I Was the Hero, But She Turned Me Into the Villain-Chapter 5 - 4 : Apostle of the Night – Part 2

The laughter did not cease.

It did not fade away.

That hysterical laughter was a twisted symphony, a sick melody that only a beast could perform with such cruelty.

It crawled through the rubble, echoing through the shadows like spectres, mocking me, my pain... my questions.

A laugh that had begun with Helena’s form.

And now could only belong to her. To the figure that took over her mind.

«Nix.

—Don’t you understand yet?—she whispered, tilting her head sweetly—Oh, Daven... What an innocent question.

Her voice descended softly, each word, each gesture, each smile, slipped from her lips like poisoned honey.

—Why? —you asked me...— she said, staring straight into my eyes

Her pupils, once clear as crystal, darkened. A second later, they glimmered with a sickly light.

It wasn’t hate.

Nor love.

It was something worse. More ambiguous. More intense.

Greed, desire? —No.

It was something else... A devastating obsession that consumed everything.

And then, the playful, childlike smile that adorned her lips vanished.

—You really don’t understand...—she murmured. Her voice carried a tone soft, sweet like velvet, but colder than the abyss—.You are mine, Daven.

It wasn’t just a statement. Nor was it a game. Each of her words, each of her gestures, reflected a single thing: her deranged mind.

(...silence)

Then she spoke again with a sweet, childish voice that chilled my blood.

—And if I can’t have you... I’ll destroy you.

Her smile spread, slow, like a crack opening in the fabric of reality.

Innocent.

Sweet.

Disgusting.

—You’re insane!—I shouted instantly, but her energy crushed me to the point of suffocation.

—Oh, dear...—she said with poisonous tenderness—.From the first moment I saw you, I knew it. You were different —she whispered, as if sharing a chat between lovers—.So stubborn. So alive. Not like the others... Not like those worms that crawl licking my feet.

Her voice became melancholic and ethereal, impossible to decipher, almost as if she were speaking to herself and to me at the same time.

—Daven... she sweetly whispered.

She took a step. A single step, and all the air seemed to grow denser, thicker, as if her mere existence broke the logic of the world. It was like watching a storm take human shape.

—I watched you. I guided you. Let you love. Let you dream. And then... I took it all away. One strand at a time. Do you know why? —Her face curved with a sick devotion—.Because only someone who has lost everything can give themselves completely.

The adoration in her gaze was so twisted it hurt to see.

—You belong to me, Daven. From the moment you were born. From before. I was your beginning...

And I will be your end.

It doesn’t matter how many times you curse me, who you loved, who you promised to protect. In this life or the next... only I can stand by your side.

—Damned psychopath! —I roared, my throat torn and my soul ripping between disgust, fear and a fervent rage I could no longer contain.

Immediately I lunged at her with the little strength I still had.

I forced myself to stand, ignoring the pain tearing through every part of my body, ignoring the hole in my chest and even that I was on the brink of death.

I just wanted to hit her.

To beat her down.

One single blow would be enough.

One that made it clear my life was not her damn game.

That I was not her toy.

My steps were clumsy. My vision, blurry. But hatred pushed me forward. Gave me the strength I needed to keep going.

She was close...

So close...

With what I had left, I threw a punch straight at her face.

But she didn’t flinch.

Without even lifting a finger, she released her pressure.

An invisible force struck me like a whirlwind, and my already weak legs faltered instantly.

—No...! —I growled through clenched teeth.

I struggled to stay upright, refusing to let my knees hit the ground. But it was useless... one of them gave in.

I felt the blood burst from my gums, my eyes reddened by the impact.

I clenched my teeth without looking away from her.

Then it came with more force.

The pressure became unbearable. As if the entire sky was collapsing only on my shoulders.

And without wanting it, my other knee fell.

Defeated.

Humiliated.

On my knees before her. The one who took everything from me.

Even so, my eyes never left her for a moment.

It was all I had left.

The last scrap of pride they couldn’t take.

The corners of her lips twitched. Slightly.

Then, she raised her sword.

I saw my reflection in the blade... in those seconds my life flashed by; my joys, my sorrows and all the moments we once shared.

And then I looked into her eyes.

Clear.

But it was only for an instant.

And the sword came down.

The steel pierced my chest.

My heart.

Life faded around me.

I no longer felt my hands, my eyes trembled, and with each blink, the world slowly fell apart.

—Pff—I spat out a mouthful of blood, tears clouded my vision, and in the midst of all that haze, I thought I saw her face...

—Helena...

My heavy eyelids fell one after another.

My body collapsed. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

And in the deepest part of my consciousness, on the edge of oblivion, there was only one thought left, weak and formless, floating like ash among my memories.

"I hope that if there is another life... I never fall in love again."