Warrior (Working Title) Coming in October to Galatea!

Episode: One: Where am I?

POV: Lilith

“Welcome to Dresnia, My Lady.” A voice disrupted the silence of the dimly lit room. Lilith groaned as she struggled to sit up, her body heavy and uncooperative.

“What? Where am I?” She asked, certain she had heard him wrong. Am I even awake? This must be a dream. She was still in her bed, in her two-bedroom bungalow, sleeping. I should have laid off the carbs at supper.

The Gentleman was of slight build, with a compact body. Though he was still seated, she was certain he was not a tall man, Five-nine at most. He looked to be of oriental descent, but she would not even begin to guess his nationality.

“Dresnia. Year 4097.”

“Four... Thousand? What?” Her head was still splitting. She had heard him wrong; she was sure of it. It is just a dream. I will wake any second. This is just a dream. She kept chanting that mantra over and over as the man continued speaking.

“You need to get some food and liquid in you before I explain everything. For now, rest and eat. There will be time for everything later.”

Lilith nodded, causing the room to tilt slightly. Still, she pulled back the covers and began to vacate the bed. The man rose as she stood, her legs giving out immediately.

“Please. Stay in bed.” His hands were gentle and warm, yet firm and supportive as they carefully held her up as she struggled to stand.

“Bathroom. Please.” It was hard to speak with her head throbbing and her mouth parched. The man was right. She needed water and food, but first she needed a toilet. Quickly.

“This way.” The man helped her to a nearby door and opened it for her. “I can handle it from here. Thank you.” She spoke as he started to help her in. She was moving better and did not wish to have someone watching her.

Please, let this just be a dream. I do not want to have to do laundry when I wake. Until then, Lilith would just roll with the dream. She would wake up sooner or later. She was sure of it.

“As you wish,” the man carefully released her and took a small step back. “I will be here if you need me.”

She came out a moment later with the man standing right where she had left him. He helped her back into bed and made sure she had more liquid before taking his seat.

“Could I have some water instead?” she asked. She did not care for whatever liquid it was they were giving her.

“Of course.” He left and came back a moment later, a glass of water in his hand.

“Thank you.” She downed the liquid quickly. Afterwards, she handed him the empty cup and closed her eyes, leaning back against the headboard.

“Better?”

Lilith nodded.

“Then please try to eat a little of this. Your journey was a rough one.”

Lilith’s eyes were heavy, and she was beginning to think that maybe this was not a dream. It seemed too real. She hurt too much. She had had vivid dreams in the past, but not like this. What should I do? What if this is not a dream?

The smell of soup filled her nostrils, reinforcing the intruding reality that she was “No longer in Kansas”. The smell was making her stomach nauseous, but if she truly was awake, she would need to eat.

“Your name?” She asked as she turned her focus on getting the spoonful of warm liquid to her mouth. The first sip sent warm liquid down her throat before hitting her stomach. She felt her stomach churn as another wave of nausea hit. Still, she filled the spoon once more. Intent on focusing on what was in front of her and only what was in front of her.

“Lao San.”

“Chinese?”

“That is no longer a nationality. Though… there are still differences among areas.”

“I see.” Lilith did not, but it was too hard to figure out. Her brain was not working.

Lao gave her a gentle smile, easily reading the denial and confusion on her face.

“Do not worry about that right now. At this moment, you only need to concern yourself with getting your strength back.”

Lilith nodded and closed her eyes, no longer able to fight off sleep. Lao moved quickly, catching the bowl and spoon just before they hit the ground. He was impressed she had remained conscious for this long. Staring down at the young woman, a thought gripped him: Against all odds, she survived the botched summoning. Surely she is the one we have been waiting for.

A soft knock broke the silence.

“Enter.”

A servant stepped in and handed him a note. Lao scowled at the message before crumpling it in his fist.

“Bring me seven pieces of paper and my seal. Immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

***

“I am sorry. Say that again.” They stood just outside of her room, in front of a large mural.

“You are currently in the land of Dresnia, in the year 4097.”

The scene showed a landscape littered with crumbling buildings, overgrown vegetation like nothing she had ever seen, skeletal remains of human and animal alike, with a man, surrounded by seven others, standing in the middle, an outline of a dragon dwarfing him while the men stood at the ready, various weapons drawn, wings protruding from their shoulders.

It was beautiful, grotesque, and terrifying all at once.

“I got that part the first time, thank you.” Lilith had stopped to look at it on a return trip from the restroom. “What am I looking at?”

“The original Grand Emperor and the Seven Protectors of this world.”

“What the hell is a ‘Grand Emperor’ and ‘protector’?”

Lao San gave a curt nod. “The Grand Emperor rules over all seven countries of the world.”

“Why?” Lilith felt an uneasy thought flicker to life in the back of her head, but she quickly stamped it out. It would be ridiculous for blood to determine your power. Right?

“His line is the purest.”

Did he really just say the person who rules over all rules because of his blood? Ah, hell no. Did we really revert to the Medieval ages once more?

“Why am I here?” Lilith murmured to herself as she studied the Mural on the wall. Emperor’s Protectors, Kings? It all sounds like a fairytale.

“You have arrived here to save humanity from extinction.” Lao’s voice remained soft and gentle, but his eyes were sharp as he picked up on every little nuance of Lilith’s body. She was panicking even as she tried to hide it from him.

Will she crumble under this knowledge, he wondered.

She had not expected an answer from Mr Lao San, but the answer he gave her caused the air to leave her chest. Lilith’s life had been one struggle after another from the age of eight, so she was used to things popping up, going wrong, hurdles appearing that seemed too high to overcome, yet in this moment, she could feel a wave of panic roll over her as the oxygen in the air seemed to disappear.

“Breathe. Slowly. In four. Hold it.” Lao kept his eyes on her as he instructed her breathing before she went into a full panic attack. “Release slowly.”

Lilith focused on her breathing as her mind raced. Never mind a dream; this is a Nightmare! What the hell happened? I cannot do this! What the hell am I supposed to do? How can I fix this? This has to be a joke.

Lilith’s thoughts came fast and jumbled as she tried to rein in her panic.

Think! What is the next step? You can do this. Focus!

“When may I return to my own time?”

Lao watched, in real time, as the lady before him took control of the panic that had taken hold and wrestled it until she was back in control. She is strong. She will need to be.

“I cannot give you an answer. I do not know.”

Lilith did not care for his answer. “Why?”

“Because the manner in which you arrived is still being investigated.”

A knock sounded, and a servant entered the small room with a stack of papers. The man kept his eyes down and averted from Lilith as he approached Lao, handing him the stack with a bow before scurrying back out the door.

Just how important is this man? Lilith thought as she watched him watch the man leave the room. Lilith could not identify the change, but his demeanor had shifted the instant the man appeared.

“Mr. Lao?”

Lao turned back to her, shuffling through the papers. “Enough for now. You need rest, and I have to respond to these.”

Before Lilith could respond, Lao placed a finger to her temple, and Lilith slipped away, the world going black.

***

“You move fast.” Lao was in his apartment for no more than a few moments before his visitor made himself known.

“I was in the area.”

“If you are caught, you will be killed.”

The man, now wrapped up in a black cloak from head to toe, let out a low chuckle. “I think I can handle myself.”

Lao continued to stare out the window that overlooked a small, overgrown garden. He wondered how his partner was faring. They had spent their entire life waiting for The Great Lady to appear, prepared to die before her arrival, ready to lose their lives to protect her.

He looked at the letters, still in his hand. Soon enough, they all will return, ready to serve humanity’s only hope of survival. But first…

“Have you no thought of your own safety?”

The man chuckled. “I know of only two people in this world who are capable of bringing me harm. Worry about your ward.”

Lao, usually not one to anger easily, spun his swords already in motion. The man was ready, blocking easily.

Lao did not let up, pushing forward as the man continued blocking every attack Lao made.

Lao dropped low, and a small dagger sliced through the air, just tearing the cloth of the man’s pants.

The man stopped, breathing hard. “You are still as formidable as ever.”

“It only takes one hit.”

“Relax,” the man leaned against the doorframe. “Are we sure she is the one?”

Lao let out a sigh. “I have not seen the mark, but her arrival is not a coincidence.”

The man let out a snort. “She is not much to look at. You will have a hard time keeping her alive long enough to fulfill the prophecy.”

At his words, Lao turned, his expression darkening. No one, not even he, was allowed to disrespect The Great Lady.

The man put up his hands and took a step back, recognizing when he had pushed Lao too far. “I…”

“My loyalty is to The Great Lady and no one else.” Lao took a silent step forward. “And I will protect her, even from you.”

“I misspoke.” He stepped back again. In his entire life, he had only seen Lao lose his temper once. It was an exhibition he had no desire to witness a second time, least of all with himself as the target.

“Keep your tongue behind your teeth and your thoughts in your head, unless you are prepared for the consequences of your actions.”

“Of course. Lesson learned.”

“Allow me to reinforce it.” Before the man could blink, Lao closed the distance in a blur, pinning the man against the wall. A long knife with a razor-thin edge came to rest on the exposed skin of the man’s neck as they locked eyes.

“Lao…”