THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 28: Massacre; A Grand Introduction

Chapter 28: Massacre; A Grand Introduction

All Amira could do was stare. A single tear escaped her eye and traced a line down her cheek as she watched him.

He stepped toward her, casually reaching down to slide her blade from her grip, before turning toward the mouth of the cave. Only when he reached the sunlight did he pause and glance over his shoulder, a dark smile playing on his lips.

"Let’s make the hero a villain," he murmured. "After all... you did it first."

He turned and disappeared into the light, leaving her paralyzed on the cold mountain floor.

---

Vael entered the village wearing Amira’s face.

Standing in the center square, he called for an emergency gathering at the base of the grand statue. As one of the Five Great Heroes, Amira’s command carried absolute authority; her word was law.

The villagers assembled rapidly—young and old alike—though neither Mira, Anna, nor Mia were among the crowd. He had spiked their food with a sleeping draught earlier that morning. He was going to destroy the entire village, yet some subconscious part of him refused to do it while looking into their eyes.

Vael stepped onto the podium, cleared his throat, and looked out over the expectant crowd. He smiled.

When he spoke, his voice was cold and detached.

"Run."

For a heart-stopping second, the villagers exchanged bewildered glances, wondering why their champion was ordering them to flee when there was no visible danger.

Then, in a blink, he vanished from the podium.

He reappeared instantly in the front row, his stolen blade slicing cleanly through an adventurer’s legs. The crowd froze, horrified not just by the act, but by the sight of ’Amira’ smiling as blood painted the cobbles.

Panic erupted. The villagers scattered in every direction, but no one was spared. Vael didn’t kill them; he simply incapacitated them, severing limbs with terrifying, methodical precision. He wanted a few to survive—enough witnesses to spread the word of what the great hero had done.

When the slaughter ceased, the village square was drenched in red. Wounded adventurers desperately cast healing magic on their stumps while others dragged themselves into hiding, leaving thick crimson trails behind.

None of it mattered to Vael. He simply turned his back on the horror and walked away.

Behind him, the survivors stared up at the empty podium in utter terror. The shining legacy of the Great Hero Amira was shattered forever. In its place remained only a monster wearing a human face.

---

Shifting back into Niel’s appearance, Vael made his way up the mountain and stepped back into the dark cave. Amira was still lying on the stone floor, silent tears soaking into the dirt beneath her head.

"You... monster," she whispered, her voice smaller and weaker than she intended.

The paralysis was slowly beginning to wear off. Her fingers twitched, though her arms remained heavy and unresponsive.

"You’re getting better. That’s good—I was worried the grand plan would miss a reaction."

​Niel walked over and squatted in front of her, his expression unreadable.

"Why?" Amira choked out, struggling to piece the words together. "Why would you do this to... to your family, Niel?"

Niel lowered his head closer to hers, a sinister smile stretching across his features as he muttered, "Niel is dead. He died first."

Amira’s eyes widened in horror. All through her helpless paralysis, she had believed Niel was the perpetrator, wondering where he had acquired such terrifying power and why he would turn on his own blood. But he had been the first victim. She had blamed the wrong person entirely.

"Who... who are you?" her voice trembled.

The man stood, taking a few steps backward before his form began to warp and melt. The illusion dissolved, revealing the imposing, demonic features of Vael.

Amira gasped. "You! How could you, Vael? We agreed to end this! We swore a pact never to attack each other’s families! Why would you break it?!"

Her voice cut sharply through the cave, but Vael merely stared down at her for a long, quiet moment.

"So..." he said softly, "you truly had history with this face. How sad. Truly."

Amira’s brows furrowed in complete confusion. If that was his true form, why did he sound as though he was making a realization? "What is going on? Are you Vael or not?!"

Vael’s smile lengthened. "Yes... and no."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"How easily you forget, old friend," Vael said, taking a single, slow step forward. "Shall I remind you? Perhaps a statement will rekindle those lost memories."

Amira stared at him, her mind racing, trying to match his words to any past enemy or rival she might have forgotten.

Vael took another step closer, his voice dropping to a low, rhythmic chant:

"May I never be reborn. May we never cross paths again. May my soul fade out of existence. But if I am ever reborn... everyone will pay."

Amira’s breath hitched. She stared into the dark, those cursed words ringing in her ears like a funeral toll—distant, horrific, and instantly recognizable.

"Where... where have I heard that?" she mumbled, her chest tightening as the memories she had spent a lifetime burying violently surfaced. The past she thought she had escaped tore through her mind all at once.

"It... it can’t be," she whispered, her voice breaking. "That’s impossible. There’s no way it’s you... Aurelian!"

Vael’s smile widened into something terrifying. His demonic form began to shift once more, his flesh reshaping itself until it perfectly matched the grand statue built in his honor.

The face was unmistakable; the regalia, undeniable.

He tilted his head down toward her, his voice dropping an octave lower into a resonant, familiar tone.

"Long time no see, old friend."