The cathedral bells rang thirteen times.
They were only meant to ring twelve.
The thirteenth was for him.
Kael Atticus knelt beneath the execution scaffold, wrists bound in cold silver chains etched with suppression runes. The metal bit into his skin, but he barely felt it.
Pain had long ago become familiar.
Above him, the sky churned a bruised violet — a storm gathering at the edge of the capital. Thousands filled the plaza. Nobles in silk and fur stood upon elevated balconies. Priests chanted hymns of purification. Soldiers lined the perimeter in polished armor.
And at the center platform stood the Hero.
Darius Valemont.
Golden-haired. Cloaked in white and crimson. Sword of Radiant Judgment resting calmly at his side.
Beloved of the people.
Chosen of the Divine Order.
Executioner of villains.
Darius stepped forward, voice amplified by wind magic.
"Kael Atticus. By decree of the Crown and the Divine Order, you are condemned for treason, mass corruption, unlawful summoning, and crimes against the natural balance of the realm."
The crowd roared.
Kael lifted his head slowly.
How many times now?
The chants. The accusations. The righteousness.
He studied Darius' face carefully.
Confident. Steady. Unwavering.
Just as always.
A priest approached with a sacred scroll. "Confess your sins and beg for purification."
Kael almost laughed.
Almost.
Instead, he asked softly, "Tell me, Hero… do you ever wonder why it's always me?"
The priest faltered. Darius' eyes narrowed slightly.
"You chose darkness," Darius replied. "The path was yours."
Kael tilted his head.
Was it?
He had heard those exact words before.
Spoken with that exact cadence.
Under that exact sky.
Memory flickered.
A blade falling.
A crowd cheering.
Darkness swallowing everything.
Then—
Pain.
A headache split through his skull like lightning.
Images surged.
Another execution. Another battlefield. Another confrontation. Another death.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Kael's breathing grew uneven.
Something was wrong.
No.
Something had always been wrong.
The priest stepped back nervously. "Proceed."
Darius raised the radiant blade. Sunlight bent toward it unnaturally.
"I will grant you mercy," the Hero said. "Your death will be swift."
The crowd erupted in approval.
Kael looked up at the sky.
Violet clouds twisted unnaturally.
He whispered, almost to himself—
"This is the thousandth time."
The blade descended.
And in that final second—
Everything broke.
—
He woke up sitting upright in his chamber.
Night.
Silence.
His heart hammered violently against his ribs.
Sweat drenched his collar.
Kael stared at his hands.
Unscarred.
Unbound.
Alive.
He stumbled out of bed and crossed to the mirror.
The reflection showed a younger version of himself. Three years before the execution.
Before open rebellion.
Before war.
Before dragons.
Before—
His breath caught.
He remembered.
Not fragments.
Everything.
Every death.
Every betrayal.
Every victory that led to inevitable loss.
Nine hundred ninety-nine cycles.
His hands began trembling.
"No…"
This wasn't possible.
He rushed to the window.
The capital was calm.
Guards patrolled lazily.
The cathedral stood untouched.
The Hero was probably asleep in the northern district, unaware.
This was before it all began.
Before he was labeled villain.
A cold, whispering voice echoed inside his mind.
> [Awakening Condition Fulfilled.]
Kael froze.
The voice was not external.
It vibrated inside his skull.
> [Cycle 1000 Initiated.]
[Memory Retention: Confirmed.]
[Abyss System Activated.]
A faint black interface flickered in his vision.
Not visible in the room.
Only visible to him.
> Host: Kael Atticus
Role: Villain (Designated)
Previous Failures: 999
New Variable: Retained Memory
Primary Ability Unlocked: Devour Corruption
Kael stared in silence.
A system.
There had never been a system before.
Or had there?
Had it always been there, unseen?
His thoughts raced.
Devour corruption?
Corruption…
The very thing he was always accused of spreading.
Footsteps sounded outside his chamber.
A knock.
"My lord?"
It was Cedric, his family's steward.
"You have an early audience scheduled with Duke Armathen."
Kael's mind flashed.
Duke Armathen.
The man who first framed him publicly.
The first domino.
Kael swallowed slowly.
This was the day.
The day everything began spiraling toward villainy.
He walked to the door and opened it.
Cedric bowed. "You look pale, my lord."
Kael studied him carefully.
In cycle 742, Cedric betrayed him for money.
In cycle 318, Cedric died protecting him.
In cycle 901, Cedric never existed.
The patterns were never consistent.
But one thing always was—
Kael always became the villain.
Always lost.
Always executed.
The interface flickered again.
> Notice: Corruption Detected (Minor) Location: Duke Armathen's Estate Devour ability available upon contact.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
Corruption detected?
Was that why events spiraled every time?
Was the "villain" label triggered by something else?
He felt something stirring deep within his chest.
Dark.
Cold.
Hungry.
He exhaled slowly.
This time would be different.
He would not march blindly toward execution.
He would not follow the script.
He turned to Cedric.
"Prepare my carriage."
Cedric blinked. "At once, my lord."
As Cedric hurried away, Kael whispered quietly—
"If the world needs a villain…"
His gaze hardened.
"Then I'll choose what kind of villain I become."
—
Duke Armathen's estate loomed like a marble predator overlooking the city.
Guards bowed as Kael's carriage arrived.
Inside, the Duke awaited in a lavish hall lined with gold-thread tapestries.
"Ah, young Atticus!" Armathen spread his arms theatrically. "So punctual."
Kael studied him.
In every timeline, Armathen manipulated events to isolate him politically.
In every timeline, that led to accusations.
In every timeline—
Execution.
The interface pulsed faintly.
> Corruption Level: 3%
Devour Available.
Kael approached slowly.
Armathen's smile never faltered.
"You wished to discuss border taxation?" the Duke asked.
Kael didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he focused.
He reached inward.
Toward the hunger.
Toward the Abyss.
"Devour."
The world went silent.
Time seemed to stutter.
A black tendril, invisible to others, extended from Kael's shadow and pierced Armathen's chest.
The Duke stiffened.
No one else reacted.
The tendril retracted.
Something warm flooded Kael's veins.
Power.
Clarity.
Knowledge.
Images flashed—
Secret bribes. Forged letters. Hidden contracts framing Kael in future cycles.
Kael inhaled sharply.
So that was it.
The corruption had always been there.
He had been reacting blindly.
This time—
He acted first.
Armathen blinked slowly, confusion flickering across his face.
"What were we discussing?"
Kael smiled faintly.
"Nothing important."
The Duke's presence felt… thinner.
Less influential.
As if something had been stripped away.
The interface updated.
> Corruption Devoured: Minor Political Catalyst
Reward: Abyss Energy +10
Passive Unlocked: Corruption Detection (Enhanced)
Kael straightened.
The first domino had been removed.
He turned to leave.
Armathen called after him weakly, "Strange… I suddenly feel… diminished."
Kael paused at the doorway.
Without looking back, he replied:
"You should."
Outside, thunder cracked across the sky.
The violet clouds churned more violently.
Somewhere, in a distant district of the capital—
The Hero stirred from sleep.
A faint golden pulse flickered around him.
Unseen threads in the sky trembled.
And far beyond mortal sight—
Something ancient noticed.
> Warning: Narrative Deviation Detected.
Kael stepped into his carriage, eyes cold.
"Good," he murmured.
"Let it notice."
The storm began.