I Became the Academy's Worst Villain

The casual cruelty of it was almost impressive. The Council didn't see us as people. We're only functions and roles to be filled. If we wouldn't play our parts, they'd simply find new actors.

"What did you say?"

"I told them to fuck off."

Despite everything, I smiled. "That's option four?"

"They said there was no option four. I said I'd make one. That's what free will means." Adrian's voice carried an edge of dark amusement. "The Emissary told me free will is an illusion the Council permits. That we exist because they allow it. Very ominous. Very dramatic. Probably rehearsed that line."

"What happened after?"

"I told them to try and stop me. They vanished without another word." He paused. "But Hadeon, they were serious. I could feel it. This wasn't a bluff. The Council will make good on their threats if we don't comply."

"I know. They threatened my entire family. Told Uncle Victor they'd end the Thornheart line if I don't surrender or die on schedule."

Adrian swore creatively. "So we've got thirty days before cosmic entities try to erase us from existence."

"Twenty-seven days," I corrected. "We lost three in recovery."

"Even better. And we're spending two weeks of that in the mountains learning a technique that might kill us anyway."

"That's the plan."

"We have terrible plans."

"But they're our plans. That's the important part."

Adrian was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Elena wants me to run. Take the team and disappear. Hide somewhere the Council can't find us."

"Would that work?"

"No. Victoria says the Council can track narrative threads across dimensions. There's nowhere to hide from them. Running just delays the inevitable and makes us look like cowards when they inevitably find us."

"So we fight."

"So we fight. Which brings us back to the mountain training. When do we leave?"

"Three days as planned. But now we know for certain we don't have the luxury of failure. If we die learning Fate's Severance, the Council wins by default. If we survive but fail to learn the technique, we're still bound to our roles when they come for us."

"Fantastic, no pressure." Adrian's voice turned serious. "Have you told your team about the ultimatum?"

"Not yet. You?"

"Going to gather them now. They deserve to know what's coming."

"Agreed. I'll do the same. Adrian..." I hesitated. "The Emissary that visited you. Did it feel stronger than The Huntress?"

"Considerably. The Huntress was SSS-rank but still felt human underneath the corruption. This thing was something else entirely. Like talking to a natural disaster that happened to have a face."

That matched my read of the situation. The Council wasn't sending foot soldiers. They were deploying their actual agents. Entities that operated on a level above even the strongest human fighters.

"We need to get stronger," I said. "A lot stronger and very fast."

"Hence the training. Let's just hope we survive it."

After disconnecting, I gathered everyone in the safe house common room. Lucille, Seraphina, Ravenna, Marcus, Damian. The core team who needed to know what we were dealing with.

I told them everything. The Emissary's visit to my family. The three options presented. The thirty-day deadline. Adrian's similar encounter. The fact that the Council was now actively moving against us rather than operating through intermediaries.

The room was silent when I finished.

Finally, Seraphina spoke. "So we have four weeks before reality-controlling cosmic entities try to kill us all."

"Basically."

"And your plan is to spend half that time learning a technique that has a one in three chance of killing you."

"That's the plan."

She looked at Lucille. "Is he always like this?"

"Usually worse," Lucille said. "At least this time he's being upfront about the terrible odds."

Ravenna raised her hand like we were in class. "Question. If the Council can track narrative threads across dimensions, does that mean they know where the mountain facility is?"

"Victoria says the facility is specifically warded against narrative scrying. Built by previous resistance members with that exact purpose. It's one of the few places the Council has blind spots." I looked at her. "Why?"

"Because if they can't see what happens there, they can't interfere with the training directly. Which means the thirty-day deadline is real. They're giving us time because they think we'll either surrender or fail to learn the technique before they arrive."

Marcus snapped his fingers. "They're confident. Overconfident, maybe. They've seen people try and fail to learn Fate's Severance before. They think we'll be the same."

"Let's hope that confidence makes them sloppy," I said.

"Hope isn't a strategy," Seraphina pointed out.

"No, but it's better than despair. We work with what we have."

Damian cleared his throat. "Young Master, about the family evacuation. Should I coordinate with your uncle on safe house arrangements?"

"Please. Uncle Victor will need help managing the logistics. Take whoever you need. Marcus, you too. If we're moving non-combatants, they'll need protective enchantments on their locations."

"On it," Marcus said. "I can have baseline wards ready by tonight. Full security will take a few days."

"We don't have a few days. Do what you can with what we have."

The meeting continued for another hour, dividing responsibilities and planning contingencies. By the end, everyone had assignments. The machine of the resistance kept turning despite the existential threat hanging over us.

As people dispersed to their tasks, Lucille lingered.

"You're really going through with it," she said. Not a question.

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"I hoped you might reconsider after the Council made direct threats. Foolish hope, apparently." She moved closer. "Ezra, if you die in those mountains, I'm going to be very angry."

"You mentioned that already."

"It bears repeating." Her expression softened slightly. "But I understand why you're doing this. The Council left you no good options. At least this way you're choosing your own death instead of accepting theirs."

"Planning not to die at all, actually."

"Even better. Stick with that plan."

The day progressed in organized chaos. Messages flew back and forth between our safe house and various resistance cells. Uncle Victor coordinated family evacuations with military precision. Adrian's team reached out to coordinate their own defensive preparations.

And through it all, the deadline ticked down. Thirty days became twenty-nine. We'd wasted one already just processing the threat and beginning preparations.