Voyage Of The Villainess

Iris glanced up when Malaya entered her room. 

"What are you doing here?" Iris said, completely irritated that someone entered her room without asking permission.

"Oh, you're writing," Malaya said as she saw Iris with her quill and a blank book.

"No, I'm eating." Iris sarcastically said as she closed the book.

"Why are you so sarcastic of everything?" Malaya chuckled as she took a seat on her bed. It has been two days now since she returned here. 

"And why are just barging into someone's room without permission?"

"Well, I'm actually kept knocking so many times but no one is answering so I just enter."

Iris didn't find any rebuttal to that and just raised a brow. "Yeah, whatever." She rolled her eyes.

"Then why are you here?"

"Hmm... about the place where we came from, I haven't told you the entirety of it." 

"The place where that three-eyed woman with you came from."

"Hey, don't call her three-eyed. Her name is Lila." Malaya said. "You really have some nasty mouth. If she heard that, she would be hurt. That fella has a soft heart you see."

"Alright, Lila. But she seems pretty accepted by everyone now. She became close with Dorris and Hyun Jae as soon as you introduced her to them. And also, I didn't expect that even Kayden would join us." Iris said. 

"Well, like I told everyone told before that just how things came to be," Malaya said nonchalantly. "So, to my agenda. I found something about the island. There are more transmigrators than us in this world. And they are called champions of the gods. Someone also warned me, a transmigrator like us to be wary of those champions especially the one wearing an inverted red mask."

Iris became serious hearing Malaya's remarks. "Champions of the gods?"

"Yes." Malaya nodded her head. "Do you idea of what could that mean?"

Iris fell into contemplation. "No, I didn't write such a thing in the Fate of the Stars. It only revolves around the story of Hyun Jae and the defeat of the demon king."

"Then it is really as what I think it is." Malaya looked more serious to Iris.

"What is it?"

"Your story is already written inside an already existing world. And there are strange and bigger things that are going to happen without our knowing."

"A world that is already existing?" Iris furrowed her brows. "But I'm the one who crafted this world from map to everything. I am basically the creator of this world."

"Then what lies outside the red current?" Malaya asked which silenced Iris.

"That," Iris looked quite troubled. "That is something I wanted to find out as well. That is why I'm coming with you."

"Alright," Malaya said. "Let's say you're indeed someone the one who created the world from scratch. But there is a possibility that as the story was created, somewhere out in the universe or even some other space, this world was already created. And as time passed, it expanded from the initial place you created."

"That could be certain," Iris also pondered about what Malaya had said just now. But as they fell both in contemplation, Malaya realized something.

"Say, Iris,"

Iris looked at her once again.

"How did you arrive here in this world, in the first place? Perhaps you're also the champion of some gods?"

"Hmm... I drank poison in my past life. And when I woke up, I was already here in this world as a child abused by her aunt. Then was sold as a slave. The revolution happened and we met."

Malaya was completely shocked, hearing Iris' words. "You drink a poison?" She looked with complete pity and worry at Iris. 'Just how miserable is her life to commit such things?'

And seeing the look Malaya giving to her, this irked Iris. "Don't worry. I know now how life is important. I won't do such things again."

"Better keep those words. If you indeed do something like that again, before you can do something like that, I'll make sure to beat you up until you come back to your senses." Malaya threatened with a sinister smile, which made Iris move her chair a few inches away from Malaya.

"Just enough about that. Before I came here, I didn't meet any gods. I just came here as it is and nothing else. Did something strange happen to you as well, before you came to this world?"

"Hmm." Malaya held her chin, thinking if she was going to tell Iris her story. But since she told her story, it would be fair enough to tell her too. "Actually, I save a friend of mine in an explosion. I think that's where I die, from an explosion.

This time it was Iris who looked at Malaya with pity. 'An explosion, that must be quite a painful death.'

"Don't worry, I didn't feel anything that time and the next thing I knew, I became Malaya." But before that, someone gave me this bracelet," she raised her left wrist where the silver bracelet was located.

Iris narrowed her gaze at Malaya's wrist but no matter what she do, she couldn't see any single silver bracelet on it.

"From your expression, you can't see this. It's alright since I'm the only one who can see this." Malaya said. "This bracelet is what brought me into this world and no matter what I did, I can't remove it."

"Someone gave you that invisible bracelet? Who could that be? Do you know who it was?" Iris barraged her with questions.

"By now, she just called herself as the name of the priestess." Malaya felt certainly strange telling all of this to Iris. She felt completely happy inside, that there was someone she could talk to about her past life and all of this. Iris must also be the same seeing her bright expression right now.

"Priestess? She's not a god?" Iris said. "And by your tone, it seems, you have conversations with her?"

"I don't know what exactly is she," Malaya said. "But the time when I lost consciousness for two weeks, I am simply talking to her. Then when I disappeared, I was also dragged to her space. She also gave me the task of collecting twelve ornaments. So far I have collected three of it."

"Space? That is surely convenient. It seems someone omnipotent is backing you in this world. And was also given a task? It seems you already had some adventure of your own." Iris sighed. "Then you being dead, why am I even worrying about that?" She released another deep breath.

"If I am not careful, I can still certainly die since our communication together is limited." Malaya chuckled. "And you for worrying about me, that surely makes me happy."

"Hmph. You just misheard some things." Iris crossed her arms in annoyance. "However, is it alright, for you to tell me all of these things? What if whatever priestess is backing you silenced me out of nowhere." 

"I think it's alright. I guess?" Malaya shrugged her shoulders. 

"You guess? That is certainly reassuring." 

"Well, you're still alright, after hearing all of this." Malaya chuckled even more. And Iris just rolled her eyes.

"Then, it seems in the end, there is nothing much we know about those gods and champions." Malaya continued. 

"Yeah, the only thing we can do is to be more careful. And be stronger than anyone." Iris grinned. "So god, champion or any whatever, they can do nothing about this world. After all, I'm the creator of this world. I'm basically above everything here! Hahaha!" Iris cackled like some evil witch. 

"Yeah, yeah." Malaya just shook her head at Iris' silliness once again. "And once we reached Rhyme, we are one step to cross the Red Current like we originally planned."

"Milady, Lady Iris!" They both turned towards the door that suddenly opened revealing Dorris.

"Dinner is already ready!" She said with enthusiasm. "Everyone is already waiting for the both of you."

"Yes, we are coming," Malaya said as she stand up from the bed. Iris put the book she was writing inside the drawer then followed behind Malaya.

When they arrived outside. instead of having a happy atmosphere, over the dining table, everyone stood wary. Everyone had their weapons out. Lila was the first one to notice their presence.

"What is happening?" Dorris asked.

Lila just pointed in front where Oliver raised both his hands. As multiple weapons pointed to him. Seeing this, Dorris brought out her scythe as well. 

"What are you doing here?!" Dorris screamed. She glanced towards Hyun Jae who looked completely frightened as she hid behind Rein.

"It seems, I'm not welcome here. But I didn't come to any one of you. I came to talk to her." Oliver glanced in Malaya's direction. "I want to have one of the help you promised me based on the contract." 

Malaya sighed. "Everyone, it's alright. He would not hurt anyone now. We made a contract that he can't harm anyone of you again."

"But," Dorris hesitated.

"Then if it is as what Milady had say." The first one to withdraw his weapon was Rein. "Dorris please escort, lady Hyun Jae to her room."

Dorris saw Hyun Jae trembling state. She gave one last glare to Oliver before going inside the cabin with Hyun Jae. Oliver had a pained look in his eyes as he watched Hyun Jae leaving. 'She's really here. And very afraid of me. That treatment is something I deserve.'

Malaya held her head, looking at Oliver.. "You really are one troublesome person. Alright, what do you want my help about?"