Later that afternoon Lily and Tiamat were perched on the roof of the temple. Lily was now wearing one of the peasant's dresses instead of the wedding dress she had been forced to adorn the night before. She had asked the servants to find her something else to wear hours ago, but was advised that the seamstresses were still busily working on new royal attire. But Lily had grown impatient and took matters into her own hands by sneaking into the servant's quarters and finding a suitable dress in the armoire. She also took Timur's sword and attached the scabbard around her waist.
Standing on the edge of the rooftop, she pulled up her HUD again and activated Conquest. The CyberBolt logo appeared, followed by the familiar hymn of the game. She raised an eyebrow at her noob stats, but shrugged it off and swiped them away. She pulled up the game map in search of other players. There weren't any for several miles, but when she zoomed out, thousands of identity markers suddenly appeared on the outer edges of the land of Enoch. There were throngs of people all along the outer beaches surrounding the entire continent.
What has Timur done?!
"We need to help those poor people. Are you ready?" Lily asked.
Tiamat nodded her massive head.
Lily took a deep breath and looked out at the city below.
"Let's go."
Lily mounted Tiamat's back and held onto the saddle.
She felt her dragon's scales beneath her hands.
A moment later, they were airborne and out over the Tethy's Sea.
She gasped at the beauty of her surroundings. The landscape was breathtaking, and the sun was shining brightly overhead.
They turned and headed East towards the coast. It would take several hours by flight to reach their destination.
Lily glanced down at Tiamat and was amazed at her sheer size and power. As she watched her dragon, Lily couldn't help but think of how she and Tiamat were connected. She realized that she had only known Tiamat for a few days, yet she felt as though they had shared hundreds of adventures together.
The bond between us is incredible.
Lily laughed quietly, feeling her cheeks turn red under the bright sunlight.
I hope we make it back safely.
Tiamat's thoughts then entered her mind.
I pray thee, how dost thou fare?
She looked down at Tiamat, "I'm... I'm managing."
The dragons head rolled gently in response to her question.
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Lily bit her lip and sighed as her emotions took over.
"I just don't understand," she cried, "Allan sacrificed himself for me. Why did he have to die?!"
She lowered her head and sobbed.
"I miss him so much!"
She clutched her chest, trying to hold back the tears.
"What am I going to do without Allan?" she moaned.
She shook her head and looked back at the city shrinking in the distance.
"I thought we'd have more time together..."
Tiamat’s thoughts consumed her mind again.
I offer thee my heartfelt condolences for the loss of thy beloved. Death is a foe that we dragons too have battled, and we know well the ache of such a loss. But heed my words, for though they be old, they are true: though thy heart may be rent asunder now, know that time shall bring healing. The pain may lessen, but the memories of thy love shall remain steadfast, shining as bright as the hoard of gold in a dragon's lair. Take comfort in the knowledge that thy beloved has passed beyond the veil, to a realm where pain and sorrow are no more. And though he may be gone from this world, his love shall live on in thy heart and the hearts of all who knew him. So dry thy tears, fair lady, and know that thou art not alone. I offer thee my strength and solace, that thou mayest find peace in the midst of thy grief.
Tiamat was right. It didn't matter anymore. All that mattered now was helping the people from Earth. Lily pushed the thoughts from her mind and focused on the task at hand. She quickly wiped her tears away and held tightly to the dragon as they soared higher.
I need to help them before it's too late.
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It had taken several hours of flying to reach the outer border of the continent. From high above she looked down to see thousands of refugees from Earth. They were packed together like sardines, and she could barely even make out individual faces among the crowds. The sound however was eerily quiet.
"We need to help them."
The dragon nodded her massive head and extended her wings.
Indeed, we must.
Lily activated her HUD again and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Although there were thousands of people on the beach, none of them had identity markers - indicating that none of them were players. She zoomed out the map to discover that all of the players were headed inland.
What are they doing?
Lily's vision blurred as she entered into a new vision.
The sound of chaos and commotion filled the air as thousands of people pushed and shoved each other around a single obelisk tower with a glowing orb and lightning striking all around it. A woman dressed in police attire managed to push her way through the crowd towards the tower but was met with a massive stone wall with no apparent entry.
People around her were yelling and frantically searching for their loved ones while others were drowning in the water nearby. The woman climbed partway up the rock wall and surveyed the scene. She spotted a dark cloud hovering over the water, moving from one person to the next and seemingly sucking the life out of them just before they drowned.
Lily immediately recognized the cloud.
The Leviathan! He's getting stronger!
Suddenly, a group of people emerged from the water, their skin pale and eyes lifeless. One of the corpses grabbed a man by the throat and a raspy voice echoed from within it, demanding the man yield his soul. A white flame floated out of the man's chest and the dark cloud quickly consumed it.
The scene was a nightmare, and people were running in all directions, trying to escape. As the woman in police attire joined the panicked crowd, the horror of the situation seemed to take hold of her, and she too ran for her life.
The vision ended, and she looked down at the crowd people.
"Take us down closer." Lily said, "Something's not right."
Tiamat nodded, and they flew lower. Lily got a closer look at the faces, but they were all ashen white with their eyes closed.
All at once, their eyes opened and they stared up at Lily and Tiamat with black, soul-less eyes. With a loud voice they all spoke in unison.
"Yield thy soul unto the Leviathan!"
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