Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

"Oh, God."

Elijah's horrified voice came from beside me as he placed his hand over his mouth.

I quietly looked in front of me.

As soon as we got the news of the massacre, we quickly moved, only to be greeted by... this.

The city that was burned to the ground by the Dead God.

Smoke still rose from the rubble, curling upward like the ghosts of the fallen.

Ash blanketed the streets in grey, burying what little color had once lived here.

Buildings were nothing more than cracked skeletons of stone and steel.

Trees those that hadn't been devoured or twisted into flesh stood blackened and dead.

There were no screams anymore.

Only silence.

And the stench that burned my lungs.

Aimar stepped up beside Elijah, his voice quieter than usual. "They didn't even get the chance to run…"

There were no bodies left, nor a drop of blood.

Everything organic had been… absorbed. Converted. Gone.

My stomach twisted as I looked away.

That… thing destroyed everything.

The lives of so many people turned into fuel, maybe even parts. For what?

A stronger version?

A completed god?

'How fucked up is this thing?'

I let out a sigh as I rubbed my temples in frustration.

'The bait was so obvious.'

If only we had got the news about the attack a little earlier.

My fingers trembled slightly as I reached up and removed the earpiece.

The noise from Caldus crackled in the air again.

"Himmel?" he asked. "Do you read me?"

"I do." My voice came out low.

"What's the situation?" he asked, his voice grim.

"I believe everyone is dead." I replied, walking away. "There are a few knights who are checking the area to see if anyone lived."

"...I see." Caldus replied softly.

"Hey, can I talk with Helena?" I asked, taking my seat near a boulder.

"Yeah, give me a minute."

I waited for her as I looked down at the dried-up ground.

It only took a few moments for the earpiece to crackle again.

"Hello, Himmel?" Helena's voice echoed in my ears.

"How many people has that thing killed till now?" I asked, my voice low.

She took a moment before she replied. "Almost fifty thousand."

I drew in a deep breath to keep myself calm.

"And how long has the church known about it?" I asked.

"...It's been more than a month." she replied quietly.

"Then why the fuck did they not attack him before!?" I snapped. "Why did they wait for me to come?"

"They tried." she replied, trying to keep her voice calm. "But the local authority of that place always stopped them."

I drew in another deep breath as I rubbed my temples to alleviate the headache.

Much to my annoyance, I can understand those local authorities.

Even I wouldn't want the church to interfere in the matters of the Segyal household.

No matter how big the threat is, I would try to control it on my own instead of letting others do it for me.

'Ego is really a big problem for all of us.'

I cut the call as I didn't want to hear anything else.

"Himmel."

Elijah's voice made me look at him.

"There is a survivor."

I blinked.

And rushed towards him.

"Where?" I asked, already walking past him.

"They found her in one of the buildings." he replied, walking beside me. "She is a child."

We moved quickly, stepping over the charred remnants of what used to be streets.

Soon, we reached the edge of a collapsed building where a few knights stood in a loose circle.

One of them glanced up and immediately moved aside when he saw me.

At the center of the debris, nestled beneath a fractured stone arch, was a little girl.

Maybe six, maybe younger, it was hard to tell with the grime and soot caking her skin.

Her clothes were torn, her tiny hands clenched tightly around a burned doll missing half its face.

She just stared ahead as if her soul hadn't fully returned to her body.

I knelt slowly in front of her.

"Hey," I said gently, my voice softer than I thought it could be. "What's your name?"

She didn't respond, just stared into my eyes.

I tried again. "I'm Himmel. I'm here to help you."

She tilted her head. "Are you an angel?"

Her voice was... broken.

Like it didn't belong to her.

I calmly smiled. "Why do you ask?"

"'He' told me it was an angel's fault." she replied, her body trembled. "Angel is the reason my parents lost their lives."

Tears trickled down her eyes as she lowered her head.

I slowly moved closer and hugged the child.

'This madness.....'

I don't want it to continue.

---

Night arrived quickly, and we were still unable to find any trace of the Dead God.

The stars blinked coldly above me as I lay on my back above a mana platform.

The clouds rushed past me, but I didn't pay them any attention.

[<Are you still thinking about that child?>]

'....Yeah.'

It's hard, you know.

Watching as people cry over those whom they have lost.

Seeing how innocent people suffer at the hands of some fucked-up god who wants to live.

'That makes me wonder.....'

How good would the world be without these gods?

[<You don't judge every one of them just because you hate one.>]

'...I know. I have you and I know you are good.'

But...

Most of them are just selfish and cruel.

They only think about themselves and no one else.

But...

Who am I to judge them?

'....Even my own mother has massacred an entire kingdom.'

[<And yet you still didn't turn evil or break.... I am grateful you didn't.>]

I stared up into the black sky, tracing the faint shimmer of constellations above me.

'I don't know what I'm trying to protect anymore.'

Am I trying to protect myself?

Those in need?

Or am I just trying...

I placed my hand over my eyes, closing it.

Maybe I just want to live a happy life.

And even though I try to act selfish and rude... the kind child who helped everyone is still inside me.

A stir of energy moved around my head, taking me by surprise still, I didn't move as I knew who it was.

A gentle hand grabbed my head, raising it and letting it fall on a cushion-type thing.

I removed my hand only to find Inna staring down at me with a smile.

She gently brushed my hair as I lay still on her lap.

"You know," she whispered, patting my head. "There was someone else I knew who hated the idea of gods ruling everything."

"...Why so?" I asked, shifting a little to become more comfortable.

"Well, at that time, gods used to roam around the world." she replied, her voice gentle.

"They created factions. Waged war on each other.... every year, millions died because of them."

".....And what did that guy do?" I asked, looking into her blood eyes.

"He... sealed them once and killed most of them when they did it again." she replied, playfully touching my nose.

"The gods didn't learn the first time."

"....."

I remained silent as I had a vague idea about who she was talking about.

'Of course, it's me from who knows what life.'

It's overwhelming to know what I was before I became what I am.

'Honestly, I was good without knowing it.'

"You know," Inna added, voice quieter now, "I don't think you're just trying to protect people or fight evil or even redeem your name."

"Then what?"

She smiled. "I think you're trying to find a reason to exist. One that makes sense. One that's yours alone."

"And what's your reason to live?" I asked, looking at her.

She just smiled instead of saying anything.

'Guess I will be narcissistic and think it's me.'

It's not true anyway.

I sighed as I turned to my side so my face was close to her belly.

She smells good.

Like really good.

"Are you trying to take advantage of my kindness?" Inna asked, pinching my cheek a little.

"I don't know what you are talking about." I grumbled, closing my eyes.

She just sighed and continued to brush my hair with her hand.

A few minutes passed just like that before she stopped her hand.

"Qais." she whispered softly. "Do you really want to know more about the Dead God?"

"If I can stop him from destroying another life, then yeah, I do." I mumbled, looking back at her. "I will do anything for that."

She turned silent for a long while before she sighed.

Urging me to sit straight, she said, "Whatever you are going to see, just don't freak out."

Confused, I sat back up on the platform, looking at her.

Inna drew in a deep breath before closing her eyes.

'Huh?'

Much to my surprise, half of her side began to change.

Her hair turned from golden to pitch black like the night itself.

She slowly opened her eyes only for them to change as well.

Instead of red, one of her eyes had turned golden.

She blinked.

Then—.

She lunged, scaring the shit out of me.

Half her body tried to grab me while the other half sat in her place, making her dangle in an awkward way.

"Behave yourself, Isthar." Inna said, forcing her other side to sit as well.

I frowned. "Isthar?"

Half of Inna's face smiled as she raised her hand and waved. "Hey darling."

Her voice, even though familiar, was nothing like hers.

It was as if she was trying to seduce me.

Utterly confused, I just stared at her.

"He has something to ask." Inna spoke once again. "It's about—."

"Dead God?" she spoke, interrupting herself. "Oh my, did you show him your crazy side just to help him?"

'Crazy side?'

"Are you going to tell him or not?" Inna spoke again.

"Only on one condition." the other voice, Isthar, replied. "It's easy so don't worry, I won't ask anything absurd."

'That's surprising.'

If it really is Isthar talking from Inna's mouth, then she is a lot more tamed.

I expected her to be a bloodthirsty woman, but reality begs to differ.

"Qais." Inna spoke again. "Ask."

"Where will the Dead God attack again?" I asked, not wasting any time.

"Candela," she replied sweetly. "After four days."

"..."

I quietly nodded.

"What even is that thing?" Inna asked this time. "The thing felt familiar."

"You noticed?" Ishtar replied. "It's his big brother. He is back from hell."

Inna's side of her face immediately turned cold and I was still utterly confused.

"Alright," she said. "You can go now."

"Not before he fulfills my condition," Ishtar replied, looking at me.

I drew in a deep breath. "What is it?"

She smiled like crazy. "Kiss her."

"What?" It was Inna who responded. "No. Why would—."

"Come on. Don't be shy," Ishtar's voice echoed once again. "You just thought about doing it a few seconds—."

Her words immediately halted as she closed her eyes.

Inna's hair turned back to its original color but she didn't open her eyes.

She lowered her head, her face turning slightly red.

Her body turned into a cluster of golden light and returned to my body.

"Hey! Wait!"

I yelled, trying to stop her.

"I have so many questions to ask!?"

[<...>]

No reply.

Of course.

But I am not leaving this matter any time soon.

"Huh?"

Just as I was about to force her to speak, I felt someone coming towards me.

I turned to look at my side where I noticed a black dragon floating beside me.

"Malenia?"