The Fall of the Ancient Pantheon

Ch.1 An Unexpected Encounter

Lilith's POV

"f**k, today is not my day!" I shouted, my eyes locked on the time—half past eight in the morning. Of all days to wake up late, it had to be the first day of the new term. This day was already spiraling, and it hadn’t even truly started.

I jumped into my battered 1999 Toyota Corolla, threw it into reverse, and gunned it out of my parking spot. Speeding down the road, I checked the clock—9:00 AM. s**t. I had maybe 30 minutes before I'd be marked absent. On any other day, I'd shrug it off; I had the notes, I could catch up. But today? The first day of the prerequisite class for my major? I was devastated. This was the class I had been waiting for—a whole damn year of anticipation, and now this. How the hell does everything go wrong when it’s so important?

"Safe and fast, Beazley," I muttered, gripping the wheel with a tight fist, praying I wouldn’t get pulled over.

I finally spotted the exit to my university, signaling hard to take the off-ramp. Glancing at the clock, it was ten past nine. Okay. Fifteen minutes. I could make it—if I park on the East side, I could still get there with a few minutes to spare. I slammed the car into gear and zoomed toward the fork in the road. Left to East side.

Then I saw him. A man crossing the street, heading toward campus. I was rushing, but I wasn’t about to cut him off just to shave a few seconds. I slowed down, waiting.

Then, in an instant, everything shattered. A car came barreling from the opposite direction, ran the stop sign, and slammed into the man with a sickening thud. My blood went cold as I watched him get hurled into the air, his body flipping and flying at least three meters from the point of impact. My heart dropped into my stomach.

I fumbled for my phone, desperate to call for help, but before I could dial, the driver sped off. My hands trembled as I stared at the man, crumpled on the pavement. This was more than I could handle. I had no idea what to do next, but I had to act—now.

I flung open my door, heart pounding, and sprinted toward the man, phone clutched tightly in my hand.

The closer I got, the more my breath hitched. There was so little blood—barely any at all. It left me reeling, stunned, as if my brain couldn’t quite process what I was seeing. I almost forgot I was still on the phone.

“9-1-1, what is your emergency?” The operator’s voice crackled through the line.

“Someone just got hit by a car at the entrance of Guadalupe University for Anthropology! We need help—he’s not moving!” My voice was tight with panic.

“Guadalupe University? Are we at the campus entrance or the highway access?”

“The highway access—we’re not near campus yet!”

“I understand. My name is Maddie. Who am I speaking to?”

“Lilith. But you can call me Lilly,” I gasped.

“Thank you, Lilly. Help is on the way. Now, I need you to check for any excess blood or open wounds. Don’t move him—keep him still. I’ll tell you what to do next.”

“Okay.” I glanced around, still shocked by the lack of blood. “I don’t see anything—just a few drops.”

“Alright, what position is he in?”

I was about to answer when I saw him twitch. He’s moving. My heart leaped in my chest. “Sir, help is on the way. Please stay still!”

“Lilly, is he moving?” Maddie asked, urgency in her voice.

“Yes... It looks like he’s waking up. His movements are slight. But he’s still lying face down, on his stomach,” I replied, a wave of disbelief flooding through me.

“Okay, I need you to check if he’s breathing.”

I leaned in, eyes locked on his body, watching for the subtle rise and fall of his chest. I saw a faint movement in his upper back. “It looks like he’s breathing—shallow, but it’s there.”

“Good. Now, gently roll him onto his side or his back. He could be having trouble breathing in his current position. If you need help, put me on speaker.”

I switched the phone to speaker and placed it on the ground, trying to steady my hands. Carefully, I rolled him to his side, making sure his head didn’t snap or cause further injury. As I shifted him, my fingertips brushed against the muscles of his upper body—strong, hard. My gaze flickered to his abdomen, searching for injuries, but my mind... no. This wasn’t the time for that. Focus.

I shook my head, pushing away the inappropriate thoughts, and carefully rolled him onto his back.

“He’s on his back,” I breathed, a rush of relief flooding me. “What’s next?”

“You’re doing great, Lilly. The paramedics should be there any second. Now, I need you to check his breathing and pulse. Do you know how?”

“Yes,” I replied, voice shaking. I leaned forward, gently placing my index and middle fingers on the soft inside of his wrist, feeling for a pulse. I checked his chest, watching it rise and fall a little more than before. “He’s breathing a little better, but his pulse is erratic—not dangerously high, but...”

Just as I spoke, his eyes snapped open, and he lurched upright. My heart skipped a beat, and a scream tore from my throat. His gaze locked onto me, and for a split second, time froze. His eyes were the strangest color—bluish green—and they held me in place. I was rooted to the spot, feeling a wave of dizziness and cold sweat. My mind couldn’t process this. What the hell was happening?