The Last Villain’s Lament

The hero shouldn't look like this.

Ezra's breath caught as his eyes met Aurelian Veris's piercing gaze from across the grand hall. The air was thick with anticipation, the buzz of conversation weaving through the expansive space as nobles exchanged pleasantries. Arcane energy pulsed in the walls, an ever-present reminder of the Academy's ancient power.

And yet none of that mattered.

Because the hero wasn't supposed to smile like that.

The golden-haired prodigy stood effortlessly among his peers, draped in the polished uniform of the Academy's elite. His posture was perfect, radiating a calm confidence that should have been comforting.

But beneath the veneer of charisma, there was something wrong. An undercurrent of calculation swirled beneath those golden eyes.

Aurelian's smile was too sharp.

Ezra's pulse quickened as the system flickered again.

[ERROR: PROTAGONIST DATA MISMATCH]

[Aurelian Veris – Anomaly Detected]

[Danger Level: UNKNOWN]

The text twisted, morphing into jagged symbols before snapping back into clarity. Ezra swallowed hard, tearing his gaze away as Liora's voice anchored him to the present.

"You're zoning out again," she said, her voice soft yet firm. She nudged him gently with her shoulder, drawing his attention. "You're going to draw attention."

"I'm fine," Ezra replied, forcing a hollow smile onto his lips. "Just… distracted."

"You're lying." Liora's emerald eyes narrowed, suspicion darkening her gaze. "You're not acting like yourself."

Ezra stiffened. His hands clenched at his sides as the truth clawed at the edges of his thoughts. Of course I'm not acting like myself. Because I'm not supposed to be here.

Before he could form a response, a shadow fell over them.

"Calveros Nacht," a voice smooth as silk murmured. Every syllable was weighted with familiarity.

Ezra's stomach turned to ice as he looked up. Aurelian Veris stood before him, the supposed hero of Chronicles of the Eternal Throne—the man fated to end Calveros's life.

But those eyes weren't kind.

They were observant. Calculating.

Predatory.

"It's been a while," Aurelian said, his smile widening just enough to reveal the glint of teeth. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon."

Ezra's thoughts raced. This isn't how it's supposed to go. We weren't supposed to meet until later in the narrative.

He forced himself to respond, keeping his tone neutral. "Fate has a strange sense of humor."

Aurelian's gaze sharpened, the mask of civility slipping for just a moment. In that brief flash, Ezra saw something far colder than he expected—the hint of understanding. The awareness that something was different.

He knows.

[WARNING: FATE DIVERGENCE ESCALATING]

[Reality Instability: 72%]

Liora shifted uneasily beside him, sensing the tension but unable to grasp the depth of the danger surrounding them.

"You've changed," Aurelian murmured, his voice low enough that only Ezra could hear. "You're not the same Calveros I remember."

Ezra's breath hitched. His vision blurred for a heartbeat—

—time skip detected—

—and suddenly, Aurelian was gone.

The hall had emptied. The echoes of conversation had faded, leaving only the oppressive silence of a place no longer meant for him.

Liora's voice cut through the quiet like a blade. "Ezra? Are you listening?"

His hands trembled as he glanced down at the flickering system window.

[TIME DISTORTION DETECTED]

[MEMORY GAP: 5 MINUTES]

[Sanity: 94%]

His breath came in shallow bursts. This isn't just a story anymore.

The polished marble floor reflected his fractured reflection, hollow eyes staring back at him.

And the hero isn't supposed to be the most dangerous player on the board.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Ezra's focus fractured with each passing moment, his mind splitting between memories that weren't his and a reality that didn't feel real. Liora's concerned glances followed him through the lectures and ceremonies, her presence both a comfort and a reminder of everything that was wrong.

By evening, the Academy's sprawling campus was bathed in silver moonlight. Ezra found himself standing alone in the courtyard, the wind carrying whispers that didn't belong to the world of the living.

[WARNING: System Stability at Critical Levels]

[Reality Collapse Risk: 38%]

His breath hitched as the ground beneath him seemed to pulse with unseen energy, the runes etched into the cobblestones glowing faintly beneath his feet.

"You shouldn't be here," a voice whispered from the shadows.

Ezra spun around, heart hammering in his chest. A figure emerged from the darkness—cloaked, featureless, eyes like twin voids.

Correction Protocol Initiated.

The system's voice wasn't displayed this time.

It spoke directly into his mind.

[ERROR: Anomaly Detected]

[Subject: Ezra Veyne / Calveros Nacht]

[Initiating Termination Sequence]

Ezra stumbled back as the figure lunged, shadows stretching into tendrils of black energy. Instinct took over—memories of Calveros's combat training surged forward, guiding his movements with deadly precision. He ducked low, rolled to the side, and drew a blade he didn't remember carrying.

Survive.

The thought burned into his consciousness as steel met shadow, the clash of their battle rippling through the fractured reality.

The shadows writhed around him, twisting with a malevolent hunger, reaching for his very soul. Every strike from the figure drained him, pulling threads of his sanity with each failed defense.

But Ezra fought back.

Each movement was sharper than the last, his body reacting with reflexes he didn't own. Calveros's memories merged with his will, turning fear into raw determination.

I will not die here.

The figure faltered, its form flickering as Ezra's blade cut through its inky form. The energy around them surged, reality itself groaning under the pressure of their clash.

The system's voice returned, cold and merciless.

[Correction Delayed: Instability Increasing]

[Subject Resistance: Unacceptable]

Ezra gritted his teeth, forcing his body to move faster, strike harder. The shadows recoiled with each blow, until finally, the figure dissolved into a cloud of black mist, vanishing as quickly as it had come.

He collapsed to the ground, breathless and trembling, his blade clattering beside him.

The system issued one final message:

[Correction Protocol Postponed]

[System Instability: 59%]

[New Objective: Eliminate Anomaly]

Ezra's heart sank.

The story isn't broken.

It's being rewritten.

And this time, survival meant more than following the script.

It meant defying fate itself.

Ezra didn't know how long he sat there, staring at the empty space where the figure had vanished. His body ached from the effort, muscles screaming from tension. The runes beneath his feet had dimmed, but the threat remained, lingering like a phantom in the air.

"Ezra!" Liora's voice broke through the haze.

He looked up to see her rushing toward him, genuine concern etched across her features.

"What happened? Why are you—" She paused, noticing the cuts on his arms, the shallow breathing. "Who did this to you?"

Ezra shook his head slowly. "No one. Just… a nightmare."

But the fear in his eyes betrayed the truth.

Liora didn't press, instead kneeling beside him. "You're hurt. We need to get you to the infirmary."

"No," Ezra whispered. "No one can know."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're not making sense. What's going on with you, Ezra? This isn't the Calveros I know."

Ezra hesitated, his mind a whirlwind of half-formed explanations. "I… don't remember who I am anymore."

And for the first time, the weight of the truth settled over him.

Maybe I never did.