Ascension Of The Villain

As the witch took a step closer, Clyde instinctively threw himself in front of Vyan, which only made Vyan roll his eyes in pure annoyance.

"Can you stay back, please? His Grace has... issues being near dark magic," Clyde reasoned.

The witch tutted, shaking her head with a knowing smile. "He will be fine. Do you really think I have lived for nearly a thousand years without learning how to suppress my powers? This is hardly my first encounter with someone like him."

She turned, gliding towards the door of her cottage while Clyde, still channeling overprotective bodyguard mode, kept Vyan securely behind him like a human shield. Vyan hated it when Clyde did that, but he knew Clyde didn't do it out of a sense of duty, he was just instinctive.

"Come inside, children," the witch called, beckoning them with a lazy wave.

Vyan nudged Clyde aside and made to step forward, but Clyde grabbed his elbow. "What are you doing? What if she tries to hurt you?"

Vyan gave Clyde a flat look. "She has no reason to, though?"

Clyde narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, but you were the one suspicious of her having ulterior motives with Lady Iyana."

"True," Vyan admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But now that I am seeing her in person, I don't really get a bad feeling from her."

"She is a witch," Clyde hissed, as if that settled the matter.

"Aren't you the one who always tell me to trust my gut?" Vyan shot back. "Be honest—doesn't your gut agree with me?"

Clyde huffed in defeat. Annoyingly, his gut did tell him this witch might not mean any harm to them. Even so, trusting anyone involved with black magic around Vyan? That was a hard sell as the one in charge of his safety.

"Fine," Clyde relented, running a hand through his hair. "But be ready to bolt if anything goes south."

Vyan flashed him a thumbs-up. "You got it, my ever-cautious friend."

As Vyan and Clyde stepped inside the witch's house, they were greeted by the room being dimly lit with a couple of candles. Cobwebs hung like old lace, and yet, despite the ominous air, Vyan didn't feel the suffocating aura of dark magic he had expected.

If anything, the atmosphere was oddly... calm.

It made him feel unsettled. Witches and wizards were known for their selfish, self-satisfying streaks. After all, they crossed the lines of all kinds of boundaries in the magical world, performing forbidden magic like tinkering with someone's minds, necromancy, dealing with the creatures from the netherworld such as demons and evil spirits, and so on.

Normally, they had no business helping other people out, as it clearly served them no benefit in any real sense. Especially to the ones who were doomed to immortality. So, why was this lady in particular known for helping the people who came to her?

Clyde shot Vyan a cautious glance. "You feeling alright?" he whispered, his guard still up.

"Physically, yes," Vyan replied, eyebrows furrowing. "But there is still something strange about here."

The door closed behind them with a soft creak, and the old lady turned toward the pair, her eyes glinting in the low light. "Now then, children, what is it you seek from me?"

Vyan focused, gathering his thoughts. "Well, I would just like a few answers from you, nothing much. Do you remember a girl named Iyana? Platinum blonde hair, wearing a military uniform, came to see you about fourteen months ago. She is very pretty."

"Oh, I remember her. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were the tormenting boy she had come seeking salvation from," she purred. "Vyan, right?"

Vyan was surprised at the witch's knowledge. He didn't expect the old lady to recognize Iyana so quickly, let alone remember Vyan's name.

Keeping his composure, Vyan questioned, "Yes, that's me. And what I came to ask is, why did you wipe all of Iyana's memories when she only wanted to forget me in particular?"

The witch sighed, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "An honest mistake, truly. There was a... minor mishap in my spellwork, and I ended up wiping the poor girl's entire memory."

That didn't sound believable to Vyan, so he narrowed his eyes. "An honest mistake? You said you have lived for a thousand years. So how could someone like you—"

Before he could finish, the witch smirked, cutting him off. "Are you interested in immortality, child?"

Vyan was stumped at the sudden change of topic, but nevertheless, he scoffed, waving her off with a roll of his eyes. "Hell no. Immortality is a curse."

Clyde elbowed him sharply, glancing at the witch, scolding him in telepathy, 'Be careful with your words! Don't be so insensitive.'

Vyan quickly cleared his throat, flashing a strained smile. "Of course, nobody knows that better than you."

The witch chuckled softly. "If you think of immortality as a curse, you are a smart one. But it's really a shame, though. I might have been able to help you, though. A mage as powerful as you could gain so much more as a wizard."

Vyan shrugged. "Okay, gain power and do what then? Watch all my loved ones die and live on, century after century? I am thinking no." He had never found the concept of immortality to be interesting. He used to think eighty or something years were already long enough. Why would he want to live on for eternity?

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"If you don't accept my offer to help, your loved ones might be the one watching you die," the witch warned, smirking faintly.

Vyan chortled lightly. "As selfish as it sounds, I would actually prefer that."

Clyde shot Vyan a death glare, but Vyan only gave him a sheepish grin in response.

The witch laughed, the sound echoing ominously. "Don't wish something on others that you wouldn't be able to handle yourself."

"Pardon?" Vyan let out, confused.

"Nothing." The witch turned around, heading towards her small, creaking staircase. "Since you have already found the answer to the question you were looking for, you can take your leave now. I have nothing more to say."

Vyan narrowed his gaze on her back, unsatisfied with tonight's result. He didn't come here for such a blunt lie of an answer and get provoked into accepting immortality like it was some kind of candy.

"Wow, what a fruitless adventure," Clyde remarked as they turned to leave.

Vyan hummed, sounding unsure, and just then, something struck his mind. He turned around to the witch and called out, "Even if you won't answer me, there is something else that you can help me with."

———

The sun was peeking from the windows when Vyan brushed a strand of hair off Iyana's forehead, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Iyana, wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, a sleepy smile tugging at her lips as she squinted at him. "Wow, the sun must have risen from the west today," she mumbled, her voice groggy. "You are awake before me."

Vyan chuckled. "Technically, does it count if I didn't sleep at all?"

Iyana blinked, arching a skeptical eyebrow. "Why, just so you could wake me up?"

"It's your first day as the Commander," Vyan said with a playful grin. "I didn't want you to be late."

Her sleepy expression melted into something soft and affectionate. She pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face in his chest. "I would rather spend the entire day with you."

"Skipping your first day as Commander? Bold move."

Iyana raised her head, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "So? Who is going to scold me?"

"Oof, the flex of power. I like that," he teased. "But still, you should go to the office. I know you will love the feeling of being in charge."

She groaned, her arms tightening around him as if to refuse. "You suck. Why can't you just take the attention I am willing to give you?"

He chuckled. "Because, my lady, I want to be a responsible partner for you."

"That's boring," she muttered, half-pouting. "Be irresponsible. Ask me to stay."

He gazed at her fondly, his lips brushing her hair. "I love you and all, but no. You still have to go to the office."

"Geez, you are impossible." She let out a dramatic sigh. "Since you are going to be like this, I have no choice but to bring this up as well, where did you sneak off to last night?"

Vyan wasn't even surprised that she knew. After all, she could sense the smallest of movements around her, even in her sleep. "Nothing escapes your eyes, does it?"

"Of course, who do you think I am?"

"My commander."

She fondly rolled her eyes and played along, "Exactly, and right now, I command you to tell me where you went last night, abandoning me in my sleep."

"Well, to give you a clue—" He grabbed something from the bedside table and presented it to her.

Seeing the familiar stones on the piece of jewelry, her eyes widened. "Oh, my Goddess, these earrings. How did you—" She froze, looking up at him with a glare. "Please tell me, you did not visit the witch in Ganlop…"

He let out a strained laugh and admitted, "I think I did."

"Vyan!"