Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

I could hear it clearly now… The low rumble of thunder that announced the coming of a great storm. Distant, but rising.

Above me, the sky darkened. Storm clouds twisted and merged into each other, swallowing the sun whole. The once-blue sky quickly turned into a dark, ominous shade of grey.

The dim-lit forest grew dimmer, and an icy wind swept through the trees, swaying and bending each branch to its cruel will, like it was dragging the entire forest into a bow.

Then, I felt it... The slight buzzing hum in the air... The weight of the atmosphere pressing on my back... The smell of humid air wafting through my nostrils...

No. The storm wasn't coming... I was causing it.

My heart began to beat loudly, as it aligned with the thunderous rhythm of the clouds above. Each rumble sent a cold shiver down my spine, until my blood itself began to hum – quietly at first, then louder, roaring like a wave crashing inside my veins.

Something within me snapped again... Like lightning breaking through a cloud.

Then, within the silence of my mind, I heard a voice.

Not Drey's, or Aldrin's...

Mine.

A vocal culmination of two distinct personalities, now perfectly merged into one character.

A gentle whisper, and a loud roar all at once.

"Wake up!"

My eyes snapped open, glowing with a pale, electric violet light. I exhaled forcefully, and the moment I did, a clap of thunder echoed across the entire forest.

The heavens above were now tethered to my will.

No puny spell could keep me down.

The air around me warmed up, reacting to the powerful surge of mana that erupted from my body.

My fingers twitched, followed by my wrist, and my arm. Then, I broke out of the time freeze, with a bright purple burst of energy radiating outward.

The clouds thundered again, as if acknowledging my newfound strength.

Then, I embraced the truth.

I didn't have to summon the storm...

I was the storm.

*****

The entire time, Si Ya kept her gaze fixed on me, her expression shifting from amazement, to wonder, to fear. Then she smiled again, trying to mask the terror within her heart.

"Amazing!" she beamed. "No one has ever broken out my time spell before!"

A pathetic statement. Her freeze was merely a C-Tier spell, and any B-Rank mage with sufficient mana could break out of it.

"Your opponents must have been pretty weak."

"Bold talk coming from you," she retorted.

Clever girl.

"Of all the things you said today, you were right about one thing."

"Yeah?" she asked. "What's that?"

I smiled.

"I am... All-powerful."

The clouds above thundered in affirmation, and the glow in my eyes grew brighter.

"You have my respect, Belford," Si Ya grinned, slowly rising to her feet, trying to draw my attention away from the dagger she wielded behind her back.

Then, she made a quick dash for me.

Quick, I call it, out of respect. But to me, her movements were extremely slow, predictable.

She had lost most of her speed, or perhaps, I was moving too fast.

Regardless, her efforts were in vain.

I didn't need to chant spells anymore... but saying the words out loud made it feel all too surreal.

I raised a finger.

"Weather Affinity: Wind Rush."

A powerful blast of air headed for Si Ya, tossing her far into the trees. I didn't intend to push her that hard, but my magic seemed to have gotten the better of me.

She crashed into the thick trunk of a large tree, and fell to the ground, but returned to her feet soon after.

Then she made a counter-spell.

"Elemental: Wind Vortex," she yelled.

A wild whirlwind suddenly emerged, more powerful than the one she created during the contest. It gradually picked up speed, ripping off branches, picking up debris, and spinning them all at incredible speeds.

Getting caught within would result in a thousand cuts and piercings, and the thought of it made my heart lurch a bit.

However, Si Ya made one grave mistake.

She used a wind spell... against a Stormborn.

I closed my eyes, releasing mana outwards. Then, I gently whispered to the wind.

"Retreat."

The wind obeyed, and altered its path, heading back toward Si Ya.

"No!" she yelled in horror, trying to make a run for it.

But it was too late.

The pull of the wind intensified, picking her up and dragging her towards its centre.

Stuck in the middle of the whirlwind, Si Ya screamed in pain, as a thousand sticks and stones cut and pierced through her flesh.

Amusing as the sight was, I decided to end it quickly.

"Weather Affinity: Lightning Bolt."

A clap of thunder rippled above, quickly followed by a blazing flash of lightning. It plunged right into the center of the whirlwind, electrocuting Si Ya with the magnitude of a thousand volts.

Then, I snapped my fingers, and everything disappeared. The storm clouds above dissipated, and the rays of sunlight returned to the forest.

Si Ya fell to the floor, a broken, bloodied heap. A thousand cuts had decorated her skin, and her clothes were charred and ripped to shreds.

She was still breathing... barely.

I summoned a gentle gale which lifted her in the air and brought her straight to me.

"The only reason I kept you alive, is to offer you a choice."

I pointed to Lucy's body, a few metres away.

"Heal her, or suffer."

In defiance, Si Ya spat on the ground.

"I'd rather die," she declared.

"No... Death is a fate far too merciful."

I touched her left arm slightly, and shattered the bone within.

Her painful scream rang horribly in my ears, but I was determined to break every bone in her arm until my wish was fulfilled.

So, I reached for her right arm.

"Stop!" she whimpered painfully. "I'll do it... I'll do what you want... Just stop... Please."

I heaved a sigh.

Without further delay, I led Si Ya to Lucy's body and dropped her to her knees.

Slowly, Si Ya raised her right arm and placed it over Lucy.

"Time Affinity: Reverse."