The academy's moon garden bloomed with silver petals under the stars, bathing the cobblestone courtyard in a dreamy glow. Aiden stood alone under the arched gate, his fingers lightly brushing against the stem of a glowing moonbell flower, its petals pulsing faintly with magic. He wasn't admiring the scenery—he was waiting.
Footsteps approached, slow and precise.
"You're late," he said without turning around.
"I'm not a pet to come when you whistle," Seraphina replied.
He smiled. "Yet you came."
She stood beside him, arms folded. "You said you had information. Don't waste my time."
Aiden didn't speak. Instead, he held out a piece of parchment, creased and old—torn from the forbidden tome he'd stolen from the restricted library. On it was a single sigil. The mark of the System Mother.
Seraphina's expression hardened. "Where did you find this?"
"You know it."
"I've seen it once. In the vaults beneath the royal palace. It's marked as a divine anomaly."
Aiden turned to face her. "I think it's something worse. Something sentient."
"Sentient? You think these systems… think?"
He nodded. "And I think there are more like mine. Others with their own will, their own goals."
She frowned. "You're insane."
"Maybe. But we both know there's something twisted about this world. The way the narrative wraps around the protagonist. The way you were fated to follow him."
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't twist my loyalty."
"I'm not. I'm breaking your chains."
She didn't answer. Instead, she walked away into the moonlight, her thoughts clearly spinning.
Aiden exhaled. He didn't expect her to turn overnight. But the seed of doubt was planted. And Seraphina Dawncrest didn't ignore seeds—she cultivated them.
Heroine Affection Update: Seraphina (+6%) – Status: Guarded
System Note: Friction between heroines increasing. Sparks imminent.
A notification flashed as Aiden turned toward the training field, where the next part of his plan would unfold.
Tomorrow was the annual Heroic Evaluation—a formal duel in front of the entire academy. Normally, Aiden would have been dismissed from participation as a second-rate villain side character. But this time?
He'd volunteered.
And chosen Iris Nightveil as his opponent.
Rumors had already flooded the academy like wildfire.
"Did he seriously challenge the Ice Witch?"
"He has a death wish."
"Maybe he's just trying to get her attention."
They weren't wrong.
The dueling platform gleamed under magical torches. Students crowded the coliseum steps, buzzing with tension.
Iris stood in the center, her long black coat fluttering in the wind, eyes gleaming violet and unreadable. Her spellbook floated beside her, runes glowing with icy menace.
Aiden walked onto the stage with a casual grin.
"Try not to fall for me mid-fight," he said.
"I'll try not to vaporize your bones."
The referee—a middle-aged archmage with burn scars and a bored expression—raised his hand.
"Standard dueling rules apply. No lethal spells. No familiars. No outside assistance. Duel ends on unconsciousness, yield, or magical depletion. Begin on my mark."
Aiden breathed in.
This was madness.
But madness was his new weapon.
"Begin!"
Iris moved first—always efficient, always cold. Her opening spell was a triple-cast: ice chains, binding frost, and mist veil.
Aiden ducked, rolled, and countered with a feint-fire explosion, dispersing the mist and blasting the ground upward to block her sight.
He wasn't stronger.
But he was unpredictable.
He weaved in close, blade crackling with kinetic aura, and slashed—but Iris deflected it with a frost shield, retaliating with a point-blank pulse that sent him skidding across the stage.
His vision blurred.
Health: 42%
Aura: 28%
Status: Bleeding (Minor)
"Enough games," she said coldly, conjuring a hailstorm of enchanted icicles.
Aiden smirked. "Fine."
He activated a stored spell rune—a mirror glyph from the forbidden section—and the icicles reflected back, catching Iris off guard.
She twisted, shielding herself, but Aiden closed the distance again, slashing her spellbook with his aura blade—not enough to destroy, but enough to disrupt its channeling.
The crowd gasped.
Iris's eyes blazed. She kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling.
"Cheap tricks again?" she hissed.
"No," Aiden groaned, standing. "Just creativity. Something you've forgotten."
Her lips parted slightly in surprise. Then fury overtook her again.
They clashed once more. Ice against chaos. Control against defiance. Until finally, both stood panting in the center, bodies scraped, energy drained, and neither backing down.
The referee raised his hand again. "Draw!"
The crowd roared in disbelief.
Aiden grinned, wiping blood from his mouth. "You didn't kill me. I must be growing on you."
Iris narrowed her eyes, but there was something else there now.
Respect.
Maybe even attraction.
Heroine Charmed: [5/6]
Iris: Affection +14% (Intrigued, Competitive)
System Comment: Ice cracked. Water flows.
Later that night, Aiden sat in his dorm, staring at the ceiling, when a knock came at the window.
He blinked.
The second-story window slid open on its own.
Subject M stepped inside like a ghost, barefoot, pale, wearing a black oversized shirt with no pants. Her lavender hair shimmered, and her eyes glowed faintly.
"You caused quite a stir," she said.
"Enjoying the show?"
"Very much. The fight was… erotic."
Aiden blinked. "That's not the word I'd use."
"It is for me."
She crawled onto the bed without permission and sat cross-legged, staring at him.
"You're activating all the Fragments. The girls aren't just heroines. They're keys. And your system isn't a tool—it's a seed."
"A seed of what?"
"Chaos. Change. Maybe death."
"Comforting."
M giggled. "I want to help you. But only if you help me first."
"Help you how?"
Her smile was slow and dangerous.
"Take me on a date."
He froze. "What?"
"You've seduced five of them. But not me. I'm not part of your system's target list. I'm... special."
He swallowed. "You're unstable."
"I'm lonely."
She leaned in closer. "Don't you want to know what the Mother looks like through my eyes?"
Aiden didn't move. Her scent was sweet and wrong. Her skin glowed with subtle sigils.
This girl wasn't human.
But she was the only lead he had.
He reached out, slowly brushing her cheek.
"Fine. One date."
She beamed.
"I'll wear something deadly."
🚨 Rogue Fragment M: Favor +10%
New Quest: [Date with Disaster]
Objective: Survive Subject M's affection without losing your soul
The window slammed shut on its own.
She vanished.
And Aiden sat there in silence, heart pounding.
The System dinged softly.
Main Threat Escalation: Dante has noticed the heroine fluctuations
Event Incoming: Heroine Convergence
Brace for impact
Aiden got up and walked to the mirror.
He stared at his reflection.
He'd changed.
No longer a villain. No longer a pawn.
But something… in between.
And soon, he'd either seduce fate itself—
Or be consumed by it.