Ascension Of The Villain

The next day—the morning of the duel—the clang of metal against metal rang out across the training fields, but it was quickly interrupted as Iyana's sword slipped from her hand, hitting the ground with a dull thud. She stumbled slightly, catching herself with a frustrated breath.

Terrence's brows furrowed in concern. "Vice-Commander, are you okay? Since yesterday, you have been on a losing streak. At this rate, you might even get defeated by a handicapped man," he said with a light chuckle.

Iyana sighed and mumbled an apology. "I am sorry… I–I will take a break, clear my head, and we can continue soon."

Terrence gave a brief nod, looking concerned as he exchanged glances with Elijah and Melissa who were sparring near them. But Iyana turned away before they could gather their courage to ask anything.

She walked slowly towards the edge of the training grounds. Focus, she scolded herself internally. Why are you being like this? You have waited your entire life for this moment. You are letting your emotions get the best of you. Why can't you stop being worried?

It's not like Leila said he was going to die today. But then again, considering how many things have changed, who is he to say the day hasn't changed as well?

Iyana let out another heavy sigh, her shoulders slumped. Leaning against the wooden fence, she allowed her mind to spiral.

I couldn't even get him to stop coming to today's pathetic duel, how am I going to convince him to stop charging for his doom? I swear he is so stubborn.

At this rate, I might be the one to strangle him because of his—

She sensed a presence behind her as she thought, Speak of the devil.

A soft, slightly hoarse teasing chuckle floated into her ear, the familiar warm breath on her neck sending a shiver down her spine.

"What's this, my lady? Starting the big day with defeat?"

With her arms crossed, Iyana slowly spun around to face Vyan. He stood there, a playful grin tugging at his lips.

"What exactly are you doing here?" she asked, her tone both stern and playful, because what else could she do? She was mad at him for coming, and at the same time, she was over the moon to see him. "That too, at this time?"

Vyan tilted his head, his smile only growing wider. "I wanted to wish you luck. Isn't that what a proper gentleman does before a duel?" His voice still clogged up, but much better than yesterday.

"A gentleman? Oh, I see, then you must have gotten permission to be here, right? Because I am sure a gentleman wouldn't sneak into the military quarters inconspicuously?"

"You are exactly right. I came with permission this time," he responded, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What? How?" She made a face of disbelief.

"Apparently, the palace guards thought they would have to be heartless if they didn't let the vice-commander's potential lover come in to wish her well. And, of course, bring her flowers."

That made Iyana chuckle, a soft sound escaping her lips despite herself. "Flowers? And where exactly are these flowers?"

With a flourish, Vyan theatrically checked his coat pocket and pulled out a bouquet of purple hydrangeas, manifesting them out of the air. "There you go, my lady."

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As their rich petals glowing softly in the early morning light, Iyana gasped softly, eyes widening. "Please tell me you didn't go to the Forest of Beasts for these."

Vyan gave her a teasing look, raising one eyebrow. "Maybe?"

She shot him a glare, but there was no malice behind it, only concern. "Vyan…"

He laughed lightly, holding up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I got them from Verna. They grow there too, you know."

Relief softened Iyana's expression, but the worry in her eyes didn't entirely disappear. As she accepted the flowers, her fingers brushing against the delicate petals, her voice turned soft with guilt. "You shouldn't have gone through the trouble for me. Verna is so far away, and you are still not well…"

Vyan leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as he said, "I am fine now. Unfortunately, your and Benedict's disgusting concoction worked like a charm." He wrinkled his nose at the memory, but his smile remained. "Besides, I can teleport, remember? Distance doesn't really matter to me."

That finally coaxed a genuine smile from Iyana, one that reached her eyes and chased away the dark clouds looming over her thoughts.

She looked at the flowers and recalled how Vyan had given her these same flowers on the day before she achieved her aura. That day was so special to her… and so were those flowers. She had even asked him to even put a preservative spell on it, but sadly, they got damaged during her fight with Azazel.

Right, Azazel… was a demon… a creature manifested from dark magic—Vyan's weakness. Could his death be related to Sienna then? I would need to talk to Leila after the duel—

Iyana's eyes caught Vyan's, smiling down at her, and she realized that everything else could wait.

He was here today, despite his sickness, brought her favorite flowers from Verna, played a melodrama to the palace guards so that she wouldn't scold him for risking himself… All because he wanted to see her win and achieve her dream.

She couldn't fail him. No one would be more disappointed than him if he learned that she was distracted in his worries.

So, she let warmth of his presence spread through her like sunlight breaking through the morning mist. She let herself forget her worries and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Vyan pouted in disappointment, and she laughed lightly.

"You will have to wait till I win," she teased, and he rolled his eyes, despite being unable to fight off his smile.

Vyan leaned back, crossing his arms with a feigned stern look. "In that case, you must win."

Iyana's smile grew, clutching the flowers close to her chest. "Well, if you say so, then I guess I have no choice."

———

Iyana was in the waiting room of the arena, thirty minutes away from making her entrance. She checked herself in the mirror and traced her fingers over the polished metal of her armor, looking like someone preparing for more than just a fight—it was a moment to define her future.

Today, she would challenge for the title of Commander, but the anticipation felt slightly hollow, even though she tried not to feel it. She tried to look on the bright side—she knew she deserved this, whether Commander Pembrooke was crippled or not.

"Huh, I am fighting a crippled man today. In front of an audience, no less… haha," she murmured and exhaled a weary sigh.

Her eyes scanned the empty room, feeling the same kind of hollowness within her chest. Usually, people had their family members—siblings or parents—give them a prep talk before things like this. But unfortunately, Iyana's parents and sister were… she didn't want to think about them.

As for her brother—

A knock broke the silence, pulling her from her reverie. "Come in," she called.

The door creaked open, and there, standing in the threshold, was someone she hadn't expected to see—Lyon.

Her brother, dressed as the nobleman he had once been, his appearance both familiar and foreign. Iyana blinked, shock and disbelief rushing through her.

"Lyon... you… how?" Her voice was barely a whisper, laced with the rawness of her surprise.

He smiled, a wry twist of his lips, his eyes soft but weary. "Well, Vyan felt kind enough to let me free today," he said, his voice carrying a hint of irony. "So I could come watch your duel."

Iyana's heart stuttered at his words. Vyan let him out? The man who harbored a deep, festering hatred for Lyon had let him go—if only for a day? For her?

Then again, why was she surprised? As stubborn as Vyan was, he was almost capable of going to any lengths for her.

Vyan was well aware that while the Iyana with memories loathed Lyon even more than Vyan did, this Iyana without memories had no such hatred in her heart. Instead, she had found a way to reconnect with Lyon, to mend what had once been broken.

Every time she visited Vyan, she made it a point to see Lyon too—down at the stables where Vyan had stationed him, in a role so beneath him yet paradoxically where they had begun to rebuild their relationship.

A soft smile pulled at her lips, and she stepped toward him, her heart swelling with a mixture of affection and sadness. She wrapped her arms around him in a warm, heartfelt embrace. "I am so glad you came," she murmured.

Lyon held her close for a moment as he whispered, "So am I."

As they parted, Iyana kept a light smile on her face and asked, "Anything new with you?"

"Eh, the usual." Lyon sat down at the couch and Iyana followed, engaging in a casual, light-hearted conversation between the siblings.

When they were only five minutes left till she had to be out, Lyon gave her a final hug with best of luck and headed for the door.

As she was left alone once again, she couldn't help but wonder about Vyan's strange duality. His cruelty and his tenderness were woven so tightly together, it was impossible to separate one from the other.

He kept her brother as his slave, and yet, he freed him for this day... her day. And the worst part was, she knew that if she asked, if she truly begged, Vyan would release him forever.

Seriously, if a villain, why love me?

In both the novel and in this life, why…

Just then, the waiting room door swung open once again, and Iyana thought it was Lyon again. "Did you forget something—" she paused, seeing the person in front of her. Her eyes widened. "You?"

"Yes… yes, I did forget something," Leila spoke up, panting. "I just remembered your duel with Commander Pembrooke…. And you lose."