Fifteen hours left.
That's what the system told me. Fifteen hours to finish breaking the hero.
Honestly? I could do it in five. But where's the fun in efficiency?
The Academy's morning mist drifted lazily over the courtyards. Birds chirped. Students murmured. Professors pretended they weren't hungover on power and politics.
And me?
I was leaning against a polished pillar, sipping spiced tea like I hadn't just emotionally dismembered a national sweetheart in public.
[System Reminder: "Break the Righteous" – Progress 99%]
[Reward: +250 Points + Passive Skill: Narrative Control (Pending)]
[Time Remaining: 14 Hours, 52 Minutes]
I love deadlines. They make people panic.
I just plan better monologues.
Nia Appears (Because of Course She Does)
Speak of sweet contradictions, and they shall appear.
Nia approached — slowly, hesitantly, with that too-careful silence that always preceded emotional treason. Her uniform was slightly wrinkled. Eyes wide. Gaze fixed on me like I might vanish if she blinked too hard.
She still wore Raelar's house colors on her sleeve.
I made a mental note to fix that.
"T-Theo…" she said softly.
Only one stutter. Look at her. Healing.
From the wrong trauma, of course.
I turned just enough for the light to catch my smirk. "Nia. You look like someone who didn't sleep… and didn't cry about it either."
Her lips pressed into a faint line. "I—he… he didn't come out of his room."
"Raelar?" I feigned surprise. "Poor thing. The floor must've really done a number on his pride."
"You were cruel," she said.
Ah. There it was. The last flicker of guilt.
I leaned forward, voice gentle. "And he was reckless. Emotional. Sloppy. Tell me, Nia… would you have felt better if I let him land a blow?"
She hesitated.
"I—n-no," she whispered, then flushed. "I-I mean… m-maybe? I… I d-don't know."
Delightful.
I stepped closer. She didn't step back.
"Or are you just sad your friend lost?" I asked, softer now. "You wanted him to win, didn't you?"
Her breath caught. She looked at the tiles.
"I… I d-didn't want anyone to get hurt."
"Oh, Nia." I tilted her chin up. "That's adorable."
[Affection: 90% → 92%]
[Bond to Raelar: 15% → 10%]
[Emotional State: Reassignment – Subject's perception of MC shifting into protective anchor role.]
[Raelar Anchor Status: Collapsing]
[Estimated Hero Collapse: Imminent]
"I j-just…" she started again, then trailed off.
I gave her the gentlest smile I could fake.
"If it helps," I murmured, "you can close your eyes and imagine him winning. Pretend he was fast. Pretend I flinched. Pretend he looked like anything more than a cracked dream."
Nia's hands tightened slightly at her sides.
She didn't answer.
Didn't argue.
Didn't stutter.
Progress.
Location: Northern Training Yard
Raelae's POV
Raelar was already kneeling.
Not in prayer. Not in meditation. Just… stillness. A broken kind.
The cold tiles beneath him hadn't changed — same cracked mosaic where his body had slammed hours ago. Same bloodstains, faint now. Same scuff where my boot had elegantly twisted him into disgrace.
But Raelar hadn't moved.
His fingers sparked weakly. A flicker of lightning, then none.
"Focus," he whispered. "You're still strong. You're still…"
The word died. Like his confidence.
He clenched a fist.
No power responded.
Not properly. Not like before.
His hands trembled. Not from exhaustion. From something worse.
From the weight of nothing.
Nia hadn't come. She always came. Always.
She would've brought a warm cloth. An apology. Something hopeful.
This time?
Only wind. Only silence. Only shame.
He forced himself up. Muscles screamed. Vision swam.
He tried to call the lightning. Command it. Feel the buzz in his nerves, the righteous thrill that always followed righteous anger.
Nothing came.
Nothing wanted to.
His vision blurred again.
Not from injury. From grief.
How could she look at me like that?
That bastard—smirking, taunting, so certain—like Raelar had never mattered. Like he'd never trained. Never bled. Never fought for anything.
And she watched it happen.
Watched him fall.
Didn't blink. Didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Her silence was the loudest sound in the world.
"…Why?" he whispered. "I was supposed to—"
He gritted his teeth. Lightning danced across his palm again—
—only to sputter, flicker, and die.
Gone.
Just like her.
He punched the tile beneath him. Once. Twice. Crack. Skin tore. Blood smeared across the lines where he once stood proud.
But no one saw.
No one cared.
Even the wind seemed to mock him — curling through the empty yard like laughter without a voice.
Raelar looked up. Sky still dark. No stars above.
Just cloud.
Just fog.
Just a world that moved on without its hero.
"…It's not fair," he whispered.
But deep down, something colder answered:
No one cares about fair. Only who wins.
And right now?
I had lost everything.
The girl.
The crowd.
The momentum.
Raelar's jaw clenched so tight it ached.
He didn't speak again.
Didn't rise.
Didn't scream.
He just stayed there.
Kneeling.
As the Academy slowly woke.
And no one came.
System Update – Let's Talk Rewards
The system screen blinked alive with a soft ding.
[Main Quest Complete – "Break the Righteous"]
+250 System Points Awarded
Passive Unlocked: Narrative Control
[Narrative Control – Passive]:
Reality tilts toward your version of events in public settings. Accidents seem intentional. Silence becomes confidence. Truth… negotiable.
"Finally. Damn, the roach broke."
[System Points: 160 → 410]
Hello, shopping spree.
[New Store Tier Unlocked – Villain Prestige Access]
Let's see what temptations await.
Scene: System Shop – Tempt Me Properly
[Villain Prestige Store – Tier Bronze+ Unlocked]
• Memory Wax Crystal – 100 Points
Save and replay a specific memory to any target. Can alter emotional perception of the event. Great for rewriting guilt.
• Whisperleaf Token – 200 Points
Grants brief influence over a person's thoughts during conversation. Subtle. Dangerous. Beautiful.
• Silk of the Fallen Noble – 300 Points
Woven with disdain. Induces passive inferiority in nobles and commoners alike. Eyes linger. Confidence fades.
I'll grab Silk of the Fallen Noble later, I guess. But hey, why settle for one item when you can test-drive two for the same price?
So I bought:
✔ Memory Wax Crystal (100 Points)
✔ Whisperleaf Token (200 Points)
[Points Remaining: 110]
The Crystal slid into my inventory with a quiet hum — sharp, polished, the weight of future manipulation.
The Token shimmered once. Then vanished.
Just like trust.
Status Check – Post-Quest Victory
[Status Window – Theo Duskblood]
Race: Human
Age: 16
Title: Menace in Velvet | Narrative Weaver
Affinity: Air
Tier: Bronze
Attributes:
Strength: D
Agility: D
Endurance: E-
Intelligence: E+
Arcane Power: E
Charisma: D (Boosted)
Unique Power – Crimson Resonance (F):
Short-range, precision-based blood-thread manipulation. Elegant. Controlled. Lethal when poetic.
Villain Skills (Passives):
Threaded Influence
Subtle Presence
Narrative Control (NEW)
Lingering Superiority (Item-Based)
System Items Equipped:
Silkblood Sash
Phantom Calling Card (1 Use Remaining)
Whisperleaf Token (Unconsumed)
Memory Wax Crystal (1 Use)
Whisperflower Perfume (Expired)
Cloak of Misperception (Expired)
System Points Remaining: 110
Legend Tier: Local Myth (15%)
Mission: "Break the Righteous" – COMPLETE
New Objective: Pending…
I leaned back against the railing, breeze catching my coat like the start of a monologue no one was ready for.
Raelar was shattered.
Nia's loyalty was shifting.
The Academy? Watching.
And me?
I was about to write the next chapter of my legend.
Preferably with silk.
And a dramatic coat swirl.