Transmigrated as the Villain: I Will Destroy Fate

Chapter 174: Duality [6]

The red ribbon drifted through the black void with an unsettling grace. It did not rush him. It did not threaten him, either. It simply existed, like last time.

Ronan did not back away. He had no body to move, no ground to retreat from.

He also knew why he was here.

He sighed, or at least did internally due to his lack of body.

Of course. He had not wanted to rely on this, had considered it a tool of last resort. A desperate final card to be played when all other options were exhausted. He internally recoiled at the necessity of it, but survival was a far more compelling argument than pride.

The Leech would not let him die.

The ribbon slowly coiled, weaving itself into a humanoid shape made of shifting, silken strands.

Are you going to save me again? Ronan thought, directed at the leech.

He expected a simple confirmation.

The response that came back was not that.

No. I will not.

The response was so unexpected it almost fractured Ronan’s composure. He held himself together, forcing down the feeling of shock.

Why? If I die, you lose your vessel.

That is true, the Leech responded, its form pulsing softly. However, I can simply move to another.

Ronan saw the flaw instantly. If that were the case, you could have switched to the Aura or the Xytan cultist, Maren. You did not. You helped me.

The ribbon figure paused, the silence stretching into a moment of consideration. Their situations were... inconvenient. To switch vessels is to be a vulnerable process, and Mesmer was present. The Acheron girl possesses her own demonic lineage, which would complicate assimilation. There was one other struggling for life pretending to be dead, but he was too weak. But Jason Vrell...

The name hung in the void between them.

Yes. He is a decent vessel. Strong. Resilient. And conveniently available. The Leech’s thoughts brushed against Ronan’s, analytical and cold. You are a far more perfect vessel, Ronan Ashbourne. But you carry an unacceptable level of risk. Mesmer’s attention. The risk of the Academy finding out about your condition. And now, the Soul Path which Mesmer himself founded. You attract too much trouble.

The threat was clear. This was not a bluff. Ronan felt a cold feeling of dread, but not panic.

Panic was useless.

He focused on the single inconsistency.

Then why bring me here? If you intended to abandon me, you would have let me die on the battlefield. You would not bother with this... space. You want to negotiate.

Correct.

But before the Leech stated its terms, the scene shifted.

The darkness receded, and Ronan found himself watching a scene unfold as a disembodied observer.

He was in a small, rustic cabin.

A short man with a scruffy beard and kind eyes sat at a wooden table, carving a small toy.

A young girl with hair the colour of sunset tumbled on the floor with a shaggy, oversized dog, her laughter echoing through the small space.

Ronan was confused, but the Leech’s voice answered for him, layered over the memory.

This is my past. The admission was without emotion. My name was Yeon Li.

Ronan searched his memory of the novel. The name was not there. This was new information, something outside the story he knew.

A long time ago, I had a family, Yeon Li’s voice continued. A wife. A child. We lived happily.

Ronan already knew where this was going. He had read enough stories, lived through enough tragedies. He did not interrupt. Yeon Li fell silent, letting the scene speak for itself. The little girl – his daughter – scampered over and hugged his legs tightly.

"Pancakes, papa! Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

So even demons eat pancakes, Ronan thought dryly. Then he realizes that the leech could probably hear him, and he controls his thoughts.

Yeon Li smiled in the memory, a broad, happy expression that reached his eyes. He scooped the girl into his arms.

Ronan noted the absence of his wife. Dead, perhaps? But then another figure entered the cabin. A woman with long, fiery red hair, a smile as warm as the morning sun, and eyes only for Yeon Li. She moved with a gentle grace, and the family dynamic settled into a comfortable, loving rhythm. The memory flowed, a montage of jokes over dinner, stories by the fire, shared glances between him and his wife of affection for each other and their daughter.

It was a life.

A real one.

Then the scene fractured.

The warmth vanished, replaced by a suffocating cold.

Yeon Li was kneeling, his face a mask of tears and raw despair.

In front of him stood another demon, a figure cloaked in shadows so dark that Ronan could not make out its features. But its presence radiated absolute dread, a torrent of hatred and anger that felt like a projection of Yeon Li’s own agony.

The figure held Yeon Li’s wife and daughter, their faces pale with terror and pleading

The words spoken were a muted, unintelligible drone, but the meaning was clear from Yeon Li’s frantic shaking of his head, the silent, desperate no, no, no that left his lips. Ronan could not hear the words, but he could understand what was happening.

He was being made to choose.

Yeon Li yelled something which Ronan could not hear. His lips moved so fast that Ronan could not make out the words.

Then the shadowy figure smiled.

And in an instant–

The heads of his wife and daughter rolled across the floor.

The memory dissipated, dissolving back into the black void.

Before Ronan could form a thought, Yeon Li spoke again, his ribbon-form twisting with an ancient sorrow.

In the end, I could not give up anything. I wanted to keep everything, and so, I lost everything.

A classic scenario. A choice between two unbearable losses, and hesitation cost him both. A brutal lesson.

Realization dawned upon Ronan.

Yeon Li’s voice hardened. I will not make that mistake again. And now, you will learn the same lesson. I will save you, Ronan Ashbourne. But survival has a cost.

"What cost?" Ronan’s thought was sharp.

You will consent to a full transfer.

It was a heavier price than he anticipated. Ronan felt anger and dread at his situation.

What happens to me if I do this?

The assimilation process will be drastically accelerated. Your soul will welcome mine, and they will merge. The countdown... will shorten.

Ronan felt like laughing.

Now tell me Ronan Ashbourne. What will your choice be?