Rise Of The Villain : In a World Ruled By Anomalies

The woman spoke first.

"You have not changed a bit, baby brother."

Aiden's body jolted violently the moment he heard that voice.

It was familiar.

Too familiar.

A voice he could never forget, even if he wanted to.

His hand began to tremble around the sword hilt. His heartbeat accelerated with every passing second, pounding hard enough that he could feel it in his throat. Yet he still kept the blade pointed at the woman's back, his breathing growing shallow.

'It can't be…' Aiden thought, swallowing hard. 'That voice… I could never mistake it. But I need to calm down. It could be an impostor. Another system user.'

He forced his voice to remain steady.

"Who are you?" Aiden demanded. "And choose your words wisely. There is only one person who calls me that, and that is sist—"

Before he could finish, the woman turned around.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

She set the photo down with careful hands.

The photograph showed a little boy standing in front while his older sister knelt behind him, wrapping both arms around him in a gentle hug. Her chin rested softly on his head while he held her arms and smiled brightly at the camera. The pose carried warmth, protection, and the unmistakable tenderness of sibling love.

Now, at last, they stood face to face.

The woman was breathtaking.

Her long purple hair flowed around her like a dark, elegant river, beautiful in a way that felt both refined and dangerous. Her figure was voluptuous and striking, every curve carrying a quiet, deadly grace. She had changed her appearance quite a bit from before. The horns were gone. The pitch-black eyes that once held only abyssal darkness were gone as well, replaced by beautiful dark eyes that still carried a deep, unreadable weight.

She had done that on purpose.

She did not want Aiden to find out what she had become.

The woman looked at him with an expressionless face.

"You should have gotten rid of it," she said in a flat voice. "Why are you still holding on to the past? It will not do you any good, Ed."

The next moment, the sword slipped from Aiden's hand.

It hit the floor with a dull clang.

Then he moved.

He ran toward her with all his strength, as if he were afraid she would vanish the moment he blinked, as if the sight of her might turn into a dream if he did not reach her in time.

And then he held her.

Tightly.

His arms wrapped around her with desperate force.

Tears welled up in his eyes almost immediately.

For years, he had searched for her.

He had searched with everything he had.

He had even sought Evangeline's help.

He had gone as far as begging the Queen of the Ashford Empire.

And Eliana, recognizing the boy's strength, resolve, and loyalty to Evangeline, had also mobilized every force she could. She had searched every country. She had sent missing-person portraits to every embassy. She had left no lead unturned.

But all that effort had only brought disappointment.

Over and over again.

For Aiden, it had only meant one thing.

The truth he had already understood but refused to accept.

His sister was dead.

He was an orphan now.

No one remained by his side.

And still, he had not stopped looking.

Even while knowing, deep inside, that every effort was likely futile, he had refused to give up.

Now, holding her in his arms, he finally broke.

Aiden began crying uncontrollably.

"Please," he said between ragged breaths, "let me stay like this for a moment. Even if you are an impostor here to kill me, let me live this moment before it is all over."

Astarte stiffened slightly.

She saw it clearly now.

Her brother still saw her as an impostor.

That realization hit her harder than she had expected.

She bit her lip tightly.

She knew he had suffered because of her.

Very much.

Yet she could not truly understand his suffering the way a human might. Emotions did not come to her naturally. They never had.

But then something unfamiliar stirred inside her chest.

A warm feeling.

Small at first.

Faint.

Then stronger.

She did not understand it.

She did not want to understand it.

But it remained there anyway.

Then, unexpectedly, a smile formed on her face.

She wrapped her arms around Aiden and held him back.

"It is not a dream," Astarte said softly. "I am here for you, Ed."

Aiden cried even harder.

Her voice.

Her nickname for him.

Only she had ever called him that.

Only his sister knew that name.

For a minute, they stayed like that.

Neither moved.

Neither spoke.

Just a brother and sister holding on to each other after years of absence and grief.

───────────────

After some time, Aiden was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Astarte sat across from him.

His face was bright red with embarrassment. He had just cried like a child in front of his sister, and the memory of it made him want to bury his face in the floor.

'It is real,' he thought. 'She has come back for me.'

He watched her drink the tea he had prepared.

She did so elegantly, as if nothing in the world could disturb her composure.

Aiden stared at her for a moment, his thoughts spiraling.

'What should I say?' he wondered. 'Should I ask where she has been? What she has been doing? But what if she gets angry and leaves me again? What if I pry into her life and ruin this moment?'

He clutched his head.

'What am I supposed to do?'

Astarte set the teacup down and spoke before he could decide.

"No need to be embarrassed," she said. "I even changed your diapers when you were very little. Seeing you cry like that is nothing."

Aiden's face turned even redder.

He pressed both hands against it and groaned.

"Come on, Sister," he said. "How can you say that? I am not a kid anymore."

Astarte smiled as she watched him.

Then Aiden took a deep breath.

He looked at her directly.

"I do not need to know where you have been or what you have been doing, Sister," he said. "I just want to know one thing, and it is very important."

Astarte tilted her head slightly.

"Oho?" she said. "And what might that be, Ed?"

Aiden swallowed.

"Will you leave me again?" he asked.

Astarte paused.

She looked into his eyes.

They were filled with desperation.

Aiden's voice lowered as his fear slipped through.

"Please do not leave, Sister," he said. "You do not have to worry about anything. I will handle everything. I do not want to live like an orph—"

"Be quiet," Astarte cut him off coldly.

Aiden shut his mouth at once.

Astarte's voice softened, but only slightly.

"You are not an orphan," she said. "Neither are you, nor am I."

She looked at him steadily.

"The reason I was gone," Astarte continued, "is because it was not safe for you. If I had stayed with you, you would have been hurt badly. That is all you need to know."

Aiden's eyes sharpened.

Small amounts of aura began leaking from his body.

The air around him tightened with killing intent.

His expression turned grave.

"Is someone trying to kill you?"