upper hand against the wyvern. With a final mighty blow, the hero sent the creature crashing down into the sports field, where it lay unmoving. Teachers and students cheered the hero's victory from the windows.

James stood frozen amidst the celebrating onlookers. His mind reeled at this latest monster to manifest from Endless Fantasy. The coincidences were piling up too rapidly to ignore. Somehow, the online game world and reality were bleeding together in alarming ways.

As the Metaman flew off with the corpse and teachers herded students back to class, James realized the common thread had to be the game's developers. Too many correlations tied back to Endless Fantasy - the abilities James had gained as Lilia, monsters like the Sanity Devourer and wyvern showing up, and even magic seemed to work according to the rules laid out in the game.

There must be more to the studio and developers behind Endless Fantasy, James reasoned. Either they had based the game world on truth without realizing it, or they knew far more about the supernatural than they let on.

James resolved to get answers directly from the source. A quick internet search on his phone reminded him that Endless Fantasy's developers were based in London. Traveling there to investigate would be no simple feat.

Just then, James remembered the request from the Bureau to escort someone in Italy. If he accepted the job, the organization would cover his travel arrangements to Europe without question.

A plan began taking shape in James' mind. If the mission wrapped up swiftly, he could potentially divert to London on his return flight without arousing suspicion, thanks to the Bureau footing the bill. It felt underhanded using the organization's resources that way, but James needed answers.

Satisfied for now, James resumed gathering his belongings to head home. Lingering questions still plagued him, but the beginnings of a strategy were falling into place. He would hear the Bureau's full request first, then subtly manoeuvre things to align for his goals.

One way or another, James was determined to get to the bottom of Endless Fantasy's connections to reality. Too many coincidences have piled up to ignore the game's role. If the developers held any secrets, he would uncover the truth.

 

James arrived home after school and hurried up to his room. If he was going to meet with the Bureau, he would need to go as Lilia. He took a moment to steady his nerves before triggering his transformation into Lilia.

As the changes rippled through his body, James felt the now familiar shift in his senses and perceptions. Soon Lilia stood in his place, flexing her slender blue fingers experimentally. Even after repeated transformations, it still felt surreal inhabiting this body that was both his yet not. Nodding to herself, Lilia headed downstairs, calling out a brief farewell to her mother.

"Be safe dear!" May replied warmly from the kitchen. "Let me know if you'll be late."

Lilia made her way briskly from the cozy suburban neighbourhood down to the bustling heart of the city. She knew the New Atlantis Bureau of Control's offices were located in the downtown core.

As Lilia approached the nondescript glass building housing the NABC headquarters, she once again felt the subtle magic washing over her, negating her glamour. The two security guards stationed just inside the entrance tensed reflexively at the sight of her demonic visage but made no move for their weapons this time. Their response was wary yet professional.

At the front desk, the receptionist Juniper greeted Lilia with cool politeness. "Good afternoon, Miss. We've been expecting you." She typed something on her computer before handing Lilia a visitor's badge. "Please affix this to your clothing while inside the building. You'll be meeting with Agent Heathcliff Abernathy in room 521 on the fifth floor."

Lilia nodded politely and affixed the badge to her clothes. "Thank you, Juniper." She headed for the elevators, drawing the occasional curious glance from passing agents and office workers unaccustomed to seeing a horned demoness stride through their midst.

Reaching the fifth floor, Lilia followed the signs until she arrived at room 521. Inside, a distinguished older man dressed in a smart suit glanced up from some paperwork.

"Ah, you must be Lilia," he greeted amiably, rising to shake her hand. "I'm Heathcliff Abernathy, senior field operations coordinator. A pleasure to finally meet you."

Lilia shook his hand. "Likewise. I understand you have an assignment requiring my particular skills?"

Heathcliff nodded, steepling his fingers on the desk. "Indeed. As you know, we have allies across the globe who sometimes require... specialized assistance. One such group in Italy requested someone capable of handling demonic corruption." 

He paused before continuing delicately, "And that is where you come in. Given your unique nature we believe, you are by far, the most fitting choice. Think of it as an opportunity to demonstrate your capabilities in a field situation.

Lilia considered the request. She wasn't certain if she could really 'handle demonic corruption', or whatever it meant, but she knew she could use this as an opportunity to get to London.

"That does sound like something I could do." Lilia agreed after a moment's thought.

"Excellent, excellent, " Heathcliff said, clearly pleased. He jotted a note on his schedule. "If you wouldn't mind waiting here, the agent you'll be partnering with should arrive shortly so I can debrief you both together."

"Of course, no rush," Lilia replied politely, settling into her chair. She was admittedly curious who her assignment partner would be. Perhaps this mission would indeed go smoothly and grant her leeway to discretely travel to London after. For now, she would have to be patient.

 

Lilia sat patiently in the meeting room, wondering who her partner for this assignment would be. After several minutes, the door opened and none other than Akari walked in. Lilia tried to hide her surprise as the serious shrine maiden took a seat beside her without even glancing in Lilia's direction.

"Ah, excellent," Heathcliff said amiably as Akari took the seat next to Lilia. "Now then, let's discuss the details of your joint assignment."

As Heathcliff explained their task of escorting and safeguarding the researchers exploring the ancient ruins, Lilia studied Akari out of the corner of her eye. Though her expression remained stoic, Lilia sensed traces of displeasure simmering beneath the surface. Akari was clearly unhappy about being assigned as Lilia's handler.

"Your flight is booked for this Friday evening. You'll be travelling first class, so do try to relax and enjoy the amenities during your journey," Heathcliff said.

At this, Lilia noticed Akari's eyebrow twitch ever so slightly in irritation. As a seasoned agent, she had likely flown countless economy class red-eye flights for missions. The fact that they were being given special luxuries due to her involvement no doubt irked Akari.

After covering further logistical details, Heathcliff concluded the briefing by handing Lilia an ID card. "This grants you Security Level 1 clearance for any Bureau facilities or resources you may require access to. Depending on your performance, we may adjust your permissions accordingly.""

Lilia nodded politely as she accepted the ID. "Thank you, I appreciate being brought into the fold like this."

After concluding the briefing, Akari and Lilia exited the meeting room and headed for the elevators. As soon as they were alone, Akari rounded on Lilia, eyes flashing.

"Let me make one thing clear," she bit out. "I'm not your partner, I'm only here as your handler to observe your conduct on behalf of the Bureau. Any tricks or deception on your part and I'll see you punished properly."

Lilia raised her hands in a gesture of peace. "There's no need for concern on your part, I promise you. We're allies on this mission."

Akari snorted, scepticism etched on her face. "Just make sure it stays that way," she cautioned. "You might've charmed the higher-ups, but I'm not so easily swayed by a demon's sweet talk."

"In any case, I look forward to working with you," Lilia replied evenly.

She could understand Akari's wariness and resentment at being assigned babysitting duty rather than a proper mission, but this was a little too much. There must be a reason behind Akari's hostile behaviour. Hopefully demonstrating her trustworthiness here would help warm the shrine maiden to her over time.

With their briefing complete, Lilia made their way out of the NABC headquarters. Her mind churned with plans on how she could subtly divert to London under the pretence of her first international assignment. One way or another, she was determined to get answers about Endless Fantasy's creators. She just had to avoid rousing Akari's suspicions along the way.