Life Of A Nobody - as a Villain

Rio gasped, his figure falling down with a thud onto his bed, as his consciousness returned to his body.

Sweat soaked his back. His breath came in shallow, rapid bursts. His hand gripped the sheets like a drowning man clinging to shore.

Yet when his eyes fully opened …

For the first time, he didn't find the darkness around him calming or peaceful, but scary. So much so that he couldn't help but turn around and flip the table over trying to turn on the lamps.

Only to fail and find nothing.

He didn't speak. Didn't scream. Didn't even dare to think thoughts, too afraid that 'someone' else might hear it.

But deep in his soul… A whisper remained. Echoing like a sound trapped in a well.

"I am you."

Rio seemed to feel the pupils of red staring at him through the back of his skull, making him extra anxious.

Click….

Suddenly the door to his room opened, and Amy, Becca and Finn entered inside as they'd reached the Raven house.

Yet the sudden sound they caused, made Rio's soul tremble. And he couldn't help but crawl back in his bed.

The sight surprised the trio who were always so used to seeing him strong and confident. That for a moment, none of them even had the thought to come forward or ask him what happened.

The boy in front seemed so different from what they were used to. Like a cracked porcelain held together as whole, but only one inch away from shattering.

[....]

Even the system who knew everything couldn't help but stare at it's host and wonder what exactly happened after it was thrown away.

Rio, who was still in a trance, reeling in from the revelations of Devil, felt a warm touch on his hand.

"Rio - brother,... are you okay?" Tanya asked with a worried look. Her innocent face filled with concern, as her fingers curled tightly onto the plate of the newly baked cookies in her arms.

Rio looked at her and then at his friends, who also got out of their stupor and surrounded him with worried looks. He just closed his eyes, before opening them again instantly. And taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves.

"Brother…" Amy muttered, seeing your tense state.

But Rio just shook his head, and gave a fake smile. "I'm fine." He said while patting Tanya and taking the plate off her hands.

"I just had a nightmare."

It was a flimsy excuse.

But his words and 'smile' made the young girl believe it. And her face instantly brightened up a little.

"Cousin, are you really …?"

Finn was speaking while looking strangely at his sweat filled clothes and broken furniture, but Rio cut him off.

"Did we reach the Raven estate?" He said.

Finn looked at him, and seeing he had no intention to explain, he too changed the topic. No matter how weird his behaviour felt to him.

"Yes, we are just about to land now." He replied.

"Father, Grandfather, and uncle Agnus are all waiting for us at the conference room."

"Father is here?" Amelia questioned. Caught off guard.

Any other day of the year she would've been happy to hear this news, yet today, after the blunders she caused, even she couldn't be happy about facing her parents so soon.

"Not just uncle, Aunt Artemis is coming too. From what I heard she's on the way as we speak." Finn replied.

He didn't know what happened, only guessing that everyone probably heard the news about the attack and came to check on them.

But only Rio and Rebecca were the two, whose faces frowned. Apparently they were the only ones who knew the real reason behind this gathering.

Rebecca looked a little guiltily at Amy, and then at Rio. Only to see him staring back at her with a calm gaze.

She wanted to speak, to explain something, but before she gathered the courage to open her mouth, Rio cut her off.

"You should all leave, I'll join you guys outside in a minute."

He ordered and before anyone else could respond, waved his hand to open the door for them using threads.

Everyone felt a little unsettling, but sensing that something was wrong with Rio, they all accepted his wishes and left him alone.

While walking away, Amy looked over her shoulder, staring at Rio whose eyes hadn't even blinked once for the last couple of minutes. Until the wooden door closed behind her, blocking her vision.

'Brother,...?' She couldn't help but mutter, wondering what happened to you. While a part of her was already blaming herself for his condition.

…

Back in the room, Rio stood in front of a mirror, staring at his reflection. Mainly at his eyes.

{You think you have a choice. But you're just walking the fated path. Becoming me with every step you take.}

Words seemed to echo in his ears, while his mind simply played the same scene of him sitting on a pile of corpses, at the ruin of Damascus.

The tragedy he witnessed in the Aelthar's trial.

{You're doomed to suffer. To feel pain, to feel loss – That is your destiny. Your fate. The sooner you accept it, the sooner this story ends.}

Rio looked in the mirror and noticed the reflection morph into the mocking look of the Devil. And at his feet, were the corpses of everyone he loved, or ever cared about.

Bam!!!!

Rio shattered the mirror with a punch, before turning around and walking away.

"My fate is in my hands. Not in anyone else's."

Rio said , making a firm decision in his heart.

…

When he stepped out of the room, he had changed into new clothes. An all white suit, with golden trimmings at the edges, - something matching with his angel persona. And a pair of new sunglasses on his eyes.

The glasses seemed to be some type of a magical artifact, which the trio of teenagers couldn't see through at all.

"Let's go."

He said and without giving anyone any chance to ask any questions, directly walked forward. And leaving them behind.

"Rio, I _ I wanted to talk to you…" Rebecca ran over , trying to catch up to him. But Rio didn't give her a chance.

"I already know. Rio said without even looking. "And it doesn't change a thing. He will die by my hands."

His words leaving Becca lost at the edge.

He extended a hand to Tanya and, in one smooth motion, spread his wings and flew off the ship, streaking across the sky like a divine arrow.

But his figure would've only taken merely a few flaps further, when a figure which flew faster than a flash crashed right through his path with such force that the very wind screamed.

"Hello mother." Rio spoke calmly, halting his speed.

Artemis stood in front of him. As she ignored his greeting and then looked at him up and down, scanning his body for any sign of injuries, until her gaze was finally fixed on the glasses he wore.

"What happened?" She asked indirectly after noticing Tanya was present there too.

Rio already knew what she was talking about. After all, earlier he had 'died' once, even if it was merely for a few seconds, but his soul did disappear.

Making his life card shatter back at home. Resulting in the anxious response from his mother.

If he hadn't sent a message to her soon after waking up, once he was sober. Ensuring that he was safe – the scene right now would be much different.

"You promised you wouldn't do something stupid…"

"It wasn't in my hands, mother." Rio said honestly, instead of lying. "But don't worry, I'm fine now."

Artemis looked at his lies and then at his eyes, with a frown, but before she could ask anything further, Amy and others had caught up to them. So she had to let go.

She just gave a glance to Becca, before holding Amy's hand and taking her away.

"Mother, where…" Amy asked confusedly, staring back at the group, which was left behind.

But Artemis didn't respond. And just flew in silence.

Rio looked at the way Amy and Artemis were flying with narrowed eyes, before turning his head and flying towards the magnificent mansion at the center of the island.