Ascension Of The Villain

"What do you mean by that?" Vyan's voice carried a hint of irritation and frustration.

"It's exactly what I mean, Vyan," Iyana replied, her tone firm as she dropped her hands by her side. "If all you feel for me is 'care,' then I think it's best we put some distance between us."

"But why? Didn't you just say our feelings were mutua—" His words caught in his throat as her eyes softened, the kind of softness that could break hearts.

"What do you think?" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. "Are they really?"

A thousand emotions swirled in Iyana's gaze, each one hitting Vyan like a sledgehammer. His sarcastic remarks failed him, his brain short-circuiting from emotional overload.

Iyana straightened up, her face snapping back to its usual cold, slightly annoyed expression. "Anyway, it doesn't matter what I feel for you. Since you don't feel anything, marrying Prince Easton seems like a better option."

It felt like someone had taken a rusty knife to Vyan's heart and was slowly twisting it. Breathing suddenly became an unnaturally hard activity. "Good—good for you," he managed to choke out, barely recognizing his own voice.

"Haha, just kidding. I got you good," she laughed, her eyes dancing with mischief. "You should have seen your face. Jealous much?"

Vyan blinked, the words sinking in like a delayed punch to the gut.

Jealous…

Right. He was jealous all along.

At first, he had wanted to ruin Easton and Iyana's wedding for the sheer satisfaction of avenging Iyana's supposed betrayal. Then, it was about freeing Iyana from the shackles of royal matrimony. But the truth was, none of those reasons held water.

No, the real reason was much more pathetic. He didn't want Iyana to marry anyone else because, well, he was jealous. He couldn't stand the thought of her with someone else.

What a hypocrite he was.

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He had spent all this time trash-talking Easton for clinging to Iyana, accusing him of hurting her by holding her back. But was Vyan any different? He liked to think he was the guy who would let go when it was the right thing to do, who would step aside for the happiness of the one he cared about. But, apparently, he was just another possessive jerk.

And the reason he didn't realize all of this until now? His jealousy didn't manifest in anger like a normal person. No, it came wrapped in sadness and resignation—a slow, self-destructive burn that ate him from the inside out.

Does that mean…

"Hey, are you okay?" He looked up at Iyana, and for the first time, he really let himself see her.

The concern in her eyes, the way her hand hesitated, caught between reaching out to him and holding back. There was something so disarmingly genuine in her expression. Most importantly, the way he wished for her hand to touch him, to comfort him, hit him like a ton of bricks.

No, no, not this again!

He abruptly stood up. "I… I will talk to you later. There is something I need to do." And with that, he vanished like a puff of smoke, leaving Iyana staring after him in utter bewilderment.

"What the hell just happened?" she muttered to herself, glancing at the spot on her bed where he had been lounging just moments before. "And what was that idiot planning to talk about in the first place?"

———

A spiky brown monster was having what could only be described as a perfectly ordinary day in the forest—until it wasn't.

One moment, it was minding its own business, probably contemplating the meaning of life or the taste of the next tree it would chew on, and the next, whoosh! A sharp gust of wind shaved off all its spikes like it was getting the world's worst haircut.

Before it could even register the horror of being turned into a bald pincushion, a spear appeared out of thin air and skewered it from the back, hitting its heart straight.

"Woah, that was way too easy for a C-grade monster!" Clyde grinned, practically bouncing with glee. "Let's bag another one—" He started to turn, already imagining his next glorious victory, when a figure popped up in front of him out of thin air.

"Ahh!" Clyde yelped, instinctively summoning a dagger to his hand, ready to take a stab at this new threat— "Vyan?!"

"Finally, I found you," Vyan sighed, looking like he had just completed a marathon.

"What's going on? What happened now?" Clyde's tone went from 'ready to attack' to 'ready to panic' as Vyan grabbed his shoulders with the urgency of a man on the edge.

"Yes, something happened, and it's big," Vyan said, his voice trembling with what could only be described as sheer desperation.

"Big? We are not dealing with another Titan, are we?" Clyde asked, his face going pale as all the memories of fighting those colossal nightmares flooded back.

"Titan?" Vyan looked puzzled like he forgot all about yesterday, then he shook his head vehemently. "No, no Titan."

Clyde exhaled in relief, placing a hand over his racing heart. "Then what is it?"

"I think…" Vyan gulped dramatically. "I think I—"

"Yes, Vyan, I know you can think," Clyde cut in, a touch of impatience creeping into his voice. "But can you please give me more to work with?"

Vyan hesitated like he was about to reveal some ancient, forbidden secret. "I think I am in love with Iyana. Again."

"Oh," Clyde said, his tone flat, like someone who had just heard the most predictable plot twist in a novel. "So, you finally figured it out, huh?"

Vyan blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, 'finally'?"

"I mean, you never really fell out of love with her," Clyde replied as if he were pointing out that sun rises from the east every morning.

Vyan laughed, though it was more out of disbelief than amusement. "You can't be serious. That—That's impossible."

"Sure, it is," Clyde said, rolling his eyes in a way that suggested he was tired of playing along with Vyan's denial. "Think about it. You always kept tabs on her while she was at the Ganlop war."

"That's because she was my enemy!" Vyan shot back, scrambling for any excuse that made sense. "You know the saying: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"

"I know of the saying, alright," Clyde snorted. "But that's not the case for you. Vyan, you have always been in love with her, and that's a fact."

"But how can that be? I seriously tried to kill her—right up until I found out the truth!"

"Yeah, sure," Clyde interjected with a knowing look. "You tried all you wanted, but let's be honest, even if she had handed you a golden ticket to do it, you would have found a way to mess it up. You were too wrecked by Sienna's betrayal, disguised as Lady Iyana, to see straight. But, in my humble opinion, your love is like a shadow."

"A shadow?" Vyan echoed, his voice wavering just a bit.

"Yep," Clyde nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "When you were swallowed up by darkness—when all you had left was anger and hate—you assumed your love disappeared, just like a shadow does in pitch black. But the moment you were exposed to the light again, all those feelings came right back."

"Oh," Vyan mumbled, processing the metaphor. "That... actually makes sense, in a bizarre kind of way."

Clyde chuckled, clearly pleased with himself. "So, do you finally admit it?"

"Yeah…" Vyan tilted his head back, gazing at the blue sky that seemed brighter than usual. "I guess I have always loved her then, huh."

"Absolutely. And might I add, all that 'platonic' nonsense you have been spouting lately? Goddess, it was excruciatingly annoying," Clyde smiled tightly.

"Hey, I wasn't thinking of it that way—"

"Speaking of which," Clyde interrupted, his lips twitching into a smirk, "isn't it kind of low to be in love with an engaged woman? That's some grade-A scumbaggery, my lord."

"...You're not wrong," Vyan murmured, looking contemplative.

"So, what scheme are you cooking up in that twisted head of yours now?" Clyde asked, crossing his arms.

Vyan flashed a mischievous grin. "I will be gone for a bit, Clyde. Mind covering for me?"

"What—" Clyde started, but before he could finish, Vyan had already vanished into thin air. "Well, I guess it's fine. Just as long as he doesn't get into trouble… I guess I should get back to my own mission."

Six hours later, Clyde emerged from the forest, his hunt for the monsters complete. But before he could relax, Vyan was there to greet him with a grin that spelled nothing but trouble.

"Clyde, perfect timing! I just did something."

Clyde furrowed his brows, suspicion growing. "What did you do this time?"

"Remember Princess Maria?" Vyan asked, and Clyde nodded, recalling the hostage from Haberland, kept at Aurora palace under Prince Easton's watchful eye. She was a bargaining chip, nothing more, meant to bleed Haberland dry for the benefit of Haynes. "Well, she escaped."

"So…" Clyde connected the dots. "You personally helped her escape, and now, Prince Easton is totally screwed."