Darkness

Darkness—an unforgiving novel that tells the tales of five psychopathic villains destined to destroy the world in different ways. It is a place where survival is a cruel joke, where corruption has festered so deeply that annihilation seems inevitable. The villains—Aamon, Hecate, Ardat Lily, Cain Lore, and Abaddon Mir—are products of relentless violence, betrayal, and abuse. Their hatred does not just consume the world; it consumes them, the so-called protagonists, and everything in between.

The mere thought of living in such a world sent a chill down Keith's spine. Who doesn't cherish their life, even if it's a weirdo like him?

But first, he needed confirmation. Was he truly in Darkness?

Steeling himself, Keith stepped out of the bedroom, intent on gathering information. As he wandered the expansive mansion, he observed the peculiar attitude of the servants. They didn't acknowledge his presence, their gazes sliding over him as if he were nothing more than a shadow.

It was obvious—Eric Jonas, the owner of this body, was nothing in their eyes.

Aiden, however, was different.

"Here you are!" Aiden's voice carried frustration as he approached in hurried strides.

"Aiden? Why are you here?" Keith turned to face him, confusion evident in his expression.

"I've been looking for you. Didn't I tell you to wait inside the room? Why are you wandering around like a lost chicken?" Aiden sighed, grabbing Keith's arm and pulling him toward the bedroom. "Your food is getting cold. Come on."

Keith allowed himself to be dragged back, his mind spinning.

'What kind of situation did I end up in? Not even a single person has any respect towards this body's owner... What kind of life do you live until now, you damn jerk.' Cursing the real Eric in his mind, Keith finishes his breakfast.

"Aiden, I want some sincere answers from you. Can you honest with me?" Creating a serious environment around, Eric asked Aiden.

"What do you want to know?" In a confused way, Aiden agreed to answer.

"Why am I treated like an invisible person in my own house?"

Even though Keith read the novel from beginning to end, he didn't have any idea about the story of a side character who commits suicide at the very beginning of the novel. The reasons were unclear however, the incident leads to the official story of one of the villains named Aamon.

So, it is necessary to know the basic reason for this kind of ill-treatment that Eric had to face, because now it's also a matter of Keith's life.

Aiden furrowed his brows. "Why ask something you already know?" He sighed when Keith remained silent. "It's because they're all your stepmother's people. Your silence has made you an easy target. If you had fought back before, things might have been different. But all you've ever done is endure their mistreatment like a coward."

Keith clenched his jaw. A coward? He never thought he'd hear himself be described that way, even if it was technically Eric who had lived this miserable existence.

"Oh? Then I just need to change everything from scratch," he muttered.

"What?!" Aiden gaped at him, startled by the sudden declaration.

Before Keith could elaborate, a loud, saccharine voice echoed through the mansion.

"Eric... Where are you, my baby?" A woman's loud voice interrupts their speech in the middle.

"That voice..." Aiden's face darkened.

"It means, 'To create a new beginning, the first thing I need to change is myself.'" Before leaving the room to find the source of the female voice, Eric whispers in Aiden's ear.

At first, Aiden couldn't understand what Eric exactly meant, but he soon realized it himself.

Descending the staircase, Keith found a regal-looking woman [Emile Jonas-Eric's stepmother] seated comfortably on the sofa, an air of superiority surrounding her. Beside her stood a scowling teenager [Alan Jonas- half-brother] who was clearly trying to look intimidating. 

Emile's face lit up when she saw him. "My baby, I've been so worried. I heard some news about you. Are they true?" She stood, approaching him with deliberate slowness, and gently touched his bandaged forehead. Her fingers lingered—but then she pressed down.

A sharp sting spread through his skull, but Keith didn't flinch.

Instead, he smiled.

"How can I answer if I don't know what news you're referring to?" He grasped her wrist and pried her hand away, his grip firm yet calm.

Her expression flickered, the mask of concern slipping for a brief second before she regained composure. "Did you pick a fight with your high schoolmates?" The sugary tone melted into something more venomous.

Keith chuckled. "They started it. I ended it. These kinds of things are common with teenage boys. You don't need to worry."

Alan scoffed, stepping forward. "Since when do you talk back to my mother?"

Keith tilted his head. "Why can't I speak like this, is she, my mom?"

The words struck like a whip. Alan lunged forward, grabbing Keith's collar in fury. "You—"

Keith didn't let him finish. With a quick move, he twisted Alan's wrist, forcing him to his knees.

"A-Ah! My hand—! Let go, you bastard! It hurts!" Alan howled, writhing in pain.

Gasps filled the room as servants gathered, drawn by the commotion.

"Let him go," Emile ordered, her voice sharp.

Keith obeyed—if only to see what she would do next.

Straightening, Emile dusted off her dress, regaining her poise. "I only tolerated you because you weren't worth my time. But now look at you—turning against me." She took a step closer, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "Just like I ended your mother and brother's lives, ending yours wouldn't be difficult. Even your father wouldn't question me."

Keith's eyes darkened. So, that's how it is.

A slow, almost serene smile spread across his face. "That means letting you live is a threat to my survival, isn't it?"

She frowned. "What?"

"Aunt, it's not about some personal grudge but when you are a risk factor in my life. I can't let you go just like this, right? So just die for me." With an angelic smile on his face, Eric cuts her throat in a second with the knife he secretly carried from his room.

Scarlet sprayed in the air as silence gripped the room. Servants screamed, fleeing in terror, while Alan stood frozen, staring at his mother as she collapsed, choking on her own blood.

"M-Mom..."

Keith stepped closer, wiping a splatter of blood off his cheek. "Now, it's your turn, Mama's boy."

Alan tried to run, but his body betrayed him, paralyzed by fear.

"P-please… let me go, big brother… Please…" he whimpered.

Eric didn't listen to any of his words nor show mercy, the knife pierces through the Alan's heart again and again until his breathe completely stops.

"Aiden...Aiden."

"Y-young master." In a trembling voice, he answered quickly after awakening from the shock.

"Aiden...Are you still willing to stay by my side?" Before going on the hunt to clear all the living evidence against him, Eric curiously asks the one who witnessed everything without blinking an eye.