A Side Villain…

 

“Concealment.” 

“Shit, shit not at this time.” Akira cursed with his back facing the main road.

 

“Excuse me, do you know where Dominik Volkov would be?” Jeremy’s voice came loud and clear.

 

From afar, a seller checking his record book found this scene quite amusing; three people were talking with two others, and one of the two was trying to hide himself as if he were holding his most precious belonging.

 

“Dominik? Are you guys looking for an agent?” Roberto asked with quite a happy tone.

 

“Ah, no we had some other business with him.” Derek came forward and replied.

 

"Come on, don't be shy, miei amici." I am a far superior agent to him, and guess what? I'll even give you a discount because you're in a group." Roberto played his best cards in the hopes of landing them all in one scoop.

 

‘You asshole!!’ Veins popped on Akira’s face as he said those words.

 

‘How did I forget about that mask? Yes, that should help me.’

 

"No, sir, we're not looking for an agent; could you please tell us where we can find Dominik?" Jeremy rushed his hands.

 

"Amico, why don't you tell them what a great agent I am? Maybe they'll understand then, right?" He tapped Akira’s shoulders and pushed him to stand straight.

 

All of these notifications flashed in front of his eyes as his body turned to face the people ahead. He did want to buy that mask before getting out of this place but was confused with the combination thing.

 

“Yes.” 

 

“See, even he agrees. Eh? Ak….umphhh” Akira closed his big mouth with his palm.

 

"Don't use my name in front of them," he said quietly.

 

“Mmhhhh…”

 

“What are you saying?” He asked confusedly.

 

Kiara, Jeremy, and Derek, on the other hand, had decided to leave after witnessing the two's antics; it was already late for them and they didn't want to waste any more time; however, at the same time, a familiar mana signature swept through their mana sense.

 

Their memories were being jolted, and the feelings of despair, hopelessness, anguish, and pain they had felt in the origin dungeon were coursing through them. 

 

Kiara was unconscious at the time, so she couldn't identify the person, but the two others on the side weren't, their expressions changing quickly from surprised to confused to finally settling.

 

“Hey derek.”

 

“Yeah it’s him.” Jeremy replied.

 

"Guys, we're leaving. Huh? Who are you talking about?" she paused.

 

“The guy who saved us back there.” Derek replied.

 

“Ehh? Are you sure? He looks old to be someone at the academy.” 

 

“Not the agent Kei, the other guy.”  Jeremy sighed and face palmed.

 

“Oops.” She laughed a little and then focused on the boy wearing a mask which was somewhat similar to that of the cultists.

 

“But he’s wearing the mask of cultists, are you sure?” Her own being repulsed the cultists with everything.

 

“Look carefully, it's similar but not the exact same.” 

 

“Now that you say it, that is indeed different.” 

 

"So, um, guys, what should we do now?" Jeremy asked, looking at the two people arguing in front of them.

 

“Let me handle, umm hello there.” Kiara stepped forward and said in a sweet voice.

 

Akira and Roberto who were arguing with each other stopped and looked at the person in front of them, plain and average came the words in the agent’s mind while on the other hand Akira was stumped.

 

Honey eyes glistened with a green tint, pink and luscious full lips adorned an oval sun kissed face that was nothing short of flawless, her thick light brown mane clasped together and falling to the waist length.  

 

The mask of Koh had shattered the illusion she and her two other friends were under, and now her true face was in front of him; it was not his first time seeing her face, but then it was also his first time in real life.

 

He had to admit that this world was indeed a fairy land, with every other girl being stunning enough to be called a jade beauty or empire-toppling. It was impossible for anyone to remain unaffected by such beauty.

 

The main character was in fact the child of heaven, with a destiny as brilliant as the blaze of a ruby.

 

Roberto literally took out the pen and paper to become his agent, asking, "So are you ready now? Should we sign the contract?"

 

“Umm sorry but I am talking to him.”

 

“Me?” 

 

"You don't remember us? You saved us from that vile cultist attack back in the origin dungeon," she responded.

 

“Ohh! so that was you guys, well it wasn’t a big deal so you don’t need to mention it.” He waved

his hands off and grabbed Roberto’s arms to dash off from there.

 

“Wait, wait at least listen to me.” she shouted from behind but Akira kept walking.

 

“Damn it, why is being so rude? We just wanted to repay him.” Derek being the hot-headed couldn’t say out loud.

 

"Yeah, I thought he was a nice guy, not a jerk," she grumbled.

 

“Leave him be guys, some people are by nature altruistic; they don’t like to get praised.” Jeremy continued, “And aren’t we getting late for that?” 

 

When he said that, they came to the realization that time was of the essence and they couldn't afford to waste any more of it. Dominik Volkov, an agent here, was the man who could pull some strings and get them back in their country.

 

“But where the hell is that guy?” They have been going in and around the place for the last few hours and still had no clue.

“He is quite a big agent here, must be having a lot of clients to deal with.”

 

"Hello there," a charming voice called out from behind them.

 

"I heard you guys were looking for me? Sorry for the delay." He bowed his head elegantly, his manners worthy of a noble.

 

“Ah no-no it’s okay, we understand but can we talk? It’s quite urgent.” Kei came forward and replied.

 

"Sure, let's go back to my office." The man had a way with words; each sentence flowed so beautifully that it put bards to shame.

 

The place wasn't overly decorated, but it had the essentials that were neatly arranged, making it appear much better than it would normally have, the trio admiring the small glass objects while seated.

 

“Now should we start, princess Kiara?” The ‘kiara’ was pronounced distinctively.

 

Their eyes widened, their necks stooped, and their aura became slightly disturbed; the illusion artefact concealing their identity was of tier C, and seeing through it without disrupting the mana flow of the room was not something everyone could do.

 

"What? That illusion would have fooled anyone else but me," he asked innocently, as if answering a simple question.

 

‘Sigh’

 

“Very well then, it saves us both from beating around the bush. So let’s get down, are you going to help us or not?” Her voice decisive.

 

"Why shouldn't I? You are after all 'mine' princess cough-cough, I mean I am a native of the Romanov empire," he said, sounding almost uncharacteristic.

 

"Haha... yes." She had a feeling something was wrong but couldn't pinpoint what it was. 

Derek and Jeremy both felt something was off, as if the mana in the air was suffocating them, a strange and repulsive feeling creeping into their bodies.

 

Back with Akira, he was pestered by Roberto, “What exactly happened amico? I could have gotten three more clients, three more.” He said while holding three big fingers on his face.

 

“And wait, why were you trying to hide yourself?”

 

“They are from the academy and please no more questions. I am trying to think about something.” He said while covering his face with his palm.

 

Roberto would have responded right away, but he didn't because Akira wasn't acting like himself. His body was hunched over, his hair was untidy, and his eyes were fixated on a distant object. Roberto realized that it was time to give him some room and so he did.

 

The sound of someone collapsing to the ground coincided with the creaking sound made by the door closing. 

 

‘Sigh’

 

“What the hell is happening with me?” He asked, staring at the ceiling.

 

He had a lot of questions that had been answered by Kiara's arrival in Sector X and her subsequent search for Dominik Volkov, questions that he probably would have preferred to remain unanswered.

 

Once again, he was faced with the questions that had always been his downfall, and the stakes were much higher than ever. the life and death of three individuals, which would most likely lead to a worse disaster in the neighboring nation.

 

"Your greatest strength can sometimes be your greatest weakness; now I truly understand what that means."

 

His mind kept replaying pictures of people being apprehended and then being cuffed from top to bottom. As they endured one of the most heinous forms of torture known to mankind, their screams could be heard echoing in his ears. 

 

Being placed in a cramped room where they couldn't even stand up without colliding with the ceilings, being fed food and water that even a dog wouldn't touch twice, their sanity eroding with each passing second with no hope of ever escaping.

 

“STOPP!!” 

 

His breathing was ragged, his heart was pounding faster than usual, and his body shivered and shook as if he had witnessed his worst nightmare come true.

 

When the room became silent, he could hear even the slightest variation in his heartbeat, which would increase in response to his raging emotions and decrease when he closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about it, but the images and voices wouldn't leave him alone; they kept coming back.

 

He clutched his chest tightly, stretching his armor as the mana core inside his chest reverberated with his agitated emotions and became even more unstable. 

 

‘Breath in and breathe out.’ He thought to himself.

 

Things improved slightly after a while; the horrific images and wailings had stopped allowing him to think more rationally.

 

“Why did her father and brother have to play such silly games?' Don't they realize that stupid games result in stupid rewards? And even if you had to, why didn’t you tell your only daughter?”

 

"Wait, they may have thought she wouldn't return in these situations, but Kei had to go in, didn't she? A family of outright lunatics."

 

“Yo! you okay?” Roberto barged in.

 

He asked, keeping his head down, "Roberto, would you help someone who you know is going to get into trouble?"

 

“Ughh... as if I am aware of the repercussions of their actions?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

“Hmm, I will try to stop them from doing whatever it is but if they don’t listen then I will let them go, it’s a free world afterall.” he replied still in his jolly mood.

 

“I wish I had that luxury.” Akira sighed.

 

Once more, Roberto was perplexed because his little friend was much more than he let on. Sometimes, he would argue with him like a child, but then he would say the most ethereal things that had no meaning to him—was it good or bad? Only time would tell.

 

“I need your help Roberto, it’s serious.” 

 

“I am listening.”

 

On the other hand, Dominik had informed Kiara and her two friends that it would take some time to get ready for their teleportation, so they were wandering around the safe zone and planning their next move.

 

 "Kei, I'm warning you—I have a creepy feeling about this guy. We shouldn't trust him." 

 

“What other options do we have now that the borders are closed, the covert tunnels are also sealed off, and the communication orb is broken?” Derek asked.

 

And Jeremy didn't have an answer for that either. It wasn't like he was the only one who had sensed something wasn't quite right, but at this point, given their circumstances, it didn't matter. Everything else was secondary to getting home.

 

Kiara’s mind was also saying the same but her heart won the battle and she had decided to go through that. It was then someone came in front of them.

 

“I hate to side with Jeremy but this time he’s right.”

 

Akira was there, the mask of koh hiding his face.

 

“See, even if he thinks I am right, wait what did you say?” 

 

“It’s you, the rude guy.” She said.

 

“Rude? I don’t remember doing something like that to you.”

 

“But you didn’t-” She didn’t continued as Derek came forward and asked,

 

“Sorry but why did you say that Jeremy was right?”

 

“Derek I presume?”

 

“Yes, that would be me.”

 

“You were the group's brains, after all. However, let me just say that first Dominik is a bad, really bad, guy. Second, the moment you leave this place, you will be captured and taken to a place worse than hell. Last but not least, you shouldn't have come here in the first place.” 

 

His tone became more stern with each word he spoke, as if he were venting his annoyance.

 

“Whaat?” Her mouth opened and formed a little ‘O’.

 

“How did you know we were leaving the place?” 

 

“I don’t need to be a genius to know that, first you ran away from the academy then you came to the Blossom city trying to get a passage to your home but it failed and brought you here.”

 

“Look I know it might make no sense to believe me but please just go back to the Origin city everything is fine in the Romanov empire.”

 

"Wait a minute, There is a rebellion going on, my brother has been imprisoned, and you say everything is fine?" Kiara blurted out.

 

“That is not a rebellion!” He also raised his voice making other passerby look at them.

 

“Clostrum.” A thin mana barrier formed around them.

 

"Thank you very much, but that is not a rebellion! Your father and brother are playing stupid games, none of which should have brought you here." He shouted again.

 

“And how did you know that”? Derek asked.

 

‘Because I know the future?’ he thought to himself.

 

“I can’t tell you that but you have to believe me, there is no need for you to go back to the Romanov empire, just let the things play out and you will see.”

 

The last line got their attention.

 

“My family is on the verge of killing themselves and you want me to just wait and watch that carnage? Sorry, we are not going to do that.”

 

“But-”

 

"Look, I am really grateful that you saved us back there, but there’s no way that I am going to stop, not when I am this close.”

 

“Yeah? Even if that meant getting yourself captured? Making your family and potentially an entire empire get ruined because of that? Making Aurora sad?”

 

“Aurora? What happened to her?” Her expression changed.

 

"She is currently in the city and has been looking for you for the past three days. I know you don't believe me, but at the very least, you could hear what your sister has to say, right?” This was his last chance, and if it failed, he would be completely out of options.

 

“Aurora is in the city?” Her words were softer than usual.

 

"Not just her, but also her friends, the president and vice-president of the student council, and many other people came here to look for you." 

 

“They have strict orders from the principal to bring you back. You still don’t get it? They know something is off and that’s why they want to protect you.” He explained.

 

“Kei, maybe he’s right. I had also told you to talk with the principal before coming here.” Jeremy whispered to her.

 

“I also think the same.” Derek added.

 

Her confused expression said it all: should she follow through with the other plan now that she was so close, or should she believe what the masked man was saying? This or that?

 

Her mind, being the logical machine it was, was telling her to believe Dominik, even though her heart, acting as her emotional compass, was urging her to at least visit the town and speak to Aurora and the other people because they might know something.

 

Her emotional and rational sides were at odds with one another in an internal struggle.

 

"I still don't believe you," she finally said, drawing a sigh from the audience.

 

“Are you an idiot?” He shouted.

 

"You-you, forget it. Guys, let's go and check with Dominik," she too reciprocated his tone while holding her finger towards him. 

 

“But Kei-” 

 

“No buts Jeremy, if you are scared then go with him.” Kiara shut him down and went ahead.

 

"Sorry dude, we tried," Jeremy said as he walked behind Akira.

 

‘Sigh’

 

'I should have known that my talk no jutsu wouldn't work on them.'

 

The three of them had not gone more than a few meters when a powerful smell of something burning assaulted their senses of smell, and as they struggled to make sense of it, a ground-shattering sound erupted.

 

BOOM BOOM

 

Every person in the area stood up and took notice of the thick, black fumes rising from the top of a small building. For a while, the trio couldn't understand anything, but other more experienced and powerful adventurers quickly made their way to the explosion site.

 

"What's going on?" Derek yelled.

 

Hey, isn't that the place where Dominik's office is?" 

 

"Well, it appears that you guys won't be meeting him anytime soon," Akira said from behind.

 

But on the inside he was as confused as the others thinking, ‘Shit! What is that idiot doing? Please don't tell me that the explosion was caused by the talisman I gave him.

 

Lightning encircled his legs and accelerated him faster than anyone else could react, saying, "Sorry, coming through."

 

"What are you looking at? Follow him," Kei said, and all three bolted.

 

A while back, in Dominik's office, a black figure could be seen slinking in through the back door, the sound of his feet reverberating throughout the empty space. 

 

The figure moved silently while making every effort to be as quiet as possible. He made extremely precise movements, as if he knew the area like the back of his hands. The figure then walked underneath the table and struck the inside of it three times.

 

Red light suddenly covered the entire table, causing the figure to immediately fall back and totter to the ground. There was a click, and a drawer suddenly flew open in the same spot where he had struck it.

 

Gulp

 

The man was shaky, but something gave him the strength to move and look around. He approached the drawer and discovered the precise items that had been mentioned by someone prior to arriving here.

 

After a while of sorting through the items, he laughed and whispered, "it's exactly what Amico said."

 

"It is, indeed, the best day of my life," he wanted to say, but he heard footsteps approaching.

 

“Should I use it? Fuck it, I didn’t liked the bastard either way.” The explosion talisman was kept in its place, and the drawer was closed. 

 

Dominik entered the room and said, "Finally done with the preparations, now let's hope that everyone else will do their jobs."

 

His room had the same appearance as always: neatly arranged furniture, muted colors and patterns, the aroma of a freshener, and an open drawer.

 

"An opened drawer?" He dashed behind the table, making the same motion as the black figure.

 

But his face and emotions on seeing the drawer were starkly different from that of the other guy. His mind shattered and his facade of being a well-mannered man crumbled as he cursed the perpetrator at the top of his lungs, but the worst was yet to come.

 

Tick Tick….

 

In his delirium and confusion, he was unable to see the explosion talisman, which was now just about to explode. However, it did so anyway.

 

The person standing nearby flew first, followed by the explosion's equilibrium with the surrounding air, causing shock waves. With supersonic speed, the shock wave caused the highly compressed air to flow radially outward, obliterating everything in its path.

 

The tight quarters of the room made the blast waves more destructive than they otherwise would have been, but after a while it came to a consensus with the aftermath—everything was destroyed, Dominik was thrown quite a distance away.

 

Akira and the others arrived at the area by this time, which the local security personnel had cordoned off and sealed. His eyes were searching for the perpetrator behind it, but the perpetrator was already standing behind him.

 

“Amico, I got it.” Roberto yelled.

 

“Sshhh… keep it down, did you show it to the officer in charge?”

 

He smiled and recounted the incident, saying, "Yes, I did, and guess what? He was shell-shocked, sweating buckets when I told him of the treason done by Dominik.”

 

Dominik was a double agent who shared information about the Von Astrom empire with two different entities, first the Romanov empire and then an unnamed group. 

 

Given the mana contract he was subject to, the first offense would not have resulted in such severe consequences; however, the second offense was something that could not be excused. This "anonymous organization" was hated and despised to a much much greater extent than the cultists.

Cultists sought to alter the balance of power in the world, whereas the opposing group only desired for it to burn.

 

Kiara and the others present watched in disbelief as the security guards dragged the half-burned, half-naked Dominik in chains. He was the most well-groomed man, the most noble-like, and someone who always seemed in charge but now that image was in tatters.

 

“So what next?” Roberto asked.

 

“We leave.”

 

"Leave? But weren't you trying to get that chick? She's average, but I think it'll be fine."

 

“I was trying to get that chick?” Akira asked with a rolled-up set of eyes. “How did you come to that conclusion? Wait, don't tell me, let’s just leave this place first.”

 

"Umm Kiara, what now?" Derek asked, seeing Dominik's dire condition.

 

"I-I don't know." Another chance for her to return home was shattered.

 

But then she remembered that masked person.

 

“Hey where is that guy?”

 

“You can’t just leave Amico, we are going to get rich, we should have a celebration party or something.” Roberto said excitedly sitting in his chair.

 

“Not us but you, I didn’t do anything, it was you.” Akira replied, sipping on his drink.

 

“What? How can you say that? It was you who told everything about-”

 

“It’s a necessity Roberto, try to understand my situation. A commoner knows about this many things, do you think that this will have no ramifications?”

 

Roberto didn’t wanted to but understood his conditions.

 

"And I'm leaving now; you have the best opportunity in your hands; seize it and remember to-" 

 

"I don't know who you are, and you don't know who I am." This time Roberto cut him in between and they shared a good laugh.

 

"Now let's begin the real thing."

 

"Oh and by the way I want some money from you."

 

"Amico!!"