Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead

"...What if I tell you that I have complete access to this thing you call the Book of Sin?"

Silence hung in the cave, the makeshift fire’s glow dimming against the dark walls.

It seemed that the air around me had been sucked out, suffocating me in ways it hadn’t been moments ago.

My fingers twitched as I stared blankly ahead, my breathing turning shallow.

"What if I tell you that I have complete access to this thing you call the Book of Sin?"

The words echoed in my mind, louder than the crackling fire, louder than my own thoughts.

The Book of Sin.

The story I had read.

The story that told me how I was going to die.

About how everyone around me was going to die.

My throat went dry. I forced myself to swallow, but the lump in my throat refused to go away.

"You’re lying." My voice was hoarse. "You have to be lying."

"Oh? But why would I?" The system’s voice was laced with amusement, a sick sort of satisfaction. "It wouldn’t make a difference whether you believe me or not. Your fate has already been written, little villain."

I felt something inside me snap.

"Shut it," I hissed, my fingers curling into fists. "You don’t know anything about me."

"Don’t I?"

My body tensed.

"Noah, Noah, Noah…" The system practically sighed. "I’ve already skimmed through your memories, you know. You can put away the act."

A chill crawled down my spine.

"You what?"

"Oh boy, don’t be so surprised. You and I are bonded, remember? I see your regrets, your fears, your pathetic little denial of reality, everything."

I gritted my teeth, the pulse od my heart growing quicker by the second.

"You mindless piece of—"

"Careful." The system’s voice darkened. "I may not have emotions, but I do have limits, boy."

I didn’t give a damn.

"You fatherless bas—"

"Technically true, considering I was created by Gaia. The so-called mother of this Universe."

Ughhh

"Let’s not waste breath on insults, yeah?" The system interrupted, unfazed by my anger. "I’d much rather get to the real issue here."

My vision blurred with frustration, unknowingly, tears were already spilling down my cheeks.

"You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?"

My breathing hitched.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to answer.

"You already know, Noah."

I didn’t want to hear it.

"You’re the villain of this story."

My breath left me in a shaky exhale.

No. No, that wasn’t—

"It all lines up, doesn’t it? The noble background, the tragic past, the inevitable downfall." The system hummed. "You weren’t supposed to know. You weren’t supposed to realize that your entire life is just a predetermined script written by some higher power. But you did."

My hands trembled.

I had read the book. I had seen how it ended.

And it ended with me dead.

It ended with the people I loved dead.

"You’re saying… my fate is already sealed?" I whispered.

"Mmm, well…" The system dragged out the sound, as if considering its words. "Not sealed exactly. But let’s just say… your fate hasn’t changed much."

I snapped my head up. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means," the system said, "that no matter how hard you struggle, the foundation of this world remains the same."

Ma’s body shifted beside me and I hurriedly wiped the tears off my face in fear that she would see it and get worried, but all I could hear was the system’s voice.

"And whenever the storyline deviates from its original path…"

A heavy silence followed.

A deep, gut-wrenching silence.

I swallowed.

"Whenever the storyline deviates…" I echoed. "What happens?"

The system was quiet for a moment, and for once, I felt something almost hesitant about it.

Then it said, "Someone close to you dies."

The cave seemed to close in around me.

My breath caught in my throat.

"...What?"

"I don’t know why," the system admitted. "But every time the events of this world stray too far from the intended plot, someone close to you dies. I’ve already seen the patterns. It’s happened before, hasn’t it?"

My mind reeled.

Dad. Mom.

Ma losing the ability to use her mana core.

My grandfather was forced into exiling us.

My fingers curled tighter.

I could feel my breathing get rougher as my hands continued trembling from exhaustion—but now, it wasn’t just because of that.

"Whenever the storyline deviates… someone close to you dies."

The words rang in my head, each syllable pressing down on my chest like a weight I couldn’t shake off.

My mouth was dry. My throat felt tight.

"That is not possible, no.

IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!" I almost screamed in my mind

"It does," the system said, its voice steady, almost indifferent. "Think about it, Noah. Every time something in your life changed from how it was ’supposed’ to go, something bad happened to the people around you."

No. That couldn’t be—

"Your mother and father. They were never meant to find out about the existence of the book or bring it to you. Your existence alone was already a deviation from the original story."

I flinched.

"Your grandfather. He was never supposed to send you to exile. But because he chose to protect you, he had to."

My breathing hitched.

"Your grandmother’s mana core. She wasn’t meant to be powerless, her mana core was never meant to be sealed. She wasn’t meant to be the weakest in the Romero Duchy. But she is now, isn’t she?"

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. My shoulders trembled.

It was true.

It was all true.

All this time, I thought it was just bad luck. Just misfortune. Just the way things happened.

But it wasn’t.

It was me.

It was because of me.

I clenched my hands into fists, pressing them against my forehead. My breath came out in harsh gasps as my vision blurred once again.

I was the reason my parents died.

I was the reason my grandfather lost everything.

I was the reason Ma—

No. No, no, no. This wasn’t real. This can’t be real.

"Take a deep breath, Noah."

The system’s voice was oddly calm, like it was guiding me through this. I barely noticed the way it spoke, the way it seemed to lead me forward.

"It’s not your fault," it said smoothly. "You didn’t choose to be born into this role. The world was already written this way."

I squeezed my eyes shut. But the words wouldn’t leave my head.

"You were never meant to be anything but the villain. And the world is making sure you stay that way."

My heart pounded in my ears.

The villain.

That was all I was ever meant to be.

I let out a bitter laugh, though it came out shaky and weak.

It seemed as if all of the fight in me had ’poofed’ away like a balloon.

It did not motivate me anymore.

The aspect that maybe I could change my Fate.

I had lost all hope.

And in the darkest phases of my life, I realised I still had someone I could hold onto.

Turning my focus to the consciousness inside me, I questioned the System like a blank record.

"So... what do I do now?"

***

A/N:

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