บท 3: Villain's Return
Did he die again? Rise had this thought for a moment when his vision went dark once more. He did not even feel anything at all. After only a few seconds, at least for him, his vision returned.
Now... Rise paused and was clearly taken aback. Once again, he was in a state of shock and confusion.
What the fuck? Rise nearly burst out a curse; no matter what, this really was getting ridiculous.
Rise looked around, his eyes scanning the familiar room, finding out that this was exactly the same room he had five years ago in the headquarters.
He remained in his position, sitting and staring blankly at the interior of his room. At the same time, his mind was processing what was going on.
Wait...
A ridiculous idea suddenly flashed across his mind. Suddenly, Rise rose up. He almost got dizzy, but he ignored that feeling. Instead, with anticipation, he ran to where his full-body mirror was.
Fortunately, he still remembered the structure of his room from five years ago.
Looking at his reflection, Rise's mouth unconsciously curled upward. His face suddenly looked more evil in the mirror, with the usual beautiful yet sinister smirk.
"This situation is..." Rise incredulously mouthed a word as though shocked, but only a few moments later, an evil laugh almost like a roar resounded and echoed inside the room.
If not for the good soundproofing within the room, anyone within the vicinity of his room could hear that devilish laugh.
"Wonderful. Extremely wonderful." Rise continued to laugh; his face had a twisted expression, but as he had a pleasing appearance, it did not diminish his attractiveness and instead highlighted it for some reason.
Rise touched his face, looking intently at himself, his evil smile painted with exhilaration remained on his face.
No matter how he looked at himself, this was clearly his face from five years ago. He was much younger, and his hair was still light silver. Compare this to the brighter and pure silver of the him of the five years in the future.
With the constant use of his ability, his hair had turned silver as a result.
Not only that, his current 22-year-old self looked so much younger, of course. Even if his appearance at 27 years old was not too different, there were still signs and hints of maturity within.
Thinking of his situation, the room, and himself, Rise was not dumb enough to not reach the most possible conclusion.
"Wow, did I return to five years ago?" Rise licked his lips and cocked his head, touching his lips. A sudden thirst engulfed him before he let out a new round of laughter.
"Rebirth? Really?"
Rise's laughter receded, the situation gradually sinking in. He took big steps and stood by the window as he looked outside. His eyes became fixed, and he focused for a minute or two on the same scenery he remembered when he stayed in this same room.
His room in the headquarters building of the Esper Union was way over the 30th floor. Although he could not see the ground very clearly, the view was not that bad.
Rise's eyes flickered, and a scene seemed to play out in front of him. Different from the current peaceful surroundings, the scene of his last moments was chaotic.
The Esper Union was located in one of the most secure Green Zones of the Federation, and one incident gradually made this place seem like a forbidden zone.
A huge gate appeared, monsters poured out, and screams and cries resounded from everywhere. And there at the center, near the gate, stood someone with an ecstatic and insane smile on his face. The one who created and brought the chaos...
Rise Lee. It was him.
Rise blinked, and the scene disappeared, returning to the real view in front of him. He clicked his tongue, and a sneer resounded from him.
No, it was not him.
That Epsilon and... that author.
Rise could not help but grit his teeth, and his eyes glowed with dangerous light. Both of them were enemies of his. Epsilon, being the protagonist, was his natural enemy, while the author was the main enemy.
Of course, as he would not be able to retaliate against the author, whom he did not know and could not touch, which was unfortunate. Rise's anger and revenge only focus on Epsilon, the bane of his existence. He was still a villain, and with Epsilon being the protagonist of this world, all the author's power and grace would be poured on him.
If he were able to thwart destiny, Rise would count that as a win against that author. Who dared play at his fate?
Not even their creator could. Rise shut his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the powerless months and his last few moments. His hands turned to a fist, trembling slightly.
Rise's eyes slowly opened, and a different kind of insanity lit up in his pupils.
"I don't know what this rebirth means or what that space meant..." Rise touched his window and looked down, a smile playfully appeared again on his lips. "Whoever returned me to the past, I don't care if you're an enemy. This chance... I'll make you regret giving it to me."
Rise laughed maniacally, a heinous plan forming in his head.
He was always insane; whether to feel gratitude to the one behind the scene or not, Rise did not care. He would not thank someone he could not see and did not know of any intention. He was not a puppet.
Now that he was back, and thinking of the truth of this world. He licked his lips once more and turned, going back to his bed.
"Now... Where do I start to ruin the plot?"
Rise muttered, planning to put the chaos from the start. This time, his enemy was an invisible one, yet his fighting spirit was active more than ever.
That stupid plot... Rise chuckled.
He only strode to his cabinet, grabbed his uniform, and decided to stroll outside. After all, he had only returned from the death, and this was a way to settle his emotions and thoughts in reality.
The uniform was from his time in the Union, and he felt slightly uncomfortable. Rise got used to it quickly. The color was not really different from his suit in the guild.
Leaving his room, Rise's eyes subtly observed everything. Not far from his room was the elevator, which he immediately entered, not minding how the two that were about to ride as well retreated after seeing him.
For him, it was even more fortunate that he was the only one inside.
He only looked at the two, smirked, and winked at them. Before the elevator closed, Rise noticed how both of them trembled, and he let out a laugh.
Dang, his reputation really sucks and Rise loved it. If not, how could he ride the elevator on his own?
Rise leaned back and crossed his arms, comfortably waiting for the elevator to stop on the first floor.
'Ding'
A few moments later, the elevator stopped with a soft sound. Rise looked up; he did not immediately step outside but only stared at the scene in front of him.
Like him, those people who would also use the elevator and were about to enter suddenly hesitated and stopped; some even tried to grab those already entering but clearly did not notice who was inside.
"What?" Someone complained, wearing the same Esper uniform.
"Ssh... Look who it is," his companion whispered, loud enough to hear, though.
"Wh—huk!" He choked and fell silent.
The two sides stared at each other, which was then interrupted by a laugh.
His laughter made the onlookers even more silent. Rise did not make a fuss too much and decided to step out; the crowd immediately gave way. Rise felt amused about this; it really felt so nostalgic.
Rise finally recalled that while his reputation was indeed so bad even five years later, his personality at present, when he was still in Union, was much worse.
He also admitted that his personality in his younger years was so terrible.
Before he completely passed by them, he stopped, then turned and looked playfully at someone. His brows shot up and he made eye contact with the one who stopped his companion from entering the elevator.
"Am I such a villain?" He suddenly inquired, his tone soft and yet playful.
The Esper seemed taken aback at first, and everyone in the crowd gawked and was already lighting up a candle for this unlucky Esper.
The Esper swallowed and considered answering, but before he could, Rise suddenly tapped his shoulders and smiled sweetly as he spoke, "I am."
"What?" The Esper stared and could not help but ask blankly.
However, this time, Rise did not answer and turned away without answering, earning confusion once more from the onlookers. The Esper only sighed in relief, he dodged that bullet completely.
"Who didn't know he's a villain?" He suddenly muttered, earning agreement from the crowd as they entered the elevator.
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