Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

A dim, mystical orange pulse radiated from Si Ya's open palm. It wrapped itself around Lucy until she was completely enveloped within.

Then, within the orange orb, time began to move in reverse.

The blood which spilled out from her wound retreated back into the dagger hole, and the bloodstain on her white shirt slowly vanished.

Then, Lucy gasped, and the hole in her chest sealed.

Si Ya collapsed to the ground, visibly exhausted. The time spell seemed to have drained all the mana she had left, and she looked like she would pass out soon.

But at this point, her fate was none of my concern.

I went down on one knee and gently caressed Lucy's forehead. She remained fast asleep, completely oblivious to the altercation that had just taken place around her.

"You fool!" Si Ya suddenly yelled out, eyes widening. "This girl is going to be the end of us all!"

"No, she's not," I replied, calmly.

I was impressed. Despite the excessive physical damage she endured, Si Ya's will remained unbroken, and that smug smirk remained on her face.

"As long as she's alive," she fumed, "the world is doomed to end!"

"As long as I'm alive, I won't let that happen."

Si Ya began to cough loudly, blood spurting out of her mouth. Then she locked her eyes onto mine.

"I never knew you could be so selfish," she coughed. "You'll rather save her, and watch the world burn?"

"Lucy's not the Shadow Queen."

"Not yet," Si Ya coughed again. "But she will be, and she's going to murder millions."

I kept silent. I disagreed with her, but her words carried a hint of truth.

If Lucy ever became evil, the world was going to suffer.

"Killing her..." she continued, "is the only way to save the future... You know it... Deep within you..."

She coughed violently, wheezing for air. When she spoke again, her voice was reduced to a level slightly above a whisper.

"You know it's the right thing to do... And if everyone knew about this... they'll say the same."

A soft smile grew on my face.

"What's... funny?" she frowned.

"You remind me of myself. Two weeks ago."

"How?"

I turned to Lucy, sprawled out silently on the floor.

"When I found out Lucy was a survivor from House Daevalia, I believed I had no other choice but to kill her. And I tried, but I couldn't carry on with it..."

"You were foolish to change your mind."

"On the contrary, I was foolish to think that killing Lucy was the same thing as killing the Shadow Queen. In reality, I'd be merely killing a 19-year-old whose only crime is trying to survive in a world that hates her."

My gaze shifted toward Si Ya.

"It is wrong to judge a girl for a crime she hasn't committed... A crime which she may never commit."

"I saw the visions..." Si Ya protested. "I saw the countless lives she took... Killing her is the only way to stop that."

I shook my head

"I do not believe that the only way to save the world, is to murder an innocent girl, and if everyone in the world believes that, maybe that world doesn't deserve to be saved."

I carefully placed my arms beneath Lucy, ready to lift her.

But Si Ya wasn't done yet.

"Your soul has been poisoned by Aldrin's mind," she argued. "Your connection to the girl is keeping you from thinking properly. The real Belford would have ended this now."

My movements ceased.

"You're right," I said. "I am no longer Drey Belford. I am Rin Stormborn, and I care deeply about her.

"But Drey would never sacrifice one life to save the world, and he would never sacrifice the world to save one life either. If there's a way to save both, he's going to find it. And that's exactly what I intend to do."

For a moment, Si Ya remained quiet. I thought my words had gotten to her, but I was mistaken.

"You can't stop the apocalypse. The Shadow Queen will win... cough... You're destined to fail."

I sighed.

"The future isn't set... Drey was once destined to be a slave for his entire life. But he chose his own path and became the Grand Mage. Now, I'm going to let Lucy choose hers.

"Despite what the world thinks of her, Lucy has a good heart, and I intend to help her preserve it. If you really care about the future, then help me protect her."

Si Ya's rare ability to see the future would be of great use, and I hoped she'd change her mind.

"I'm glad I won't be here to watch you destroy the world," she replied instead, with a cold smile on her face.

Finally, her breathing ceased, and she closed her eyes.

Part of the reason why I always hated fighting, was the sinking feeling I had when someone died.

Even though I despised her actions, I couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in my mouth. No one deserved to die like this – even if they were an assassin.

I gently picked Lucy up, tucking her into my arms. Then, I made my way out of the forest.

*****

Theo was waiting for me at the edge of the academy. The moment I got close, he dropped to one knee.

"I'm sorry, Master Rin. I couldn't keep up."

"Rise, Theo. You're not a servant."

He nodded and quickly got back to his feet.

"You were right behind me. What happened?"

"I lost sight of you in the academy," he replied. "I knew she'd head to the forest, but I got lost when I tried to follow."

His eyes scanned Lucy, panic flickering behind his calm face.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

I nodded, gently turning Lucy over to him.

"There's a healing tent beside the arena," I said. "Take her there."

He took her from me, delicately, like he was afraid to hurt a single hair on her head.

Satisfied that Lucy was in safe hands, I turned to leave.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Back to the forest," I replied. "There's something I need to do."