Lilia: A New Dawn

The next day, James met up with his friends before class. As they headed to first period, the conversation turned to the movie they had seen the previous afternoon.

"Man, I can't get over how amazing The Journey to Lonely Peak was!" Nathan said excitedly. "The action scenes with the trolls were insane."

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, it was a pretty wild ride. They took some liberties from the book, but overall, I thought it was a fun adaptation."

"Oh please, the book was far superior," Mia interjected. "They left out so many great scenes, like when the group got lost in the Misty Marshes. The movie felt rushed in comparison."

"I dunno, I liked them both," James said diplomatically. As they took their seats, their math teacher Mrs. Lin entered the room, bringing a halt to the conversation.

"Alright class, I have your tests graded from last week," she announced, making her way up and down the aisles distributing papers. When she set James' test down in front of him, she gave him an approving smile.

"Excellent work James, it seems you took my advice to heart and really applied yourself studying for this one. You received full marks, the highest score in the class in fact. Keep up the good work!"

James stared down at the perfect score in disbelief. He had never gotten close to full marks in math before. At best, he usually pulled B's or low A's. This was wholly unexpected.

Of course, he realized ruefully, this wasn't entirely his own doing. The lingering effects of Lilia's stats had clearly enhanced his academic abilities. Part of him felt he should be proud of the accomplishment, even if it wasn't fully earned. Yet at the same time, this just highlighted changes to his body and mind.

Hopefully Ren would uncover a cure for his condition soon. Banishing the disquieting thoughts, James refocused his attention on the day's lesson.

After class, his friends packed up their belongings and looked his way expectantly. "Hey James, we're thinking of hanging out at my place. You in?" Nathan asked.

James hesitated. As much as he would've enjoyed hanging out, he had committed to attempting to apprehend the Phantom Thief this evening.

"Sorry guys, I can't today. I'm supposed to be somewhere this afternoon. Raincheck though?"

His friends voiced their disappointment but didn't pry further. As they split up for their next classes, James checked the message on his phone again confirming he had to be at the museum before 6 PM. With the school day ending at 3 PM, that left ample time to go home and prepare before heading downtown.

 

The hours passed quickly, and soon James was bidding his friends goodbye and hurrying home. Once there, he immediately triggered his transformation.

Now that she could tap into her in-game equipment, Lilia reached into her shadowy inventory. Her usual attire, while granting ample mobility, wasn't quite suited for this type of mission. She needed something more appropriate.

She decided on the snug, midnight-blue leggings and a matching hooded tunic. Lilia quickly slipped into the dark, form-fitting stealth outfit; the leather leggings and tunic hugged her curves. Pulling the deep hood over her head, she concealed her face in shadows. Examining her reflection, she nodded in satisfaction. With its stat bonuses this attire would allow her to blend into the darkness, enhancing her already substantial agility.

Diving back into her inventory, Lilia retrieved an ornate, leather-bound grimoire. This tome held powerful magic, enabling its user to trap a complex spell within its pages. With the grimoire, one could instantly release the stored spell, circumventing the need for lengthy casting.

Lilia remembered inscribing an advanced spell known as Chains of Hades in this grimoire back in the game. It was a formidable crowd-control spell that bound the target with ethereal chains wreathed in harmless black flames. Although the spell couldn't be avoided nor blocked, one could still escape its grasp once bound by the spell. Yet still it was enough to incapacitate any foe for at least a few seconds.

The spell's main drawback was its extremely lengthy casting time. But with the grimoire, that limitation was negated. Against a cunning adversary like the Phantom Thief, those few seconds of immobilization could tip the scales between success and failure.

Lilia wasn't sure if the magic within would still function now that the book was outside of the game world. In the game, activating the grimoire to unleash its contained spell was straightforward. Here, however, the inner workings of the item were a mystery.

She contemplated triggering it to test its functionality but hesitated, knowing it might waste her one opportunity. Yet, without an attempt, the item would continue to be nothing more than a large paperweight.

Deciding to take the risk, she focused her will and channelled a wisp of mana into the grimoire. She felt the spell within stir faintly in response, though it did not fully activate—likely requiring a more substantial amount of mana. It seems the activation was simpler than she'd expected.

Satisfied that she hadn't squandered the spell, Lilia withdrew her mana and affixed the book to her belt. Lilia next activated her glamour. As the illusion settled over her, she wondered for a moment where her stealth outfit disappeared to when masked by the glamour.

She could still use the wristwatch device Ren gave her to swap the clothes she appeared to be wearing, even while glamoured. Yet she was unable to do the same with her game equipment, meaning that it wasn't just a simple illusion. They seemed to vanish from reality completely.

Deciding to explore this ability further in the future, Lilia headed upstairs to inform her parents she was heading out for the evening. They bid her to take care, used to their child's unusual double life by now.

Stepping outside into the deepening dusk, Lilia took a steadying breath. No matter how many times she ventured forth on these escapades, the exhilaration and uncertainty never faded. Beside her, Alistair practically quivered with excitement for the night's events.

As the pair walked briskly towards the metro station, Lilia double-checked the museum's address saved on her phone. The Phantom Thief had announced his target, the Jade Emperor tablet, would be stolen from the New Atlantis Museum's ancient China exhibit at precisely 11 PM tonight.

Lilia arrived at the museum promptly at 6 PM, well before the appointed time for the heist. The area was already swarming with heroes, both seasoned professionals and eager newcomers like herself, heeding the call.

A gruff, authoritative-looking man who seemed to be coordinating the defence effort approached Lilia. "Sorry miss, no civilians allowed beyond this point," he stated in a no-nonsense tone.

Lilia suppressed a wince, realizing she had forgotten to dismiss her glamour before arriving. To the man's eyes, she most likely appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary young woman.

"My apologies," Lilia replied smoothly before slipping away into a nearby alley. Once out of sight, she dropped her illusion, revealing horns and blue skin as she assumed her demonic appearance.

Examining her attire once more, Lilia acknowledged that her dark, form-fitting stealth gear made her look suspiciously like a thief herself. Nevertheless, the stat boosts it provided to stealth and agility would likely prove invaluable in facing an opponent like the Phantom Thief—a small trade-off for significantly improved odds of success.

Emerging from the alley, Lilia presented her hero ID card to the coordinator. "Lilia, at your service," she introduced herself succinctly.

The man's eyebrows rose momentarily at her unusual appearance before he regained his professional demeanour. "Ah, right then. We have you down as a provisional hero. Looks like you'll be on basic patrol duty tonight. Don't worry we'll handle everything."

He gestured to a map of the museum grounds, marking her assigned area with an X. Lilia nodded and committed the location to memory. As an unproven hero, she wasn't surprised to be relegated to such a mundane task.

"Alistair, keep watch for any signs of the thief," Lilia instructed her feline companion. The cat nodded eagerly before slinking off into the shadows.

For the next few hours, Lilia patrolled her designated area, familiarizing herself with the museum's layout. She noted side entrances, ventilation grates, and slender windows—any potential entry points the wily thief might exploit. She also couldn't help but notice the guarded looks from some of the veteran heroes as she patrolled. While not outright hostile, it was clear her appearance put them on edge.

Around 10:30 PM, Lilia made her way to the roof to survey the surrounding cityscape. She acknowledged that the Phantom Thief had chosen a particularly challenging target, with limited obvious escape routes. She wondered what tricks he had up his sleeve this time.

At five minutes to the hour, Lilia's pointed ears twitched. She detected the soft footfalls of an unseen intruder scaling the building's northern wall. Turning swiftly, she caught sight of a man's transparent outline, his body blending seamlessly with the brickwork behind him. Lilia's lips curled into a smile. The game was afoot.

Moving silently, Lilia trailed the barely visible thief as he slipped through a fourth-story window left ever-so-slightly ajar. The guards remained oblivious, unaware that the infamous rogue had already breached their defences with laughable ease.

Tracking the faint traces of his passage, Lilia ascended the grand staircase toward the second-floor exhibit hall. As the thief picked the lock of an ancient display case, she made her move. With practiced care, Lilia drew upon the grimoire affixed to her belt. Dark tendrils erupted forth, constricting the criminal in shadowy chains that burned with sinister flames.

A cry of shock escaped the thief's lips as the cursed shackles bound his limbs and rendered him fully visible. Yet, mere seconds later, he pressed something on his belt and vanished from sight once more, seemingly teleporting away. The now-empty chains slowly dissipated into wisps of black smoke.

Lilia quickly radioed the other heroes, alerting them to the thief's infiltration. She would now have to buy some time for them to arrive.

"Well struck, my dear!" The thief's voice rang out, echoing playfully through the spacious hall. "You are the first to lay a hand upon me. I applaud such boldness!"

The thief revealed himself as he walked from behind one of exhibits. Without wasting precious seconds, Lilia launched a simple fire arrow in his direction.

"Come now, is that any way to treat an admirer?" the Phantom chided as he nimbly dodged the blast. "Such a waste of your talents, my dazzling friend."

The Thief darted through the maze of displays and artifacts, always staying one step ahead of Lilia's fiery assaults. She gave chase, unleashing blasts to herd him without putting her full force behind them. After all, she had no real desire to hurt him, only to witness the rogue's skills.

"Such ferocity, my dear! But it seems your heart isn't fully in it," the thief taunted as another fire arrow sizzled past his shoulder. "Perhaps you don't wish to snuff out my light just yet?"

As they wove through ancient sculptures and paintings, other heroes poured into the exhibit hall. The thief was surrounded, but still managed to evade every grasping hand and entrapping power.

"As entertaining as this has been, I believe that's my cue to exit!" the Phantom announced, producing a small spherical device from his coat. He depressed a switch, and thick smoke billowed outward, obscuring the room.

Lilia coughed, squinting and waving away the haze. When it finally cleared, the thief was nowhere to be seen. The other heroes muttered in frustration, having lost their quarry yet again.

"Fret not, my friends, for the real treasure is the joy of the chase," the phantom's disembodied voice declared, amusement lacing his words. "Although, speaking of treasure..."

All eyes turned to the now-empty display case that had once held the priceless jade tablet.

The thief revealed himself next to a rooftop window. "It seems I must bid you adieu. Thank you for this delightful dance, my dear lady. I do hope we meet again."

With an exaggerated blown kiss that seemed aimed squarely at Lilia, the phantom made his grand exit. Lilia crossed her arms, torn between annoyance and a grudging respect.

As the heroes dispersed, the coordinator approached Lilia with a nod of acknowledgment. "That was impressive work, even if he did escape with the tablet."

Lilia smiled wryly. "I'll admit, he was really skilful."

With the spectacle concluded, Lilia took her leave. Reuniting with Alistair outside, the pair began their journey home. The cat regarded her curiously.

"Did you discover what you hoped from this encounter, Mistress?"

"I did indeed," Lilia confirmed thoughtfully.

"Yet something seems to trouble you still?" Alistair probed.

Lilia shook her head with a frustrated huff. "It's nothing. It's just that his personality was leaving much to be desired."

The cat chuckled knowingly as they continued on their way. Despite her vexation, Lilia had to admit that the thrill of matching wits with the elusive thief had been immensely satisfying. Perhaps their paths would cross again someday. Hopefully, he'd be less annoying by then.