Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

Chapter 187  [Island Of Drath] [2]

"For fuck\'s sake, I had to be here of all places," he grumbled under his breath while looking down.

Half of his legs were submerged in mud, a sticky feeling crawling all over them.

"Sigh..."

Sighing heavily, he dragged his legs out, trying to move away from the muddy pond.

"....."

Looking around, he found himself in what felt like the abandoned backyard of someone\'s house.

But there was nothing left of the house except the rusty door and broken frame.

With some difficulty, he got out of the pond and used the wind around his legs to clean the mud sticking to them.

"...So I\'m in the middle of the jungle," he grumbled under his breath while taking out his spear.

The sunlight barely pierced through the thick vines, covering the area with nothing but greenery.

But from the location of the sun, he could easily tell he was somewhere in the eastern part of the island.

Not wasting time, he moved forward aimlessly, hoping to find one of his classmates.

"Would be nice if I could find Aaliyah first," he mumbled softly, cutting through the heavy vines with his spear as he made his way.

In the class he studied, Aimar barely had any friends. Most of the ones who tried to stick with him were because of his father.

And even they grew reluctant after a while, due to one reason...

...his sarcastic way of talking.

The only people he actually considered friends were Azariah, Oliver, and maybe Aaliyah.

"...But just a little bit," he thought, shaking his head as he walked.

"...I fucking hate this place already," he grumbled as a sharp leaf cut a small part of his arm.

But he abruptly stopped, his gaze falling on the ground where a pool of crimson liquid lay.

Crouching down, he touched the liquid, feeling its viscous texture in his hand.

"...Blood," he mumbled softly, standing upright, his face hardening.

The grip on his spear tightened as he looked around.

He shifted his body, feeling a stare drilling into his back.

"Miley?" he mumbled, frowning as he saw her standing there.

She stared deeply at him before turning around to leave.

"Hey, it\'s dangerous here!" Aimar yelled, rushing toward her.

The sound of animals filled the air around them.

"Miley!"

"Shut up," Miley grumbled, slapping his hand off her shoulder and turning around to glare at him. "Did you forget we\'re on different teams?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts," she cut in, her orchid eyes glaring at him. "You go your way, and I\'ll go mine."

Saying that, she turned to walk away.

SWISH!!

But her steps abruptly halted as a spear rushed past her head.

"SCREECH!!"

A loud screeching sound echoed through the forest as a humanoid figure was impaled on a tree.

Its elongated hand was inches away from Miley\'s face while a spear dug deep into its heart.

Miley\'s pupils shrank, her body trembling as she stared at it.

"A Drath," Aimar mumbled, squinting his eyes.

Walking closer, he placed his foot on its abdomen before pulling his spear out.

A distinct sound of hammering echoed, making him tense.

Turning around, he stared at Miley, his lips parting. "...Are you going to come with me or not?"

Miley nodded softly.

.....

.....

.....

"Oh boy," muttered a boy with obsidian-black hair, staring at the beach where he stood.

He turned, looking along the beach but finding no one, even though the shoreline covered a large part of the island.

Stretching lazily, he walked along the shore, trying to find anyone.

He took out his sword and twirled it.

"I wonder where the others are," he whispered softly, changing direction and walking into the jungle.

The sunlight made him uncomfortable.

"Oliver," a voice echoed from the side, making him stop.

He turned, smiling at the coincidence.

"Is this what people call fate?" he said, walking toward her.

Opening his arms, he hugged Aaliyah, and she didn\'t avoid it.

Her red hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she had rolled up her sleeves because of the heat.

"You smell nice," Oliver commented, taking a deep breath. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Where are we?" she asked, embarrassed as she broke the hug and stepped back.

"At a beach," Oliver replied, shrugging. "Should have brought something for swimming."

"Shut up," Aaliyah grumbled, looking at him.

"What? I didn\'t ask you to wear a bikini," he rebuked. "Not that I\'d mind if you did—"

"We\'re going in!" she cut in, her voice high-pitched as she started to walk.

But she mentally noted his words, thinking of ways to fulfill his wish without making it seem forced.

"By the way, we\'re in different classes," Oliver commented, walking beside her. "You sure you want to come with me?"

She tilted her head. "...I don\'t see a problem with it."

Oliver chuckled softly. "Well, I don\'t care about it anyway."

Aaliyah nodded as they walked deeper into the jungle.

Her gaze shifted around, noticing the different environment.

"Hey," Oliver mumbled, grabbing her hand.

She turned to look at him. "...What?"

Without replying, he grabbed her other hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Oliver?" Aaliyah mumbled as he took a step forward, causing her to step back.

But she couldn\'t move much, her back hitting a large tree.

Grabbing both her hands, he pinned them above her head.

She stared at him as he gently lowered his head.

"What are you two doing?"

A voice interrupted them, and Aaliyah quickly pushed him away.

"Ashlyn," she said, walking toward the golden-haired girl standing opposite them.

"What was he doing?" Ashlyn asked, squinting her golden eyes at Aaliyah.

"Nothing," Oliver replied with a bright smile. "Okay, we found another teammate."

"Hmm." Though still suspicious, Ashlyn let go of the topic. "...We should find Azariah first."

"Hmm, why?" Aaliyah asked, tilting her head.

"I don\'t know," Ashlyn mumbled, frowning. "...I just want to see him."

Saying that, she walked deeper into the woods, followed by Aaliyah.

Oliver stared at her departing back.

He wanted to warn her and make sure she didn\'t by any means come in between Azariah and Christina.

Of all the people, he is the only one who has seen how much Azariah cares for her, and by no means he wanted their relationship to end because of a third party.

\'Then again, who am I to stop him from making his harem, which will crumble from their own expectations?\' he thought, laughing to himself at the absurd thought before following Ashlyn and Aaliyah.

...

...

...

In the middle of the island, away from everyone else, a pair sat in the shade of a large tree.

The boy with brown hair looked down at his hands quietly, his expression blank.

"Are you going to move or just sit like that?" Ruby, sitting beside him, commented, making him glance at her.

"...I\'m sorry," he mumbled softly, averting his gaze. "...I shouldn\'t have dragged you into my mess."

"Don\'t think too much about it," she smiled softly, waving her hand dismissively. "...I had a feeling I\'d get into something deep if I stayed with you."

"...And yet you still stayed," Ethan smiled gently.

He gently grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

They sat in silence, comforting each other, before Ruby mumbled, "...About Shyamal, why did you tell her about your real identity—"

"Don\'t worry about it," Ethan replied, rubbing her hand. "I have no plans to let it come between us."

"Then why?"

Ethan lowered his gaze, his voice deep. "...You know, the more twisted the feelings of vessels become, the faster they awaken."

Ruby looked deeply into his face, a smile threatening to appear that she barely contained.

"...But why do you want to—"

"Awaken it?" Ethan cut in, standing up and extending his hand to her. "...Because every time it awakens, it tries to kill the person it loves and cares for the most."

Ruby took his hand and looked into his eyes. "...And the person she cares for is him?"

Ethan stared at her, his blood boiling with anger, but he quickly controlled himself.

"Yes," he sighed, whispering softly. "...I made sure Azariah is the one she cares for most."

"How?" she asked curiously.

"There\'s nothing a few twisted truths can\'t do," he replied, smiling.

"I see," she mumbled, nodding.

"Let\'s go now."

Turning around, Ethan mumbled softly. Extending his hand, he looked at the star-shaped mark on his right palm.

...A deep grey mark was engraved on it.

Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "...Lend me your strength, Elohim."

The mark pulsed to life, forming a circular shape on the back and front of his hand.

The mark extended, spreading across his body with thick, curving lines wrapping around his shoulder and the side of his eyes, forming a star symbol over the center of his chest.

Ethan took a deep breath, feeling the power of the Avatar flowing through him.

He smiled, his now-grey eyes staring at Ruby.