Chapter 1: Welcome to the Show
This chapter may be a bit sloppy as it's my first.
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'I fucked up didn't i?'
In the infinite expanse of space, The stars remained silent.
Alaric Vyle floated in space. weightless, powerless and defeated. Pieces of his velvet red coat drifted in the vacuum of space. His appearance a far cry to that of a hero.
Before him he saw his very world crumble.
No poetic ending, no tearful epilogue just destruction.
The once vibrant planet was slowly bring covered by the flames of darkness. Entire cities, forests and oceans were slowly covered in darkness.
"Dad, mom... Sis" He whispered, his voice cracking as he barely held back his tears.
In his vision faces slowly flashed through. Faces that he promised to protect and save.
Before his very eyes he saw as cracks slowly appeared on the surface of the planet... Before,
*BOOOOOM*
The whole planet had exploded. Unable to handle the pressure of the tendrils of darkness slowly borrowing themselves into the planet's core. Eating away at it from the inside.
The shockwave from the explosion even went far enough to reach Alaric who was expressionless.
A single tear floated from his cheek, shining in the cosmic light, As he reached his hand out hoping to somehow touch what remained of his home.
And then, The sound of applause could be heard.
Slow. Mocking and echoing.
*Clap* *clap*
A golden portal opened behind him, slicing through space. From the centre of which a woman stepped forward. Her appearance... Radiant, blonde and brilliant. Dressed in a crimson suit that was the opposite of the dull colours surrounding her.
Defying the laws of physics, Her voice echoed through space.
"You're quite the dramatic protagonist aren't you?" She said a small smile on her face. Arms folded.
"Floating in space, crying over your own failures. If you aren't an actor might as well audition as one."
Alaric didn't even bother to look in her direction. His body floated listlessly, through the void as he closed his eyes accepting fate.
"Go away."
She didn't.
Instead,her body drifted closer to Alaric before she stood before him. The sound of her heels clicking against an invisible ground was heard.
"Your world's gone. There's nothing left for you. There's nothing you can dot o change that."
"I.... Know why mention it?"
"Because you have potential. Sure you weren't able to defeat the final boss and your world got the bad ending. What if there's a way to change that, what would you give for a chance like that?" Celia folded her knees and sat down to be on eye level with Alaric.
In a rare moment of desperation Alaric responded, "Anything... I would give anything."
Celia extended her hand forward. "Join us. Join the multiversal villain agency. Earn enough narrative points from ruining storylines and we might be able to re-write this tragic ending of yours."
Alaric stared back at her hand.
A villain, huh?
"What's the difference between him and a villain? He had already failed his own world, a sinner who's sins not even a thousand good deeds could wash away.
He looked back to his home one last time... At least what was left of it and clenched his fists.
"Fine."
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10 years later,
The multiversal villain agency (MVA).
It's building, A jagged tower of concrete and steel, its windows were tinted so dark they reflected nothing, just the empty darkness that surrounded the mirror dimension.
Just the pure, black emptiness that consumed the world. Above the massive glass doors of the entrance a golden sign with a quote read,
"Before entering wipe your feet and conscience at the door."
Alaric Vyle scoffed, tugging his crimson overcoat tighter against his tired frame.
"New quote huh? Still sucks."
His shoes clicked against the polished obsidian floor as he entered, the automatic doors hissing like a sigh.
The lobby of the Multiversal Villain Agency was pristine, hostile, and just depressing enough to remind everyone they were part of something bigger and muuuch more miserable. Embodying a corporate building perfectly.
The scent of burnt coffee and sadness clung to the air.
'why can't they just make a normal layout? Everytime I come here it changes....'
Eyes followed him the moment he stepped in. Not literal ones well, some of the eyes were from real people but mostly the kind that lingered in shadows, behind security cameras. the stillness of the marble pillars that looked just a little too organic to just be... Stone.
Alaric didn't flinch. He was too tired for paranoia.
'seriously this place just get weirder ever visit.'
His normally sharp suit was rumpled and stained. His signature monocle, cracked at it's rim, clung to his face with the desperation of a man who still thought it was fashionable. His Grey hair, usually slicked back, now drooped down over one eye. He looked like a magician halfway through having a nervous breakdown. Or maybe a jester who lost his circus to a fire and kept performing anyway.
'should've listened to her warning..' Alaric muttered to himself while clutching his rib that never stopped bleeding.
Drops of blood one by one fell on the grey carpet.
Behind the desk at the center of the lobby, a receptionist sat with perfect posture. Her nametag read,
SYRA, Automated Assistant—Smile Level 3.
"Welcome back, Agent Vyle," she said, voice as flat as a robot.
"Any particular reason behind you staining my carpet blood red?"
"I see your mouth is still as bitchy as ever" A vein bulged on his forehead.
"I think you can... See why I'm bleeding? Do you need those eyes replaced? I would gladly help."
"No thanks." She spoke,
"It's for the debriefing with celia... You should know shouldn't you o' might receptionist?"
Her smile was as emotionless as ever as she checked her computer.
"You... are two hours late for your debriefing with custodian Celia." Her eyebrow raised.
"Glad to see at least someone missed me," Alaric muttered, leaning an elbow on the counter.
"Still running your 404 personality?"
Syra blinked once. "Would you like to submit a formal complaint?"
"No thanks. I'm too tired to fight a robot today." Alaric rubbed his temple.
"Mhm hmm. Conference Hall 12-B." A passcard slid toward him across the desk.
"Please avoid trying to teleporting within the building... Last time, you melted the security intern."
"Ah. Right... Poor Greg."
"There is no Greg."
"Shhhh there was. Briefly." He pocketed the card and offered a lazy v with his fingers.
"Tell your programmer that I'm always there if he feels lonely."
As he moved toward the hallway, he mumbled to himself, "Could've been worse. Last mission I nearly got turned into a sentient garden gnome."
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Multiversal Villain Agency — Internal Memo
Agent Profile: #927 - Alaric Vyle
Alias: Ashvale
Species: Human (Former Protagonist Class)
Rank:A tier
Narrative Points: 765,350
Status: Active
Mission Type: Tier B and Below.
Power System: Applause Points (Exclusive System)
Signature Weapon: Six-Sided Die ("Dice of drama")
Core Ability: Reality is temporarily warped based on the result of his six-sided roll. Each result grants him a themed power, strengthened by accumulated Applause Points. Higher rolls = stronger effects.
Secondary Weapons:
Threaded Gloves ("Seamstress") – Combat threads for mid-range offense, traps, and stitching out of reality.
Broken Pocketwatch ("Second Act") – Rewinds one second of time with a narrative cost. Can record one battle "scene" for replay.
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As he walked through the hallway his eyes were stolen by the various posters hanging on the walls.
Each poster showing an agent and their highlight as they ruined the world they were assigned to.
'Talk about showing off... What's the point of putting this up on display anyways.'
By the time Alaric reached 12-B, his coat had mostly dried, and his sense of sarcasm was at full charge.
He pushed the door open.
"CELIAAAA, did you miss me?"
Celia sat at the table, legs crossed, tablet in one hand, twirling a pen in the other. Her golden hair cascaded down one shoulder in loose waves, catching the cold white light.
She wore a fitted MVA blazer, slightly undone at the collar, and smiled. Her rose fragrance had filled the room.
"Wow, would you look at that" she said, eyes flicking up. "You look like you got in a bar fight with a bear."
Alaric dropped into the chair across from her with a dramatic groan. "And lost. Badly."
Celia tossed a can of a vaguely caffeinated drink toward him. "Catch."
He cracked it open, took a sip, and winced. "same as ever still tastes like regret,burnt ambition and forgotten dreams."
"suits you perfectly then."
They laughed. For a moment, it felt like old times back before the jobs got darker, the stakes higher.
"So," she began, tapping on her tablet.
"Mission #243. Villainizing a Noble Succession Tale. You scored high...real high. Managed to turn the heir into a tyrant, frame the prince for treason, and collapse the three kingdoms."
"See... Normally I take the route of non-violence you know? After all I was one of them, once upon a time. Showing a bit of pity would'nt hurt."
But as he finished speaking he clenched his fist as the metal can collapsed.
"There are always exceptions, for the worst of the worst."
Sensing the anger in the atmosphere Celia asked a question.
"Well then, the great galiant MVA agent how did you solve the mystery this time?"
Alaric's anger visibly subsided as he understood he was making Celia uncomfortable.
"Pffft. The Trick was pretending to be their long-lost ancestor that went into seclusion." He stretched. "The kids in cultivation novels trust them with everything."
Celia raised a brow. "You're disgusting."
"Wellll I'd say I'm effective."
"Fair point. That one netted you 65,000 Narrative Points. Puts you at…" She flipped to another screen. "765,350."
Alaric exhaled. "Still a quarter million short."
"You'll get there," she said, voice softening. "One world at a time."
He looked at her.
"You still believe this... Depressing place would give it back,My world?"
While thinking about his question Celia leaned back into her chair before closing her eyes.
"As long as the price is right anything is possible in this place... If you please the higher ups who knows? They might even promote you in some way."
Celia's smile didn't fade. But something flickered beneath it. "I believe in you."
A pause.
Then she handed him a new file a black folder, red stamp across the top:
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MISSION CLASS: A – Plot collapse
Target World: Arcadia-VI (Academy Realm)
Alaric flipped it open.
Inside photos of castles floating above landscapes, a sprawling campus of ancient towers and glowing obelisks, students in uniform dueling with spells and sabers.
World Synopsis:
Arcadia-VI is a grounded magic-academy realm where nobles and commoners alike are trained to become elite combatants. The society maintains a tense balance between bloodline privilege and merit-based progress. Magic aptitude is determined through relic-bound tests at age sixteen.
Protagonist Target:
Name: Lysander Aelwyn
Class: Commoner-Born, High Aptitude
Trajectory: Destined to unite both noble and commoner factions through sheer power and political wit.
Mission Goal:
Sabotage protagonist's development. Deviate the world's storyline and change the ending.
Options include:
Infiltrate as staff (professor/administrator).
Bonus: steal the various golden fingers the protagonist will be given/ steal his partners.
Estimated Reward: 90,000–110,000 Narrative Points
Threat Level: Moderate to High. World has mild narrative resistance and a high density of "Hero Support" characters.
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"We're still collecting information about the world. Rest assured the sheet will get updated as soon as possible."
Alaric let out a low whistle. "Classic setup."
"You're going in as a professor. A New hire.They expect someone different, eccentric, which is... convenient for you."
Alaric grinned. "What's my subject?"
"Applied Magic theory and field combat."
Hearing this Alaric almost spat out the soda he was drinking.
"Ironic."
"And how do you suppose that I'm gonna teach them Applied magic theory? I'm not sure if you know this... But I'm not exactly the scholar type."
"Don't worry about it you can buy the basic knowledge and teaching expertise you need at the MVA shop interface." Celia winked at him.
"Tch. You greedy bastards sucking me out of everything I've got"
"Think of it as an investment, Alaric." Celia rolled her eyes.
"Besides it's not like you spend your narrative points on anything else other then your missions... What other way do I have to squeeze the money out of you?"
"You shameless witch same as ever."Alaric folded his arms before looking away.
Celia smiled at their banter before speaking,
"Jokes aside Alaric… be careful this world is balanced on the back of its protagonist. If he dies, everything spirals downward."
"And if I succeed?"
Celia's gaze held his. "One step closer to... Getting your world back."
He stood, flipping the file shut and slipping it into his coat.
"Guess it's time to educate the youth."
"Pffft A guy like you? Try not to traumatize them on the first day."
"No promises."
He walked to the door, then paused.
"Hey, Celia?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For sticking around."
She smiled again before closing the file she was reading.
"Always."
As the door closed behind him, her expression lingered a second too long. Her fingers curled slowly around the pen until it snapped in two.
"Always," she repeated softly.
'His demeanor and personality sure has changed as the years went by... Or is it that he's returning back to his old personality? Hehehe as long as I'm helping him out"
END OF CHAPTER 1