Ascension Of The Villain

The news hit like a slap.

Vyan's brows furrowed, a scowl forming on his forehead.

"Haberland, again?" he said sharply, voice coated in frustration. "We were supposed to be friends by now. Princess Maria agreed to the truce herself. She should be back in her homeland by now as well. Why would they attack us again?"

Benedict's expression was solemn as he shook his head. His hands were clasped behind his back, posture as proper as ever, but there was weariness in his gaze. "No, Master," he replied softly. "It's not the Haberland Empire this time."

Confusion flickered briefly across his features, chased quickly by suspicion. "Then who? We're not on bad terms with any other nation."

Benedict took a slow breath before answering, as though even saying the name left a bitter taste. "It's the Empire of Tensene."

Vyan stared at him, blinking once, then twice, as if the words were too ridiculous to process. "Tensene?" he repeated, incredulous. "How? We just renewed our export-import treaty with them not too long ago. And Haynes signed a peace treaty with them over fifty years ago. We've had nothing but neutral, boringly cordial relations for decades. Why now?"

Benedict's jaw tensed. "The unrest started," he said carefully, "after the late Empress Jade was executed. Or rather… that's what they were told."

Understanding began to dawn in Vyan's expression. Benedict continued, "Her Majesty, Empress Althea, gave strict orders to keep it confidential—the information of Empress Jade being sealed by you. To the world, it was portrayed as though Empress Jade was executed for her witchcraft and atrocities. But Tensene… they saw it differently."

"Because Jade was a Tensene princess," Vyan muttered under his breath.

Benedict nodded once. "To them, it was an insult. They even went as far as to say that the Haynes Imperial Court was framing Empress Jade. They accused us of betrayal and demanded absurd reparations. When their demands were rejected, they took it as a pretext to nullify the treaty."

Vyan's jaw tightened. "Fucking snakes," he hissed, under his breath.

Benedict hesitated, then added, "And then… you disappeared."

That quiet guilt he'd been trying to suppress crept back in like a storm tide.

"With a new empress on the throne and the court scrambling to adjust, Tensene saw their opening."

"Let me guess," he said darkly. "They attacked… from our side."

Benedict's gaze didn't waver. "Yes. They struck through the borders of Ashstone."

And just like that, it all clicked.

To the west of Ashstone lay the Forest of Beasts, covering most of its west. Only a narrow stretch connected Ashstone to the Tensene Empire. Normally, they wouldn't have dared to breach the borders there.

But with Vyan gone… and Ashstone vulnerable…

"They must have been delighted that I was gone," he muttered, mostly to himself.

Tensene must have had their eyes on Haynes all this time. They must have been held back by Jade all these years. That's why even when Ashstone didn't have any rulers for fifteen years and nobody had any idea of Vyan's magical prowess, Tensene stayed quiet and kept smiling through their masks.

Jade probably negotiated behind the curtains, kept her family at bay. No matter what else she was… that vile woman loved her power. She wouldn't have risked losing it to war.

Vyan ran a hand over his face, frustration simmering just beneath his skin.

"Were they successful in their ambush?"

Benedict hesitated.

His silence was answer enough.

"No. Not completely," he finally said, voice grim. "They managed to invade Haynes… through Ashstone. Their first strike was at the mages who maintain the magic barrier of the Forest of Beasts."

Vyan was still, too still, as if willing himself to not explode. But his voice, when it came, was laced with restrained fury. "Don't tell me… they broke the fucking monster barrier."

Benedict gave a slow, reluctant nod.

Vyan's breath left him in a harsh exhale as his fist clenched by his side. "That's so fucking cheap," he muttered bitterly. "Breaking the monster barrier and letting monsters—" He cut himself off. His chest rose and fell faster, frustration mounting with every second. "Are the monsters under control now? There must have been a lot of collateral."

Benedict shifted his weight. "I'm not entirely sure," he admitted. "Somewhat… I guess. His Majesty, Emperor Clyde, and several court mages have been trying to hold them back. They've been at it for months now. If it hadn't been for them, by now, the entire empire might have been taken over by monsters and beasts. However, the damage to the barrier has only gotten worse over time. It's impossible to fix now, and it's getting harder to fight off the monsters."

"They need someone," Benedict continued quietly, "with the mana capacity of an Ashstone to restore the barrier."

Of course they did.

Vyan closed his eyes for a moment. His throat tightened.

He didn't respond at first. His shoulders dropped ever so slightly. Regret. Guilt.

If he had been here, if he hadn't vanished when they needed him most, none of this would've happened. The monsters would still be contained. Ashstone wouldn't be bleeding. The empire wouldn't be struggling to survive wave after wave of destruction.

The legacy he carried was the only thing that could have stopped this mess. Ashstones were the protectors of Haynes. And he hadn't been here. He'd left his people defenseless. He let them pay the price for his disappearance.

But… if he had to go back to the past, he would still do the same thing. He would still time-travel.

He would still choose to save Iyana over the empire.

After a beat, he asked quietly, "And what about Iyana?" His voice cracked just faintly. "Is she at the borders? Fighting?"

Benedict's face shifted.

Something dark passed over his features, something that made Vyan's heart drop to his stomach.

"Benedict…" Vyan stood up, eyes locked on his butler. "Please. Tell me she's fine."

Benedict exhaled, his voice somber. "She is fine… I suppose. For now."

Vyan's body froze. His eyes searched Benedict's face. "What the hell do you mean for now?"

"She was… recently released," Benedict said carefully. "From the Tensene Prison."

Vyan went still.

His blood ran cold.

The world seemed to tilt sideways for a moment, the air too heavy to breathe. "Tensene…" he repeated, barely audible. "Prison?"

His heart thundered in his chest. "Iyana was captured?" His voice cracked now, panic beginning to bleed through the anger. "How?"

Benedict looked away.

And Vyan's thoughts spiraled.

The dreams.

The ones that haunted him during his coma—of chains and darkness, of her laying on the cold floor, of her voice calling him out for help—he had dismissed them as fragments of dreams.

But they weren't just dreams.

Maybe somewhere, in the silent darkness where his body lay dormant, he felt her pain.

"Iyana…" he whispered.

Benedict stood quietly, eyes downcast, as though bracing himself for the storm he was about to summon.

"Lady Iyana…" Benedict finally began again. "She arrived at the borders with the soldiers the very day we received news of the Tensenian invasion. She didn't hesitate. As the war general, she led from the front. She fought beside the troops for two whole months. She was relentless, Master."

Vyan said nothing, his gaze fixed on the floor now, shadowed lashes hiding the storm rising in his crimson eyes.

"But then… it became too much," Benedict went on. "Monsters from one side, Tensene's army from the other. Our soldiers were overwhelmed. They were exhausted—no rest, insufficient food, no sleep, barely enough time to breathe. And even Lady Iyana…" He paused, pained. "Even she reached her limit."

Vyan's hands curled slowly into fists.

"She was outmaneuvered, and then, she was taken as a hostage."

The words hung in the air like the toll of a funeral bell.

"For eight months," Benedict said quietly, "she was imprisoned in Tensene. And then… two months ago, they let her out, but only from the cell. She's still a hostage. They're keeping her under close watch in the Tensene imperial territory."

Vyan's head rose slowly, his expression unreadable. Only a twitch of his jaw betrayed the boiling fury inside him.

He arched an eyebrow, voice deceptively calm. "And why did Tensene suddenly grow a conscience? They just let her out?"

Benedict shifted uncomfortably. "That's because… Her Majesty accepted a few of their demands during negotiations."

That dooming feeling in his chest twisted. "And those demands were…?"

Benedict hesitated. "Master… You know the Trycone Seaport?"

Vyan let out a humorless laugh. "Let me guess, I don't own it anymore, do I?"

Benedict gave a reluctant nod. "That's right. It's under Tensene's control now."

Vyan exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. The Trycone Seaport. One of the most profitable trading points under his name was gone. It was used to trade with the Ajbeq Kingdom on the other side of the sea. This seaport was taken away from his family after they were labeled as traitors, but Vyan had gotten it back after smooth-talking his way with Edgar. Because this seaport was a vital part of Ashstone's economy.

But strangely, there was no visible rage, no outburst. Just a tired smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

"Well," he said quietly, "Althea made the right decision."

Benedict wasn't surprised at that.

"Whatever she offered," Vyan said, tone soft, "even if she handed over all of Ashstone with a golden ribbon, I wouldn't bat an eye. If it meant saving Iyana from one more second of torture, I'd offer them the entire continent."

Benedict nodded slowly… but his eyes didn't leave Vyan's face. Because something wasn't right. That smile. That calm. It wasn't peace. It was the silence before a war drum.

"…Master," he asked carefully, "what are you planning?"

Vyan turned his gaze to him, glinting like a blade freshly drawn.

"You know, Benedict," he said, voice quiet, almost thoughtful, "before I came back… I had really decided that I would be a better person. Kinder. More generous. More… humane."

He tilted his head, that strange little smile still playing on his lips.

"But it seems," he said softly, "the world is allergic to kindness."

He took a step forward, eyes now glowing with a flicker of that dangerous fire.

"They just force my hand," he uttered, voice steady as death itself. "Force me to be what they always feared I would be."

He stopped in front of Benedict and smiled wider. No warmth, just wicked serenity.

"They make me be evil."