Reincarnated as the Last Villain

Setting: Whispering Woods

Few dared enter the Whispering Woods.

Travelers forgot their way.Soldiers lost their names.And children… were found with eyes clouded white, whispering words no one taught them.

It was said a creature lived there —shapeless, eyeless, silent —feeding on memories, becoming everyone and no one.

Kael entered alone.

Ashendawn wrapped in leather.Mind sharpened.Flame dimmed.

Even fire feared this place.

The Forest Speaks

Not with sound.But with memory.

Kael heard:

His mother's voice, though he never knew her.

Vaenira laughing — a memory that never happened.

Nilo… screaming.

Each step took something.

A name. A moment. A feeling.

Kael gritted his teeth.

"I am Kael Valen.I am flame.I am not hollow."

The Hollow Appears

From the mists, it stepped forward:

Tall.Thin.No eyes. No mouth.

But a perfect mirror of Kael's posture, movements… emptiness.

He felt his thoughts fading.

The Hollow raised a hand —and Kael saw himself forgetting how to speak.

[Fragment Identified: The Hollow One]

Aspect: Memory suppression, emotional numbness, survival through detachment.

Purpose: To remove pain by removing identity.

Ability: "Name Erasure" – causes those around him to forget themselves slowly.

Battle of Identity

Kael fell to one knee.

His name slipped from his lips.

His sword blurred.

His flame dimmed.

The Hollow whispered — without words:

"Wasn't it easier when you didn't care?""No guilt. No grief. No love to lose.""Just power, and silence."

Kael gripped his chest.

Images surged:

Yume smiling.

Serana reaching.

Vaenira bleeding beside him.

The mirror shattering.

Elarion burning the sky.

He stood.

And said his name.

"KAEL VALEN."

The flame roared back to life.

Ashendawn ignited — not to destroy,but to reignite memory.

He struck the Hollow.

And light poured from it —not blood, but forgotten names.

It looked at him one last time…

Then stepped back into shadow, leaving only a flicker of black flame.

[Fragment Bound: The Hollow One]

Ability unlocked: Namekeeper – Kael is now immune to memory manipulation.

Passive aura: Slows enemy casting by corrupting their mental clarity.

Soul Instability: ⚠ Moderate