A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144: Words in a Letter (2)

"Decalane and Kagan Luna," Sylvia said.

... Sylvia's words stirred up a torrent of memories, flowing through my mind like scenes from an old film. They were fragments of the past I had never known, and could never have imagined.

"My son, she was never meant to be your partner."

Decalane's voice sent a shiver through me, the emotions rippling outward like waves on a calm lake, tightening in my chest. It was the same surge that had once driven Deculein to fury.

But I knew it would pass, like every other storm before it. No matter how powerful, the past had no hold over who I had become. As both Deculein and Kim Woo-Jin, I was made to withstand such trials.

Sylvia went on, "But you thought it was Iliade’s doing. That’s why you sent the Letter of Fortune to my mother."

Deculein had sent the letter back to Iliade, hoping it would somehow save his fiancée, but it was hopeless. Cielia was already fading away, her strength slipping from her grasp as the sickness in her blood took its toll.

I admitted, "Indeed, I did."

Sylvia asked, “So why didn’t you ever mention it to Epherene?”

Kagan Luna, Deculein's former assistant and Epherene's father, came to mind as memories of our time together resurfaced, one by one. It felt like another step in my gradual merging with Deculein.

"Decalane judged her unworthy as my partner and instructed Kagan to deliver the letter," I stated.

I would accept these memories as Kim Woo-Jin, not as Deculein. The past grudges were buried, and I had no desire to bring them back to life.

"But I cannot speak to whether Kagan was aware of the letter's true purpose."

Sylvia's words faded away, and a heavy silence settled between us.

"Sylvia, you have certainly made a great effort, each step taken according to your own judgment."

Sylvia’s small hands tightened into fists, and I noticed the tension in them before shifting my focus back to her face. There was still a truth she hadn’t uncovered, one I had no intention of revealing.

"Everything you’ve said is accurate." _{freēwēbηovel.c૦m}

"Hmph," Sylvia scoffed, her face showing no hint of emotion.

I tucked the Blue Eyes securely inside my robe and took hold of the cane resting beside the bed. For now, it would be enough for now.

"Rest now," I said, rising to my feet. There was nothing more to add. She had uncovered the truth about her mother on her own, and that acknowledgment was rightfully hers.

However...

"Don't go."

Sylvia's voice, hollow and monotone, still managed to seize my attention. It was parched with desperation, yet painfully sincere. I turned back to face her.

"I’m not done yet," Sylvia said, her eyes glistening as they locked onto mine, the gold in them shimmering. "There are still more things you need to tell me."

Each word trembled faintly, thin and unsteady, escaping as a brittle whisper that seemed ready to break.

"There are still more things I need to hear from you," Sylvia said, her voice trembling as she gripped the bedsheet, tears spilling down her cheeks as her emotions broke free.

I stood there, quietly taking in the sight of her.

"... Say it."

The child trembled, like a little bird caught in the rain, her ragged breaths merging with the sound of quiet sobs.

"Say something."

Sylvia spat out the words, her bitterness cutting deep, as if it pierced her own heart. She was a child who had lost her mother because of Deculein, and the depth of her hatred was unfathomable as she faced her enemy.

"I have said all that needs to be said," I stated.

Sylvia's breath hitched, and a coldness swept through her, extinguishing the flames of her anger in an instant. The silence pressed in, heavy and stifling.

"Yukline offers no excuses; only the truth remains. I... am the one who took your mother's life."

Sylvia let go of the bedsheet, her eyes empty as she muttered, “I’ll kill you.”

Sylvia’s reaction was only fitting for the circumstances.

I nodded solemnly and said, "Give it your best effort. You deserve to."

A strained breath shuddered from her lips

Crackle, crackle—

The fire still burned in the hearth, and with a steady voice, I said, "I will make every effort not to die so easily, Sylvia. For your sake, so that you may continue to live."

"... What do you mean—"

With her behind me, I pulled open the cabin door.

Whooosh—!

As I opened the door, a rush of howling wind swept in, and the world outside lay buried beneath a blizzard of snow. But nothing remained to hold me back...

***

Whoooooosh...

A relentless blizzard swept across the land as Epherene trudged through the deep snow. The small hut she had painstakingly built lay buried and shattered under the heavy drifts.

"... Lucky I learned this," Epherene muttered, thankful for the spell she had picked up in Deculein’s classes.

Using Magnetic Field, a spell she had learned with Deculein is another manipulation category course, she blocked the driving snow, while Telekinesis cleared a path beneath her feet.

Crunch, crunch— Crunch, crunch—

Epherene kept trudging forward until a cabin came into view, appearing like a ghostly shape amid the blizzard. She paused, caught between caution and curiosity, but an unexplainable pull urged her closer. As she neared, a wave of warmth washed over her, radiating from the cabin.

“What is this...?” Epherene murmured.

As she moved closer, she pressed her face to the window and peered inside. The scene startled her—a roaring fireplace illuminated the room, casting flickering light over Deculein, who sat beside a bed where Sylvia lay resting. Their faint voices seeped through the narrow gap in the window and Sylvia spoke first.

“I know everything.”

“... Of?” Deculein asked.

"The fact that you killed my mother."

It was a conversation Epherene was never meant to hear. She tried to back away, but her body wouldn’t budge, as if she were trapped in a web of magic.

"It was the Letter of Fortune," Sylvia continued. "As the letter spread across the continent, both Yukline and Carla sprang into action."

Epherene was familiar with the legend of the Letter of Fortune, but she couldn’t understand its sudden relevance to their conversation.

"And one of the victims happened to be—"

“My fiancée."

Epherene's eyes widened with alarm. She tried to move, but her body wouldn’t respond, as though she had been completely immobilized. It wasn’t just a metaphor—she really couldn’t move.

"Someone delivered a Letter of Fortune to my woman, and in the end, she was gone, her life slipping away like sand through my fingers, leaving nothing but a hollow sense of loss."

"... I know what happened that day," Sylvia said. "And who was behind it, and who sent the letter to your fiancée."

The conversation on the other side of the window continued, compelling Epherene to hear fragments of Deculein and Sylvia's past. An unseen force seemed to root her legs to the spot.

"Why can’t I...?’ Epherene murmured in confusion, struggling to break free.

"Decalane and Kagan Luna," Sylvia said.

A familiar name rang in her ears. Epherene's body froze, her pupils expanding. Instinctively, she turned her attention to Deculein.

"Indeed, I did," Deculein said.

Kagan Luna, that her father was the one who delivered the letter to Deculein's fiancée.

“So why didn’t you ever mention it to Epherene?”

Epherene's mind went blank, and a flush of heat crept up her spine. Her mouth remained open in shock as fragments of their conversation spun through her thoughts—Kagan Luna... the Letter of Fortune... his fiancée...

"... Decalane judged her unworthy as my partner and instructed Kagan to deliver the letter. But I cannot speak to whether Kagan was aware of the letter's true purpose."

The invisible force that had kept Epherene trapped suddenly let go. She stumbled backward and collapsed into the snow.

"What was that..." Epherene murmured, her voice trailing off in confusion.

Footsteps drew nearer, the crunch of snow growing louder as a shadow loomed over her. Epherene glanced up, startled.

“Did you see everything?” Sylvia asked.

Whooooosh...

“... Oh, come on.”

Plop—