Ascension Of The Villain

Iyana's breath hitched in her throat, like someone had knocked the wind out of her. "No… no, he is not." Her words trembled, the denial gripping her tighter than the truth.

Leila's eyes softened. "I am sorry, Iya, but he is."

Iyana's head shook so violently. It was like she could dislodge the thought if she tried hard enough. "No, he is not a villain. He is not a bad person. Sure, empathy might not be his strong suit, but he cares—a lot—about his people. And if I am the protagonist, like you keep saying… even so, Vyan would never hurt me."

Leila arched a brow, her voice dipping into something almost teasing. "Oh, sweet, naïve girl. People like him? They hurt the ones they love the most. Whether they mean to or not. And in Vyan's case?

Oh, he meant every second of it."

Iyana let out a frustrated huff. "Okay, okay. I get it, you are not a fan of Vyan. No need to keep slanderin—"

"Whoa, whoa! Hold up." Leila's face scrunched in playful offense. "Who said I didn't like him? I love that guy! He's the reason the novel is one of my absolute faves!"

Iyana stared at her with the amusement of a stone-carved statue, still and unblinking.

Without paying much attention to her, Leila's grin turned wild, her excitement bubbling over. "I mean, think about it! A hot, brainy, tragic villain who's not annoying? And the perfect roadblock to the protagonists' happily-ever-after? Yes, please!

Like, he literally wanted to destroy the main character, only to end up realizing he was in love with her all along—tell me that's not romantic and messed up at the same time. Plus, he cares about his inner circle, his people? That's golden! Now compare him to Sienna," she snorted, rolling her eyes so hard they nearly popped out.

"What about her?" Iyana inquired with mild interest.

"Ugh, don't get me started. The 'big bad' villainess who got completely butchered by the author. Seriously, all that epic black magic, and she wasted it mind-controlling Easton like some low-budget soap opera villain? She could've done so much more! Like, y'know, challenge you."

Iyana blinked, half-amused and half-dumbfounded. "Well, if it makes you feel better, in this world, Sienna did try to kill me. And because of her attack, I unlocked my Aura. Oh, and she tried to sabotage Vyan's Monster Hunt Festival—"

"OH. MY. GOD." Leila practically vibrated with glee, her excitement a tsunami ready to crash. "That is so much more awesome—"

Iyana leveled her with a flat look, crossing her arms. "She tried to kill me."

"Oh. Right." Leila cleared her throat, looking sheepish. "So, no Sienna fan club here, then."

Iyana sighed, sinking back into the couch. "Anyway," Iyana's lips curled in mild disgust as she tried to mask her disinterest, "how exactly did Easton and I even fall in love in the original storyline?"

"Yay! Storytime!" Leila's eyes lit up once again as she plopped down beside Iyana, folding her legs into a criss-cross, ready for what she clearly saw as an exciting tale. "So, it all started when you were trying to move on from Vyan and sent this scathing letter to Easton—basically, pouring out all your anger and frustration.

You blamed him for not stopping your engagement, which was why Vyan started to hate you—"

Iyana's eyes narrowed, cutting her off. "Vyan did not hate me because of that. He hated me because Sienna manipulated him into thinking I had been deceiving him all along."

Leila gasped dramatically, her hands flying to her cheeks like she just uncovered a hidden treasure. "Oh. My. God. That is SO much cooler! Why didn't the author put that in the novel?!"

Iyana stared at her, deadpan. "Could you not act like we are characters being controlled by some random person with a pen?"

"Right, right. Duh. It must be weird for you. But come to think of it, the novel world must follow the story of your life from a different timeline," Leila said with a knowing nod, completely ignoring Iyana's confused stare. "I've read theories like that in other books! Gosh, that makes so much sense.

This is why there are so many hidden layers, and the novel only scratched the surface!" Her eyes sparkled with discovery.

"Timeline, hidden layers, what now?"

Leila groaned, tossing her hands up like she was about to educate a clueless student. "Ugh, you guys don't have science fiction movies, do you? So, you probably don't know about the butterfly effect and all that jazz, either."

"What… effect?" Iyana asked, half-exasperated, half-curious.

"Never mind, let's stick to the original plot. So, as I was saying, you sent this hate-filled letter to Easton, and then he replied. You two bickered back and forth for a bit. And one day—bam!—he stops replying, and the next thing you know, he shows up at your camp!"

Iyana raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "That never happened. I never sent any letter."

Leila wagged a finger, undeterred. "Ah, that's because you forgot ever being mad about it."

Iyana pursed her lips, nodding slowly, trying to keep up with the sheer chaos Leila was spinning. "Right… totally makes sense."

Leila beamed. "See? That one small change—the suggestion from me—flipped the whole plot upside down! Wild, right? That's what we call the butterfly effect—a small, insignificant action causing a huge impact."

"Unbelievable," Iyana muttered, almost to herself.

"Okay, so back to it—Easton visits, and then he ends up staying for a few weeks because, y'know, stuff's going down in Ganlop. While he's there, you slowly start moving on from Vyan. But then, when Easton leaves, you start missing him. And as distance makes the heart fonder and all that crap exists," Leila rolled her eyes, "you start developing feelings for him."

Iyana also rolled her eyes at that part.

"Now, fast-forward almost a year later, and boom—you're back in Ganlop, about to get awarded the Medal of Valor. That's when you see Vyan again, and guess what? He threatens to destroy you!" Leila added with a dramatic flair, leaning forward.

Iyana's eyes softened as she muttered, smiling a little fondly, "Okay, that… did happen." Back then, they used to argue so much, and he hated being in her presence.

Leila clapped her hands together. "Really? So, I guess a lot of things unfolded the same way, then?"

Iyana nodded her head.

"Alright then. Noted. Let me continue now. After that ceremony, when you go home, all hell breaks loose. Huge argument with your dad and stepmom—Sienna started it, of course—and you storm off to live at the military quarters. You and Easton start bumping into each other more.

Drama unfolds, wines get thrown, cliché misunderstandings bloom like flowers in spring, Sienna does more evil villainess stuff, and ta-da! You find out Easton has been in love with you since his awkward teenage years. Typical, right?"

Iyana let out a sigh, suddenly asking herself why she was listening to this bizarre story. "And what about Vyan? Did he do nothing?"

Leila let out a soft laugh. "Oh, he did plenty. He's the one who stirred up all the major trouble. He tried to sabotage your war at Ganlop by poisoning your commander—"

Iyana froze. Her mind blanked for a moment, her pulse pounding in her ears. Poisoned Commander Pembrooke? But they had assumed it was Haberland's infiltrator. It was Vyan? But why?

Why would he do that? What did he stand to gain from this? Her thoughts spiraled.

"And then," Leila continued, completely unaware, "he did a bunch of other stuff to try and remove Easton as the Crown Prince—oh, and he succeeded—"

"Stop." Iyana held up a firm hand, her breath tight in her chest. "I don't want to hear it. Not from you. Vyan told me…" She swallowed hard and continued, "He told me he would explain it to me himself."

Leila's hands shot to her mouth, her eyes wide with sudden realization. "Oh, shoot! I had no idea you didn't know. I am so, so sorry, Iya! I didn't mean to stir things up!"

Iyana shook her head weakly, trying to keep her composure as her mind raced. "It's alright." It's fine. It has to be fine, she told herself, even as her heart twisted painfully. If Vyan had poisoned Commander Pembrooke, it was during a time when he was consumed by his need for revenge. Lost. Angry.

As for the other things, he must have his reasons. She shouldn't jump to any conclusions.

Speaking of conclusions…

"What happens to Vyan in the end?" Iyana's voice barely held together, as if the words themselves might shatter her. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. But she needed to know.

Leila's bright expression dimmed, her face softening with sadness. "He…" she began, her voice quieter now, her eyes filled with something that made Iyana's stomach churn. "He meets the same fate all villains meet with."

Iyana's heart skipped a beat, and instantly, panic flickered through her. "And what do you mean by that?"

Leila hesitated, then gently took Iyana's hand in hers, her grip firm but tender, bracing her for the worst. "Iya," she said softly, her eyes filled with apology and sorrow, "Vyan dies at the end of the novel."

The words struck like a lightning bolt. The world seemed to tip on its axis.

Iyana's breath ceased. Her throat tightened as if an invisible hand were choking her.

Vyan. Dead.

Her Vyan.

No. No, that couldn't be right. Not after everything. Not after all they had been through. He couldn't just… die.

Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out. There was nothing to say. Nothing that could erase the brutal reality of the prediction she had just heard.