I'm The Villain

The Ancient Battle

"[Modded: Summon]. Midnight!" Elliot called out, a silver wolf appearing, it had eyes as dark as the night, its size as big as a horse.

Elliot looked intimidating, with her mask on, her emotions and body language were hidden, the wolf making her look even more sinister, despite her smaller frame.

"Such a steed...As expected, sir Elliot is not a simple man. I hope we can get along, to have an ally such as you against the Kelilohalla kingdom, our chances of getting over this deadlock would increase." Alphonse grinned.

"...Tell me about Kelilohalla." Elliot knew that appearances were deceptive.

In her past life, she had studied numerous papers regarding facial expressions and body movements worked, so as to design the models as realistically as she could.

His guarded front generally meant he was being polite but tense.

"Ah...That kingdom? Years back, they decided to attack us. It's been a deadlock ever since. Father's been trying to get envoys across but the kingdom's unwillingness for a peace treaty has halted that too..."

"Why did they attack?" Elliot asked.

"Because our kingdom is a profitable one. In this cursed land, many things are commodities. The rich kill the poor and the rich themselves die. Funny to think how a simple battle started this all, huh?"

"A battle?"

Alphonse was surprised, and turned into what Elliot considered to be a 'geek', explaining to him,"The Ancient War! It dates back time immemorial, where a legendary hero aspired to the darkness while the devil wished for the light. They were the opposite of each other, each wishing for the other's position. In the end, they had a single brawl to decided the winner. It ended in a draw."

"This draw led them to bring in more people, until it became two vast armies fighting for two purposes. The devil fought for righteousness, wishing to end the conflict that it had a part in starting while the hero was consumed by his undying lust for power, his ego driving him forward as his fame propelled him into legends as the man who felled a devil, yet became a demon himself. Myths say that when these two clashed, the world became a mere playground as the earth parted, the sky sundered as deities themselves watched the battle unfold. In the end, the devil lost." Alphonse portrayed the hero as a power hungry villain while the supposed devil became a victim of that all consuming spiral of corruption.

Elliot was entranced by the story, a lingering sense of familiarity on her tongue,"What happened next?"

"The devil gave itself up to stop the war. If the hero won, it would end the bloodshed of its kind, the humans and the races they forced into slavery. In the end, the hero died in a blaze of utter defeat, losing his life after his country rebelled on him, leaving him, a broken soul on the gates of his city, the place he called home. There, he took his own life." Alphonse sighed theatrically.

"A little known fact was, the devil and the hero were close friends. But were torn apart by society. The devil was a noble, the hero, a commoner. In the end, their ideals got the better of them and they split. The duo unknowingly slowly became enemies, fighting for what they deemed right." Alphonse answered, his eyes twinkled with admiration.

"This is what I adore about this myth. It isn't a war for supplies or food. But one about ideals and discrimination. So in the end, the damaging war became a hot topic of discussion amongst many countries' philosophers. The question being who was truly good and who was truly evil. If a human could become a devil, could a devil not become good? It's a dilemma that I have debated to this day...Ah! I've been rambling, forgive me..."

Elliot shook her head,"Pay no heed. I am but a single person. You are a prince, you need not apologise for enjoying something. Besides, I enjoy stories much like you."