Lilia: A New Dawn

Lilia sighed as the cab inched through yet another traffic jam on the way to the address Akari had provided. Resting her head against the window, she gazed up at the clear blue sky, imagining the freedom of soaring through the air. Unfortunately, her mount from Endless Fantasy hadn't crossed over like Alistair, but perhaps it was for the best. The sight of a draconic beast flying through the city would surely have caused mass panic, not to mention all the attention she'd get.

Perhaps she should look into mastering some kind of flight or teleportation magic. She knew several advanced spells for swift travel existed in the game, though she had yet to attempt any in real life. Making a mental note to study the relevant sections in Merlin's compendium, Lilia resolved to expand her mystical capabilities beyond basic offensive spells and wards.

The taxi finally pulled up near the destination. Lilia quickly paid the driver and stepped out onto the sidewalk, immediately noticing the area cordoned off by police tape. Officers milled about keeping back curious bystanders. As Lilia approached, one uniformed man held up a hand.

"Sorry miss, this area is completely locked down while we investigate the disturbance," he informed her gruffly.

Before Lilia could respond, Collins noticed her arrival and waved her over. "It's alright officer, she's with me," he called out briskly. Looking mildly disgruntled at being overruled, the policeman nevertheless lifted the tape to allow Lilia through.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Collins greeted Lilia politely as she joined him and Akari. His expression remained composed, but Lilia sensed the gravity in his voice. Clearly whatever happened here was serious.

"Of course, I came as swiftly as I could," Lilia replied. "What exactly occurred here?"

Akari folded her arms tightly, looking uneasy. "I was able to use spirit arts to partially reconstruct past events," she explained. "But it's better if I just show you directly."

Reaching out, Akari traced an intricate glowing symbol on Lilia's forehead. A series of vivid images abruptly flashed through Lilia's mind - the young hero on patrol, a jagged spatial rupture tearing open, the handsome yet sinister blond-haired man stepping through and seizing Ace before disappearing back into the void.

As Lilia processed the images, a sense of impossible familiarity gripped her while gazing upon the mysterious abductor's visage. She knew that face from somewhere, but she couldn't pinpoint where. The nagging feeling of recognition intensified as Lilia mentally repeated the sequence of images Akari showed her.

Without warning, Lilia felt herself being pulled into different series visions flooding her mind. She found herself walking through a moonlit garden, the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers filling the air. Up ahead, a familiar figure approached along the gravel pathway.

It was the handsome blond-haired man from the images Akari had shown her, though his features were softer, less ominous. He gave a polite bow as Lilia drew near.

"Good evening, my lady," he greeted cordially. "A pleasure to see you again."

Lilia opened her mouth to speak, but found she had no control. Instead, she heard her voice respond politely, "The pleasure is mine, Sir Mordecai."

Mordecai smiled and extended his arm in offering. Lilia felt her body move of its own accord, taking his arm as they strolled together through the gardens. She tried in vain to pull away, but it seems she was merely an observer within this vision.

They made idle conversation as they walked, Mordecai inquiring about her day and complimenting the beauty of the night blooms. Lilia bristled internally at his familiarity and the way vision Lilia smiled coyly in return.

Finally, they arrived at a secluded stone bench nestled among the hedges. Mordecai sat, gently pulling Lilia down beside him. Chills spread through current Lilia as she winced, dreading the direction of this encounter. As Mordecai turned to her, his gaze filled with evident desire.

"My dearest lady, your beauty eclipses even the most radiant blossoms," Mordecai whispered, leaning in closer. Lilia's mind recoiled, but her body—or rather, the Lilia from the vision—remained still, seemingly welcoming his advances, even tingling with slight anticipation.

She felt Mordecai's lips press against hers in a fervent kiss. Revulsion surged within Lilia, even as the Lilia of the vision reciprocated with zeal, her lips meeting his with hunger. Their emotions intermingled, leaving the Lilia disturbed by the intimate contact and the foreign feelings toward this man.

Despite her disgust, an undercurrent of pleasure and longing persisted, sensations she couldn't suppress. The vision-version of Lilia was clearly savouring each moment, drawing Mordecai closer as their kisses intensified.

When Mordecai's hands began to roam, caressing her body, Lilia tried desperately to detach herself from the vision, to ignore the sensation that she shared with vision version of herself. Just as the encounter threatened to escalate, her silent prayers were answered, and the scene shifted once again.

Lilia now stood in an ornate chamber, her gaze locked with her own in a floor-length gilded mirror. Reflected back was her true form. Horns gracefully curving from her forehead, spaded tail flicking restlessly, and surprisingly the demonic wings, which she had been unable to manifest in real world, unfurled behind her.

She turned at the sound of a door opening. Mordecai entered, his previously gentle expression now severe and judgmental. His soft attire had been replaced by gleaming silver armour and magnificent feathered wings. Brandishing his sword, he pointed it at Lilia with an air of divine authority.

"Explain yourself, vile temptress," Mordecai demanded, his voice imbued with a commanding tone. "What did you hope to gain by deceiving me?"

Lilia sighed, a gesture of regret, as if saddened by their confrontation. "So, it has come to this... a pity it had to happen so soon."

With astonishing speed, she conjured a sleek crystalline blade in her hand and lunged at Mordecai. Helplessly, Lilia watched as her vision-self drove the sword deep into Mordecai's chest. His expression twisted in shock and pain.

Lilia stood, scarcely able to comprehend the violence that was unfolding. Why had the vision Lilia done this? Had her affections for Mordecai been nothing but a cruel deception? But before she could grapple with these questions, the vision faded abruptly, snapping Lilia's mind back to reality.

She found herself standing on the city street corner once more, as though no time had passed. Beside her, Akari watched with a quizzical expression, seemingly unaware of the vivid scenes that had played out entirely within Lilia's mind.

Shaken, Lilia opened her mouth to describe the troubling vision. But before she could utter a word, Akari begun, seemingly unaware of her inner turmoil. "That's not all. After seeing this man, my mind went back to our trip to London, so I contacted Raphaël."

Lilia froze. "And what did you learn?" she asked warily.

"As it turns out, the abductor we witnessed was a part of Endless Fantasy," Akari revealed grimly. "Raphaël explained that the character is named Mordecai, one of the elite guards serving heaven's king."

Lilia's heart leapt with a sudden surge of hope as the realization struck her. She turned to Akari, her eyes wide and searching. "Wait, does this mean... you actually believe me now?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and cautious optimism.

Akari regarded Lilia with a thoughtful expression, the conflict in her eyes gradually giving way to a newfound understanding. She took a deep breath before responding, her words measured but sincere.

"When you first told me your unbelievable story of originally being James Brooks, I'll admit I dismissed it out of hand. The notion that a demon could somehow contain the soul of a human boy seemed patently absurd."

Akari continued, her tone growing more earnest. "Your behaviour has consistently proven far more compassionate and restrained than any succubus I've encountered before. The sincerity I see in you, the glimpses of a deeper truth... it's becoming harder to dismiss your story outright."

Lilia remained silent, scarcely daring to hope Akari's suspicions were softening. After a tense moment, the shrine maiden continued reluctantly.

"While I cannot simply accept your story based on faith alone, I will...consider the possibility you speak truth, until proven otherwise." Akari grimaced, as though the words pained her.

Akari cleared her throat, clearly eager to switch the topic "In any case, Mordecai's emergence changes things. I suspect he is not merely some crossover fragment like the Sanity Devourer."

"It appears this Mordecai character is almost certainly searching for you," Akari stated briskly, reverting to her businesslike demeanour.

"However, I doubt he knows that you and Lilia are different people," she continued. "To him, you're probably just the genuine Lilia, not a high school boy who can mysteriously assume her form."

"You're probably right," Lilia concurred. "If he were aware of the truth, he'd have no reason to search for Lilia here."

"On that note, do you have any insights regarding this Mordecai?" Akari pressed, her gaze intent upon Lilia. "You seemed to recognize him from the images I reconstructed, which suggests some level of familiarity."

Lilia hesitated, torn over how much to divulge. The memories of her encounters with Mordecai were disturbingly vivid, yet she wasn't ready to trust Akari with such sensitive information.

"I... can't be certain," Lilia responded with measured caution. "There was a flicker of recognition when I saw him in your images, as if I knew him from somewhere. But that's all."

It was a partial truth, and Lilia hoped it would suffice to appease Akari's curiosity without arousing further suspicion. To her relief, Akari seemed to accept the explanation, nodding thoughtfully.

"I suspected as much," Akari said. "Since he was slated for a future expansion, you wouldn't know him from the game."

She shook her head in frustration. "Unfortunately, this means we have little intelligence on his abilities or motives beyond superficial knowledge."

Lilia had to agree on that point. Without concrete details on Mordecai's origins or powers, formulating a sound strategy against him would prove challenging. Still, forewarned was forearmed. They would find a way to overcome this mysterious foe together.

As if reading her thoughts, Collins chose that moment to speak up. "While this Mordecai poses an unknown threat, we have protocols in place for extradimensional incursions," he remarked pragmatically.

Turning to Lilia, he continued, "Based on our projections, it's highly likely the abductor will appear again soon seeking you out. When that occurs, use this."

Collins handed Lilia what looked like an ordinary fountain pen. "If you twist it, it will emit a localized signal we can track," he explained. "Activate it, and backup will converge on your position swiftly."

Lilia accepted the pen gratefully. "Thank you, this will certainly help."

Collins gave a brisk nod. "Mordecai may possess abilities beyond any single one of us. But the bureau had dealt with a unknown threats before even world ending ones."

He checked his watch. "Now, we had best resume our investigation. Even minor clues could prove pivotal." With that, Collins swiftly departed to coordinate search efforts.

Akari straightened, determination flashing in her eyes. "Yes, forewarned is forearmed. I will not allow this Mordecai to bring harm to our city or its people." She turned to Lilia with a barely perceptible smile. "We'll handle the investigation from here, feel free to leave at any time."

Lilia nodded, appreciating Akari's understanding. With that, Collins swiftly departed to coordinate search efforts, and Akari caught up to him, leaving Lilia alone.

Lilia stood lost in thought, a whirlwind of unanswered questions swirling through her mind. The soft patter of paws on the floor barely registered until she felt a warm, furry body wind around her ankles. Glancing down, Lilia met the concerned yellow eyes of Alistair, her devoted imp currently disguised as a cat.

"My lady, forgive the interruption, but I couldn't help overhearing the name Mordecai," Alistair spoke softly, his voice a soothing purr.

Lilia hesitated, a heavy weight settling in her chest. "Yes, his arrival is...troubling, to say the least." The words felt inadequate to express the depth of her unease.

Alistair's brow furrowed, his ears twitching as if trying to grasp an elusive memory. "Mordecai... I recall you mentioning that name before, my lady." His tail swished uncertainly.

Lilia's heart skipped a beat. "Truly? Tell me what you know of him," she urged, a desperate edge to her voice.

"Forgive me, my lady. My memories remain mostly clouded, but I believe this Mordecai was... your lover, at one time?" Alistair ventured delicately, his words like a punch to Lilia's gut.

"Perhaps," Lilia murmured, her mind flashing to the fragmented visions she had witnessed moments ago. Could there be truth hidden within those disjointed scenes? The hollow feeling in her stomach deepened, threatening to swallow her whole.

Taking a shaky breath, Lilia pushed aside the tempest of emotions Mordecai's emergence had unleashed. She couldn't afford to be consumed by personal revelations, not when there was work to be done. With Alistair padding dutifully behind her, Lilia made her way back home.