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.

"The past is never where you think you left it."

Zane stood in the dim glow of his private chamber, arms crossed, face impassive.

Before him, flickering in cold-blue light, was the hologram of Tilana's mother.

Or rather—the Matriarch of Veskar.

He didn't care for her name. Didn't respect her title. But she was more than just some noblewoman—she was one of the few people in the galaxy who knew things he didn't.

"Matriarch." His voice was sharp, clipped. "What the hell is this cube?"

The hologram didn't answer immediately.

She stood tall, wrapped in ceremonial silks, her gaze unreadable. A woman accustomed to control.

Zane's jaw tightened. "You sent me a picture of it. That means you wanted me involved."

"I don't like being used," he continued, voice lower now, dangerous. "And I don't like people who try to manipulate me."

For a brief moment, a memory surfaced.

"I will not be controlled again," Zane murmured, almost to himself.

That, at last, made the Matriarch pause.

Her expression shifted—not softer, but calculating.

The hologram shimmered slightly as she folded her hands.

"Some believe it is nothing more than a rock."

The Matriarch's voice was measured. Careful.

He straightened, intrigued despite himself.

She took a step forward—well, as much as a projection could. Then she asked the question.

"A seemingly mundane rock … a lifeless celestial body that hums with something more."

A distant roar echoed in his mind. Fire. Destruction. The sound of a world screaming.

The Matriarch inclined her head slightly.

"You are right , we do have a lot to talk about."

Chapter 4: Unearthing the Past