kweenjaded

For as long as the stars have burned, she has existed. She has been called many names—Gaia, Lilith, the First, the Eternal Witness—but time has eroded meaning, leaving only silence. When the sun finally devoured itself and Earth drifted into the abyss, she closed her eyes, expecting oblivion.

But she did not die.

Eons passed, and Earth—no longer Earth—was reborn in a distant galaxy, reshaped by her unconscious will. Now a training ground for civilizations across the cosmos, the planet teems with life once more. And she, no longer Lilith yet not fully something else, awakens in a body that is hers but unfamiliar. She knows everything yet feels nothing. Memories exist as echoes, not experiences.

When a young explorer, Tilana, stumbles upon her, she is given a name—Lily—a word tied to a flower that no longer exists. As Lily navigates a world both familiar and alien, she must relearn what it means to feel, to connect, and to exist. But something lingers in the depths of this reborn world, something that calls to the remnants of who she was.

To see tomorrow, one must kill yesterday. But what if yesterday refuses to die?.

Lily: The last lily of a forgotten world.

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

— Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)

Not silent—the low hum of technology, the faint flickering of automated lights, and the distant echoes of Vatra's ever-present winds filled the space. But compared to the Academy, it was tranquil. A place set apart from the relentless energy of the world outside.

Tilana sat cross-legged on the couch, her curls bouncing slightly as she animatedly recounted her day.

Her voice filled the room, a steady stream of excitement, curiosity, and the occasional dramatic pause as she emphasized an important detail.

"…And then, right when I thought it was over, the drone nearly crashed into the research tent! Can you believe it? They still have trouble controlling them in some areas because of the magnetic interference from the deep fields. But I told them if they adjust the calibrations, it might stabilize—though, of course, no one listens to me because I'm 'too young.'" She huffed, crossing her arms.

Lily sat opposite her, perched on the armrest of a chair, hands resting in her lap. She listened, her expression unreadable, but her focus was absolute.

Tilana continued, her tone shifting. "Dad let me stay back, but only in the secure zone. He was really serious about it this time, even got me a separate living quarter instead of making me stay in the main base. Said it's 'safer this way.' But I know he just doesn't want me poking around where I shouldn't."

She paused, then grinned. "Not that it's stopped me before."

Lily blinked slowly. "You should not do that."

Tilana waved a hand dismissively. "I shouldn't, but I probably will."

Lily tilted her head slightly, as if processing the contradiction, but said nothing.

Tilana sighed and leaned back. "Anyway, that's my day. Now tell me about yours. You actually went out there. Saw the Academy. What's it like?"

The Academy was vast. It was structured. It was filled with people wearing masks they didn't know they wore. It was...

Tilana's expressions were always clear, her emotions immediate and obvious. There was no mask with her.

Lily decided to be as honest as she could.

Lily nodded. "He wears a smile that isn't real, speaks in a tone that isn't his, and hides a question he does not want answered."

Tilana frowned. "That's… weirdly poetic. Who is he?"

Lily hesitated, then said, "Zane."

Tilana's eyebrows shot up. "Zane vael? Student Council Zane? The 'everyone's favorite person' Zane?"

Tilana laughed. "Oh, wow. You just met the most popular person in the entire Academy, and that's your takeaway? That he's a performer?"

Lily tilted her head. "What was I supposed to take away?"

Tilana opened her mouth, then closed it. After a moment, she muttered, "Okay, maybe that's fair."

Lily continued. "The Academy is large. The students… study. The structure is well-made. The systems are efficient."

Tilana sighed. "Lily, that is the most boring description of an academy I've ever heard."

Lily thought for a moment. Then she said, "It is a place where people exist together but not with each other. They move like currents in a vast ocean, overlapping but never truly meeting."

Then Tilana shook her head. "You are so strange."

Lily blinked. "So I have been told."

Tilana laughed, flopping back onto the couch. "I should've known you'd see the world differently. Alright, performer-boy aside, was it fun?"

Tilana smirked. "Then we'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Lily tilted her head. Then, slowly, she nodded.

Chapter 13: Echoes of the day