The Villain Professor's Second Chance

The scent of ale and wood smoke clung to the air, mingling with the faint crackle of a dying hearth. The inn's dim lighting cast long shadows against the wooden walls, a comforting contrast to the suffocating darkness of the mines. Kael pushed through the door, his boots dragging against the floorboards. He barely registered the bartender's nod or the quiet murmur of voices in the common room.

He was too tired to care. Too drained to even acknowledge the warmth of a place that wasn't crawling with skittering legs and eerie, pulsing runes.

Liora followed him in, moving with far more ease, though there was something different in his usual fluid stride—something heavier, like he was walking in step with ghosts only he could see. He didn't speak, didn't throw out a teasing remark like he normally would. That alone unsettled Kael more than the silence of the mines had.

They reached the stairwell, and Kael gritted his teeth as he climbed, every step up the worn wooden stairs sending jolts of pain through his exhausted limbs. His shoulders ached from the frantic fights, his legs burned from sprinting through tunnels riddled with traps. His hands—gods, his hands still felt the vibration of his dagger slicing through too-thick exoskeletons.

The hallway stretched before him, lined with modest doors leading to the inn's rented rooms. He stopped in front of his, fumbling for the key in his pouch with stiff fingers.

"You look like hell," Liora muttered beside him, watching with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Kael huffed, finally getting the key into the lock and pushing the door open. "Feel like it, too."

Liora leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Get some rest. You're gonna need it."

Kael shot him a tired look, lingering in the doorway for a second. He almost asked about the amulet again, about the runes, about the spiders that moved like soldiers under command—but Liora's expression shut down any attempt before it could leave his mouth. His sharp eyes, usually filled with a lazy kind of amusement, had an edge to them now, something distant and unreadable.

Kael exhaled, shaking his head as he stepped inside. "See you in the morning."

Liora's smirk twitched, more habit than humor. "If you wake up."

The door clicked shut behind him, sealing him in the solitude of his room.

It was small, barely large enough for the bed and a rickety table shoved into the corner, but it was quiet. Safe. The faint candlelight flickered against the walls, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Kael allowed himself to breathe.

His body ached in places he hadn't known could hurt. Every step had felt like trudging through thick mud, exhaustion threatening to pull him under. He barely had the energy to kick off his boots before collapsing onto the stiff mattress, letting out a long, shuddering breath as the bed creaked in protest beneath him.

His mind, however, refused to quiet.

Images flickered behind his closed eyes—the gleam of too-many black eyes reflecting the lantern's light, the soft tremors in the webbing that spread like ripples in water, the runes pulsing with an unnatural glow. He could still hear the chittering, the way it had built up into a crescendo before the attack, almost like a signal.

The spiders hadn't just been reacting to their presence.

They had been waiting.

Kael swallowed, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.

And then there was Liora.

He wasn't blind to the way his companion dodged questions, how his gaze lingered just a moment too long on the symbols, how his fingers tightened ever so slightly when he pocketed the amulet. There was a weight to Liora's actions, an unspoken burden he carried with him.

But why?

Kael's fingers curled into the blanket at his side. He had only known Liora for a short time, but he had quickly learned one thing—Liora didn't do anything without reason. Every smirk, every careless shrug, every sarcastic remark had layers beneath it. His entire persona was a mask, carefully maintained, and Kael had no idea what lay beneath it.

What did Liora know that he wasn't saying?

The thought nagged at him, dug its claws into his mind and refused to let go.

But then exhaustion finally won.

His eyelids grew heavy, his thoughts unraveling into shapeless fragments as his body sank deeper into the mattress. The ache in his limbs faded, swallowed by the pull of much-needed rest.

Sleep clawed at him, dragging him under before he could find an answer.

_____

Mist curled around the rooftops, thick and restless, veiling the quiet town in a ghostly hush. The distant murmur of the tavern had long since faded, leaving only the soft creak of wooden beams settling in the cold night air. The dim glow of lanterns flickered through the mist, their warm halos barely reaching the cobbled streets below. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

Liora perched on the edge of a slanted rooftop, balanced with the ease of someone who had spent a lifetime in places others dared not tread. His usual smirk was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his sharp gaze remained fixed on the second-floor window of Kael's rented room, his expression unreadable.

A soft gust of wind stirred his cloak, but he didn't move. His sharp eyes traced the faint rise and fall of Kael's chest through the cracked window, watching as the younger man lay motionless, deep in the embrace of exhaustion. Only once he was certain Kael was asleep did Liora shift his focus.

His fingers dipped into his pocket and retrieved the amulet.

It was cool against his skin, the metal smooth except for the faint, intricate etchings carved into its edges. The runes, barely visible in the dim light, pulsed with a ghostly rhythm—soft, like a heartbeat slowed by centuries. Liora's thumb brushed over them, absently tracing their curves, as if hoping to find an answer hidden in the pattern.

His jaw tightened.

The past had a funny way of sneaking up on him.

Liora rolled the amulet between his fingers like a gambler toying with dice, his gaze distant, lost somewhere far beyond the quiet town. The mist curled lazily around him, clinging to his presence, as if drawn to his thoughts.

"What a great coincidence," he murmured, voice barely more than a whisper. The words drifted into the cold air, swallowed by the silence. His eyes darkened, their sharp glint lost to something heavier. "Even his carelessness, his reckless curiosity… it all looks so damn familiar."

He exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the night air.

Is this fate?

The question lingered in his mind, unspoken but heavy, dragging with it the weight of something long buried. The past clawed at the edges of his thoughts, unwelcome yet relentless. A face—not Kael's, but another—flashed in his memory, hazy and unreachable, the details just out of grasp. He pushed it away before it could take shape, swallowing whatever emotion threatened to surface.

What good did it do to remember?

He sighed, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off an invisible burden.

Dwelling on the past wouldn't change anything.

With a final glance at Kael's window, Liora pulled his cloak tighter around him and melted into the shadows.

____

Morning arrived with the scent of fresh bread and spiced tea, drifting through the wooden beams of the inn. The low murmur of voices filled the common room—adventurers nursing steaming mugs of something strong, merchants in hushed conversation about goods and trade routes, and the occasional clatter of cutlery against wooden plates. The warmth of the hearth spread through the space, contrasting against the chill that clung to the outside air.

Kael stretched, his muscles stiff and protesting every movement. His body still felt heavy, weighed down by exhaustion, but the promise of food and a somewhat normal morning routine was enough to get him moving. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the events of the previous night still lingering in his thoughts. The mines. The spiders. The runes.

And Liora.

He shook off the weight of those thoughts and made his way down the creaky staircase. As he entered the common room, his gaze landed on Liora, already seated at one of the smaller tables near the window. The rogue was picking at his breakfast with the same disinterest he seemed to have for most things. A plate of eggs, some dark rye bread, and a mug of something steaming sat before him, barely touched.

Liora barely looked up as Kael slid into the seat across from him. His sharp eyes flicked over Kael, taking in his sluggish movements and stiff posture, before a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Look who's alive," he said, voice tinged with amusement.

Kael grunted as he reached for a chunk of bread. "Barely." He took a bite, the rich, yeasty flavor filling his mouth. "You actually slept?" He gestured to the dark circles under Liora's eyes.

Liora snorted, tearing off a piece of bread but not eating it. "What do you think?" His smirk didn't quite reach his eyes, and Kael didn't press the matter.

Before the conversation could go any further, a hesitant cough interrupted them. A young boy—no older than sixteen, maybe seventeen—stood near their table, shifting from foot to foot. His clothes were neat but plain, the crest of the Adventurer's Guild stitched onto his sleeve marking him as a staff member rather than an adventurer. In his hands, he clutched a sealed envelope.

"S-Summons from the Adventurer's Guild," the boy stammered, extending the letter toward them.

Liora didn't move. He simply continued picking at his breakfast as though nothing in the world could be less interesting than a direct message from the guild.

Kael sighed, wiping his hands on his tunic before taking the envelope. "Thanks." He spared the boy a reassuring nod before breaking the seal and unfolding the parchment. His eyes skimmed the contents, and almost immediately, his stomach twisted.

"They want us to report on the mines," he muttered. "Officially."

Liora sighed, finally looking up from his plate. "Figures. They probably don't believe half of what we saw."

Kael frowned. He had already suspected as much, but seeing it written in stiff, official handwriting made it feel more frustrating. "Then we'll make them believe it."

Liora chuckled, shaking his head as he took a slow sip of his drink. "Optimistic. I'll give you that."

Kael scowled but said nothing. The conversation hung between them for a moment, unspoken thoughts thick in the air.

Liora finally stood, stretching lazily before tossing a few coins onto the table. "We should get going," he said, his voice lighter now, though Kael didn't miss the way his fingers drummed absently against his belt. "Wouldn't want to keep the great and powerful guild waiting."

Kael exhaled sharply and followed him out into the morning light. Whatever awaited them at the guild, he had a feeling it wasn't just a simple report.

Something was brewing.

And they were right in the middle of it.