Awaken (1)

Lilia's eyes opened. There was nothing surrounding her except darkness. 

Her head was pounding and her neck was in pain. She was lying in an unnatural position against stone, her neck twisted. She slowly got up and stretched as much as she was allowed. Her whole body felt as if it was on fire.

For a moment she was lost on who she was. The first thing she remembered was being taken advantage of. She was filled with rage. Where was that bastard? 

Then the memory of being stabbed to death came. The feeling of betrayal was renewed. 

But there was another set of memories. It was one of her in a strange world where she was an unflavored daughter of a large clan. She was unjustly labeled as bad luck by everyone who came close to her. 

Her parents died after she was born and there was no one to look after her.  She had an elder sister, Zaza, but she paid no mind to her. She was half starved and made to take care of her own self in a desolate part of her family's property. 

She felt the only reason she was left alive was because her grandmother allowed it and saw it a sin to kill your own kind. She was hanging on to her life by a thread. The moment her grandmother died Lilia's fate would become uncertain. No man would marry a girl with bad fate, even if she had a whole nation behind her. To make it worse she was deemed as having no aptitude for magic, marking her as waste. 

As for where she was, she believed the answer lies within these memories. It was winter now. That lilia heard her sister had gotten a brand new blanket and simply wanted to collect her old ones to make herself warm. 

When she entered the room, she'd gotten distracted by the gifts and dessert that loitered the room. She had a taste of a few things but got distracted by a small plain looking wooden box. Before she could take a proper look, her sister and cousin returned. 

Her sister Zaza was upset about the fabric she'd gotten for the winter ball. She tore it apart and screamed bloody murder accusing lilia. Lilia had no choice but to run. She found herself in the wine cellar where she tripped down a flight of stairs. 

She was holding the box she took from Zaza so tight, she was sure it crumpled to dust. 

The last set of memories were too vivid and complete to be dreams. The one party she couldn't figure out was that man. She still didn't know who he was.

"Hello?" 

No answer.

"Hello?!"

The room illuminated, making her jump. "If you yell any louder, I'm sure those people won't mind coming for your head."

She turned around and saw a familiar dark robe. She looked and saw the face. When she remembered what happened, a cold wave washed over her. But she had priorities. First was leaving this place. She could attack him afterwards.

"Explain to me what is going on. Who are you?" He eyes were sending daggers at him.

He didn't answer right away. "You really don't remember anything? That's fine. You can consider me your personal guardian angel or demon. Whichever makes you feel better. When you took that pin, you broke a seal that woke me up from my slumber. You asked me to train you in magic in exchange for helping me restore my full powers. Simple."

Yeah… Too simple but she vaguely remember magic being an important thing in this world. Stronger fight magic meant wealth and riches and respect. From what she could remember, it was one of the reasons Zaza was treated like a princess. 

How unlucky this Lilia was. She didn't have any support or magic and instead of running away and starting a new life, she stayed under the heavy hands of her relatives. Lilia was surprised she lasted this long. Personally, she would have stayed away from all those snakes but that was then and this is now. As for this man, she felt like he could be good luck but wasn't sure if it would stab her in the back later.

"How would I know you keep your word?" 

"I brought you back from the dead. You have been gone for three days and gave you a brand new body. You should thank me instead of staring me down like I stole your food."

"If you're so powerful, what do you need me for?"

"You think that because you've gotten a new start you can abandon me. We have already agreed to have it out till the end. Don't ask anymore stupid questions."

Lilia always considered herself a calm and composed person. It was vital to her job but this man… He had her biting her tongue in frustration. She asked him a simple question and it requires a simple answer. She wasn't sure how the other "Lilia" was with him but she was a whole different person. Trash or not she was certain she could survive perfectly fine without him. That was what made her good at her job in the past.

 She didn't think she would be able to live in peace with him. At least his voice was calm.

"Fine. I want details. What must I do? Collect energy crystals?"

"If you are to help me you naturally don't function like other humans.Their magic is not their own. I gave you a part of me but you can't use it until you have cultivated enough energy to fuse it with yourself. Once you have done that no human could challenge you. That will be your first task. I will receive a percentage of any energy you earn."

"Whatever. How do I leave here? Take the stairs and keep in the left corridor. There's a door there. Get out and avoid the kitchen. You shouldn't have much trouble getting back to your quarters."

Lilia walked past the man and headed up the stairs. Then she remembered he didn't answer once of her questions. 

"You never told me your name."

He looked at her. "You can call me Ezer."