The Novel’s Antagonist: I walk the path of a Villain

[What was her name?]

"Who?" Lorelle asked, his voice steady but distant as he walked down the crowded hallway. The throng of students around him, dressed similarly in the academy's uniform, moved in purposeful streams past and before him.

[The girl you're doing all this for… What's her name?]

"I don't want to talk about her," he muttered, his gaze fixed ahead, following the line of students. He had no idea where his classes were being held and relied on the crowd to guide him.

[Fine… but tell me this: Why did you abandon your name and take on Ryan instead?]

"Aye... Why don't you ever stop yapping?" he hissed, his tone sharpened by irritation.

[You are, without a doubt, one of the most foolish humans I've ever encountered.]

'Thank you,'

[How can you let yourself be driven by emotions?]

"Don't you ever get tired of this?" he retorted, his voice low but tinged with frustration. "You've been repeating the same thing over and over. Don't you know how to let it go?"

[You are WEAK and will remain WEAK if you cling to this fantasy. Accept it—you're Lorelle, the villain. If you keep playing the part of a lovesick fool, you'll die a pathetic death.]

'Not that I care,' Lorelle thought bitterly, closing his eyes to shut out the nagging voice in his mind.

[You're sick. You need help, you obsessed psycho!]

'AHHHH! Just shut up already! You're so damn frustrating!'

[Fine. But remember this: You can never have a happy life. Not here. Not in this world. Dwelling on wishful dreams will only make your life more miserable.]

Lorelle remained silent, his teeth gritting against the storm of words.

—Ping—

A soft chime broke through the tension, and the elevator doors slid open. Without hesitation, Lorelle followed the flow of students inside, taking a place at the back. He leaned against the smooth metallic wall, closing his eyes, attempting to calm his scattered thoughts.

[Corruption. You claim to fear it, but the truth is, you're running away from what you've known deep down since the moment you woke up in this world.]

[You're just a loser, clinging to a single dream—a dream you know, deep in your heart, isn't real.]

'She is real. Don't say that again. Ever.'

[Fine. Let's see how far this delusion carries you.]

'Tell me something, Zel. Why do you care so much about the merge? What's in it for you?'

[Nothing.]

'Yeah, right.'

[Here's a question for you: How are you so certain that girl is even in this world?]

'She is. Stop trying to plant doubt in my mind.'

[Alright, let's entertain that belief. Let's assume she's here—this girl you've sacrificed so much for. What will you do if she's one of the Children of Destiny, fated for the Son of the Will? What if she turns out to be one of the heroines?]

Lorelle froze, his heart sinking as the possibility clawed its way to the forefront of his mind. He had thought of it before, of course, but he dreaded the implications.

Her being a heroine would mean that all of this—his suffering, his sacrifices—was for nothing. Heroines are always fated for the hero. That's the way the world works. That's the rule you cannot change.

[If you're too much of a coward to face your fate, then perhaps you should prepare yourself to lose her—to the Son of the Will.]

"CLOSE YOU DARN MOUTH FOR ONCE!" Lorelle roared, his voice reverberating through the confined space of the elevator. For a fleeting moment, his ash-white eyes glowed amethyst before dimming back to their original hue.

The elevator fell silent.

"I... I…" he stammered, turning to see a frightened girl pressed against the side of the elevator. Around her, every set of eyes was fixed on him, wide with shock.

'Crap,' Lorelle cursed internally as his gaze landed on a familiar face, staring at him with unmasked disgust.