Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

"Where are we going, Himmel?"

Elijah's voice cut through the wind, reaching me even mid-flight.

I adjusted my wings and turned my head to glance at him.

He was keeping up, wings spread wide, though his balance wavered slightly.

'He only recently learned how to use them.'

I faced forward again and picked up speed.

"We're almost there," I said. "Just bear with me a little longer."

I didn't wait for a response before flying ahead.

Below us, nothing but endless dark water stretched in every direction as we cut across the ocean sky.

'It should be close now.'

I checked over my shoulder to make sure Elijah was still following.

He was a little behind, so I slowed my pace to let him catch up, then shifted my focus forward again.

[<Are you alright?>]

'I'm fine. What could possibly happen to me?'

[<No. It's just—>]

'I said I'm fine.'

A full day had passed since the fall of the Dead God and Legus.

Everything after that moved quickly.

The church swept in, took over the site, and began purifying whatever traces remained.

The heads of the Archangel families had been a pain, as expected—but it was worth it.

'Zekiel's face when he realized he had to give up Snow Dellet was priceless.'

In the end, they had no choice. It had already been written and decided.

Something caught my eyes as I slowed down my pace.

"Woah!" Elijah yelped as he nearly crashed into me, catching himself just in time.

"There," I said, pointing to a small island in the distance.

He followed my gaze and frowned. "Why did you bring me here?"

"You'll see." I folded my wings and tilted into a dive.

The wind rushed past as I plummeted toward the water. Just before hitting the surface,

I unfurled my wings and skimmed across it, slowing down as the island's sandy shore came into reach.

I landed smoothly.

Elijah wasn't so lucky. He hit the ground hard, tumbling and landing face-first in the sand.

"Ugh, hawk-thew!" he spat out a mouthful, brushing sand from his clothes.

"How do you use those wings so perfectly?"

I ignored his question as I began to walk further inside the island. "Come with me."

He muttered something under his breath but followed.

The island hadn't changed. It was just like when Seraphina brought me here.

"Where are we?" Elijah asked again, more serious this time.

I kept walking.

Soon, a small, warm-looking house came into view, its windows glowing faintly in the dusk.

"Himmel!" Elijah shouted. "Where are we!?"

Still, I didn't answer.

Instead, I knocked on the door twice, then stepped back at the sound of a chain rattling from inside.

I gently patted Elijah's back and met his eyes. "Give her a moment. Let her explain."

He gave me a puzzled look but stayed quiet.

The door creaked open.

"Himme—?"

A woman stood in the doorway, her long red hair falling past her knees.

Her features were graceful, framed by thick lashes and golden eyes that immediately locked onto Elijah.

But it was her missing arm and leg that made Elijah stiffen beside me.

I gave him a soft pat again and turned to the woman. "I brought your son home, Aunt."

They both stared at each other in silence, unable to speak anything.

Elijah's expression shifted from confusion to disbelief—then horror, as he fully processed what he was seeing.

"Eli..." she whispered. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't—"

She couldn't finish.

Elijah stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as his shoulders began to shake.

She pressed her face into his shoulder, trembling, her breath catching in her throat.

Tears slipped down Poney's face as she clung to him.

She eventually pulled back just enough to cradle his face in her hand. "You're… a lot taller than I imagined."

"You're shorter than I expected."

They both chuckled softly, then embraced again.

I turned and walked back toward the shore, giving them their moment.

The sandy surface stuck to my legs but I didn't care, I just sat down looking at the ocean illuminated by the moon.

"Do you guys want to play?" I asked quietly.

Three clusters of light emerged from my body, slowly taking form.

"Can we? Can we?" Iffa asked, her eyes lighting up.

I smiled and patted her head. "Go ahead. Have fun."

"Yay!"

She took off toward the water, Olivia and Willis chasing after her with matching laughter.

"Inna?"

[<Yes?>]

"Can you keep an eye on them?"

She didn't answer with words. Instead, another glow slipped out from within me and took form.

Inna stepped into the world with a gentle smile. "Of course."

Lifting the hem of her gown, she ran after the children, her laughter joining theirs.

I watched them play with the water.

It was peace… something I rarely experience.

Something fragile.

But it never lasted long.

I closed my eyes for a moment and let the calm wrap around me like a blanket.

Something that never lasted long.

I closed my eyes, letting the calm soak in like warmth from the sun.

Then, without needing to look, I felt another presence settle beside me.

El.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked.

I opened my eyes and glanced over.

"A little over a year," I murmured. "Not that long."

He let out a soft laugh. "No, it really wasn't."

Silence lingered between us as no one spoke.

"You are going to leave again." Finally, I whispered. "Aren't you?"

He turned his head slightly, the breeze catching strands of his white-silver hair. His eyes remained closed.

"I have to," he said softly. "You know that."

"Do I?" I asked, drawing my knees up to my chest. "Because one day I woke up and you were just… gone."

El didn't try to argue. He never did.

He only let out a soft exhale and watched the children playing in the water.

"Iffa's grown taller," he said.

"She still cries a lot," I replied with a faint smile. "And Olivia's still grumpy."

"And Willis?"

I paused. "He's… alright."

El smiled, just barely.

"Why are you leaving this time?" I asked, watching him closely.

"You're not strong enough to fight them yet," El said as he stood up. "And now they can track you because of me."

"Who's 'they'?" I asked, rising to my feet too.

El didn't reply. Instead, he kept on walking while keeping his head low.

"Are you seriously not going to say anything?" I asked, irritated by his silence.

El glanced back at me with a small smile. "You know, when I was in that coma... I remembered something."

I tilted my head. "What was it?"

"My childhood," he murmured.

"Hmm?"

We began walking along the beach, the soft crunch of sand under our feet the only sound between us for a moment.

"My father was the strongest of his time. My mother was the brightest." He mumbled softly.

"I had everything—privilege, power, a life others would envy. And still... I was a dick."

I scoffed. "No way."

"I'm serious," he said, smiling faintly. "I used to resent them for loving me too much."

His voice was quiet, nearly drowned by the waves rolling in.

"I hated how they looked at me like I was their entire world. I thought they were fools… for loving someone like me."

I walked beside him in silence, not interrupting.

"I was ten when I ran away."

I looked at him in surprise as I wasn't expecting something like that from him.

"As ridiculous as it sounds, I thought I was doing the right thing. If I disappeared, maybe they'd finally have room to love someone else too."

"That's… rough," I muttered, not knowing what else to say.

Even though I had known him for a long while, I had never seen him this fragile.

"It was rough," he said softly. "I would've died on the streets if Innana hadn't found me."

"Wait," I frowned. "Did your parents...?"

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I haven't seen them since that day."

He fell quiet again.

"You never tried to find them?" I asked gently.

"I was afraid," he admitted. "I told myself they'd moved on... that it was better if they never knew what I became."

"Is there still a chance you could find them?" I asked. "They might still be alive—"

"I gave up on that a long time ago," he said, offering a soft smile.

"But maybe it's time I tried to find my way back. To something like home."

I stopped walking and looked at him. "You're going to find them?"

"Partly, yeah," he nodded. "But I'm also going to handle things you can't. I want to make sure you've got the time to grow."

I closed my eyes, feeling a sudden weight on me.

"….Why?" I whispered. "Why would you—?"

"Remember my promise?" he said, cutting me off. "As long as I'm with you, there won't be a battle you lose."

He held his hand out to me. "I still mean it."

I looked at his hand before reaching out to shake it.

"When will I see you again?" I asked.

"A few months. Maybe a year."

"I would be an Eternal by then." I chuckled softly. "Who knows, I might beat you in a fight by then."

El smiled brightly. "I look forward to it."

His body began to glow, breaking apart into white motes of light right before my eyes.

"Take care of Innana, Azariah," his voice echoed, faint but clear. "She's like a mother to me."

"…I will," I whispered as the last of the light drifted away.

And just like that, he was gone.

Silence settled around me, and something hollow opened up in my chest.

I couldn't even speak.

It hurt too much.

"Am I interrupting?"

"What the fuck!?"

I jumped, letting out a startled yell as someone spoke right behind me.

I turned quickly and saw a familiar face. "Aimar?"

He grinned. "What's up, bitch?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, glaring at him.

"I found you by sniffing your scent."

"What are you, Heather?" I grumbled, rubbing my temples. "And since when did you start to sniff?"

"Huh?" I let out a startled voice. "Ai—I can't do that?"

"You can't, fucker."

He just smiled and didn't say anything else.

I narrowed my eyes. "You look different. Did your face get more handsome or something?"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What, did I charm you or something?"

"Yeah. Let's go have sex."

"Let's go!"

"What?"

"What?"

…Was Aimar always this friendly?

"Don't overthink it," he said, casually throwing an arm over my shoulder. "Let's go eat something Elijah's mom made."

I quietly walked along with him as I looked at his eyes.

They were a lot duller than before.

Like they belonged to someone else.

'What happened to you, Aimar?'