Lilith's Shadow Omnibus: Volume 2, page 36
“I have a what?” Lilith asked in surprise, rolling back her chair abruptly as she pulled her hands away from her head. “I mean, I bought the console and plenty of people saw me do it, but how could they know my username?”
“I’m not certain, but the request arrived within minutes of you creating your account. I have my suspicions however, as the account making the request is listed as SunGod113,” Circe replied, a hint of amusement in her voice.
For a moment Lilith couldn’t respond, instead blinking owlishly at the computer as incredulity washed over her. It couldn’t be who she was thinking of. It just couldn’t… could it?
“You… don’t think that it’s Ra, do you?” Lilith asked carefully.
“Normally, I would say that I do not. However, I tracked the account as far as I was able, only to find that the connection seems to vanish into nothingness, I believe that it very well might be,” Circe replied. “I’m not certain, but it seems likely. Though a week ago I would have been skeptical of the existence of the Egyptian pantheon, as they had not shown themselves since the Advent.”
“Well. I suppose it’s not a good idea to keep a deity waiting,” Lilith said, standing up and stretching, all the while wondering how she should feel. Mostly she felt… anticipation and soreness. Her muscles were aching from the abuse she’d put them through that morning, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her.
“Agreed. I’m not certain whether Ra is as petty as some of the other deities but given some of the actions of those deities I’ve seen footage of, I believe such is a wise decision.” Circe said calmly. Lilith wondered if she was really as confident as she claimed but decided not to ask.
The house still felt empty on her own, but Lilith descended the stairs rapidly, focused on her goal. She wasn’t about to anger a deity who’d been friendly to her. Anubis… well, she didn’t like the man much, but Lilith was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. It wasn’t like he’d tried to kill her, after all. He also hadn’t tried to get close to her when she didn’t want it, which was leaps and bounds better than she’d experienced with plenty of humans, so that was a point in his favor.
The thoughts formed an admirable distraction, and Lilith hit the button to turn on the television, and she waited for it to respond as she picked up the controller. When the screen lit up, Lilith saw the bell-shaped icon in the corner was lit up, rather than the mail icon she’d seen the night before.
“Well, let’s see what this is,” Lilith murmured, and she toyed with the controller a little, trying to figure out how to get to the notification. It didn’t take too long, and she quickly found a message from the nickname Circe had told her about. Lilith considered for a moment, then shrugged and decided to accept the request. If all else failed, she could always unfriend the person later.
The friend request went through, and Lilith waited for a moment, but when nothing happened, she shrugged and decided that she may as well try out the game. She’d only played a couple of games with Ra, so she didn’t have a solid feel for the game yet.
She’d only gotten to the main menu when a phone icon began blinking on the screen, and Lilith blinked in confusion. “Ah, Circe?”
“SunGod113 is calling you, Mistress Lilith.” Circe replied helpfully. “I do believe you set up your headset, did you not?”
“Right, where did I put it—ah!” Lilith grabbed the headset and hastily put it on, accepting the call as she spoke hesitantly. “Hello?”
“Lilith! You have wonderful timing! I just lost my partner for a tag-team match, and I need someone to help me teach these miscreants some respect!” Ra replied cheerfully, his voice oddly clear through the headset, and Lilith could hear frantic tapping in the background. “Care to join me?”
“Um, sure? You know I’m still getting used to this game, though. I haven’t even had a chance to go through the tutorial yet—” Lilith began, only for him to interrupt.
“Pfft! You kicked my ass when you’d never played before. You’ll do better than any of these sorry excuses for divinities!” Ra interjected, laughing. “Here, let me pull you into the call.”
Before Lilith could ask what he was talking about, she found the screen changing as she was pulled into a different call. She resisted the urge to say anything, which was just as well.
“This is Lilith Carpenter, and she’s going to help me beat some sense into the rest of you.” Ra announced, a gloating tone to his voice.
“You require mortal aid, Ra? How fitting,” a woman with a Japanese accent replied, sounding amused.
“Don’t you even start!” Ra shot back in outrage. “Who’s the one who had to take lessons on how to speak modern languages? Not me!”
“Now, now, at least he admits some of his faults,” another woman with an Irish accent added, pausing before adding in a kindly tone. “My sympathies over your recent problems, Lilith. Those situations are never easy.”
“Ah, thank you? May I ask who each of you are?” Lilith asked, confusion washing through her. “All Ra told me was that he needed a partner for a tag team match.”
“Yes, of course. After Apollo abandoned him, he needed someone to help him try to regain some shreds of dignity,” the first woman said, her amusement more evident now. “I am Amaterasu, goddess of the sun. My partner is Áine, a goddess of summer and love, which is why she knows of your recent… issues. Ra has been heading attempts for the various deities of the sun to associate with each other more often, primarily via these games. It has gone poorly.”
“For all of us, really. We’re not used to these sort of things, though for whatever reason Malakbel has picked it up quickly,” Áine added calmly. “Fortunately, despite his enthusiasm, Ra has performed… poorly, shall we say?”
“I think I understand,” Lilith replied, her cheeks heating as she asked. “Is it alright for me to be involved in this at all? I mean, I am mortal. I think? I hope I am.”
“You’re a special case. There were enough arguments among the deities where you were concerned already, fortunately they’ve been settled, and it isn’t like you’re going to be blaspheming us,” Ra said instantly, his voice firm. “Why, you didn’t even disrespect Anubis after he was rude to you. I think that has garnered you a great deal of leeway.”
“Besides which, you aren’t opposed to the idea of her coming to believe in you,” Amaterasu added calmly. “In any case, I have no objection to her listening in. Though I would suggest that she take the mythology she is studying with a… how do they say it these days? Ah, yes, a large grain of salt. The records are not all accurate, and many have warped over time.”
“Not to mention that our very nature has changed with our worship,” Ra added, his voice musing now. “I found her ignorance oddly refreshing.”
“Perhaps so, but I’d rather read about you so I don’t find myself completely ignorant when I’m standing in front of someone like Eris,” Lilith replied, her cheeks heating slightly. “That strikes me as a good way to end up in extremely dire straits.”
Murmurs of agreement came from the other callers at that, and Áine spoke up. “Regardless, I believe we have a contest to participate in, do we not? I wish to see just how much better Ra’s champion is than him.”
“You do realize that we are all likely to lose to her, yes?” Amaterasu asked curiously. “I am not so full of my own importance that I don’t recognize my limitations.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Áine replied stubbornly.
“Agreed! As soon as you’re in-game, we can give things a spin, Lilith,” Ra said, laughing as he added. “If nothing else, it’ll be entertaining to watch!”
“Alright,” Lilith agreed, hitting the button to enter the game, and began listening as the different deities bantered with one another.
Soon enough she was in-game, and her eyebrows rose as she saw that there were rather more variations to the different characters than she remembered there being the previous time she played. Some of them looked nothing like what she’d have expected for the game’s particular style, but she shrugged it off and chose the blonde princess before settling in to play.
“On your marks, get set… go!” Ra said, and the first race began.
As it happened, Lilith learned that Ra had been understating just how bad each of the three were. Even with her luck, she passed him twice before the race ended, and nearly passed Amaterasu twice as well. The goddess had barely made it across the finish line ahead of her.
The next game went marginally better for them, but not much, and Lilith’s only real competition were the computer-controlled characters, while the deities laughed and joked with one another, seeming mostly entertained by how terribly some of their attempts to get ahead went. Lilith wasn’t sure how Áine managed to get so turned around she went nearly a tenth of the track in reverse, but she had.
Eventually, just as they were about to start yet another game, Circe cleared her throat and spoke.
“Much as I hesitate to interrupt your fun, I believe that I must,” Circe interrupted in a grave tone. “Your meeting with Mistress Amber is in approximately half an hour, Mistress Lilith.”
“Is it really that time? I… well, that’s a bit of a shock,” Lilith said, glancing at the window and blinking as she realized what angle the light was coming from. “Sorry, but I think I need to go. I’ve got a meeting.”
“Yes, we heard,” Áine replied, her voice turning cold for a moment, then spoke a little more compassionately. “I do not blame you for her actions, but my opinion of her is… poor. It is for the best that my chances of encountering her are virtually nonexistent.”
“Believe me, I’m not very happy with her myself,” Lilith replied, taking a deep breath, then let it out and shook her head. “Regardless, I am going to endeavor to be polite. I don’t see much other choice.”
“If that is what you desire,” Amaterasu replied, though Lilith thought she caught a hint of disapproval in her voice.
“Regardless, it is your choice. Just remember, she may have created you, but that is all. You are your own person, Lilith,” Ra added, pausing for a moment, then continued more gently. “You are welcome to go, Lilith. I do not hold this against you. Simply… know that we will not intervene, for or against you. Your actions are your own.”
“Of course. Thank you,” Lilith told him, somehow faintly cheered by Ra’s words. She wasn’t certain why, since the backing of someone as powerful as he was should be something she hoped for… but at the same time, it didn’t feel right. She hit the button to end the call and paused, thinking for a few seconds, then pulled off the headset and shut things down.
“Here we go” Lilith murmured, and climbed to her feet, her anger beginning to stir again.
She was about to meet Amber in person for the first time, and Lilith had no idea how it was going to turn out. No one did, she was certain, save for possibly the gods themselves. At least they didn’t seem to be on Amber’s side.
With that, she headed for the bathroom. She wanted to ensure she was immaculate for the meeting.
Chapter 47
Wednesday, August 20th, 2031
Shadowmind Redoubt Invincible, Asteroid Belt, Sol
Lilith’s ears popped as she appeared on the teleportation platform, and she paused, considering the sensations she’d felt in the process. The ever so slight delay in the teleportation, a slight bobble in her sense of balance on appearing, coupled with the pressure difference… it reminded her of the facility she’d traveled to when she’d helped Blooming Orchid recover her body, and that gave Lilith an idea of where she was. Not that knowing she was in space helped much. Space was so huge that knowing did almost exactly no good, as a matter of fact.
“Interesting,” Lilith murmured, looking around the room, then nodded.
It wasn’t much different than most of the other teleportation chambers Lilith had appeared in before. A raised platform with a large pylon above and below it, walls covered in some form of white plastic or polymer, while the floor was a textured gray version of the material. Lights shone from panels above, giving the room a clinical, vaguely sinister feel to it. Though that was likely just how empty the room was.
“What’s interesting, Mistress Lilith?” Circe asked curiously.
“Oh, you know exactly what I mean. We’re not on Earth,” Lilith replied with a soft laugh, her footsteps banishing the room’s silence as she walked down the ramp. “Now, since it wouldn’t do to be late, where am I supposed to go?”
“If you’ll follow the path indicator, it will lead you to the meeting room,” Circe replied, and Lilith noticed that the AI deliberately didn’t confirm her suspicions, but neither did she deny them. Instead, the AI continued after a moment, her voice a touch graver. “Also, I must warn that I will not interfere in your conversation, Mistress Lilith. Mistress Amber has forbidden it.”
Lilith nodded, watching a section of the gray flooring light up with a green light, forming a line with arrow indicators that flashed slowly. She also noted that Circe hadn’t said that she couldn’t interfere in the conversation. Just that she wouldn’t.
“I understand, Circe. Thank you for the warning,” Lilith replied, following the line out into the hallway, the doors hissing to either side as she approached, then shutting behind her.
As she walked, Lilith’s footsteps echoed softly as she emerged into a hallway that had some color to it, this time a soft pastel blue on the walls, but even so it felt empty. Emptier than her house, with the only other sounds being the ventilation system moving air. She had to wonder how the silence and sheer… sterility of the building affected Amber’s mind. Was this a reflection of who she was, with only private chambers personalized? Did it influence Amber’s attempts to take over the world? Or was it nothing to Amber at all?
She mulled it over, yet at the same time Lilith couldn’t come to any conclusions. For all the stories she’d heard about Amber, the history she knew that no one else did… Lilith didn’t know Amber. She didn’t think anyone did. This was going to be the first time they’d met one another in person, and Lilith had no idea how it would turn out. Given her own anger bubbling under the surface, Lilith suspected it wouldn’t go well. And considering Ra’s commentary, she wouldn’t be surprised if he thought the same.
Lilith shook her head marginally as she saw the path led to a large set of doors, and she inhaled slowly, then approached them, bracing herself for what was to come.
The doors hissed open, and Lilith immediately noticed three things. First was the soft classical music playing, though she didn’t know who the composer was. That hadn’t been part of her lessons, and Lilith hadn’t been very interested in the subject to begin with. Second was the handful of potted plants around the room, along with a pair of chairs on either side of a coffee table in the middle of the room, one chair plush and comfortable, while the other was plain and seemingly made of plastic. Third was the woman who occupied the comfortable chair.
Pictures of Amber didn’t do her justice, Lilith instantly decided. She might not have Lilith’s supernatural ability to attract attention, but Amber really didn’t need it. The blonde woman was sitting back in her chair, a sardonic smirk giving an otherwise pretty but forgettable face additional personality, while her hair was wavier than it had been in the pictures Lilith had seen. She was slim, save for a modest bust, and the woman was wearing a close-fitting black and red outfit which Lilith thought was likely similar to her undersuit. Amber looked up at Lilith from her coffee mug, which was emblazoned with the caption ‘I Turn Coffee into Evil’ and smiled more. It was her eyes that were most striking, Lilith decided. Amber’s blue eyes were cold, without the slightest hint of emotion to them.
“Excellent, you arrived on time. I was wondering if you would try to keep me waiting,” Amber said, her soft southern accent at odds with the glint in her eyes, and Lilith noticed the subtle emphasis on the word try. “Sit, Lilith.”
“Why would I keep you waiting? This meeting has been a long time coming,” Lilith replied, debating on whether she should ignore the command to sit. Finally, she decided that alienating Amber immediately wasn’t a good idea, so she approached the chair and took a seat. The difference in their chairs wasn’t subtle at all.
“It has. Unfortunately, the ungodly luck of heroes conspired to keep us separated after your birth, then you got yourself involved with them. I wasn’t about to meet with you when I knew that they’d try to capture me at the first opportunity,” Amber replied casually, setting her mug down on the table. “Now things have changed. The obstacles are out of the way, so here we are.”
For just an instant Lilith’s temper flared. The obstacles, was it? All of her abandonment, grief… it was nothing to Amber, she realized, but she controlled herself, inhaling slowly, then let her breath out as she shook her head.
“Obstacles? If they were in the way, why were they even with me?” Lilith asked, looking back at Amber fearlessly, keeping her anger under control. “They told me that they found your influence in their minds dating back all the way to their capture. You could have removed them at any point over the past year. Why didn’t you?”
“Because you kept getting yourself into trouble, and I had better things to do than to babysit,” Amber replied sharply. “If nothing else, heroes are good at protecting people from their own mistakes. I also thought that seeing their hypocrisy up close would be good for you, but instead you seemed to take the lesson in entirely the wrong way. Heroes are reactionary, stupid, and jump to conclusions, like when Sky Defender nearly put a hole through your head. If I hadn’t ensured that you had your two toys, you’d have died. Now, I’ve decided that they’re no longer needed, so I took your toys away. You’re no longer a child, you need to grow up.”
Lilith stared at Amber for several seconds, as even with expecting an amoral attitude, this was so far beyond that that she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe that Amber was talking about Gina and Rachel like they were objects she could give and take as she pleased.
