Chapter 255 - § THE ORIGINAL §

CHAPTER 002

300 years later, people surmised the azkins and the curse had disappeared. Soon the magic would vanish as well. However, a girl named Tiana was born, after turning thirteen, she announced her identity. The only azkin existed. She was loved and admired for being a curse and yet hated for being one. Tiana became proof of God's undying love for his daughter and his wrath towards humanity.

The original owner of her body was the—main antagonist? "That's interesting," Yanarym reacted. It was unprecedented, all of the characters she had been through were either minor ones or just a catalyst to the plot. None was included and had a very big part in the novel until this world.

Unlike Tiana, the female lead's extroverted vibrant personality. The original who was the main villain was introverted and gloomy. She was known as the daughter of a witch professor in the Azkin Academy. She was also a student there, the same year level as Tiana. While Tiana's existence mattered almost to every single person in town, the original's was omitted. Her very biological parents disowned her, her biological mother who abandoned her, and her biological father who rejected her. To cut a long story short, she was adopted by the witch professor. Even though her adoptive mother took care of her as its own, the original never felt affectionate nor complacent. She felt like she didn't belong to anyone or anything. She was completely alone and no one could understand that. There were a few reasons why she was ostracized: 

One. Her mother, who was the witch professor, was well-known as being the strictest and scariest educator in the academy. No one liked a terror teacher, might as well stay away from the ones closest to them too.

Two. They were an exact copy of one another, not physically but by their temperament.

Three. The world didn't care about her, and so she didn't give a fuck about the world too. Nobody wanted her while she wanted nobody in her life. 

The original had learned not to trust anyone ever since she first gained her consciousness as a kid, just like what her mother taught her to. Not until she entered adolescence, the time when she met Kraig. Her first love. He was the first person to make her smile; the one who made her feel the warmth of affection. He was the one who saw her as an equal. Nevertheless, nothing was permanent; everything had its time. All those rose-colored days they once had shared were feeding to grey. Everything had changed when he associated with Tiana. Witnessing the man she loved, adored Tiana awakened something dark deep within her. She was crushed by enviousness, hence, to feel a little better, she constantly made an effort on making Tiana's life miserable as much as she could. 

Kraig started to disdain her, receiving the contempt from him, she despised herself and blamed her mother for her misfortune. She was angry, she was sad, and she was scared by who she was becoming. She argued with Lena, her adoptive mother, by criticizing Lena's true identity. A fearsome and menacing witch was nothing but a mere human. Lena could not wield or create enchantment. Humans respect those who have magical powers. They were rare, so people gave them high regard by offering them thousands of benefits on account of everyone believing they were direct descendants of the gods. Deceiving the townspeople by making oneself's identity worthy of their honor would lead to the agonizing flames of death.

If Kraig was an asshole angel to the original's life, Lyndon was the motherfucking devil. An incarnation of evil blessed with physical attractiveness. His heinous nature alone prevented the original from having the peaceful life she wanted. Playing with people's lives and emotions was a source of entertainment for him. He exploited the original to do things she once believed as immoral, assured her with fictitious truths, and hurt her while promising a love he never wanted to fulfill. And the worst of it all, she fell in love with him. She thought they were so alike and that they should be together. That they were both just seeking love and attention... but she thought wrong. He used his knowledge regarding Lena's identity to his advantage. He compelled the original to make Kraig's life a living hell because the latter was making his life a living hell too. Tiana did everything she could to reconcile the men, while the original—wanted nothing but to cut ties with everyone and leave town as soon as their completion in the academy was over.

"You know, Guide-sama, the villain's backstories are always the saddest. They do wrong things because they are blinded by their emotions. They can't be saved. They can never have a happy ending." Guide-sama did not say a word. "This body's original owner had a tragic story. It's not like she wanted to be the bad guy. It's just that everyone pushed her around, expecting her not to fight back and if she does, she'd be at fault."

Guide-sama: "I think you're the same as her." 

"Hah? I will never be a fool like her. I will not meet the same fate!"

Guide: "Yes. Don't get mad." As of the moment, they were situated in the middle part of the story wherein Lyndon told the original to physically hurt Tiana in the field while playing yaro—a sports game hockey but in the air, not on the ice—Tiana was Kraig's weakness and attacking her would satisfy Lyndon's wishes. It was a win-win situation but in reality, it was not. The original did her best to do what Lyndon instructed her but got herself injured instead. Just when the crystal ball was about to hit Tiana's head, Kraig swiftly blocked it before sending it back to the original's direction. The protection of the male lead was the best defense and offense after all.

The climax of the story was just as cliché as any other fairy tale's. The two male leads would eventually clear up the misunderstanding between them after they were both cursed to death by the female antagonist, which was the original. Tiana and Lyndon have the same death curse, while Kraig was condemned to feel burning pain whenever he touched Tiana. The only way to lift the spell was by drinking the blood of the person who cast the curse. 

They first killed Lena, thinking she was the one who put them through the curse but soon discovered it was her who did it. Accepting the same fate they did to her adoptive mother, the three executed her and drank her blood together. 

She was smiling, "You don't have to kill me. If only you just simply said sorry, I'd give you my blood. Even so, you chose to kill me… and mother..." she laughed and she coughed her blood. Her whole body was numb from too much pain. "Am I the evil one?"

"Don't blame your misery on us. This is what you deserve. This is all your fault." Kraig said to the original who was smiling angelically to them. 

"I've been thinking. What if, right from the start, you have never given me false hope? It wouldn't have ended like this. This is not my fault. At least, not all of it is my fault."

"You did this to yourself. You nearly killed us by giving us death sentences and now you wanted retribution? You're something, don't you think so?" Lyndon scoffed at her. The original stared back at him and felt a tear escaping her eyes. "You're so cruel, Lyndon." 

"I hope you'll be a good person next life," her eyes shifted in Tiana's direction, who spoke so softly but spoke such an irritating phrase. 

"Yeah, I'll be like you the next time…" she replied sarcastically, it was hard to do so, she was already losing too much blood to function. "I'll be a hypocrite who plays with people's hearts and then fools them. Like you! I WILL FEED THEM WITH LIES AND MAKE THEM CRAZY FOR ME! But unlike you, I WILL NEVER FALL IN LOVE!" Her voice echoed inside the darkroom. She still had a smile plastered on her face but her eyes were burning with resentment. She veered to face Lyndon. "I will not fall in love with the likes of you." She whispered to him, gasped, unable to hold her emotion, her voice broke. "B-Because of you, I completely lost myself. You have killed me once and now you're doing it twice!" She laughed hysterically. "I shouldn't have given you all of me. I shouldn't have trusted you! But why… Why can't I stop loving you? I hate you… I HATE YOU SO MUCH—!" She was interrupted by a knife that pierced her through her heart.. "L-lyndon… " Spitting a mouthful of blood, she glanced at the three of them, eyes wide open filled with hatred and agony.