Stone Mage: Revenge of the Villain System

Since 100% of the world population had now turned into Daemons, there was nothing else left for Ronin to do besides meander in his sudden existential crisis.

After everything that he had learned, did he really learn anything at all? Life has always been a cycle of suffering, yes, but does knowing that change anything?

Of course not. For that to remain true, it had to stay at a stagnant state of hopelessness.

He left the Abyssal Realm to wander around while he reflected. It took him another 1000 years to do this, traveling everything there was to see in Magecia.

He had gone over the Lower Realms, the Elementi and Mecha. But because he had created a world where 'people' were merely animalistic and only cared for survival, there was no longer difference between the two realms.

The technological and progressive Mecha had turned into brainless savagery.

And the environmentalist and peaceful Elementi, the realm most aligned with minor gods of nature, had turned to cunning tricks in order to not fall off the food chain.

Every human looked the same as the years grew by, becoming even more Daemonified.

Their skins always have the same black lightning flowers. Stretching like fault lines by an earthquake.

The world had become one, yet united in torment.

There was no education, no art, no politics or anything trivial like that. There was no war but there was no peace either. It was just eat or be eaten.

And Ronin had lost his appetite.

After traveling the Lower Realms, he went to the broken Celestus Realm for the first time in a long while.

It has changed, but also hasn't. People have no use for the architecture besides serving as a shelter. They stayed there as wolves and lions stayed in caves.

The most beautiful of structures had been ridden in overgrowth or reduced to a pile of debris. It was occupied, but the occupants were beasts.

Ronin did not say anything as he passed by the humans that looked at him with indifference. They did not fear him, but only felt obliged to respect him.

They bowed their heads but did not smile. Just paying due respect to the King.

After all, he just exists. He was the inevitable. Every now and then, some would show signs of nervousness, but come to accept him the same way as one would accept the existence of Death.

They already were anticipating the worst from him, so nothing he can do will surprise them.

Ronin grew even more dissatisfied the more he traveled. Everything he saw made him want change, made him think of what to improve.

When he went back to the Abyssal Realm, his humble servants were waiting for him. Always obedient, always compliant.

They were satisfied with satisfying their needs. They always feel fulfilled even when Ronin was not.

"Where have you been, Your Majesty?" Maellan asked, who had grown accustomed to greeting him in a formal way.

Ronin frowned deeper. "Brother….. I think I'm awake now."

"Awake?" Maellan asked.

Espinella closed his eyes to focus on his connection with the Core and read his mind. "He feels like he had lived in a fantasy after achieving what he wanted."

"Never read my thoughts again." Ronin softly chided, as if it was more of a request than an order.

"I don't understand what is going on, Your Majesty." Maellan blinked. "We have created a beautiful world where everyone is equal."

"Equality is an illusion." Ronin scoffed, going back to his throne made of thorns.

"I merely created a new unequal world. Where everyone is at the bottom... While it is only I at the top. All alone."

And he was tired of being alone.

"But it's over now. All I need to do is to disappear, and then true equality begins. Everyone can try to reach the top again." He said.

His servant's eyes widened. "Your Majesty—"

"Life is nothing without aspirations. Without a star to reach for, a sun to look forward to every night." Ronin said. "I have stolen that from everyone…. No, I have killed him."

"It's time that I go too."

He summoned his Whip of Illusions made of smoke, and turned it back to the sword that he used to stab Aurion.

They rushed to stop him, but he had moved too quickly and was already at the Edge of the Abyss.

He raised the sword and stabbed his own heart…..

But it did not shatter.

It's supposed to shatter quickly, as Obsidians do. But it could not. When he took out the sword, the wound closed as quickly as it appeared.

"GRAHH!!" He yelled, repeating the process again and again.

Nothing. It would only be insanity if he kept doing this at this point. Then he will be remembered as the Lord of Darkness, who just keeps on trying to kill himself.

"Kai!" He called out. "Kai! Take me to another world than this! Let me start over!"

But there was no response, since Kai really was long gone.

He was also stuck in this world of torment he created. He could never leave.

Huffing, Ronin collapsed on his knees to watch the view of this hell.

Like the Devil stuck in Christian hell, or Mara stuck in the material world and never reaching Nirvana for going against Buddha and enlightenment.

But the worst thing was that even when the hero had fallen, he was still stuck in this role as the villain, the enemy of everything good.

Ronin hated it more than he hated Cermin. Why can't he be good? Why can't he be the benevolent one for once? Why must he always be alone to drown in his feelings of anger, hatred, jealousy and pride?

He returned to his servants with a grim expression. Then, he declared….

"I don't want this kind of painful world anymore. If I'm stuck here, I will make it my heaven, my paradise. I will be a benevolent Lord."

And the world did change as he willed it too, just from his words.

----------------------------------------------------

"Who is this, children?"

They all raised their hands. "That is the good doctor, Maellan Zafeiri!"

"That is correct. He is our Lord of Malady. He can heal any sickness and strengthen us when we need it, through the power he gave to our hearts."

The Daemonic teacher with sharp fangs and three large horns jutting out her head flipped the next page.

"How about this one?"

"That is the good adviser, the all-knowing Mephisto Espinella!"

She smiled again. "Very good, children. This is the Lord of Knowledge. It was through him that we had awoken again and regained all former knowledge to create new ones, under the order of…."

"The Lord of Darkness! The Benevolent King of Daemons!"

The children cheered in excitement. It had always been their favorite lesson to learn about the three Lords of Magecia.

And especially about Lord Dreadborne, the creator and sole ruler of this world.

"Class dismissed. You may now go to the Banquet Palace to have lunch. I heard that the red bears are cooking great star slugs today!"

The kids hurried out except one.

The child was frowning. He was four years old, and so he was supposed to grow lightning flowers, even just faint ones.

He hasn't grown horns or scales too, and he was appalled by the thought of killing, even when they were all being trained with that as part of their 1st Children Year's class.

His skin was as smooth and soft as silk. He was easily weakened by the fumes and the poison released by creatures in New Magecia.

"Are you not going to eat again, Chryson?" The teacher asked.

"I don't like star slugs. I don't like slugs at all." Chyrson frowned.

She sighed. "You have to eat or you will grow up as a weak Daemon. Then a giant Orphine Toad or a Humberbug might eat you someday."

"I want to go home. When will my uncle take me back?" Chryson said.

"Your uncle had entrusted you to us so you would adapt and fit into the daemon world. You are too much like a human, Chryson. And humans could never survive this world."

He frowned. "Because the Lord of Darkness made it so?"

She didn't like his tone when he said that. "The Lord of Darkness has given all humans a chance to become stronger and more superior beings than they are. It was because of him that we evolved."

"I hate him." The boy said.

"Chryson! Don't say that….." The teacher panicked. "You don't know what you are saying. Lord Espinella can hear you…."

Chryson lifted his head high. "I don't care. I hate this world and this world hates me. All my classmates laugh at me and mock me for having smooth skin without cracks, or not having a tail or claws or horns!"

He broke into sobs. "I wish the Lord of Darkness would die for making such a cruel world!"

He ran off while rubbing his eyes frustratedly as tears continued to flow. He was so tired of this world even when he had only seen it for a year.

He missed being at home in Eden, where his kind Uncle Vushka would perform shows for him that his Uncle Volk and Auntie Rabu would watch and laugh at.

Their whole village of Eden did not look too Daemonic, and he belonged there. But they told him that he must leave and study at the New Academy so he can survive in the 'real' world.

He went to the garden and stomped at a group of snails passing by.

"Stupid cruel world." He stayed there even when it rained.

He was squatting and hugging his knees together near everlasting flowers that grew all over the New Academy. It was said that they were the Lord of Darkness' favorite.

A dark hand came to pick up one of these flowers, with the other holding an umbrella. The little boy Chryson soon heard footsteps.

"Oh? What are you doing here in the rain, little golden boy?" A deep voice asked.

He turned around. "G-Go away, sir…. Don't mind me. Sniff."

The man did not go away and instead kneel beside him, putting him under his umbrella.

"It's alright. I don't find you ugly or strange."

The boy blinked. "You can….."

The man smiled at him. "Yes. I can read minds. It's a cheap trick, but it has been helpful many times.... but painful sometimes."

"Don't read my mind." The boy said.

And soon enough, the dark man couldn't read his mind anymore.

But the man was not displeased by this. "That is amazing. Who thought you that?"

"My uncle did. He said I'm not like all the other Daemons because I am special and can get what I wish for easily."

"I see." The dark man nodded. "I can also do that. Do you want me to show you?"

He snapped his fingers, and it stopped raining. Chryson's eyes widened, but he said: "I'm not done yet."

He turned the everlasting flower bigger and bigger, and then…..

It turned into a creature walking on all fours with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Chryson was amazed by this man's skill to create new creatures so easily, and then he heard:

"Look! It's the Lord of Darkness! Children, come say hello!"

The children rushed to the man and kneeled before him.

"Your Majesty!"

He patted their heads with a warm smile. "Hello, children."

Chryson was more surprised than he was when this man stopped the rain and created the flower creature. So all this time….

This was the Lord of Darkness himself!?