Ascension Of The Villain-Chapter 314: Two Vyans?

Tears welled up before Vyan could even blink them away.

That voice. The one he had been dying to hear.

Soft, familiar—it struck something deep in Vyan's chest. His heart gave a violent stutter as he turned, his heart thumping loudly at the sight of her.

There she was.

Iyana.

Alive. Whole. Beautiful.

Her violet eyes—not crimson, not cursed—sparkled beneath the soft glow of the chandelier above. Her lips were slightly parted in curiosity, her expression tinged with confusion. Her hair was left open in soft curls, the way she always styled it before banquets or parties. Her beautiful white gown was untouched by even a speck of dust. She looked exactly as she had before everything crumbled.

So full of life.

Vyan didn't think. Couldn't.

He rushed forward and pulled her into his arms with a force that surprised even him, as if he feared she'd vanish the moment he blinked His hands clutched her tightly around the waist, his head pressing into her shoulder, breathing her in like salvation.

Iyana stumbled a step back, startled. "W-What in the world—?"

But before she could get the words out, Vyan kissed her.

Desperately. Gratefully. Tenderly.

And she was warm. Gods, she was warm.

Tears streaked silently down his cheeks as he held her face in his hands, savoring every heartbeat, every second. Her lips moved against his in surprise, and that little gasp—that soft little sound she always made when he kissed her without warning—it was real.

She was real.

Her chest rose and fell quickly beneath his touch, and when he pressed his palm over her heart, he could feel it thudding. Fast. Uneven. Just like it used to when he flustered her.

Beating heart.

She truly was alive in all senses.

"Whoa—whoa—hold on, Your Grace," she said, blinking rapidly when they parted. "Are you okay? Why are you here? And why are you in the ladies waiting room?"

Vyan froze, his lips still parted slightly. "Wait… this is the ladies' waiting room?"

Iyana narrowed her eyes. "Yes. It has been, for the last decade or so."

"I… I didn't realize," he mumbled, a little too quickly, wiping at his eyes as he stepped back awkwardly. "It looks quite the same as the men's one. I must have, uh, misjudged the turn."

She raised a brow, arms crossing. "Vee, you know the entire layout of the imperial palace like the back of your hand."

He gave a weak laugh. "Yeah, well. It's been… stressful."

She stared at him, clearly unconvinced.

At that moment, as she studied him with suspicion and mild concern, Vyan was suddenly grateful he had been wearing the exact same black attire from that day. If his outfit had been different, she would have noticed. And she would have asked questions.

Too many questions he wasn't ready to answer.

Not yet.

Right now, he just wanted to hold on to the miracle in front of him.

Iyana tilted her head, the slightest narrowing of her violet eyes betraying suspicion. "Yeah, I get it… stress and all. But weren't you going to meet Althea? Why are you here instead?"

Vyan momentarily was caught off guard by the question—but only for a heartbeat. He smoothed the expression away with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, fingers reaching back to scratch the nape of his neck. "Oh, I did go. She was getting ready, so I didn't really get to talk to her."

That much, at least, was true. He had gone to see Althea—earlier, in the original timeline. She'd been obsessing over her hair and jewelry, too preoccupied with perfecting her image to spare him a glance. But that wasn't what kept him. It had been Katelyn and Ronan, dragging him into a ridiculous spiral of gossip and an argument over whether raspberry tarts or lemon custards were more dignified for noble banquets.

But none of that mattered now. Not compared to this.

He turned to Iyana again, his voice dropping to a breath. "Can I kiss you again?"

Her eyebrows arched in quiet surprise. She didn't answer immediately, just studied him—really studied him—as though trying to piece together a puzzle behind his eyes. He looked like he cried just now, or… has been crying for days.

It made her heart churn. She hated him being in pain—emotional or physical. But she also hated turning him down. Maybe she would ask him about it later, when he was ready to talk about it.

Slowly, a teasing smile curled at her lips. "You don't need permission for that, Vee… but you look like we haven't kissed in days. You do remember we were up all night, right?"

He almost laughed, but it didn't make it out. It got caught in the tight knot rising in his throat.

If only she knew.

Nine days.

Nine aching, cursed days since he had last seen her move, heard her voice, felt her heartbeat beneath his touch. Since she'd lain still, cold, beautiful, absent.

For her, this was still the day after.

But for him… this was a resurrection.

She leaned in, fingers brushing lightly at his collar as if grounding him in the now. "But I'll never say no to kissing you. So… go ahead."

He didn't wait. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

He kissed her like a dying man clinging to life.

There was no pretense, no gentleness to hide behind. His hands found the small of her back with desperation, pulling her into him until there was no room for air, only the rhythm of their shared breath. She gasped softly into his mouth, but didn't shy away. Her fingers curled into his suit, drawn in by the intensity rippling through him.

His lips moved over hers with aching hunger. It wasn't a kiss born of lust or flirtation.

And Iyana felt it.

This wasn't a kiss that followed a night of passion.

It was the kind you gave after clawing your way out of despair. After losing someone and then finding them again, alive in your arms, breathing and smiling like the world hadn't just ended and been rebuilt around them.

She didn't understand it. But she didn't need to.

Whatever this moment was… if he needed her, she was damn well going to offer herself on a silver platter.

When he finally pulled away, it was like he was breaking off a piece of himself. His hands stayed, cupping her face with trembling tenderness. He looked at her like she was art sculpted by gods. Like she was impossible. Like her existence had just stitched his heart back together with golden thread.

His eyes shimmered—not just with affection, but something deeper. Something that almost broke her.

"I have to go," he said softly.

Iyana's smile faltered. "What? Already?"

His thumb stroked her cheekbone like a farewell. "Yeah… just something came up. I'll see you at the hall."

He forced the words past the ache in his chest. Because somewhere in the same corridors, his other self was walking. Thinking. Looking for her. And if they crossed paths…

It would all unravel.

He had to leave before time caught up with them.

But even as he pulled away, the warmth of her clung to him like sunlight after a long winter. He could still feel the echo of her lips, her breath, her pulse.

And in that quiet promise he made to himself, he held on:

When all of this was over…

He would go back to his Iyana. The one waiting for him in the present. The one he promised he'd return to.

But of course, fate had other plans.

The moment he stepped out of the waiting room, he ran straight into Katelyn.

She stumbled back, barely caught in time by her brother. "Hey! Are you blind or just wanted to spite me?" she snapped.

Vyan startled. "Shit." He wasn't supposed to run into anyone from this timeline.

"Vyan, are you feeling okay now?" Ronan asked, brows pulled together in concern.

"Uh, what?" Vyan replied, caught off guard. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You said you felt nauseous and stepped out for air. Then you wandered into the ladies' waiting room," Ronan said, frowning.

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't an accident," Katelyn added with a smirk. "I saw Lady Iyana head in just before."

Vyan stared blankly, his brain stuttering to catch up.

None of this lined up. As far as he remembered, he'd never even come near this part of the Grand Hall that day. No nausea, no detours. He was certain—he met Ronan and Katelyn outside the gates.

Had he messed up the memory? Was it wrong? That couldn't be. He remembered everything so clearly. Or… he thought he did.

This wasn't just a minor hiccup.

"…Right. You know what? I'm still feeling a little off. I'm going to the men's room," he muttered and slipped away before he did something even dumber—like bumping into his past self.

Once alone, he quickly shifted into the appearance of Baron Wilford and merged into the sea of guests. The ceremony began soon after, as dazzling and extravagant as he remembered. The purpose of the gathering was announced. Althea made her grand entrance. Everything unfolded exactly as it should—

Except Iyana was alone.

She should've been with him right now—her hand tucked around his arm like it had been that day. He should've been by her side, listening to her sweet voice making a comment and chuckling.

Vyan's stomach dropped.

Where's the me from this timeline?

Hecate's words echoed in his head: "...the self you were—the one that existed in both times—merges… The person who travels back fuses with who they were."

Wait—was this what she meant?

Had the fusion already happened? He thought it would take place after he altered the past. Did he get it wrong?

Or maybe… maybe the other him was still nearby.

His hand reached up to his neck instinctively and froze. His fingers brushed metal. He looked down.

The silver chain.

It was there.

Pendant intact. No dent. No broken clasp.

But he hadn't been wearing it when he cast the spell. He had left it behind. The clasp had snapped when he got caught up in the tornado. He hadn't gotten around to fixing it yet.

Then how—

His thoughts were cut off as Iyana's gaze swept the crowd, worried.

Deciding to check his theory, Vyan ducked into a corner, shifted back into his usual self, and returned to her side.

Relief bloomed on her face the instant she saw him.

"Where the hell were you, idiot? You were nowhere to be found after that kiss," she hissed, half-whisper, half-scold.

And just like that, it clicked. He had already fused.

There was no other him walking around. He was the Vyan from this timeline now.