The Villain's Story

A pair of emerald green eyes, hidden behind a blank mask of flowing white, could be seen beside the radiant blue star with a core of gold. The owner of the pair of liquid jade stared at him.

The black star above hid most of his body, and only faint traces of it were illuminated by the radiant blue star with a core of gold, but Kulak could see it all clearly.

He would never forget him.

That darned suit, a jacket of deep charcoal threaded with an ever so subtle graphite sheen, sculpted around broad shoulders and tapered neatly along his torso, each seam lay perfectly in place.

It was just like him.

The crisp white shirt beneath lent a sharp contrast, its collar structured and pretentious, framing a dark silk tie, perhaps midnight blue or muted burgundy. The trousers mirrored the jacket’s precision to a fault, cut close but never tight, falling straight with just the right break above polished leather Oxfords that reflected the light of the core in sleek, deliberate glints.

But most of all, it was the mask and the pair of jade depths.

A polished white mask one would wear to a ball, or an auction house to hide their identity, adorned with nothing, just plain, flowing white that led to two emeralds, jade eyes. His hair was like gold, as ever.

Under the Black star of chaotic darkness, beside the Radiant Blue Star with a Core of Gold, stood the only man who managed to strike fear into the heart of the personification of evil itself, the Abyssal conscience through a scheme, the only reason that the Abyss was kept at bay for the time, the man brought to this universe by Aranus through a plea.

The man with the Epithet of the Jade Serpent, James Smith.

“Well, you shouldn’t be here.”

He snickered as he looked right at Kulak’s eyes. A pair of twin moons glared at two emerald gems, who were as calm as they could be.

There was a bout of silence between them. Kulak didn’t respond in any way, and neither did James say anything else. He merely turned to look at the Radiant Blue Star with a Core of Gold.

From each of his fingertips emerged an emerald thread, connected to the Radiant Blue star with a Golden Core, altering it in some sort of way, only he knew what he was doing.

However, with every passing moment, the emerald threads would soon be overcome by a pale but deep blue. But whenever the blue overpowered the green so much so that it almost reached James’ fingertips, he would cut the thread and form another one, resuming from where he left off.

Kulak shifted his gaze to the Radiant Blue Star with a Golden Core and almost fell to his knees. The Radiant Blue star, he had an idea of who it belonged to… but the Core of Gold within?

He knew all too well who it belonged too, he would never forget it.

Never.

Never.

Never….

“Aleara…”

Every single second of his existence after the one hundredth iteration, he silently endured it, the soul rending pain, the splitting headaches, the pain of trying to remember something fate itself had forgotten, to save the one he loved from the most cruel death imaginable.

Death came in many forms, some savage, some tranquil, but there was one kind of death Kulak had sworn no being would ever come across, and it was to be forgotten. To be forgotten was the worst death that could be granted.

As the Warden of the Forgotten, he remembered everything. Every soul, every form of life that had perished. He remembered them all, for that was his duty, the role he willingly took… after being inspired by her.

But ironically, the one whose influence led him to accept the role was the one he struggled to remember with each passing day, for her existence had been erased by Lapsus.

However, even if that accursed skill had ripped her from the weave of fate itself, it had tried to do so from his memory… but he held on.

Even though her existence had been erased by Lapsus, to be forgotten by everything that was, everything that is, and everything that is to be… He had tried to remember what fate had forgotten, and thus he suffered every day.

It was his duty, his devotion, and his love.

The crystal of golden light in his palm reacted to the Golden Core in the heart of the Radiant Blue Star, and with each pulse, Kulak’s eyes grew teary, his knees weakened… until.

“Ah, that’s where the missing piece was. Can I have it?”

James asked, as he didn’t even bother to avert his gaze from the Radiant Blue star, continuously tinkering with something.

Something snapped within the mind of the Supreme, and his shadows let out a howl, erupting like a volcanic eruption. They rushed towards the man in the suit, but he did nothing to stop them.

He didn’t even look at the shadows rushing to swallow him. A simple thread of emerald light emerged from his body and drew a line. A line the shadows couldn’t cross, no matter what.

“Why the fuss?”

However, what stopped the tidal wave of shadows couldn’t stop the Lord himself.

The shadows retreated and coalesced within the palm of the shade king and formed a lusterless sword. The Shade King advanced, going past the line with no effort, and James finally extended a hand clad in ice to block the sword.

He was pushed back and bruised, but he made sure the Radiant Blue Star with a Core of Gold was behind him; he didn’t let Kulak get near it.

A smile formed on the mask, and the emerald green eyes looked up at the Warden of the Forgotten, the King of the Shade, and asked in a mocking tone.

“Why take it out on poor little me?”

He continued.

“You know I don’t have authority over her soul, you know who has it… So why don’t you go talk with him?”

With his other hand, he pointed upwards, at the Black Star, which was the size of a galaxy, at its center. He moved his face forward so that his mouth was right beside Kulak’s ear.

“Or are you scared?”