"Against the Heavens: The Villain's Return"

Leo sat upon a velvet-cushioned throne, his figure radiating effortless authority.

One leg draped lazily over the other, his elbow rested atop the carved lion-head armrest, fingers tapping in slow rhythm. The throne itself, framed by a dark oaken platform and soft candlelight, was a symbol of controlled power—neither too opulent nor gaudy. Just enough to remind anyone watching exactly who they were dealing with.

His golden eyes stared off in quiet contemplation, the sharp glint in them betraying the storm of thoughts swirling behind his calm facade.

The Twin Blades... Rio and Roxanne Bladecrest.

"So... it was them all along," Leo whispered to himself. "The legends."

He remembered the old records. The battle formations. The stories of perfect synchronicity in combat. To think those same warriors had once stood at the precipice of history—until Alex Bladecrest happened.

His lips curved downward.

"How convenient," he muttered, voice laced with disdain.

Rising from his seat with a smooth motion, Leo called out, "Butler Wang."

As if summoned by the thought alone, the elder man appeared from the shadowed archway behind the throne.

"Yes, Young Master?" he said, his back straight, hands folded behind him.

Leo didn't turn. "I want information. Everything. Background. Present conditions. All relevant data on the Bladecrest Clan."

His voice dropped lower. "Especially Rio and Roxanne."

With a courteous bow, Butler Wang nodded. "Consider it done, Young Master."

---

Hours passed.

The evening deepened into a comfortable quiet as Leo waited in his study. The room was lit only by the warm glow of crystal lanterns and the soft crackle of the fireplace. Maps and scrolls lined the tables. The air held the faint scent of parchment, ink, and sandalwood.

When Butler Wang returned, he carried with him a sealed scroll and a noticeably grim expression.

Leo sat up from his chair and gestured. "Report."

Butler Wang unrolled the scroll. "The current head of the Bladecrest Clan is Alexander Bladecrest Sr., father of Alex."

Leo's gaze sharpened.

"His younger brother, Lord Darius Bladecrest, was the original heir," the old butler continued. "He was widely respected—an accomplished cultivator, strategist, and father of Rio and Roxanne."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "So what happened?"

"Lord Darius suddenly fell ill—his health deteriorated rapidly with no clear cause. He eventually stepped down, allowing Alexander Sr. to take over as patriarch."

Leo leaned back in his chair, arms folded.

"And then?"

"Alexander Sr. began consolidating power. Behind the scenes, he manipulated the inner council, ensuring his son Alex was groomed as the next leader."

There was a pause.

"But the greatest threat to his plan," Butler Wang added, "were Rio and Roxanne."

Leo's fingers stopped moving.

"Their talent," Wang said slowly, "outshined Alex's by far. Their synergy as the Twin Blades was unmatched, feared even among the higher cultivator ranks."

Leo scoffed lightly. "Of course they were. So what did Alexander do?"

"He spread rumors. Fabricated stories about Alex being abandoned by the clan. He positioned him as the 'orphaned genius'—a rising hero. Meanwhile, he began to isolate Rio and Roxanne… subtly pushing them out of the spotlight."

Leo's jaw tightened. "Let me guess. Their mother?"

Butler Wang's expression darkened. "Lady Elaine. Her health began failing shortly after Darius's illness. Many suspect foul play. Symptoms consistent with low-grade poison administered over time."

Leo's hands curled into fists, his aura flickering momentarily with restrained anger.

"Poison," he muttered. "All of it. The brother. The wife. Systematic elimination of the branch family."

A moment of silence passed between them.

Leo's voice turned cold. "And I bet Alex had no clue."

"Correct. From what the intercepted records show, he was completely unaware. He rose only after Rio and Roxanne were neutralized politically."

Leo chuckled, the sound low and venomous. "How poetic. The so-called hero... a puppet propped up by corpses."

He stood slowly, stepping to the window overlooking the moonlit courtyard. His reflection on the glass looked more like a general preparing for war than a pampered noble.

"I'll drag that genius down with the very hands he stepped over," Leo said. "Rio and Roxanne will be my swords."

He turned back, tone calm again. "Do we know where they are now?"

Butler Wang gave a respectful nod. "Still within the Bladecrest territory. Secluded. Their mother's condition keeps them near the main estate. However, they continue their training in secret. Their strength has only grown, but politically, they're alone."

Leo's lips curled slightly. "Good. Time to pay them a visit."

As he walked back toward his seat, his mind conjured the image of Roxanne Bladecrest.

Her appearance had left a distinct impression in his past life. Even back then, she'd stood out.

Golden-blonde hair flowed in loose waves down her back, glinting like silk kissed by sunlight. Her emerald eyes held both fierce intelligence and calm resolve. She moved with a lithe grace—a blend of dancer and warrior—her presence both captivating and dangerous.

Her figure was feminine yet athletic. Toned arms and strong legs testified to her relentless training. Whether in light battle gear or ceremonial dress, Roxanne Bladecrest had the presence of someone born to command.

And she knew it.

"Tch," Leo muttered to himself. "Even her beauty is dangerous."

He smirked. "But every rose has thorns. I'll make sure hers pierce Alex's heart."

---

Far away, in a valley untouched by war or scheming, Alex Bladecrest pranced through a grassy meadow under the afternoon sun.

Yes, pranced.

Clutching the green dragon egg like a newborn, he skipped along the hill with a grin plastered across his face. Birds scattered from his path as he spun in place, arms out wide.

"Don't worry, little one," Alex cooed, looking down at the egg nestled in a swaddle of cloth and his shirt. "Daddy Alex will protect you from all the bad people."

He stopped beneath a lone tree, holding the egg up toward the sky like some sacred relic.

"We'll fly together! Burn them all!"

The wind tousled his hair. His eyes glittered with pure delusion.

"Sophia and Selena will be my queens. They'll feed you dragon milk and polish your scales while I sit on a throne made of our enemies' bones."

He clutched the egg to his chest and gazed upward.

"Ah... and Leo... that bastard will kneel before me."

From the tree line nearby, hidden under stealth talismans, several Shadow Force members observed silently.

"Captain," one whispered, "are we sure this guy is mentally stable?"

"No," came the flat reply. "He's already flagged in the database. Code: Delusional Phoenix."

Another operative sighed. "Did he just swaddle the egg again?"

"Yep. He's rocking it like a baby," someone confirmed.

A heavy silence followed.

"…Permission to stop watching him?"

"Denied," the captain replied bluntly. "Record everything. Orders from Master Leo."

One of them groaned. "We've got twenty minutes of footage of this idiot whispering lullabies to a lizard egg."

No one replied.

The wind rustled the grass.

Alex began humming a lullaby.

Back at the estate, beneath the crystal glow of moonlight filtering through the high windows, Leo stood tall in the center of his war chamber. His aura, though faint, crackled with suppressed energy.

The room was silent, save for the gentle rustle of parchment as his fingers moved over a map of the Bladecrest territory.

Butler Wang stood nearby, awaiting orders.

Leo didn't look up as he spoke. "Prepare a diplomatic request to the Bladecrest Clan. I wish to pay my respects to Lord Darius and his family."

"A formal visit, then?" Butler Wang asked, eyes sharp beneath his glasses.

"Yes. One that cannot be refused."

There was something chilling in Leo's calm. He wasn't asking for permission—he was announcing an inevitability.

Butler Wang nodded. "Shall I prepare gifts?"

Leo turned away from the map and walked to the window. The moon hung low in the sky, painting the courtyard in silver and blue.

"Yes," he said. "Send a healing elixir for Lady Elaine. One that can delay the poison's effect. Not too powerful—we don't want to overplay our hand. Just enough to prove we're sincere."

He smirked. "A gesture. One that says, 'We know the truth—and we're offering help.'"

Butler Wang inclined his head. "As you wish."

Leo's eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "Let's see if the Twin Blades are willing to serve the villain in this story."

---

Far across the empire, deep within the Bladecrest Clan's ancestral grounds, the night was alive with sound.

Not of nature. But of steel.

In the clan's private training field—hidden from the main estate by a curtain of dense trees and barrier talismans—two silhouettes moved like phantoms through the dark.

Rio Bladecrest.

Roxanne Bladecrest.

Twin siblings. Twin prodigies. Their movements were not just fast—they were perfect.

Rio's blade slashed forward, a crescent arc of spirit energy bursting from the edge. Roxanne spun beside him, her twin saber rotating with precision, intercepting the return strike of a weighted dummy enchanted with counter-attacks.

Their footwork was flawless.

Each movement fed the next, like gears in a clock—no hesitation, no overlap.

Clad in light leather combat wear, their toned forms moved with grace honed by relentless training and real battle. Sweat glistened on their skin under the moonlight, but their breathing remained even.

Rio's hair was dark and slightly tousled, bound at the back in a short warrior's tail. His eyes, a piercing shade of storm-grey, flicked from target to target with analytical sharpness.

Roxanne's golden hair was tied into a high braid, loose strands framing her face as she ducked low and drove her saber into the core of the wooden dummy with a clean strike.

The enchanted wood shattered.

Roxanne stood straight, brushing sweat from her brow with the back of her gloved hand.

"Timing was off by half a second," she said.

"You sped up your second strike," Rio replied calmly, pulling his blade from another dummy's remains.

"I adapted to your delay."

He smirked faintly. "Wasn't a delay. I was baiting the dummy."

"Next time, let me know."

"No fun in warning you," Rio said with a shrug.

Despite the banter, their tone remained measured—military. Disciplined.

Even as siblings, they carried themselves like comrades forged through battle.

Roxanne sheathed her saber and moved to the side bench, picking up a water flask.

She took a drink, then looked toward the faint light of the estate barely visible through the trees.

"Mother's condition worsened again today," she said quietly.

Rio nodded. "Father says the clan physicians are stalling. They refuse to apply stronger methods without Alexander's approval."

"He's waiting for her to die."

"We both know that."

Roxanne's grip tightened around the flask. "And we still do nothing."

Rio was silent for a moment.

Then, he spoke. "Not nothing. We wait. Train. Strengthen. The day will come when Alexander oversteps."

"And if it never comes?"

Rio met her gaze.

"Then we make it come."

Roxanne looked down at her saber. The moonlight reflected faintly off the blade's surface. "You think Alex knows?"

"No," Rio said flatly. "He's too stupid. But if he ever does... we'll be ready."

Their bond was forged not just by blood, but by betrayal.

Once hailed as the future of the Bladecrest Clan, they had been discarded the moment politics shifted. Their father's poisoning, their mother's decline, the rise of a lesser heir—they had watched it all from the shadows.

But they had survived.

And they were still getting stronger.

---

Elsewhere, the diplomatic letter was already en route.

Carried by one of Leo's elite Shadow Force agents, the sealed scroll bore not only the Aetherwind crest but also a golden wax emblem marked with Leo's personal seal—a black flame encircled by a serpent.

Inside the scroll was a simple message.

> "To Lord Darius and family,

Leo Aetherwind of House Aetherwind humbly requests the honor of visiting the Bladecrest household to pay respects and deliver medicinal aid for Lady Elaine.

As a student of legacy and strength, he wishes to speak with your esteemed children, Rio and Roxanne, in hopes of discussing potential alliance and brotherhood in arms.

This is a visit of goodwill, free of obligation.

We await your answer under the moonlight.

– L.A."

---

And so, across cities and mountain ranges, as old powers stirred and new ambitions took form, the threads of destiny began to coil tighter.

The Bladecrest training ground fell silent as Rio and Roxanne resumed their stance side-by-side.

Swords drawn.

Eyes forward.

The storm was no longer brewing.

It had already begun.

And Leo Aetherwind was ready to ride its winds.

---

[Chapter End]

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