The night smelled like blood and smoke.
Screams tore through the streets, sharp and desperate, echoing between shattered buildings as flames climbed hungrily into the sky. The ground trembled beneath Victor Kane's feet as another explosion rang out in the distance, sending a wave of heat crashing into him. People ran past him in a blur—some injured, some crying, some too terrified to even look back.
And in the middle of it all…
She stood there —A villain.
Her presence alone felt wrong, like a tear in reality itself. Dark energy coiled around her body, writhing like living shadows, and the air grew heavier with every step she took. Around her lay fallen figures—heroes in uniform, motionless, broken.
Victor's heart pounded violently in his chest.
This wasn't supposed to happen, he wasn't supposed to be here but for some reason... Here he was.
"Victor! Don't just stand there!" someone shouted from behind.
He turned sharply, a group of heroes stood several meters away—people he knew. People he trusted. Their uniforms were scorched, their faces tense, but their eyes were locked onto the woman ahead.
"Finish her already!" one of them yelled. "She's weakened!"
Victor's gaze snapped back to the villain.
'Weakened?' he thought. 'She doesn't look weak.'
Her breathing was uneven, yes. Blood stained her clothes. But her eyes... her eyes weren't filled with madness.
They were filled with something else — fear.
For a brief moment, everything else faded—the chaos, the fire, the screams. All Victor could see was her.
A villain… afraid.
"Victor!" his friend called again, more urgently this time. "What are you waiting for?! Kill her!"
Kill her.
The words echoed in his mind.
This was what heroes did, right?
They protected people, they eliminated threats, they did what was necessary.
So why… why did something feel so wrong?
The woman staggered slightly, barely managing to stay on her feet. Her gaze flickered toward Victor, and for a split second, their eyes met.
And in that moment, he saw it clearly.
She didn't want to fight anymore, she just wanted to live.
Victor's hand trembled.
'No, this isn't right.'
Slowly, he stepped forward. Behind him, the others went silent, watching him.
Victor stopped a few steps away from her, close enough to end it, close enough to make a choice.
The woman tensed, her body reacting instinctively, ready to defend herself—but she didn't attack. She just… waited.
Victor clenched his fists.
Then, quietly, he whispered. "Go."
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
The woman blinked. "What…?" her voice was weak, barely audible over the distant chaos.
"I said go," Victor repeated, his voice firmer this time. "Leave. Now."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then, a flicker of disbelief crossed her face.
"You're letting me escape?" she asked, as if she couldn't comprehend it.
Victor didn't answer, he just turned his gaze away but that was enough.
Without another word, the shadows around her surged violently, swallowing her form whole. In an instant, she was gone.
Followed next was a thick suffocating silence.
Victor exhaled slowly, his shoulders relaxing just a little.
It was all over, no unnecessary death.
No—
"Victor Kane."
The voice that spoke his name was cold, sharp and wrong. It made Victor's body stiffened.
He turned around slowly and what he saw made his stomach drop.
The heroes, no…Not just heroes, these were officials. More of them had arrived, their uniforms pristine, untouched by the destruction around them. Their expressions were unreadable, their presence suffocating.
And every single one of them was glaring at him.
"With multiple witnesses present," one of them began, his voice echoing unnaturally loud in the silence, "you have been seen aiding the escape of a high-level villain."
Victor blinked. "…What?"
"You are hereby charged as an accomplice."
The words hit him like a physical blow.
"No, that's not—" Victor shook his head, taking a step forward. "You've got it wrong. She was already defeated, I just—"
"You allowed her to escape," the man cut in coldly.
"That's not the same thing!" Victor snapped. "I didn't help her—I just didn't kill her!"
"That is enough."
The air grew heavier and then chains, they shot toward him without warning.
Victor barely had time to react before they wrapped around his arms, tightening painfully.
"W-What are you doing?!" he struggled instinctively, panic rising in his chest. "Stop! I didn't do anything wrong!"
But no one listened.
His gaze darted frantically toward the people behind him, his friends.
"Tell them!" Victor shouted. "You were there! You saw everything! Tell them what really happened!"
For a moment, there was silence, then one of them stepped forward.
"…He let her go," his friend said.
Victor froze instantly. "…What?"
"He had the chance to eliminate the target," another added, avoiding his eyes, "but he chose not to."
Victor's heart skipped. 'No, that's not what this is—'
"You're lying," Victor whispered, his voice shaking. "You know that's not what happened. I was just trying to—"
"To what?" another voice cut in.
Victor turned. This time, it was his father.
Standing among them and watching him with no emotion in his eyes.
"…Dad?" Victor whispered.
For a brief, desperate moment, hope surged inside him. This was it, this was where everything would be fixed. His father would speak up for him, he would explain.
He would—
"Victor Kane," his father said calmly, "you have brought shame upon this family."
Something inside Victor shattered that instant.
"You aided a villain," his father continued. "Whether by action or inaction, the result is the same."
Victor stared at him, unable to breathe and unable to think.
"…You think I'm a villain?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
His father didn't hesitate. "Yes."
The word hit harder than anything else.
Victor laughed — a broken, hollow sound.
"…I see."
The chains tightened around his wrist, this time, he didn't resist.
As they dragged him away, he didn't look back again. There was nothing left to look at.
---------
The cell was cold, silent, and empty.
Victor sat on the floor, his back against the wall, his gaze unfocused.
Hours had passed since then, maybe more — he didn't know, he didn't care as well.
Everything replayed in his mind over and over again—their faces, their words, the way they looked at him like he was nothing... Like he was already gone.
"…Pathetic."
The voice came from the darkness.
Victor's head snapped up. At some point, the lights had dimmed.
The shadows in the hallway stretched unnaturally long… twisting, and moving.
And from within them, a figure emerged silently like it had always been there.
Victor's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
The figure didn't answer immediately, it stopped just outside his cell, its face obscured by darkness.
"Tell me, Victor Kane," it said softly, "how does it feel to be abandoned?"
Victor's jaw tightened. "I wasn't abandoned."
A quiet chuckle echoed. "No?" the figure tilted its head slightly. "Your friends turned against you. Your family cast you aside. The heroes you trusted didn't even hesitate to chain you like an animal."
Silence.
"…They're mistaken," Victor said after a moment. "They'll realize it."
"Ah," the figure hummed. "Denial. A fragile but comforting illusion."
Victor's fists clenched.
"The truth is simple," the figure continued, its voice growing colder. "Those so-called heroes you admire… are nothing more than lions dressed in sheep's clothing."
Victor's eyes flickered.
"They pretend to protect," the figure went on, "but the moment you step out of line… they devour you."
The shadows around it seemed to deepen.
"So tell me…" it leaned slightly closer to the bars.
"Are you ready to join the other side?"
The question hung in the air. It was heavy, tempting and dangerous.
Victor hesitated. For the first time since everything happened… he hesitated. His mind raced, his heart pounded.
But after some time, he shook his head.
"…No."
The figure went still.
"I'm not interested," Victor said firmly, lifting his gaze. "Someone will come. I know they will."
A long silence followed.
Then the figure laughed, though not mockingly, but like it had expected that answer all along.
"Very well," it said, stepping back into the shadows. "Hold onto that hope… while you still can."
Its form began to fade.
"But remember this, Victor Kane…" The darkness swallowed it completely. "...You have until tomorrow."
And just like that, the figure was gone.
The cell fell silent once more.
Victor stared at the empty space for a long time then slowly, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
"…They'll come," he whispered to himself.
But for some reason… He didn't seem so sure.