The night broke.
Not like dawn, gentle and pale. It broke like bone under a hammer.
A jagged wound ripped across the sky, spilling fire. Stars bled from their places, hissing as they fell. Drums cut short. Dogs slunk under shelters, whining. Women drew their children close, whispering the oldest prayers.
Tahu's stomach churned. He had seen this once before, in dream-visions: a crack above, a fire below, and blood dripping from his own hands. He had told no one. Shamans are taught to read dreams, but some dreams rot the heart if spoken aloud.
Now the vision had come to life.
The high priest stumbled into the fire circle, his braided hair streaked with ash. His staff shook in his hands. "Children of the Three Rivers!" he cried. "The sky is torn! The prophecy begins tonight!"
A terrible silence followed. Everyone knew the words. When the sky is torn, the shadow-marked shall rise to twist the rivers of fate.
Eyes turned.
Not toward the priest. Not toward the fire. Toward Tahu.
The crack in the sky widened above his head. The fire spat sparks his way, as though the spirits themselves pointed him out.
Tahu couldn't move. He felt the air tighten around him, pressing close. His ears rang—
Ding.
The sound did not belong to this world. It rang inside his skull like metal against bone.
[System Awakening…]
[Host chosen: Tahu, Ash-Eater clan.]
[Designation: Villain.]
Tahu's breath caught. This was no spirit. Spirits speak in smoke and rhythm. This voice was cold, sharp, merciless.
[First Villain Skill granted: Prophecy Theft.]
[Effect: Seize another's prophecy. Twist it. Remake fate in your image.]
His vision warped. Threads of light sprouted from every person around the fire—thin cords of gold and silver, pulling forward into futures unseen. He nearly vomited from the sight. Too many destinies. Too much weight.
The villagers saw none of this. They only saw him, standing in the center of the firelight as if chosen—or cursed.
The high priest raised his trembling staff. "The shadow-marked! Kill him before he poisons us!"
Warriors closed in, spears leveled. Children screamed. His own mother hid her face.
Tahu's knees buckled. "I didn't ask for this," he whispered.
The System cut across his thought like a knife.
[Villain Quest issued: Steal a prophecy before the next moonrise.]
[Reward: 100 Villain Points.]
He wanted to beg. But the voice sneered inside him:
[Heroes beg. Villains act.]
The priest's staff glowed faintly—the destiny-thread tied to an ancient prophecy. The words echoed in Tahu's mind: The shadow-marked shall rise when the sky tears.
He could see it. He could touch it.
His hand shot forward, grasping the invisible cord. It burned like lightning in his palm. The priest screamed. Blood poured from his nose as if his spirit were being ripped apart. The staff splintered with a crack louder than thunder.
[Prophecy Theft successful.]
[New Prophecy forged: The shadow-marked shall rise, not to destroy his people, but to destroy their enemies.]
[Villain Points +100.]
The circle exploded into chaos.
The priest writhed on the ground, gasping like a man drowning. Warriors stumbled back, horror etched on their faces. Mothers clutched their children tighter. Some wailed his name in despair. Others whispered in awe.
Tahu stared at his hands, shaking. He had not only broken a prophecy. He had taken it. The power felt like venom in his veins—searing, unstoppable.
The System purred.
[Villain Tip: Corruption is survival. Every choice must wound.]
The sky above sealed itself. The crack closed. The stars returned, steady and cold.
But nothing was the same.
The high priest spat blood, his voice hoarse. "Do not be fooled! This one has devoured fate itself. He will walk as a villain through all our stories!"
The people recoiled from Tahu. Not one hand reached for him. Even his mother would not meet his eyes.
Something inside him broke. Rage, sorrow, and dark triumph bled together. His lips twisted in a smile not entirely his own. "Kill me, then. But when the iron-mouthed invaders burn our homes, when their thunder sticks roar, who will stand for you? The priests?"
The warriors froze. They had seen the smoke of colonizers across the river. They had heard of villages burned to ash.
The System hummed, feeding on the crack in their certainty.
[Villain Points +10 for planting doubt.]
No spear struck him.
The night stretched long with arguments, curses, and fear. By dawn, Tahu had vanished into the forest, guided by threads of light only he could see.
Each step tore him further from his people. Each step bound him closer to the System.
[Villain Skill Tree unlocked.]
[Tier 1 Branches available: Ritual Corruption / Destiny Manipulation / Forbidden Healing.]
The cedar trees loomed around him. His chest heaved with grief and fury. But beneath it all, power whispered.
He was marked. He was doomed. He was chosen.
The world would call him Sky-torn. The Villain Shaman.
And his story had just begun.