The Villain You Made

(TW: hints of violence and the dead and decayed)

Queen Carmilla was the kindest person I ever knew. She had faith in me, a supposedly bloodthirsty vampire. She said that I am a better knight than any Xanthian that has graced her kingdom. She praised me, showered me with love when others hated me. Tricked me into thinking I was serving a worthy cause.

I could’ve never foresaw the monster she was under the mask.

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“You have to calm down, Silas! I feel like I’m fighting a full on monster when I’m sparring with you!” My sparring partner laughed in a hearty tone, brown hair full of sweat.

“I mean, aren’t you technically fighting a monster?” I joked. I’m not wrong, vampires are still demons. We’re just more elegant, you know?

My partner snickered again, patting me on the back. He grinned at me as he moved my silvery white hair out of my face, reaching up to my height with his hand. His green eyes stared into mine, that spark of joy never extinguished. Toryn was one of those happy go-lucky knights that I despised, yet some how I managed to become best of friends with him.

Sometimes I think it was more than a friendship.

Toryn looked at me up and down, “And it doesn’t help that you’re 6”4 at only 13. Wish you were one of those short goblins.”

“Oh, please. Goblins are idiots. I should know.”

Toryn grinned again, but before he said anything else, he spotted someone behind me.

I turned around to find none other than Queen Carmilla approaching us. In the golden light of dawn, her auburn hair shined, topped with a silver crown with blue and purple gems. Her face was calm, yet it radiated confidence in the most elegant way possible.

She smiled at me, “Silas Viacarth, our outstanding prodigy.” She gestures for me to walk towards her, my tall figure towering over hers. Despite our height difference, she was a mother figure to me. Someone I’d trust with my life.

I bowed at her, my long silvery white hair covering my face, “Your Highness. What brings you here?”

Toryn bowed as well, though more in a rushed attempt, “Silas and I were just dabbling in a bit of swordplay.”

Queen Carmilla nodded, chuckling as she did, “Then you wouldn’t mind if I took Silas aside to work on more swordplay?” She winked at me.

Toryn stands straight, “Oh no, Your Highness. Whatever you want.” He waved at me before running off somewhere else, leaving Carmilla and I.

“Let’s go,” she says, “I want to see you practice your magic.”

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We were in the palace courtyard, where Carmilla had positioned me in front of three trees. They were all alive and healthy, standing almost as tall as the castle.

“Kill them. Take the soul out of those trees. It’s more efficient than cutting them down,” Carmilla instructs.

I nodded excitedly at her. I employed my powers, them forming into dark swirls of magic. I aimed at the trees and black malicious essence shot out.

The trees slowly shriveled up, the leaves drying out and falling. It felt like I killed a person. Three people, in fact.

But they’re just plants, right?

In moments, the trees were gone, nothing but detritus in the courtyard.

“Splendid, Silas.” Carmilla praised.

“Thank you,” I mouthed.

She looked behind me, gesturing at some guards.

As I turned around, they released a small creature. It was a demonic scorpion, reaching the same dimensions as a medium sized dog. It scrambled across the courtyard, making adorable chirping sounds.

“Your Highness, how can I possibly kill this adorable fella?”

Carmilla’s smile turned cold as ice, “End it.”

My smile falters, “But-”

“Toughen up and kill it!”

I sighed in defeat and blasted the scorpion. As I sucked the life out of the arachnid, it screeched in terror, breaking the tiniest parts of my heart into shards.

When all that remained was the corpse of the scorpion, Carmilla walked up to me, patting my shoulder, “That’s enough for today. You did good.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” I said in a melancholic tone, “Thank you. "

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I wandered the halls of the castle, still contemplating the fact that I killed four living beings, one having a mind of its own.

The halls of the castle were decorated in blue and violet carpets, topped with silver details. The sun illuminated the area through the windows, making the dull and dreary area seem more lively.

Carmilla has been forcing me to suck the life out of a lot of things recently. As much as I enjoy the power, I don’t want to kill anybody with it. Deities know how gruesome it can be. Still, it can’t be that bad. She’s only taking a special interest in me… right?

I dismissed the thought from my mind, continuing to traverse the halls of the castle.

I stumbled upon a door that I’ve never seen before. It was the same grey colour as the walls. Maybe that’s why I haven’t seen it.

I reached for the handle, but quickly retracted my hand. I’m not going to let curiosity land me in trouble, am I?

Still, my hand wandered towards the handle once more, freezing only a few inches away from it.

Finally I gave into my urge to know what’s on the other side. I shook the handle, but the door didn’t open.

It’s locked. Great.

I scratched the back of my head and found that I had a hairpin in my hair. I took it out and used it to pick the lock on the door.

The door popped open, revealing a dark stairwell, only illuminated by a dim orange light.

Well that’s creepy, I thought.

I started to descend down the stairwell, closing the door behind me. As I went down, the orange light became brighter and brighter, making the place less eerie.

Finally, I reached the bottom of the stairs. I gasped in horror as I realized what this room was.

A body bunker.

Despite my horror, I walked into the room. Dozens of bodies were strewn across the floor, some of them just broken skeletons, others decaying cadavers. The stench revolted me, but I was too terrified by the bodies to even notice.

As I inspected the bodies further, I realized that most of them had fangs in their teeth. Which could only mean one thing.

The majority of these bodies are dead vampires.

I reached the end of the room and found the most recent body. It hadn’t decayed too much, other than some wounds. As I looked at it further, despite the dim light, I immediately recognized who it was.

Queen Carmilla.

“Wait, but she’s alive. I was just talking to her!” I stepped back from the corpse, baffled. I looked around and noticed some of the other corpses also had royal clothing still on them. Clothing so exquisite, it could’ve only been worn by queens and kings.

What the f-

“SILAS!” Carmilla called out from behind me.

I turned around to find the queen wearing a long violet cloak, with a feathered collar and a crow-shaped mask. her auburn hair flowing freely. She wielded a staff topped with violet crystals.

“Your Highness… What’s going on? What is this?”

Carmilla smiled sadly under the mask, “Oh, Silas. You weren’t supposed to find out about this place. You are my best knight.”

“Not supposed to find- YOU KILLED MY KIND!”

“Weren’t you the one who said they labeled you as an outcast?!” Carmilla exclaims.

“WHO CARES?! YOU MURDERED THEM! And you keep their bodies in this… this dungeon.” I felt tears threatening to spill, “And who is that woman at the end of the room? She looks JUST like you!”

Carmilla sighs, “Carmilla was a hard persona to change into. She was kind and caring, the opposite of what I am. The rulers I pretended to be weren’t as benevolent as she was. Kind or not, I destroyed their kingdoms. It’s a rather satisfying feeling.”

I stared at her in shock, “You’re an impostor… And what about the vampires laying around, what happened to them?!”

Carmilla’s smile faltered, her expression turning grim, “They were the ones who wiped out the kingdoms, under my command. They had the same abilities you have, Silas. But by the time they finished their work, they were too weak to survive.”

Tears streamed down my face like a river. I quickly wiped them away as I hyperventilated in anger.

“But you, Silas, are much more powerful than they ever were. My child, I am the queen, and you are the valiant knight. Join me. Embrace your darker impulses. We can destroy Xanthia together, and we’ll conquer the world, covering it in darkness.” Carmilla extended her hand out towards me.

“I TRUSTED YOU! YOU WERE LIKE A MOTHER TO ME!” I screamed, “I THOUGHT YOU WERE AN ANGEL SENT FROM HEAVEN! TURNS OUT YOU”RE NOT EVEN THE REAL QUEEN! YOU’RE A SORCERESS PLAYING PRETEND!”

Carmilla only stared, her face in a frown.

My screams turned into heartbroken sobs, “You’re a monster. You killed all these beings.” I felt a pained smile forming on my face, “And I was going to be next, wasn’t I?”

Carmilla’s eyes widened as I summoned a dagger and lunged myself at her, aiming the blade at her head. She blocked me with her staff, before shoving me to the ground. The dim orange light of the torches flickered for a moment.

She walked over to where I lay, my eyes meeting hers.

“I may be a monster, Silas. But the worst kinds of monsters are the ones that you thought you can trust with your wildest dreams.”

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“You are hereby exiled from Xanthia for attempted assassination upon Her Highness, Queen Carmilla,” the knight commander decreed.

I was bound in shackles held by two knight cadets, one of them being Toryn. They dragged me out the kingdom gates, not caring if I get hurt or not.

“Toryn,” I begged, “Please, listen.”

“I can’t. After all this time, Silas, you went insane,” Toryn said in a disappointed tone, “I shouldn’t listen to a lunatic.” His green eyes were glazed over, brown hair splayed in different directions.

“Toryn, please!” I cried, “You don’t understand! She’s-”

“Oh, I understand,” he whispered, “I understand that you really are a dangerous demon. You were just pretending to be the best friend I thought you were,” he turns away from me, “I should’ve listened when they said you could snap at any moment.”

With that, he and the other knight threw me out the gates of Xanthia, the cold wind of the night piercing daggers into my face.

I sat up, my hands and legs still bound by shackles. Using magic, I forced the shackles to break, allowing me to stand up.

I stared at the kingdom gates, crying softly. They all think I’m the villain. My best friend hates me. My queen is a monster playing masquerade.

I’ve lost everything.

She made me the villain.

ONE YEAR LATER

I infiltrate Xanthia by teleporting inside the gates. I find myself at the full majesty of the castle, hit by a wave of memories.

Bad memories.

I cover myself with the hood of my cloak, fixing my hair as I do so. Using the destructive magic Her Highness trained me to perfect, I knock down the castle doors.

I strut into the throne room, where that wretched queen sits upon her golden throne. I know her eyes are widening as she sees her doors being destroyed.

I feel my eyes glowing, bright crimson dotting my nose bridge. Looking at the terror in her eyes, I form a vicious smile.

“Hello… Carmilla.”