Ascension Of The Villain

Iyana, Althea, and Katelyn were outside the tents, deep in conversation. Katelyn was eagerly probing Iyana with all the feminine questions she had been dying to ask someone. She had also grown comfortable chatting with Althea, and that comfort was a source of great joy for Althea.

However, their moment of connection was abruptly shattered by the appearance of a blood-stained Clyde.

Althea was the first to notice him, her face a mask of shock and confusion as she rose to her feet. "Clyde, what happened to you?"

Iyana and Katelyn's smiles faltered as they turned to face Clyde.

"Your Highness, you need to go to the medical facility right away," Clyde urged urgently. "Viscount Clarinton and his knights are in dire condition. Some of them might not survive if they don't get treatment immediately."

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Althea nodded resolutely without further questions. "I will head there right now." With that, she vanished in an instant, reappearing at the medical facility where she immediately joined the doctors and nurses in treating the critically injured.

Clyde exhaled deeply as Althea vanished from sight, his eyes locking onto Iyana.

"What on earth caused such a catastrophe?" Iyana's voice was hard, each word sharp with concern.

Katelyn anxiously watched Clyde closely as he took a moment to steady his breath.

"My lady," Clyde said, his voice tight as he fought back a tremor. "A Crimson Hornfiend decimated House Clarinton's knights. I'm aware that A-grades shouldn't be here, and I have no idea how they breached our defenses or who might be behind this. But there is a high chance that more monsters like this could surface, and the situation might spiral out of control.

Vyan instructed you to remain here at the camp to safeguard the women—"

"And where is Vyan?" Iyana interrupted, her gaze burning with urgency.

"He is fine," Clyde replied quickly. "He is still in the forest with our knights. Don't worry—he has dealt with A-grade monsters before without trouble—"

"When exactly did he do that?" Iyana asked in surprise.

"It was during your recovery from the carriage accident when two of our mages went missing—never mind, it's not crucial now," Clyde cut himself off from yapping, but it was enough for Iyana to recall that night on the inn balcony when Vyan had hinted at a story like this but left it unfinished.

Clyde continued, "Just know that Vyan will manage to be safe. Sir Jacques is with him. You need to focus on protecting the camp. I will head to the medical facility now. We can't afford any more casualties."

The last thing the Ashstones needed was a noble dying on their watch. Clyde almost shuddered at the thought of the repercussions for Vyan. He quickly vanished from view, leaving Iyana and Katelyn behind.

Katelyn grabbed Iyana's arm, her eyes wide with fear. "Lady Iyana, is history about to repeat itself?"

"What are you talking about?" Iyana demanded, her voice tinged with confusion.

"The Ashstones' dark history," Katelyn's voice trembled. "The crimes involving my uncle and aunt, or the false accusations. Are we about to face a flood of powerful monsters? Is Vyan going to be blamed for this?"

"No," Iyana said, her tone firm despite the turmoil inside. "I won't let anyone frame Vyan. And even if monsters attack, we will protect everyone here. No one will be harmed."

Katelyn nodded, gaining some strength at the assurance. "You should guard the forest entrance, Lady Iyana. I will go inform Ron to alert him. We have a communication artifact we only use in dire situations."

"Alright, Princess."

———

Vyan urged his horse forward, the dense forest whipping past in a blur of green and brown. The urgency of their mission—locating and capturing A-grade monsters before midday—spurred him, Theodore, and Spencer to push their horses harder.

"Keep close!" Theodore's voice cut through the thunder of hooves, a sharp command that brooked no disobedience. "We can't afford to be separated!"

Vyan glanced at the commander and vice-commander of his house knights. Theodore's face was a mask of determination, his jaw set in a grim line, while Spencer's eyes darted around, constantly scanning for any sign of danger.

Suddenly, Vyan felt a throb in his chest—much like the force of dark energy being near.

"Sir Jacques, I think—"

Without warning, the forest seemed to shift. A thick, silvery mist rolled in like a living entity, swallowing the trees and reducing visibility to mere feet. The temperature dropped, and an unnatural silence fell over the forest, broken only by the muffled sound of the horse.

The feeling of dark energy was gone, but what was this dense fog?

Vyan squinted, trying to peer through it, only to catch a flicker of movement in the periphery of his vision. He turned his head and flinched.

Riding parallel to him was an exact duplicate of himself. The doppelgänger's eyes met his, mirroring his shock and confusion. Before he could react, more duplicates appeared, each splitting off in different directions.

"What the hell?" Vyan muttered, tightening his grip on the reins. "Shit, this is a trap!" he cursed and tried to stop his horse, but Adam was panicked from the thick mist and duplicates multiplying.

"Adam, please stop! You are getting further tangled into a trap!"

Adam whinnied out of anxiety, but Vyan tried to stay calm, even though the sheer number of illusions was overwhelming. "Oh, Goddess, why did I suggest this idea to the mages?" he cried out.

It was a magical trap called mirror mist, created especially in order to break apart strong formations. Today's difficulty level to hunt was quite higher than yesterday, after all.

Think, Vyan, think. Use your head.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds around him. The mist distorted everything, but there had to be a clue, a way to break through the illusion.

In the distance, he heard a faint, rhythmic sound—the steady hoofbeats of a horse. Realizing it could be Theodore or Spencer, he urged his horse towards the sound, hoping beyond hope it wasn't another trick.

As he broke through a particularly thick patch of mist, Vyan found himself utterly alone in the bright late morning hours. His heart sank as the reality of his situation hit him: he was completely separated from Theodore and Spencer.

While he was confident in his ability to handle an A-grade monster alone, he had promised Clyde he would stick with the knights. He tried locating them with his mana, but before he could, his heart throbbed once again.

He pulled on Adam's reins, coming to a stop, and clutched his chest. It reminded him of the day he met Iyana and Sienna at the Itroy Market and came into contact with Sienna—a black magician. His body had reacted instinctively, despite her skillful concealment.

It also reminded him of how Althea had suggested that day, Vyan was weak against dark magic.

Assuming Sienna was here, even though she and her parents weren't invited, Vyan still wasn't in physical contact with anyone. So… just how strong was this dark magic for him to feel it from a distance?

"Argh, where is this dark energy coming from?"

Just then, a flying shadow passed over him, and Vyan froze. A menacing howl echoed above.

Bracing himself, he looked up and saw an enormous, winged behemoth, its talons razor-edged and eyes glowing with a predatory gleam, casting a shadow of dread.

Instead of being frightened by the A-grade monster, Vyan tilted back slightly, an amused grin on his face. "So it's you, Talonraith."