Misunderstood Villain: Heroines Mourn My Death

***

{Inside The Projection}

It wasn’t long before the two brothers were directly beneath the moonlight, back on public roads.

They had remained quiet till then, and only when Malik stepped out onto a more populated street did Sinbad break the silence once more:

“What is it that you plan to do?”

“…Hm.”

Sinbad hooted low.

“You’re doing that… thing again.”

Malik gestured at the statue of a lion in the distance.

Pink eyes followed and slowly widened.

“Oh… I understand.”

They were going to begin their act now.

Malik stepped forward, and then—

Whoosh!

BOOM!

The statue shattered.

Flames erupted around it, scaring the city’s people away, screaming.

The two didn’t hear any of that, however, as they were already gone.

At the same time, Faraja, guards, and soldiers rushed to the scene, but fortunately for them, there was no one for them to fight.

Malik appeared on a distant street, the ground splitting at his feet as he walked.

Just as he neared another statue, Cyrus materialized before him, looking all smug.

“Quite the tantrum you’re throwing… Huda’s rejection wasn’t all that bad, was it~?”

Malik moved past, ignoring him.

Shrugging his shoulders, Cyrus glanced at him one last time, or rather at the bird on his shoulder, and whispered something to himself:

“Ah… so that’s where you went.”

His grin turned into a bright, nearly genuine smile, and he disappeared.

Malik, meanwhile, used some of his newly acquired strength.

A black and gold aura rippled off his body like wildfire.

His Aether was chaotic. Unshaped. Unchained.

And as if in response…

BOOM!

A nearby statue exploded.

Glass shattered. People screamed for their lives.

Malik stared at them for long, then disappeared once again.

He appeared in another area and did the same to another statue.

The scene repeated.

Again, and again, and again, and again.

But just as he raised his hand, about to level one whole street in one blink—

“Wait!”

A voice rang.

A group appeared through the smoke and fire.

Ragged clothes. Symbol etched on their cloaks—a crescent, cut in half.

Malik recognized what that symbol represented at first glance.

His plan had succeeded.

The Banu Sasan.

The Silent Crescent.

Al-Hilal Al-Samit…

They had come to him.

One of them stepped forward—short, stocky, with silver braids and a grin.

“We figured you’d be the type.”

Behind them, another figure emerged. Tall. Sharp eyes. Quiet steps.

“We accept your invitation, my Lord. Please… will you help us in bettering this city?”

Malik’s fiery aura flickered.

This man reminded him of Khamal.

The very man who saved him from rotting in those dungeons.

Both spoke of the same plight, heavy weight behind their words.

Malik’s hand slowly dropped.

He didn’t smile. But something behind his eyes softened.

“I will… by assassinating Cassim.”

All their eyes widened at once.

This… it was something a lot bigger than they expected.

They seemed only used to small jobs, little things that stacked up.

Just a group of unfortunate vigilantes with a big dream.

Again, it reminded him of them, people who came from humble beginnings that wanted to make a change, an impact in a world so cruel.

Before, Malik confessed to himself that joining them was something he would’ve loved, but perhaps didn’t deserve. But now, he saw it differently.

He was far above them… he could force change.

His power, though still contestable, was of large might.

These people were perfect for him to lead… at least for a while.

“But how?”

The tall one asked.

“How can we kill him? Corrupt as he is, the bastard’s still a brother of the Sultan. And while he’s not a Jinn himself, he has ten Jinn around him at all times. No offense to you, my Lord, but I doubt we can deal with all of them, especially not at once.”

Malik stepped forward, glanced behind him, and…

“Wait for my signal.”

Disappeared.

…

…

…

Malik stood outside a room, deep in the palace.

He was just… still. Owl on his shoulder, relaxed like always.

New clothes adorned his body, still black, but the robe had cool orange trims.

His usual brown belt that he wore with his white clothes was switched out with a black belt, which highlighted the white sheath of his Spine Splitter.

His look was an entirely different look from his usual one…

The dark made him appear more dangerous… perhaps even evil.

A handsome devil.

Sinbad glanced to the side and nudged his cheek.

“Elder Brother… she should be ready for us now.”

Malik nodded once and stepped forward, knocking on the door.

The guards and servants watching him, who were tense as all Hell, tensed even more.

They didn’t know what he had done last night, so that wasn’t the source of their fear.

It was the Will of his Aether imposing itself on everything around him, his aura.

Fear was the least they felt from it. It almost made some piss themselves.

While waiting, Malik didn’t make eye contact with a single one of them.

He knew the state that he was currently in, and he didn’t want to kill anybody by accident.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to wait much longer, as a maid finally opened the door to see who disturbed them.

Her eyes widened as soon as they landed on Malik, and she immediately let them in, knowing better than to reject a Jinn… unlike a certain someone.

And that someone was caught unawares as they entered upon her.

She was sitting in front of a mirror, halfway done fixing her hair up.

When she saw him in the reflection, she completely froze.

“…Malik?”

He said nothing at first.

Just stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

It took a moment, but eventually her breath hitched.

“You’re—you’re not supposed to be—”

He cut her off.

“I’m leaving.”

She stood.

“Leaving? After everything? Without even—”

“I’ll kill your uncle today. Not the Sultan. The other one.”

“…”

Huda’s lips parted, but nothing came out.

“I’ll kill Cyrus, too. Not now. One day. He knows it.”

“What—you—you can’t just—Malik, wait—”

He stepped closer.

“They are my enemies… I despise them. I’ll kill them. I’ll kill their people. All of them. I’ll gut them, burn them, slaughter them. I’ll cut off their heads—one by one—and hang them on spikes. Parade them for the world to see. Don’t talk to me about mercy… consequence. You think I care about that? I… I can’t afford to. Not anymore. I’m done with this place. This world. These lies. A rotting carcass dressed in silk. And I’ve had enough of its stench. I’m not the man you thought I was. I never was.”

She was shaking.

“Malik… please—”

“You need to live, Huda. So stay here. Be their pawn. Survive. I’ve got nothing left but revenge.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Eyes that reflected a devil.

She reached out, and he stepped back.

“No more chains.”

And then…

“Not even yours.”

He turned.

“Malik!”

He didn’t stop.

The door closed behind him like a coffin.

And with that, it was finally over.

Their love had culminated.

Only grief remained.

After all, that was the end of love.

Always was.

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