I Am The Game's Villain Chapter 779: [The Rewritten Lost Past] [19]

"Sirius Anox? That is an incredibly suspicious name."

Lisandra frowned the moment Amael finished saying the name.

"You really shouldn’t judge people by their name alone," Sylvia said, shooting her a stern look from where she leaned against the rocky wall of the cave, arms folded across her chest.

Amael knelt near the campfire, focused on the meal simmering over the flames. As usual, he had taken over dinner, and the rich smell drifting through the cave was enough to make Lisandra nearly lose track of the conversation entirely.

Still, she forced herself to stay on topic.

"Wait," she said, blinking as the name settled in her mind. "Anox? As in Nox? The Holy Guardian?"

Amael looked over his shoulder at both of them with a deeply unimpressed expression. "You two really don’t know anything outside your own little bubble, do you?"

Lisandra and Sylvia exchanged a glance, both of them equally puzzled.

To be fair, neither of them had ever cared much about Eden, its rulers, or the endless history surrounding divine betrayals and ancient wars. Until recently, their lives had been about survival, freedom, training, and the strange fragile happiness they had carved out together. All the rest had seemed distant, like stories from another world.

Amael let out a quiet sigh and returned his attention to the pot. "A-Nox," he began, "is... the easiest way to explain it would be to say she was Nox’s companion. Or partner. At least, she used to be. Then she betrayed Eden, betrayed the others, and left with Lucifer when he turned against his brother."

Lisandra tilted her head. "So Eden had two brothers, and both of them betrayed him?" A crooked smile touched her mouth. "Makes you wonder whose fault that really was."

Amael gave a faint huff. "It’s complicated."

He poked at the fire with a stick, and for a moment the only sound in the cave was the crackling of burning wood.

"Samael betrayed Eden because of Elysia," he said at last, more quietly. "Eden caused her death. I still don’t know every detail, no one ever tells the whole story clearly but whether he struck the final blow himself or not, he was the one responsible. That much is certain. And Samael..." He paused, eyes lingering on the flames. "Samael loved her. Before that, he didn’t seem to hold any hatred toward Eden at all."

Sylvia raised a brow. "So it was for a woman?"

Amael’s expression shifted, just slightly. "For love," he corrected.

The firelight danced across his face as he stared into it, and for a brief moment his voice lost its usual ease.

"If it had been Ephera..." he said softly, "I think I would have gone mad too."

Silence followed that.

Neither Sylvia nor Lisandra spoke. They only looked at him silently.

Amael did not look back at them. He simply adjusted the pot over the flames, as if he had not said anything important at all.

Sylvia was the first to break the silence.

"And Lucifer?" she asked. "Did he betray Eden because of Elysia too?"

Amael shook his head. "No. Lucifer’s fall came much later, thousands of years later, after Samael." He frowned faintly, searching for the right thread in a history too tangled and old. "From what I know, he openly rebelled several thousand years after Samael’s fall. Maybe he had already turned in his heart long before that, I don’t know. The reasons are unclear."

He glanced at them both.

"Some say he never recovered from losing his younger brother. Others say he always wanted the throne and finally acted on that desire. Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe grief. Maybe both. My father probably knows the truth. The other Guardians and the Khaos Princesses likely know too." His mouth twisted slightly. "But it seems to be one of those subjects no one likes to touch. Too much blood tied to it. Too much history."

Lisandra swallowed. "Lucifer is still alive, isn’t he?"

Amael looked up at her and smiled, though it was a smile meant more to reassure than amuse. "Don’t worry too much. After Eden defeated him, Lucifer was left heavily wounded. He’s been recovering for ten thousand years."

Lisandra still did not look comforted.

Sylvia, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. "Recovering for ten thousand years still means he could recover," she said. "And if he does, then what? Won’t he come after you?"

Amael was quiet for a moment before answering. "Maybe."

He said it shortly, without dramatics, which somehow made it worse.

"From what my father told me, Lucifer wants the Sins. Samael’s power too, perhaps. Or maybe..." He stirred the food absently, gaze distant again. "Maybe what he truly wants is Samael himself back. So the two brothers can stand together against Eden."

Sylvia stared, a beat passing before she let out a sigh of resignation. "Your family is truly twisted, Mael."

Amael immediately grimaced. "It’s not my family."

"So you feel nothing for Eden or Lucifer?" Lisandra questioned.

Amael looked up from the crackling fire. "I have never met either of them."

Lisandra’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You speak the truth?"

"There was never any necessity."

"But you are the Vessel of Eden's deceased brother," Lisandra stated, her voice still laced with doubt. "Wouldn't that hold some significance for him?"

Amael offered a slight shrug, his movements fluid as he stirred the pot. "He has likely encountered countless Vessels. I doubt any single one meant much to him." A brief pause followed. "Besides, being a Vessel does not equate to being Samael reborn," he added, his voice softer.

This remark deepened the palpable silence.

When Amael finally raised his gaze, he saw both girls fixed upon him, their expressions causing his own to soften. Noticing the evident concern etched on their faces, he emitted a short, dry laugh.

"Don't appear so worried," he advised. "Given my nature, I am also surrounded by influential figures. More than enough, in fact."

Sylvia remained unassured. She pushed herself away from the cave wall, her gaze becoming serious as she locked onto him.

"Are you absolutely certain of that?"

Amael blinked. "Hm?"

"You yourself stated it," Sylvia countered. "You are merely one Vessel among many, another who happened to appear. Should you perish, they will simply await the next instance, will they not?" Her voice, though steady, now carried a harsh undertone. "As long as you don't fall into the wrong grasp, you possess value. And should that occur, some might deem it prudent to eliminate you themselves."

Lisandra turned towards Sylvia, startled. "S—Sylvia..."

Amael exhaled through his nose. "That is hardly a comforting thought."

"Comfort is not its intention," Sylvia declared. "Honesty is."

For a moment, Amael remained silent. The firelight danced across his features, casting golden hues upon his silver hair and deepening the shadows around his thoughtful expression.

Then, Sylvia spoke again. "And Sirius A-Nox? What are his intentions?"

Amael's expression shifted, becoming more inscrutable. "I am no longer certain," he admitted. "For a time, I believed he had finally chosen to forge his own path. Perhaps he still does." He gazed into the flames. "But I cannot ascertain his current desires. I have no insight into his plans."

Lisandra crossed her arms, frowning at him. "You really ought to cease forming alliances with the most unsuitable individuals."

Amael offered a faint smile, not looking at her. "That is a rather bold declaration, considering your presence here with the two of us."

Lisandra narrowed her eyes, though the corners of her lips betrayed a hint of a smile.

Sylvia, however, did not smile.

She remained absolutely still.

"Are we truly just friends to you?" she inquired.

Amael looked up.

Her face held no trace of jest, no softness to retreat behind. She observed him with an earnest expression.

Across the fire, Lisandra had also fallen silent. Her posture grew rigid. She avoided looking at either Sylvia or Amael, simply waiting.

Amael’s gaze shifted between them before he offered a weak, uncertain smile.

"Best friends?"

Sylvia met his gaze with unwavering disbelief. Her sapphire eyes remained devoid of any warmth. Without uttering another word, she turned and began walking towards the cave's opening.

She had taken barely two steps.

Amael moved with lightning speed, appearing beside her and blocking her path before she could exit. Sylvia stumbled back from his abrupt motion, her spine hitting the stone wall. She looked up sharply, her breath hitched as Amael leaned in, close enough to confine her without raising his voice.

For a fleeting second, silence hung between them.

He simply looked at her.

That singular action was enough to send her heart racing.

The fire crackled behind them, while the rest of the cave seemed to melt into profound stillness.

Amael raised a hand, gently cupping her cheek.

"Close your eyes," he commanded softly.

Sylvia hesitated, then complied.

The instant her eyes fell shut, a wave of warmth surged through her.

It arrived with suddenness, like a torrent of living heat flooding directly into her, causing her entire body to tremble. She kept her eyes closed, her fingers twitching slightly at her sides, sensing a movement within her that she could neither halt nor comprehend. Time seemed to warp and stretch in the ensuing silence. A minute. Perhaps two. Only the crackling fire and her own ragged breaths filled the cave.

Then Amael's voice broke the quiet, softer than before.

"Open them."

Sylvia obeyed.

Instantly, she felt the transformation.The cave's interior, the dancing flames, the very stones beneath, the dancing shadows, and the faintest stirrings within the air—all had sharpened, becoming crisper, brighter, and more alive than ever before. Her eyes flew open in astonishment. She raised a hand, her fingers quivering, and touched her face, her right eye now emanating a subtle, silvery luminescence. Her gaze fixed upon Amael. His eyes, which had once shimmered with that identical divine silver light, now appeared dulled. The realization dawned on her swiftly. "W-Why..." Amael let his hand fall from her cheek, his gaze locking with hers. "That," he stated softly, "is the answer to your inquiry."