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.

"If I cannot have it, no one can."

Tilana had never been good at sharing.

She should have known something was wrong when she sent the mercenaries.

It was supposed to be easy. A simple test.

If Zane died—good. If he survived, then at least he'd be too broken to be a threat.

She did not expect Lily to step in.

And she definitely did not expect Lily to save him.

Tilana had spent months building Lily's dependency. Months pulling her closer, making her trust, making her hers.

Tilana's pet was guarding someone else.

Her father had always said jealousy was a weakness.

Her mother had taught her that it was a weapon.

If she couldn't have Lily, she would ruin her.

If Lily wanted to cling to Zane, then she would rip them both apart.

The higher-ups were cautious about Lily.

They wanted her, yes. But they were afraid.

She had spent enough time with Lily to know how she worked.

And she knew exactly how to lure her in.

Her mother arranged the meeting. Negotiated the deal.

Not desperate. Not forced. Just enough truth to make Lily come running.

And when she sent them, she knew—

Arc 2 Chapter 8: The Poison in a Gift.