Voyage Of The Villainess

"Wake up, wake up, hey, wake up." 

Kayden opened his eyes. Clearly, there was discontent in his gleaming ruby eyes.

"Ah" He heard a disappointing grunt. "I can't believe this! You have been asleep all this time, missing all the fun!" Virena appeared in front of him completely displeased as well. While the others were fighting with each other, her champion was just sleeping peacefully like some sleeping beauty, how could she accept something like this easily.

Kayden simply ignored the being in front of him and observed his surroundings. The place was familiar to him. He could hear the sounds of waves gently rocking the ship and the air had the salty smell of the ocean. This was one of the cabins on the ship he used to board. 'The ship of that woman.' 

{"Thank you,"} That woman's voice echoed through his head. His dashing face formed a scowl.

"Ayah ayah. I'm talking to you and yet your mind is with someone else." Virena teased. "The life of youth is really fascinating."

"Burn," Kayden simply said. Dark flames burst out from his hand and completely engulfed Virena.

"Hah, here I thought choosing you would be more interesting." Virena appeared behind Kayden. There was no sign of burn marks on her and she looked completely fine.

"Tsh." Kayden clicked his tongue. "Bur..."

*Puff!* Kayden transformed into a black cat in an instant. "Meow!" What came from him was cat sounds instead of his chant. He immediately glanced up to Virena and gave her the deadliest glare he could give her.

"Though I can't die that easily, I still feel pain, noh?" Virena said with a saddened tone but her eyes were looking at him with a smug. This only infuriated Kayden even more. He tried to cast spells or let his sword appear but none of that happened. "I told you to stay by her side, right?"

"Well, well," Virena walked to his side and patted his head. But the black cat Kayden only bit her right hand.

"Hah. look at this cute cat, you really have a temper," Virena just laughed it off as the wound on her hand disappeared in an instant. "Alright! Since I'm a kind person I decide to give you a chance," 

'I don't need your chances," Kayden snarled but only meow sounds came out from his mouth.

Virena simply ignored his glaring and protests. "Though her presence in this world disappeared, now I could sense her again."

'Her presence disappeared,' Kayden said inside his head. 

"Ayah, ayah, are you that interested in her? I thought you were just feeling forced to do this because you don't want to become a cat." Virena chuckled. 

Kayden furrowed his brows. 'I will kill you," all of his hair stood up along with his tail.

"Those eyes are scary," Virena only laughed even more. "And if maybe if you can talk, you are already telling me," She took a deep breath. "I will kill you," she lowered her tone to mimic a man's voice. Then after she said that, her mischievous grin only grew. "Right? That is what you are thinking. Hahaha, it's funny how easily I can read you."

Kayden jumped up with his sharp claws out. But he was only held in the nape by Virena. "Too bad, you are still too weak to defeat me," Virena said with amusement in her eyes. "Ayah, ayah. Lumiera makes your destiny like that when you have this funny personality, it is really a waste. Well, what can I expect from someone who is boring like her? She even got angry with me when I just made things interesting for her. Ugh! how irritating she is." She sighed. Then her mischievous smile went back again. "But that will only trigger me more to make things fun for everyone." 

Virena flicked her fingers. At the same time, Kayden disappeared in her hands. He suddenly found himself standing above a small white cloud.

"This white flying nimbus, something I copy in another world. Ah, I don't know I was able to use this thing in this world. How did you feel?" Virena said with a big smile. "Anyways, this will bring you to her," Virena said. " Don't forget to have fun...oh before I forgot, actually there is one thing that will happen if you stay with her. You want to become stronger right?"

Kayden, who was struggling to get out from the cloud, looked at her.

"Curious, I see." Virena grinned. "If you stay with her, you will become stronger. I guarantee you with that."

Kayden kneaded his brows. 'Do you think I will believe that?'

"If you learn to love her, love will make you stronger," Virena said. "Is that always the case?" Clearly, she was enjoying teasing this champion of hers.

Now, Kayden was glaring at her more intensely this time. 

"Come on, I'm just kidding. Why are you so serious about everything? " Virena just burst out of more peals of laughter. After a few moments, she recovered herself from laughing then looked completely calm at Kayden. "She has something that no one else has but sadly even I don't even know what it is."

Virena remembered the time when she tried to touch Malaya and those voices that had tremendous power. She was already a goddess and yet there was something unknown that could put pressure on her. She felt uneasy and at the same time excited about what could it be. 'If I just learned what that is, I know that something will greatly change. Or perhaps the change I wanted...' Virena glanced at her hands. 'I can finally obtain that change. And I'm the only goddess that still knows this. I can't let this opportunity be taken away. I will do everything I can just to know what the thing she holds.'

She looked back at Kayden with her usual lopsided mischievous grin. "If we obtain that something, I'm sure it will cause a tremendous change to both of us. Well, for sure, in a positive and powerful way. That is why you must follow everything I said to you."

Virena raised her index finger and the cloud started to move now. "Go find what is that thing, my champion. Alright?"

Kayden struggled, even more, to get out from the cloud but his paws felt like they were stuck in a block of hardened cement. No matter what he did, he couldn't remove it.

"Oh, even if you don't want to do what I've told you to do," Virena grinned as she watched the clouds slowly flying out from the room. "Well, you will have the prize of being a cat for the rest of your life. Hmm, I think you don't like it hahaha when all you do is meow meow." she keeps teasing Kayden. 

She flicked her fingers and quickly Kayden flew out at a rapid speed above the skies, completely disappearing from her sight.

"I look forward to what you will show me again, my champion." Virena stared at the skies where Kayden disappeared with a playful grin on her face.

'Now then,' Virena turned around, though she was smiling her were not. She gestured her right hand and all of the sudden there was a small green creature that appeared in the corner of the room. There was a small chain made of white light binding the creature. It completely looked frightened seeing Virena.

"Although, I allowed you to watch everything, this time sadly, I can't let you report to him what transpired here."

The words that the little creature heard from Virena gave her more fright. 'Is she aware that I have been surveilling her all this time?' Her small body trembled. What will happen to me now?  No, I have failed Lord Aenar's command. I will die now.' She trembled, even more, fretting the situation she was in right now.

"Tree spirit, do not fret, I will not kill you," Virena said. "You just need to disappear to someplace where Aenar or anyone wouldn't reach you." White light particles started to envelop the tree spirit. And before she could speak, she vanished completely.

"Now then that settles the manner," Virena said as she glanced back to the skies. "I hope you will not have hard feelings with this Aenar." Then she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

---⚓⚓⚓---

At the same time, the door of Kayden's cabin opened. Rein furrowed his brows. "He is not here anymore." He walked to the window and before he could close it, his mind flashed with Lady Malaya's eyes when he looked at the vast sea.

"Lord Jules, I failed my promise with you." Rein said as his grip on the handle of the window tightened. "I should have gone with her and not stayed with the ship. I failed to protect her."

"Rein!" He turned around when he heard Iris scream. The door opened with a loud bang, revealing Iris who was catching her breath. 

"Let's get out off this island and set sail to our next location!"