The Return Of The Exiled Villain

The grassfields rolled like a green sea beneath a wide, untroubled sky, the kind of sky that belonged to old songs and quiet prayers.

Dandelions crowded the earth, their yellow heads bright as coins spilled from a king’s purse.

Ding!

Somewhere far off, a village bell tolled the hour, as faint steps could be heard in the distance.

”Hehehe!” Gray ran ahead, his boots thudding softly against the ground, his cloak half-slipped from one shoulder.

He skidded to a stop and turned, arms spread wide as if daring the world to catch him.

”You’re slow, Sera!” he called, grinning widely.

Behind him, Seraph, Sera, huffed and chased after him, skirts gathered in her hands.

Her silver hair streamed loose behind her, catching sunlight and wind alike.

She was smiling too, bright and breathless, though her eyes never left Gray, not even when her foot caught on a tuft of grass and she nearly fell.

Gray was there instantly, grabbing her wrist and steadying her posture.

”Careful,” he said, concern flashing across his face.

”You’ll break your neck one day.”

”Then you’d have to carry me home!” Sera instantly replied with a sweet laugh, hugging him just as she had the opportunity to do so.

He snorted.

”As if I could lift you. You’re heavier than you look.”

She let go of him but didn’t step away right away.

”Liar,” she said sweetly.

Phew~

The wind brushed past them, bending the dandelions so they whispered together.

That caused Gray’s hair to lift slighly, fully showing his face, including the small scar near his right eyebrow.

’...Mine.’

”Ugh...”

Gray dropped into the grass with a dramatic groan.

”I’m dying... struck down by running.”

”You’re ridiculous.” Sera sat beside him, tucking her legs under her.

”Am not... fuuu!” He plucked a dandelion and blew on it, scattering white seeds into the air.

”See? Final breath.”

The seeds floated between them, catching on Sera’s sleeves, her hair, her lashes.

She watched them drift, then reached out and brushed one from Gray’s cheek.

”I’ll protect you,” she suddenly stated.

”From what?” Gray blinked.

”Anything,” she replied, smiling again.

”Whether that is monsters, wolves... or even other people!”

”Pfttt! You’re the smallest knight I’ve ever seen!” He laughed, rolling onto his side to face her.

”Size doesn’t matter,” she didn’t laugh this time.

Gray shrugged, unconcerned by her reaction, and picked another dandelion.

”Then you can be my squire.”

”...I’ll be anything you want me to be,” she suddenly declared, causing the young gray’s face to redden slighly.

”What are you saying...”

”Hehe,” Sera gently picked up the dandelion from his hand, and got closer to him, their shoulders brushing against each other, as she gently took his hand and put it over the one that was holding the dandelion.

”Then, how about we make a promise?”

”What promise?” Gray looked at her beautiful, light blue eyes.

”...That we’ll be together in the future,” Seraph uttered with a small smile.

’Forever,’ she added inwardly.

”Okay!” Gray nodded lightly.

”Then... let this dandelion be the witness of our future!” She raised the dandelion dramatically, causing Gray to laugh.

”Ready?!” she eagerly looked at Gray, who nodded.

She looked at him once more before lifting the dandelion.

”Phew~”

”Fuu~”

They blew.

White seeds scattered into the sky, spinning and drifting, carrying promises too heavy for something so small.

”Hahaha~” Gray laughed as the fluff clung to his hair.

And Seraph... just kept looking at Gray, with the same sweet smile.

...

Exactly a month later...

The fields were the same... and nothing like before.

The grass lay flattened and bruised, the dandelions blackened and torn apart, their stems bent like broken necks.

RUMBLE!

Rain hammered the earth, soaking it into dark mud as thunder rolled overhead. Lightning split the sky, striking the ground with violent light, burning the memory of summer away.

Seraph stood trembling, her hair plastered to her face, her breath coming in sharp, broken gasps.

Gray stood a few steps away, frozen, rain streaming down his cold expression.

”TELL ME WHY, GRAY!” Seraph screamed in complete panic.

She had already asked him for a reason two times, and yet, he refused to answer, simply averting his gaze from her.

”...I don’t like you anymore,” he repeated.

”LIAR! TELL ME THE REAL REASON!” she screamed, taking a step closer to him, causing him to take a step back.

Gray remained silent, keeping his head lowered.

”....GRRR!”

She gritted her teeth almost audibly, and finally, she couldn’t hold herself back anymore, and approached Gray directly before pushing him to the ground.

Thud!

”Agh...”

Both of them fell onto the ground with Seraph on top of Gray, her tall figure completely overshadowing his as she sharply looked at him.

Drip...

”...Seraph.”

Gray’s eyes were stunned as he saw tears streaming down from her beautiful face, and suddenly, his heart started aching really hard.

He knew that it was going to hurt... but not this much.

Her crying face had caused such a reaction in him that he almost wanted to tell her the whole truth, but in the end... he couldn’t.

”W-why?! Just tell me! I won’t be mad, I swear!” Seraph stammered as more tears kept streaming down.

She was biting her lower lip in hope that Gray would tell her the truth, but... he simply looked away, causing her eyes to go bloodshot.

”Y-you...”

A tear of blood dripped from her lower lip from how hard she had bitten it. And suddenly... her light blue eyes suddenly gained a red glint.

”You forced me...”

At those strange words, Gray turned towards Seraph to instantly feel the softness of her over-developed breasts on his small chest, and then...

RUMBLE!

Her lips had crashed into his with all the violence of the storm above them!

”Mhm!”

She... had kissed him!

She kissed him like she was trying to tear the truth out of his mouth, as every unanswered question had turned into fury and grief and desperation all at once.

Her hands fisted into his soaked shirt, fingers trembling as she pressed herself closer, rain and tears mixing between them.

CRACKLE!

Thunder roared madly.

”You think you can just throw me away?” she hissed between frantic kisses, her lips slamming into his again before he could speak.

”Say you don’t like me anymore and expect me to smile and disappear?”

CRACK!

Lightning flared once again as she kissed him harder, deeper, her grief bleeding into every movement.

Gray felt it then... how her lips trembled, how uneven her breathing was, how this wasn’t desire, but pain clawing for something solid.

”S-Seraph—” he tried, his voice dissolving as her mouth silenced him again.

She bit his lower lip.

Not enough to draw blood, but enough to make him gasp, enough to make his chest tighten painfully.

Her teeth lingered, dragging, punishing, as if she wanted him to feel even a fraction of what she felt.

RUMMMMBLE!

”Liar,” she whispered against his mouth, kissing him again.

”Coward. You’re cruel... you’re awful...”

Her curses blurred into kisses, each word pressed into him like a wound.

Gray’s hands twitched at his sides, his resistance slowly melting away as his heart screamed for him to stop this before it went too far.

But he didn’t push her away.

The rain intensified, hammering them both as Seraph’s mouth moved from his lips to his jaw, to his neck.

She bit there too.

”Agh—!” Gray sucked in a sharp breath.

CRASH!

Her teeth sank in, claiming, marking, her lips sealing over the spot as if daring the world to erase her presence from him.

She left another mark, and another, each one fueled by the same silent vow: you are mine, whether you like it or not.

”Even if you hate me...” she muttered, voice breaking, pressing her forehead to his for a second before biting his collarbone through wet fabric.

”Even if you lie to my face...”

Gray’s vision blurred.

His body felt weak, heavy, his chest burning with something he couldn’t name.

Every part of him screamed to confess, to beg forgiveness, to pull her close and never let her cry like this again.

But he stayed silent.

Until finally... she stopped.

The thunder rolled on without them.

Seraph pulled back, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, her expression twisting into something fierce and unyielding.

Her eyes, still faintly glowing red, locked onto his one last time.

”I’ll... never give up on you.”

Then she stood, turned, and walked away into the rain without looking back.

RUMBLE... RUMBLE...

Gray remained on the ground, unmoving, rain soaking into him as he stared up at the shattered sky.

His fingers slowly lifted, hovering over his lips where her taste remained.

”Sera...”

A tear of blood slipped from his right eye, causing him to hide his eyes with his arm, while biting his lower lip.

At the same time, a figure slowly approached Gray from behind.

”Gray? What are you doing here...?”

It was a familiar voice that made Gray instantly wipe away his tears and turn towards the source of the voice in surprise.

”Big sister...?”

It was none other than Alina...

But what was she doing there... conveniently holding an umbrella?