Reincarnated as the Final Villain's Vessel

"What the hell is wrong with you, Caius!" With a frown on her face, Ellen’s red eyes were fixed on me with an invisible intensity as she walked across the shattered arena.

Around me was a wide arena dozens of meters across with seats rising away at the edges... there where my opponents were pulling themselves together.

Garon, Leona, Jin and four others I’d barely met a while back, let alone knowing their names.

Garon sat in silence on one of the seats, Jin groaned as he got treatment from a girl and it looked like he’d taken a break in his hand... the arrow shooter was staring at her bow in silence... Leona looked dizzy as she leaned on the back of the chair.

I caught my breath, feeling dizzy and weak, the heat and the pain spread through all my limbs and my blood had stained the cloth armor everywhere.

"I don’t get why you’re taking this like that, it’s just training, Caius," Ellen stood in front of me with her arms folded under her chest, the anger in her tone eased and turned into annoyance.

I let out a breath, controlling my breathing. "You’re the ones who insisted I take part in this little training of yours... so stop complaining if you don’t like my methods."

Her eyebrows twitched and for a moment I thought she’d scream in my face, but instead she sighed as she unfolded her arms. "Ahaa... okay, everyone’s fine."

She looked me up and down. "But I’m talking about you, you didn’t have to let Leona’s sword go through your arm or the arrow... it’s just training, Caius... do you understand me?" She tilted her head with a frown.

I dropped the half-broken training swords on the ground... she was right, I’m overdoing it... but I really need this, something that pushes me further, that gets rid of this anger that’s started building up in me... and maybe then I’ll understand what’s wrong with me.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my arm as I passed by Ellen to get out of here. "Sorry... I’m not in a good mood."

She didn’t hold me back anymore, so I left that arena in front of the eyes of dozens of students, every one of them here during the break to take part in the Game of Kings, 100 people in total, fifty from the Axis and fifty from other academies in the Empire.

Not everyone was here of course, I hadn’t seen Emeris in days since she went back home for a while, and Elliot too... and a lot of the other students come and go... well, there was nowhere for me to go.

I heard the whispers as I walked into the changing room to shower... more than a month and a half had passed since meeting Medirin now.

It’s not that I’m proud of this, but since that time, I’ve trained hard trying to advance to Rank 4 in the fastest way possible... I was supposed to be close by now with all the hours I put in every day.

But I wasn’t close... no, I was far from Rank 4.

Why?... was I sleeping too much?... maybe being soft on myself?

No, none of that... it was gradual, at the start my body developed at an excellent pace, but as the days passed it slowed down... I thought it was a phase that would pass, I wasn’t stupid enough to think every advance would be smooth and easy.

But now in this last week my progress stopped completely... like I’m trying to dig through a steel wall with a spoon.

"What the hell is the problem with me?!" I put my forehead against the cold bathroom tile while the water ran down, washing away the blood and the dirt.

This wasn’t normal, there’s no way I’ve reached my limits... right?

I came out of the bathroom as I glanced at the clock on the wall, it was pointing at three in the afternoon.

"I think she’s back now."

...

"So, you’re saying you’re hitting an obstacle advancing to Rank 4." Alicia’s eyes were fixed on me as she sat on the other side of her desk.

I nodded. "Yeah."

She put the pen down from her hands as she brought her elbows together on the wooden surface and leaned closer to me. "From what you said it doesn’t look like you’re using the wrong method... have you tried resting?"

I blinked... rest? What a question... but I’d thought about that before too. "Yeah, I took three days doing nothing but it’s not getting better."

Her eyebrow creased as she thought. "Are you sure Medirin didn’t inject anything into your body?"

"Yeah... my mind can’t be controlled completely, even if I fell under their control, I’d remember that she did something at least."

She lowered her head and the office went quiet for a while until she looked at me again. "Hmm... that’s strange."

I opened my mouth and closed it before I opened it again. "Of course it’s strange... do you have an idea, a solution?... anything."

"Well..." Alicia muttered as she leaned back against the seat, staring at my face, there was something strange in her looks I couldn’t understand.

My expression twitched. "So, can you help me?... please."

Come on... don’t tell me she’s going to refuse now... for some reason I didn’t think she might do that, and even though I still have other options, I came to Alicia first.

And finally, after all that staring, she spoke. "I can’t."

Her words were like a slap in my face, and I opened my mouth to object. "But—"

"But I know someone who can help you." She cut me off as she stood up from her place, for a moment I caught some amusement in her eyes... does she enjoy laughing at me.

But I wasn’t in a position to argue. "You should’ve said that... instead of just I can’t."

...

"So where are we?" Alicia and I stood inside what looked like a fancy house... we teleported straight here so all I can see is what looks like a nice waiting room with couches and a table between them.

And even though the tall windows were open onto the green garden outside, a strange medical smell kept brushing against my nose... it reminds me of the dentist.... this isn’t one, right?

Alicia put away the phone she’d pulled out a while ago, before she walked over and sat quietly on the couch. "A good doctor."

I started wondering who this good doctor was, instead of sitting and waiting I walked around the room... and let me say it wasn’t a traditional room.

I got close to a glass cage at the edge of the room... inside its hundreds of small lights danced like fireflies... but they’re not fireflies... they’re literally light.

I put my finger on it only for them to gather where I touched the glass... I turned my head to see some glowing flowers held in another cage... for some reason I felt like they were smiling at me... uncomfortable.

"What a strange room," I muttered as I looked around, that’s when I heard a knock at the door as I turned my head.

"Well. Well... it’s the second time you’ve come to me recently, my little lady, that warms this old woman’s heart." In an open white coat that reached her knees and loose medical pants an old woman came in, with gray hair from age hanging in a ponytail, her eyes were on Alicia like she hadn’t noticed I was there.

Alicia nodded briefly. "Hello Mary."

I didn’t activate my ability, and the old woman didn’t show anything, but I felt that she was very strong... Rank 6.

She took a step inside with her hand in the pocket of her white coat. "So why do you call me and show up in my house directly... did a dog bite you by the neck like last time, or did you just miss me?"

Alicia pointed at me at the edge of the room. "I brought you someone."

Only at that moment did the old woman notice me as she turned her head toward me, she put her palm in front of her big smile that brought out the wrinkles on her face. "Oh... forgive me, young man, I didn’t see you... it’s the symptoms of getting old."

I narrowed my eyes at this strange old woman... the chance she was lying was ninety-nine percent.

With the same amused expression, she tilted her head curiously. "You brought a handsome young man, wonderful... what great progress."

She gave Alicia a thumbs up in admiration. "Great start, girl."

I blinked, and so did Alicia. "I brought him because he needs your treatment, Mary." Her tone was a little stiff.

"I know." The old woman nodded as she sat across from Alicia, while I sat on the single couch.

"So, what’s the problem with you, boy?"

I glanced at Alicia who nodded at me, so without hesitating I told her the problem, this took a few minutes, in the end Mary nodded as she got up and stood behind the couch I was sitting on.

She spoke from behind me. "Don’t be scared, just trust me and relax, don’t resist."

I felt her hands settle on my shoulders, and even though she looked thin and weak, I felt the strength hidden under that skin.

My eyes met Alicia’s for a moment before I followed Mary’s instructions, I let out a breath as I relaxed while her whisper came from behind me. "Don’t resist, just let it flow."

I didn’t understand what she meant at first, but when a strange warmth crept in from my shoulders and sank into my body, I realized what she meant... I didn’t want to make this difficult so I followed her instructions as much as I could, letting that power wash through every corner of me.

A few minutes passed in silence, only the sound of my breathing was audible and Alicia’s silent staring, until Mary took her hands away and that feeling faded.

There wasn’t any noticeable change, so I looked over my shoulder only to find she’d walked to the other side with one of her hands on her chin. "Hmm..."

She stood a few feet away from me staring me up and down in silence, until I asked, "So, did you figure out the problem?"

Her eyes narrowed and she lost all the playfulness she’d had. "Your body... how do I say it, it’s just—"

"Corrupted."

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