Voyage Of The Villainess

The mist on the island started to disperse. As Hyun Jae continued her chant, the crown prince with his lightning blocked anyone who tried to reach Hyun Jae.

For once, it was like the depiction of the novel Fate of the Stars. The Saintess, Hyun Jae with the power blessed to her by the Goddess of Light, used this to give hope to the people who were suffering under the demon king's force and torments.

The people who were in the magic circle started to feel normal. The scrutinizing pain they were feeling in their heads and bodies subsided. 

"Is she here to save us?" one of the people inside the magical circle said out loud. "You don't need to worry darling," He said while hugging the 8-year-old girl who was still looking at the sky staring at Hyun Jae's location.

"Who is she? Is she a goddess papa?" The young girl pointed her finger to the sky. In her voice, hope was evident. 

All the abducted people glanced above the skies. Their hearts were filled with awe, seeing Hyun Jae. Though they didn't know she was the Saintess, they were aware that she was the cause for them feeling better. 

'Hope,' One thing that the witch hated the most. There was now a raging contempt rising inside her, seeing all these people having hope for the surprising savior that appeared above them. The black lifa on her hands intensified as she started to walk towards the people who were looking at Hyun Jae with awe.

"Continue the chant," The witch stated in a cold voice when she saw that the cloaked people stopped chanting.

The cloaked people started chanting when they saw the menacing aura, the witch was releasing. 

"Saintess, summoned by the empire," The witch boomed like a menacing thunder in the skies. "Your appearance here will be not enough to save these people." Her nails became sharp and long. 

Hyun Jae who was chanting in the sky felt a tremendous fear surging inside her when she heard that voice. It was not the kind of fear for her life but for the people who were abducted below. But if she stopped her chant right now, all would be for naught. 

The witch struck her right hand to the abducted people. However, she was surprised to see that an invisible light barrier surrounded the people. Hyun Jae winced when she felt the force below. But she felt relieved that the barrier was on time. She just needed to hold on until the purification was over and Malaya returned like what she stated in the letter.

The witch, seeing that her attack got deflected, was enraged once again. 'Don't think that this will stop me that easily.' She cackled as a surge of killing intent surrounded her now. 

*Kacha!* The witch slashed the barrier with her own nails. Then again and again. As she continued, alternating her attacks, it became stronger than the previous strikes. Cold sweats were now dripping at Hyun Jae's forehead. 'I will hold on.'

---⚓⚓⚓---

"Milord," Oliver turned to see Callan walking towards him.

"You are?" Oliver inquired.

Callan bowed his head. "This lowly servant's name is Callan, Milord."

Oliver narrowed the young man in front of him. "Why did you call for me?" 

"This lowly servant would like to ask permission if you could answer one of my questions." 

Oliver gestured with his hands, "Ask."

"Is it true that you encountered someone with blue hair and eyes on this island?" Callan asked straight to the point. When he arrived here, together with Charrio, he heard some of the cult talking about how a woman with blue hair was able to take away some of the people who were supposed to be sacrificed.

"Yes." Oliver looked at Callan closely, examining every bit of his expression and movement.

Callan glanced down upon hearing Oliver's answer. 'So that means, she is also here.'

"Why did you ask?"

Callan without looking up to Oliver answered. "It's just, Milord, if we are talking about the same woman, we also encounter her at Aravan."

*Boom!* Both of them turned towards the witch. Oliver could see that the barrier cast to the people had already a small crack on it.

Oliver glanced up to Hyun Jae. He felt a sting inside his heart. 'Hyun Jae,' his eyes flickered with sadness as he continuously gazed upon her.

*Boogsh!* 

Oliver glanced down when Edas was hurled just a meter away from him. Lightning was sparking all over his body. And there was ice covering his entire body as well.

"I apologize to Milord," Edas' last words before he became completely frozen.

*Crash!*

"Oliver, it's time to pay for what you have done to me." The crown prince Aadel stated in anger as he crashed the frozen body of Edas into pieces. "You will not be able to fool me again, this time."

A sinister grin emerged from Oliver's lips. "That's quite a terrifying word, brother." His words sounded of mockery as he looked at Aadel.

"Enough with the talk!" Aadel aimed both his hands towards Oliver. Electricity surged from the left and ice emerged from the right. 

Oliver simply put both his hands on his back.

*Boogsh!*

"Milord, let me fight him." Charrio, who was watching from the sidelines, blocked both the electric and ice magic of the crown prince with his shadow blades.

"Very well." Oliver approved. 

Hearing this, the crown prince both felt insulted and deeply angered. "You snake! Fight me! Are you that afraid of my magic to let some of your subordinates fight me in your stead!!!" The crown prince yelled as he barraged Charrio with multiple attacks.

"Sadly brother, I can't use my magic right now," Oliver said nonchalantly as he stepped back. "But even with my magic or not, I never see you as a real threat to me." 

"You!!!" The crown prince's anger intensified.

"Is it alright for me to go all out, Milord?" Charrio asked as he continued to block Aadel's attacks like it was nothing. "I'm afraid that I might kill him."

"It's alright," Oliver said. "Whether we got him dead or alive, it doesn't really matter now."

"Stop belittling me!" Aadel extended both his hands in the air and strong lightning emerged from the skies. "I will be the one to kill both of you!!!"

Charrio started to transform into his Malice form. A black horse started to appear beside him and his attire started to change into that of black armor. "Milord, I will give you a satisfying show to watch, Milord."

"Die! You worthless piece of trashes!!!" The crown prince yelled as he aimed the tremendous lightning towards Charrio and Oliver. 

Charrio dashed forward evading every attack that the crown prince gave him. The crown prince predicting that Charrio was going to move on the right, smirked. Charrio was surprised when his left foot suddenly got stuck. Ice started to envelop his foot.

"Hah." The crown prince grinned with delight. "This is now your end, lowly peasant!" The crown prince raised his right hand high above the air. A dark thick cloud started to erupt above Charrio.

"Die!" The crown prince lowered his hand and at the same time a powerful surge of lightning burst down from the thick clouds. 

"Argh!" The screams of Charrio being charred by the lightning echoed through the whole place. The crown prince still not satisfied with this, released another frightening lightning above and hit Charrio.

He only stopped until there was nothing left with Charrio. Then he glanced back to Oliver. "It's your turn to die now." The crown prince said full of wrath and contempt to Oliver.

"Is that so?" Oliver just calmly looked at him.

The same gaze that Aadel hated with his entire life. Despite being the crown prince, having dual and powerful elemental magic, doing everything he can just like what they told him to do. That gaze, those hateful gazes from Oliver and everyone else that was still looking down at him. 'They are the same, the emperor, this bastard, all those people.' The crown prince gritted his teeth. 'They are always looking down at me.'

More electricity surged out from Aadel and at the same time beneath him. ice started to spread at a rapid speed. Those who got inflicted with the ice immediately got frozen.

"You will never be able to look down upon me again." The crown prince, Aadel aimed both his hands at Oliver. "Thunderstorm."

Multiple lightning rained upon the skies.

Hyun Jae who was nearing the end of her chant opened her eyes wide when she felt an ominous burst of lifa. The light that was surrounding her dissipated in the blink of an eye. Her eyes widened when she saw the vanity of the whole situation. Lightning was raining down everywhere. 

Oliver grinned even widely. "In the end, you're a complete fool, brother."

*Blurgh!* The crown prince vomited out blood. He slowly glanced down to see a long sword penetrating his abdomen. He turned his head only to see someone very familiar to him.

The crown prince glared at the man who stabbed him. "Theodore, you traitor." He gritted his teeth as he wiped the blood on his mouth.

"I apologize, your highness," Theo said in a cold and deep voice.  "But I'm not the traitor, you are." 

"When the crown prince arrived at Hellarez, he felt pity for the people who had been abandoned by the empire, and during his stay there, he began to plot against the kingdom's fall and usurp the throne," Oliver stated. "That's why I brought you here, brother; and I, your brother, who cherishes our father and the empire, can't let you conduct these treasonous deeds; In order to stop you, we fought a death battle, and I won; Father will be pleased that I prevented his son from committing treason."

"You bastards," Aadel knelt down as he clutched the wound on his abdomen. His blood continuously dropped to the ground.

"Brother you are mistaken about one thing though. I never looked down upon you." Oliver stopped a step away in front of the crown prince. The crown prince glanced up completely glaring at Oliver. "In the first place, there is not a single thing worth even looking upon you."

{The first thing to defeat Oliver is to choose carefully whom you will trust.} 

The words from the letter that Malaya gave flashed to Hyun Jae's mind.. "Aadel!!!" Hyun Jae screamed in fright as she used all her force to fly towards the crown prince.