A Villain's Survival Guide

"The Abyssal Cube?"

"You’re telling me the Devil’s Fruit was the Abyssal Cube this entire bloody time?"

Mystery giggled.

[ You know about it? You’re full of surprises, aren’t you? ]

Leomaris sneered. Naturally, he knew about this. The Abyssal Cube was what sparked the final arc of the novel: the Epic Arc. The sort of prize even his father, Godfrey, had been chasing, and the man was a Sage, no less.

By that time, Godfrey had faced Lucius more times than was comfortable. Lucius had never forgiven him for his part in his parents’ murder and wouldn’t stop till he’d settled the score. But when it came to the Abyssal Cube, they were rivals rather than enemies.

"It boosts your abilities exponentially, but there’s a catch. In return, it gives you this unholy presence that makes you no different from the devil. People stop seeing you as human after that.

Truth is, it’s like trading your humanity for power. And wherever they go, they leave behind this nasty trace of themselves, making it easy for strong people to track them."

[ Well now... you’re far better informed than I expected, my vessel. Knowledge like that is reserved for those of Philosopher rank or higher. ]

Leomaris sighed. As if he could forget.

It was only after Lucius became a Philosopher that he’d even caught wind of the Abyssal Cube, and straight away he’d set his sights on nabbing it, all so he could finish Godfrey and the others off properly.

Leomaris hated it, if he was honest, even knowing Lucius’s contractual cost had left him hollow.

He became emotionless, and senseless. He was practically one foot out the door already, he couldn’t even get a whiff of something or taste his own supper.

But more than anything, he was hung up on Lucius and the heroine getting their hands on the Ascension Chest. All so they could chip away at their contractual cost and have a proper shot at being together.

"Ah... so this was Red Ghost’s final solution to transcendence, was it?"

He stroked his chin, the pieces slowly knitting themselves together.

"It would seem that, after changing his mind, he sealed it away within the artificial Golden Apple."

He sat with it all for a tick, and his face fell flat.

"Eh? If this has nothing to do with the Firstlight Goddess, then why’re the Crimson Order and those stuck-up nobles after it in the first place?"

When Mystery spoke again, there was no hiding it. They were well tickled, almost gobsmacked by the sheer amount Leomaris had tucked away.

[ I finally understand the reason behind our compatibility. ]

Mystery’s voice toned down a little, becoming deeper than the usual soft voice.

[ What makes you so sure the Goddess isn’t involved? ]

Leomaris’s brow curled up slightly. "Is she?"

He was baffled by it. Just as no one but himself and Mystery could brew up his solutions, so it went for every mage. Some ingredients might crop up in both, fair enough, but the finished product was always its own thing entirely.

That was why downing the Red Ghost’s final solution could rob a person of their humanity altogether.

This put it well beyond the Firstlight Goddess to have played any part in crafting the Abyssal Cube. Unless...

"...unless the ingredients came from the Goddess herself."

Chills coursed through Leomaris. He knew well enough that Transcendent ranks were the closest thing to deities this world had.

Even his father, only a Sage, wielded power that had no business being in a mortal’s hands, but to think a Sage’s final solution could pull the Goddess into it.

[ Can you consume the cube already? ]

The moment Mystery spoke, Leomaris was pulled sharply back to the matter at hand, confusion etching itself across his face before he could help it.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

He gritted his teeth.

"I want strength, yes... but I refuse to lose my humanity."

Mid-sentence, a gentle breeze stirred around the Abyssal Cube, heavier than before. Without a doubt, it was Mystery’s doing.

Leomaris’s eyes went wide as saucers. He understood what was happening before he could even think straight.

The Abyssal Cube drifted toward his chest as though it had him picked out from the start. His body moved on instinct, trying to pull away, but it was too late. The cube was already too close to dodge clean.

The cube caught his shoulder and vanished abruptly. It dissolved clean away before reappearing around Leomaris’s chest, settling in like it had made up its mind.

His hands flew to his chest, panic bleeding into his face till it went crimson. He’d steeled himself for something agonizing, but what came next threw him right off.

His chest went cold as anything, like a mountain of ice was packing itself around the area.

Then, a moment later, the strangest thing... his heart began to feel gentle, his heartbeat dropping to a steady, calm rhythm, as though the Abyssal Cube was giving it a personal massage like it was the most natural thing in the world.

It was refreshing enough to coax a smile across his face, and then, almost in the same go, he crumpled straight onto the bed.

The feeling was very familiar. It brought him right back to when he was a sprog.

His past life, his parents taking him out for ice cream, and that satisfying bite of cold that would settle around his chest. Miserable in the best way, and he’d lapped it up anyway.

The smiles on his parents’ faces, sitting there in the park, were absolutely beside themselves watching him clutch his chest and still go at that ice cream cone like a dog with a bone, not a chance he was letting it go.

It felt personal and refreshing, as though the Abyssal Cube had him well clocked, better than anyone ever had. But slowly, gently, it began to quiet, and he felt every scrap of it melting into his blood.

Then the coldness cleared off altogether, and, gentle as anything, he floated back to consciousness. Like coming round from a dream he wouldn’t have minded staying in a bit longer.

"Are you okay, young master?"

He flinched, eyes snapping open. First thing he noticed was his hand balled tight around the bedsheet and his teeth ground firm together, the pair of them carrying on like he’d been in agony the whole time.

He pulled himself upright, and his eyes found Hazel, who had waltzed herself into his room without him noticing.

"Are you well, young master? I heard your cries of pain and came as quickly as I could."

Leomaris frowned. Cries? Pain?

He didn’t remember any of that. But with his grip on the bedsheet and his teeth the way they’d been, he couldn’t rightly say it hadn’t happened.

He smiled awkwardly.

"It’s okay, Hazel. Everything is fine."

Hazel found something off in his words, but let it go, taking them at face value. She wasn’t about to question Leomaris, that much was plain.

"If you say so, young master."

She said pleasantly enough and made her way out, closing the door behind her with a quiet click.

The second she was gone, Leomaris let out a breath he’d been sitting on.

Couldn’t work out for the life of him why his mind had clocked off to his past life while his body was going through agony, but his attention was already on Mystery, quick as anything.

"Why the heck did you do that, then?"

Mystery held its tongue a moment, then giggled, soft as anything. As if everything about Leomaris amused it.

[ Now... you possess the strength to consume Le Mythe des Quatre. ]

Leomaris scowled. This creature had marched him right down a path he hadn’t wanted to go near and had the nerve to blank him after.

’Lucky I can’t see you. Otherwise, you and I would be throwing hands, no doubt.’

Almost like Mystery had nicked the thought right out of his head, she let out a chuckle. Soft and ladylike.

[ As a gesture of apology, I shall grant you something never intended for a Magician to possess. ]

Leomaris sneered. He wasn’t going to be fobbed off with a few parlour tricks.

He wanted to be livid, but the anger just wasn’t there. He was as calm as a millpond, which didn’t sit right with him at all. He couldn’t tell if the Abyssal Cube was behind it.

[ Just this once, I shall permit you to use your ability, ’Solve,’ not as a skill. You are to draw the magic circle behind the book and resolve it in that manner. However, there is a condition that must be met: you must be free of all negative thoughts and emotions, and filled solely with happiness before consuming the hymn book. ]

Leomaris’s expression darkened. What Mystery was saying couldn’t be done. No creature could sidestep the rules governing a grimoire, Mystery included. Couldn’t budge them an inch if they tried.

[ With this, you should be able to protect yourself for a decade or two. I’ll be leaving your side for real this time, my vessel. I may or may not return again... unless you summon me. ]

The moment Mystery said it, something clicked into place.

Mystery had brought itself through to the real world without him doing a thing, and stranger still, it had pulled that off while still sitting snug inside the grimoire, recording his skills like nothing was amiss.

As far as Leomaris could tell, Mystery was capable of being in two places at the same time.

It left him uneasy, and rightly so. He’d always known Mystery was different, the sort of entity that could ruin him without breaking a sweat, but this was something else. He’d never seen any creature manage anything like it. Not even in the novel.

Just the one question nagged at him then.

"What exactly are you... Mystery?"