Rising Shards

Another time in her life, another sign appeared. “Lillia Cadence at Fourteen.”

Lillia tapped next to the keyboard on her computer. Her room was dark. On her screen was a mystical scene, a knight staring at a checkerboard black and white puzzle. There was a gold clock in the center that Lillia kept her eye on as she waited. She sighed when the knight said ”Ack! That must not be thine correcteth answer...” for the hundredth time.

”I know what the correct answer is,” Lillia muttered to herself. ”If you’d just be patient and wait for the clock...”

“Lillia! Time to go!” Her mother called.

“One moment!” Lillia said, continuing to stare at the screen.

“Lyla’s graduation is very soon, my dear,” her mother said. “We don’t want to be laaaate…”

“I said one moment!” Lillia said, continuing to tap as she watched the clock turn on her game. If she could just time this right, she could finally get the last achievement in Tyrant Rangers 2000: System Knight.

“Pause the game and come back to it after this,” her mother said, opening her door and turning on her lights. “And brush your hair, you got major bedhead, dear.”

Lillia sighed as she clicked, missing the timer, causing the clock to disappear.

She let out a soft sigh as she got into the family car.

“Much better hair wise,” her mother said. “Now if we can just improve the scowl on the way over…”

“Lillia’s always got that look.” Lilith said, seated next to Lillia in the back of the car. “Always a sourpuss!”

“Lilith, be quiet,” Lillia said.

“Mom, she’s mad cuz you stopped her from getting one of those ‘accomplishments’ in her stupid game Tired Raiders.”

“It’s called an achievement.” Lillia said. “And the game is called Tyrant Rangers.”

Lillia’s thoughts echoed around the memory trial. At least they are trophies I can actually win…

Lillia looked stoic as she watched her older sister’s graduation ceremony. But she couldn’t shake the feelings of jealousy and self-doubt watching her take the stage.

At least it’s not Lilith’s graduation. Lilith had already been bumped up a few grades, but Lillia still was one ahead of her, which shouldn’t have felt like as much of an accomplishment as it did. Lyla was of course on of the very few students asked to give a speech, and her speech was quite poetic and moving. It got a standing ovation.

“Cmon, Lillia, stand up.” Lilith said. “Don’t be rude.”

Lillia stood up reluctantly. It’s not that I’m not happy for her, or not proud…but it still hurts. Being the worst in the family.

The curtains drew once more.

“Lillia Cadence at Sixteen.”

Lilith squealed a horrid shriek before the curtains had even finished parting again. Lillia flopped off the couch in the living room, her gaming headset falling off and her controller spilling to the ground, the battery pack falling apart, ruining her multiplayer round.

“Lilith?” Lillia called out. “Are you OK? Did you just hurt yourself?”

Lilith didn’t answer.

“Is something wrong?”

Lilith ran into the room, holding a smart phone.

“Oh, my god!” Lilith said.

“What’s wrong?” Lillia asked. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened, Lillia,” Lilith said. “Well, something incredible happened! Look, I just won a grant!”

Lillia’s stomach dropped as her sister held her phone up to her, with an announcement of her receiving an official grant from a genuine real institute to pursue speech writing. In the void version of the memory, the world turned dark around her as Lilith rambled about what that meant to her.

“I’m going to probably get a doctorate, and be really famous, and it’s gonna be amazing, and I’ll travel all around the world, except to maybe not the polar continents, but maybe if they ask me to do a speech there, because—“

Lillia felt a sharp pain in her teeth. She thought she was about to throw up, but gasped as a giant fireball escaped her mouth, blasting directly towards Lilith’s face.

“And then I got my fangs,” the present Lillia said, regaining her form to overwhelm the memory. “And practically burned my little sister to death.”

“She did get out of the way in time,” The voice in the void said. “Looks like that burned her eyebrows pretty good, though.”

“But…she could have been hurt worse.” Lillia said, as echoes of Lilith crying in terror surrounded her.

“Is that your takeaway on the things you’ve seen?” The voice in the void said once the shouts settled into silence.  “What are your thoughts on what you’ve been shown?”

“I don’t know,” Lillia said. “I learned...nothing? I still have to be better than them. I have to…prove…it’s pointless, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“So what do you say?” Lillia asked.

“I say,” the voice said. “That there is a path ahead of you that pushes you towards always striving to best your sisters.”

“That’s the path I wish I could take.” Lillia said.

“The path you wish you could?” The voice said. “By the way, Laenie has named me Twilight Umbra. I thought you should know.”

“How...I’m not sure if fitting is the right word...” Lillia said. “But yes, anyways, Twilight Umbra. The path I wish I could. Part of me desperately wants to take the Endoran path, and show Lilith and Lyla I can be better than them, but…”

“But?”

“But if I do…” Lillia said. “Whatever reward I’d gain from taking the path of Endora, it wouldn’t be worth it in the end.”

Lillia could feel power coursing through her. Another vision of herself appeared, smiling wildly as she controlled her fire not just with her breath, but with her bloodsaber and hands, as trophies and awards began to fall around like confetti.

“You’d be very strong.”

”The Endoran path is powerful,” Lillia said. ”But from what I’ve been taught it goes against my moral system. To gain great power quickly, but to sacrifice care and respect for others, putting all mental strength into ego and cruelty, that sort of thing.”

”Even so, you’d have the satisfaction of finally being better than them.”

“But they’re still family.” Lillia said. “I can prove I’m great on my own, too. 

“I like that answer,” twilight Umbra said. “Is that the path you intend on taking then, Lillia?”

“Yes,” Lillia said. “I know I’ll remain on the path of the Atrians.”

“Very well,” Twilight Umbra said. “I’m very impressed with your answers, Lillia. You lived up to your reputation and more.”

Lillia smirked as the door back opened to her.