"I, the Hero Mars, have come to slay you for your wretched crimes." Behind Mars are all his comrades he's gained along the way, they give him heartfelt smiles one by one. When all is through he stabs his trusty sword, Excalibur, through the Grand Master's heart. With nothing but a cough, the once formidable man died the death of a dog.
Closing the book I begin to cross the street, it has been so long since I read my story, and its mediocrity was almost reassuring. Proof that the path of the writer wasn't for me.
"Honk." I turn just in time to see a big red truck. Then black, but like all things, the black fades. Soon comes a light, a light so bright it blinds the eyes, so glorious that it can only be described as divine. It echoes through my head with waves of indescribable jubilation. As if my mind was feeling a joy beyond life, like I took the strongest drug in existence, pure dopamine rushing straight to my brain. I dared not look away, that even if there was a chance I may lose this feeling, it would be the end of existence itself. If this was heaven, I was loving it. Yet the light, the all succumbing light began to fade, it lost the glow that so entrapped my love. I begged for it to return, for once again to be devoured by the light, but when the light was gone, it was gone. The light above still shone bright, now however it hurt the eyes, it ate at them as if to really turn them blind. The new light felt so familiar, it was the sun, bland and worthless as it is.
"Vector?" A drunken ugly face stood above me, his strikingly red hair slipped into my mouth.
I spat it out in disgust, but a name came to me as if I was reading a book. "George?" That face, that name, it was from Heroes Conquest, the book I had written when I was still young and a dreamer. In the book, George was the villain's scummy friend.
George stretched out his arm, offering it to me with a disgusting grin. "When I saw you hit your head, I feared the Grand Master would kill me." He joked as I took his hand. The big 6,5 man pulled me to my feet.
If I remember right then George is a bastard, the son of Vector's father and a concabin. A fact neither of us should know yet. It is a huge driver in the second half of the book, to the extent that George joins the hero to take the throne for his own.
"George, you're like a brother to me." I spoke with a devilish tone. It wasn't my voice and that confused me, the voice was far too silky smooth.
"Where is this coming from?" He asked with suspicion written in his eyes.
I hoped that if I spoke more words like that, then it would lead me away from Vector's end in the book, where George plunged a sword straight through Vector's heart. I realized too late however, that Vector was known for his manipulative and grubby behavior. And so my words to George probably sounded like me asking for money.
Soon George left me, making up some excuse or another. There was an issue. I have no idea where the waist of space Vector lives. It was never written in my book, as it was a minor background detail, but something in me got excited. My life was worthless before I came here, I didn't have a job, and I was about to get kicked out of my apartment. I thanked the Big Red Truck that turned me into paste. A new life! I sigh, as a villain that was born to die. That thought slipped my mind when I remembered what kind of world this was.
"System." A blue floating screen appeared in front of my face.
Vector von Severheart.
Titles, Prince of the Devil Kingdom, as a member of royalty you find things easy where others may struggle. leader of an underworld branch, people are more likely to find you threatening. Magic apprentice, the craft of a true mage is out of your bounds, but thanks to a great teacher you understand the simple stuff.
Age, 22.
Evil, you have a bad reputation.
Strength 6
Stamina 2
Resolve 12
Mana 1
Bloodline, as a member of Severhearts, you have an immense control over demonic energy, once a week you can enter your transcendent form.
The bloodline ability sounds good, but it comes at a cost, being extremely weak to holy energy. I cant believe the villains stats were this low though. I guess he spent more time goofing off than training. What really caught my attention is the title leader of an underworld branch. The underworld is beyond dangerous, they go by the name Syndicate, and are spread through the whole world, there are few who can truly escape their grasp. Judging by my age I have a year before the events of the book take place.
"Your lordship?" I turn to see a woman kneeling behind me, she's dressed like a knight, a sword rests at her waist, her golden hair majestically blows in the wind.
Again as if magic a name came to me. "Sophia?" A name easy to remember. In the book Vector had a crush on her, but she fell in love with the hero at first sight.
"Yes?" She asks.
Just having her in my presence made me feel a disgusting feeling. "How long have we known each other?" I was curious since I never wrote it.
She looked confused. "It has been sixteen years. Is something the matter?"
Sophia betrayed a man she knew since she was a kid, I don't remember it being this bad for Vector, yet he is the villain, and a very evil man. I will not receive the same fate. I shall not be killed by a side character. That was the realization, If there is no changing the fact that I'm the villain, then I shall become a villain even the main character fears. I must become the true final boss.
Sophia shivered, I started glaring at her without even realizing.
"Your lordship?" She repeated what she said before.
"Lead me back to my residents."
She blushed. "As your escort knight, I can not do such a thing."
So he had that kind of reputation. "No, I'm tired."
Sophia escorted me out of the outdoor bar. We walked along the streets, and as if I was an Avalanche, people leaped out of my path falling to their knees, begging for forgiveness. She led me to a mansion, draped on each wall is the sigil of the Severheart dynasty. The place was big, but it also wasn't, there are many buildings next to it that stand far taller. Such a thing should be a disgrace for any noble, yet it was a show of power done by the Grand Master, as he had only one fear, his family. He had to kill his brothers to reach the throne, and now he both loves and is scared of his children. Still there would be no one in this country that would willingly fight him one v one.
"I shall take my leave." Sophia spoke in a shaky voice.
And so she did. I was left alone once more. This was it, my new life. A smile creased my face. All those fools in novels that are afraid when they come to a new world, this is it, an amazing life right at my finger tips. Oh I'm so giddy, I can't wait. The system shot up in front of my face without my command. "Hello user, the devil has granted you one of his villain systems. Wellcome Vector von Severheart. You are now a devil candidate, be grateful, and take pride that your disgusting acts have caught his attention. From now on I'm your interface, code named IMP, (Intelligent Management Processor.)"
"The fuck is this?!" I don't remember writing this, no that's right I did, but it was only in my notes. I thought it would be cool if the hero had a system granted by god, then some of the villains should have much the same. Then that means it's the archdevil Asmodeus's meddling, he was one of the two final bosses in the book. His power was so great it surpassed the Hero, if memory serves it took the whole party just to seal him. That reminds me how broken I made the main character, even before his system, he made masters look like jokes. I'm not sure how I would survive if he tried to kill me. But currently he should be studying under his master, the martial god, within the cloud sect.
"As your IMP, I shall grant a short tutorial." The screen suddenly changed to that of three squares with the words, Shop, gamble hall, quest board, respectively, there was one more thing on the edge of the screen within a rectangle is the word Chat?. "We offer users the highest quality goods, the most enjoyable gambling, and engaging quests, don't forget about the ability to chat with the other devil candidates. Now I hope you have a devious time."
I immediately close the window, and rush inside. I need to think reasonably. The door opened to an empty house. There was nothing but the essentials. I instinctively find my room, in it is a bed, a desk, and a dresser. I find my seat in front of the desk.
"System." I said expecting to see the window again, but it was just the same one I saw earlier. "IMP System." The new screen appeared like magic.
Shop, Gamble hall, Quest board, chat.
I click on shop.
You have 0 villain points.
Starter training book 10 villain points.
Sword of torture 60 Villain Points.
Demonic summoning 1000 Villain Points.
Expect items to change on a monthly basis.
"Hey IMP how do I get villain points?"
A robotic voice appeared in my head. "Villain points can be gained in two ways through evil deeds, or the missions completed from the quest board."
Following this a click on gamble hall. There were three machines, one of some kind of gacha that costs a hundred villain points, the next was a casino where you can play slots, and the last was blacked out in some kind of void with a sign reading out of order. Finally I click on the quest board.
Demon level quest, Kill the archbishop, 700 villain points, and a ticket to access the grand training hall.
Villain Level quest, kill a member of the martial league, 100 villain points.
Novice level quest, cause mayhem within the empire, the payment will be decided upon your achievements.
Novice level quest join the army within the Devil Kingdom 20 villain points.
Personalized quests,
Expand the syndicate by 0/50 members, 40 villain points.
Assassinate the emissary of the Empire within the Devil Kingdom, 35 villain points.
Join the cult of the Dawn, 400 villain points.
The quest board will be updated when the Devil fills fit to do so.
All but one of these seems out of my scope, but it is obvious with just a glance what this is for. Weakening the good, and strengthening the bad. I sighed laying down onto my bed. There was one thing nagging me, the mission to join the cult of the Dawn. The cult of the Dawn as the name implies is an ultra religious group that works in the shadows. Their power can be compared to the syndicate, but where the syndicate is out in the open pretending to be in the shadows, the cult of the Dawn's name is known by few and their influence so great it can make kings bow. Would becoming the final boss be as easy as said before? No I will make it easy, was what I wanted to say, as if there was a deep pride within me. I noticed an image taped to the roof, it was of a woman I didn't recognize, no description matched hers in the book. She was a beautiful middle aged girl with gray almost silver hair. A tsunami of memories pelted against my brain threatening to rip it in two.
"But he's your son." A calm and level headed voice spoke.
"He is nothing but a fucker who took my wife from me! He is no better than a thief, a rotten, disgusting, disrespectful thief who took the only one I could ever love." The voice was familiar, it was my fathers, no, it was Vector's father. The memory left as soon as it came, being replaced with a new one.
Vector lays there beaten, a girl with short golden hair trudged up to him.
"Are you okay?" She asked with the sincerity of a child.
"I'm fine!" Vector shot back like a wild dog biting at anything that came too close.
"My mom said that when you're hurt, to get up and walk it off." She grabbed his hand helping me, I mean, Vector to his feet. Once more the memory changed.
"You're expelled, I can hardly believe the Grand Master fathered such a fool."
Vector ran out of the office, tears wetting his face, he bumped head first into a now much older Sophia.
"Your father did this, didn't he?" She asked with hate in her eyes.
All Vector could do was sob.
"I pledge from this day forth, for no master but my own, I shall protect and guard you, as your escort knight."
It jumped again to a new memory.
I sat before a big man with a long beard. "Listen I am your teacher, even if you proses no skills, that fact will never change. Don't feel like you are any less than those dogs out there! Stand tall as all my disciples should."
It switched once more.
"The Grand Master has decided to remove you from any finances, and wishes to revoke your title as his successor. Now take it as a noble should, and leave with grace." Count Bizic spoke with pity clearly written in his voice.
I snap back to reality as a cat jumps onto my chest.
"Fuck King that hurt." I found myself cursing.
The cat hummed as it found its spot beside me, laying there with the elegance of a true king. I look again at the ceiling. "Mom." My eyes begin to water up. "If these are my memories then I'm screwed. All those disgusting acts I've committed up to this point, just for some recognition, it didn't matter by who or how. Shit, King, what have I done?"
Soon dread filled sleep took me into its greedy grasp. A dark dreamless sleep. I awoke with the moon still high in the sky even the birds had yet to wake, and sing their adorable songs. King had long since left my bed, off to do whatever a lonely cat does.