Chains clinked with each step as Cael Renhart was pulled through the capital street. The crowd pressed close, shouting over one another.
"Traitor!"
"Enemy dog!"
Spit hit his cheek. Someone threw a rotten apple, and it bounced off his shoulder. Cael kept his eyes forward. He refused to look broken.
Two knights pushed him toward the tall stone platform. Flags of the Renhart Empire flapped above the sea of angry faces.
At the top stood the High Council. His mentor, Sir Aldric, held his helmet under one arm. The man who trained him, trusted him, called him son.
Aldric did not look at him.
The guards forced Cael to his knees. His wrists were bound behind his back. His sword—his sword—hung at Aldric's waist.
Cael's voice stayed calm. "Sir. You know I didn't do this."
Aldric finally met his eyes, and the look was cold. "Stop speaking."
"You know the truth," Cael insisted. "I never betrayed us."
Aldric's jaw tightened. "You were caught with the enemy general. You carried his seal. There is nothing else to say."
"I was on a mission you assigned—"
"Enough." Aldric stepped back, dismissing him like a stranger.
Cael's teeth ground together. "So that's it? You throw me away to save your honor?"
The crowd erupted at the word honor. They didn't want explanations. They wanted a spectacle.
A voice rose above them.
Princess Seraphina stepped forward. Her white dress shimmered like fresh snow. She looked like she wanted to speak. Cael waited—she was the one who called him a hero a week ago. She smiled at him then.
"Princess," he said softly. "Please. Tell them—"
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She turned her face away.
It hit him harder than anything else. The silence.
Aldric raised a hand. "By decree of the Emperor, Cael Renhart is sentenced to death for high treason."
Cael stared at his former mentor. "After everything I did for this empire… this is how it ends?"
Aldric did not respond.
The executioner stepped forward, sword gleaming. The blade hovered above Cael's neck. The crowd held its breath.
Cael gave one last look at the sky. He had protected these people. He had saved their children from monsters at the border. He bled for them. And they repaid him like this.
He spoke just loud enough for Aldric to hear.
"I hope you choke on your lies."
The sword fell.
Light vanished.
Darkness closed in.
No sound. No pain. Only a strange, cold silence.
Then—
A metallic chime echoed inside his skull.
[Villain XP System Activated.]
Cael's eyes snapped open.
He gasped for air. His hands flew to his neck—intact.
He sat up quickly. Torches lined the walls. Rough stone. A training hall. Young recruits shouted as they sparred. The same hall he trained in at fourteen.
He touched the floor, confused. His voice came out low. "What…?"
Another chime.
[Rebirth Complete.]
[Welcome, Host: Cael Renhart.]
[Timeline: 10 years before execution.]
[Primary Objective: Become the Perfect Villain.]
[Reward: Survival.]
[Penalty for Failure: Death (Permanent).]
Cael stared as glowing text floated before him like mist.
"Villain?" He frowned. "I'm no villain."
[System Disagrees.]
[Your death proves otherwise.]
"Shut up," he muttered.
A recruit walked past and looked at him oddly. "You talking to yourself again?"
Cael stood. "Where's Aldric?"
"In his office," the recruit said. "He's waiting for you. You're late again."
Cael felt his pulse rise. Not in fear. In something sharper.
He wasn't dead.
He wasn't powerless.
He had a chance.
This time, he would not beg for anyone's trust.
He walked toward the hall exit. Recruits whispered.
"That's Cael. The orphan boy who thinks he's special."
"Always getting personal training from Sir Aldric."
"Probably just pity."
Cael ignored them.
[Side Quest Generated]
Shut Their Mouths
Objective: Prove superiority to 1 recruit (any method).
Reward: +10 XP
Penalty: None
Cael smirked. "So you want a villain?"
He turned to the loudest recruit. A tall boy with messy blond hair.
"You," Cael called. "Fight me."
The boy blinked. "Why?"
"Because you talk too much."
The hall roared with excitement.
A wooden sword was tossed between them.
The blond boy laughed. "I'll go easy so you don't cry."
Cael didn't answer. He moved first. Quick step, clean strike.
Crack.
The boy hit the ground. Sword at his throat.
Everyone stared.
A new chime sounded.
[Quest Complete.]
Reward: +10 XP]
[Level Progress: 10/100]
Cael dropped the sword and walked away. The hall parted for him.
He reached Aldric's office door. His hand hovered over the handle.
That man would betray him in ten years.
Cael was breathing slow, steady, focused.
He pushed the door open.
Aldric looked up from paperwork, younger but with the same stern eyes.
"You're late again," he said.
Cael stepped forward. "Sir… I have a question."
"Well? Out with it."
Cael tilted his head slightly. "If the whole world turned against me… would you?"
Aldric frowned. "Strange question. But my answer is the same as always. As long as you serve the Empire, you serve me. I won't turn my blade on you."
Cael smiled. Straight, sharp. "You will."
"What?"
Cael didn't explain. He leaned closer. "Not this time."
Aldric stared, confused. "Explain yourself, Cael."
"No," Cael said. "Watch me."
Another chime.
[New Main Quest]
Rewrite Your Fate
Objective: Prevent future execution (0/3 betrayal flags removed).
Reward: Unknown
Penalty: Repeat Death.
Aldric stood up. "Cael, what are you talking about?"
Cael opened the door. "You'll understand soon."
He walked out without waiting.
The hallway stretched before him. Ten years of life. Ten years to change everything.
His jaw set.
"They took my honor. My name. My life."
He clenched his fi
st.
"I will take everything back."
A final chime echoed, louder than before.
[Villain Path Unlocked.]
[Begin Your Rise.]
The torches flickered.
The world itself felt different.
Cael looked forward.
And he smiled.