Villain's Rising

"Wh-What\'s going on?! Ho...w did this happen?"

Michael had a terrified look on his face. Almost as if he had seen a ghost.

"Hahaha! Ahahahaha! I told ya! I did, didn\'t I?!"

While Sam couldn\'t be any happier, after all, his years\' worth of waiting finally bore him results.

Thirty-two years since Michael and Sam created a new timeline. A timeline where Sam experienced no childhood trauma and went on to become Samael Rightwill instead of Samael Gracefell.

He enrolled in the Hero Academy and graduated to become a hero sidekick.

So, logically speaking, Sam of this timeline should have become a normal person, or at least as normal as a hero can be.

Yet, here he was, standing in a dimly lit room under the light of broken ceiling lights…. stained merlot of his victim\'s blood.

Watching this scenery from a little distance were Sam and Michael from the original timeline. They still had their presence concealed.

A few hours ago, Samael got a call from Michael on his day off.

Michael informed him of some very special news– Michael was going to become a father.

As soon as Samael heard that news, something inside him broke.

You see, in this timeline, Michael and Samael liked a girl named Claudia during their academy years.

Michael, after becoming a well-known superhero, married her.

Sam, after almost ten years, thought that he had moved on. But as soon as he heard the news, he snapped.

Yes, you can see where this story is going.

Since Michael was a renowned superhero in this timeline, he can\'t always be home.

Samael waited till he received a distress call and had to go out.

Using that opportunity, Sam visited Michael\'s place by the pretense of congratulating him in person.

Claudia, who was alone at the moment, let Sam in the house. Poor girl had no reason to suspect him, her brother-in-law, after all.

They talked for a while, and when Sam confirmed her guard was down, he took out a knife from his pocket and used his telekinesis to thrust it into her heart in a flash.

The girl didn\'t even get a chance to react when she drew her last breath.

"Wh…y?" Those were the only words she managed to choke out before closing her eyes for all eternity.

Samael, however, as if gone off the edge, took out the knife from her chest and stabbed her one more time.

Then he did that again. And again. And again. He kept on stabbing her for about 10 minutes or something till he finally let go of the knife.

"Why… Why did he do that?" Michael, who was more than disturbed by the sudden turn of events, tremblingly asked.

"Hmm? Why? Because, as I said, it\'s my nature to be this way. Call it fate or insanity. It is what it is."

Sam replied with a bright smile plastered on his face.

One might argue that Sam was incorrect, and Samael did what he did only because he had developed some insecurity and mental issues over the years of social solitude.

However, that doesn\'t justify Samael\'s actions.

No normal person would straight up murder the woman they claimed to have \'loved,\' especially if she was their brother\'s wife.

Michael could only look at Sam with shaky eyes.

Is what he was telling him for all those past years true? Was he really born this way?

But… no one is born evil… right?

Sam, as if reading Michael\'s thoughts, spoke

"I was. I was born this way."

"Huh?"

"You see, Michael, if my father weren\'t a part of my life, then I would\'ve grown up with a normal family under normal circumstances. But that could\'ve only concealed my true nature for so long. Sooner or later, I was destined to become this way."

"...No… No! No, you are wrong! Samael did what he did because he had issues!"

"Oh really? A hero has to go through monthly mandatory psyche check-ups. All his monthly psychological reports were normal."

"...I… That\'s because…."

"That\'s because Samael, even without the knowledge of working human brains and emotions, is a psychotic person and a pathological liar. He is, what you may call, in layman\'s terms, a psychopath."

"No… No! He was just hurt! He really loved Claudia! He really did! And she was going to become a mother! That hurt him!" Even after everything, Michael still tried to defend Samael.

Seeing this, Sam couldn\'t help but laugh.

"Ahaha, my stupid little brother. Is that a reason to kill someone? Just because she was going to give birth to a child that wasn\'t his, he killed her? That\'s love?"

"I… no… but-"

"Besides, look at his face."

Cutting Michael off, Sam pointed toward Samael\'s and urged him to look there.

Michael, still trying to process everything and come to a reasonable justification, looked in the direction Sam was pointing.

…But there, he saw something that shook his very soul.

He saw Samael, who was kneeling beside Claudia\'s lifeless body, covered in her blood… smiling.

Yes, he was smiling…

And it wasn\'t even a sad smile, either. It was a grin. An eerie grin that sent shivers down Michael\'s back.

"Have you ever killed someone, Michael? Of course, you haven\'t. Let me tell you, killing someone is like pleasuring yourself. It feels good. But when the aftertaste hits you, you feel bad. Some people call it post-kill clarity. It\'s the time when you feel guilt and remorse. Now, do you think he\'s feeling any guilt or remorse?"

Looking at Samael\'s eerie grin, Michael couldn\'t help but shake his head.

"No… he\'s a demon."

"You see now? Killing her was his choice, and enjoying it was his nature. He, much like myself, was born this way."

What Sam didn\'t know at that moment was that Michael wasn\'t the only person who was surprised by this turn of events.

The voice in Sam\'s head was also surprised.

"Well, now that I\'m satisfied, let\'s finally return and end this story."