The Redo of a Novel's Villain: Moira - Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Tap, tap, tap.
Elijah's index finger tapped in frustration and anxiety. The boy's been checking and refreshing the page since morning, a pinched feeling pooling in his guts.
The notifications from the Col group chat did not help either. Elijah swiped to the messaging app. He quickly scanned over the texts left by his friends, Valentino and Liwei. They were talking about how the author was gonna go on an extended hiatus because of personal issues or something. Great. He sighed before typing a brief reply. Eventually, he moved his attention to the person beside him. Kayden, his best friend since they were babies, spewed out complaints after complaints about their teacher.
"This morning, I was running late to school, right?! So I was running for my life because if I get a late arrival on my attendance again, my mom will actually whoop my ass." Kayden deadpanned with hands gesturing all over the place. He continued, "It was one minute. One minute until class started and at that point, I was bolting up the stairs! If it weren't for adrenaline, my lungs would've shrivelled up and died.. or exploded? Either way, I made it to class right before it began––I swear––but Mr. Rhipley still gave me a strike! The amount of willpower that kept me from beating up his balding ass could probably hold back a fucking tsunami! I've never wanted to push someone down the stairs so bad-and I've wanted to push a lot of people down stairs." Kayden gave Elijah the look. The one with the chin down and eyes peering up.
Elijah snorted, patting his friend's trembling shoulders. Through some giggles, he remarked, "Relatable. Last time he gave me a warning because I was wearing my jacket while walking outside in the courtyard. Apparently, it was against 'uniform codes.'" The boy air quoted, lowering his voice to mimic his teacher. "Sir, last time I checked, it was a lunch period in December where I was about to shrivel up and keel over from the cold. You can't expect a shirt and cardigan to keep me from ceasing then and there."
The two snickered before switching topics.
Kayden pursed his lips before enquiring, "Are you free tomorrow?"
"No, I have art class. Why?"
"Mom got me a special ticket to a Cerus concert, and it said I could bring a plus one, so I wanted to know if you wanted to come with..but! I guess I'm just going to have to ask someone else."
"What?! No! Wait a bit. I'll ask my mom if I can move class to Friday."
"6 pm's the deadline."
Elijah grinned. "Bet."
Hushed laughter lightened up the quiet atmosphere of the bus. The vehicle drove onto a bridge which crossed over two winding river canyons. He was about to switch to the camera app and snap a quick picture of the scenery when he spotted something. Sweeping a casual look at the driver, Elijah noticed the hunched-back, grey-haired old man was trembling.
Elijah frowned, "Does the bus driver look odd to you?" He kept staring at the old man, who was increasingly trembling. Concerned, the black-haired boy approached him with Kayden close behind.
"Sir, are you okay?" Elijah reached out to shake the man's shoulder when the driver suddenly collapsed!
The body fell on the wheel and moved it. The sudden shift and change of gravity could be so clearly felt it chilled him to the very bone. The entire bus took a sharp left turn. The two crashed into each other before colliding into the floor. Butterflies zipped around in their guts, and the change in gravity was petrifying. Any sense of grounding vanished with the bus leaving the ground. Everything spun––their vision, their thoughts, their emotions, and themselves.
It didn't take long until the background noises registered.
Screams.
Every passenger on the bus screamed desperately in fear. Their arms clutched tightly to whatever they could get their hands on. The wails became less human the closer death approached.
For a split second, it felt like an hour stretched far too long yet so short. Elijah saw things. Things that were far behind him. Things that should not exist in this world.
Of red eyes.
Of raven hair.
Of a smile too malefic for man.
Then, he realized.
They were falling.
He was plummeting straight into death's embrace. He was going to die. Never experiencing graduation, getting into university, saying goodbye to his parents and friends, performing in the annual youth world art contest again, never eating his mom's home-cooked noodles again, none of those. His life was going to end at the age of sixteen.
Fear pumped through his veins, and Elijah let out a choked sob. The knowledge that he was mere seconds away from death was like needles using his eyes as a pin cushion. Unfortunately, there was far too little time for tears to slip out. Glazed eyes made contact with Kayden's before a brain-splitting collision ended everything.
-*:･ﾟ*✧ -
Pain.
The pain was all he felt. It coursed through his body, his veins, his blood, everything. It was agonizing. He'd rather strangle himself to death than deal with this.
With much difficulty, Elijah opened his eyes, which felt like lead. His vision was blurry before it adjusted to the silver moonlight cascading across.
"...KAYDEN!" He screamed, the name coming out raspy. Then, a coughing fit sent him toppling over the window seat, gasping and clutching his chest. The white silk nightshirt crumpled under the pressure of the grasp. Cold sweat germinated, making curly jet-black bangs stick to his forehead and the thin sleepwear uncomfortably cold.
The pain from before came back in spasms before fading to a quiet buzzing. Elijah took deep breaths to steady his trembling body. Struggling to get up, he stumbled for balance before plopping back on the window seat. The cushions were pleasantly stiff, with impressive embroidery lining the fabric.
"What the fuck was that?" He harshly whispered and hissed with the smallest of movements. Curling in on himself, Elijah waited for the ripple of pain to pass before carefully moving. He surveyed the room in astonishment.
The room was dark, the only illumination being the silver moon hanging above the starry heavens. However, even with the darkness, only a blind man could not tell the room was lavish. It was spacious, with a king-sized bed at the center of one of the patterned walls. The bed had a thick velvet duvet, generous cushions, and a mahogany-coloured curtain draped across. The windows were cut into three sections, each curved on top and intricate designs coiled around the cross-shaped frame. The curtains pulled apart on the side had the same hue as the bed's. A beautiful carpet sat beneath a set of seats and a table. On said table is an antique vase that should belong in a museum. On the side is a large wooden closet and an elongated mirror. On the ceiling is a mini crystal chandelier that Elijah's family could never afford.
Overall, this room screamed rich.
"..Did I get miraculously rescued by an eccentric billionaire?" He mused when the pain spasms sent him recoiling back. At this point, he's pretty sure what he is experiencing. A nostalgic memory resurfaced.
"Poison...but why-erk!"
Elijah quelled his anxiety and waited for the wave of hurt to pass. The idle moments served as fuel for the feelings he tried to reign in before going to explore the room. The change in perspective threw him off; everything seemed slightly taller. He hardly would've noticed had he not been a meticulous person. Is he disoriented? Did he get a concussion? Panic mildly settled in his guts. He looked around before nearly falling over upon seeing blood-red eyes staring back at him.
Elijah gawks at the crimson pupils, the vibrancy of it throwing him off. It wasn't long until he realized it was his own... wait, his own? He had brown eyes, what red eyes?!? Are red eyes even possible?
'Do I have an eye injury?!?'
Panicked, Elijah scrambles closer to the mirror, and shock fills him again.
He was pale. A lot paler than before. It looked like he had been shut off from the outside for years, and a part of him joked about whether or not he had vitamin D deficiency. His skin, which was now much fairer, contrasted sharply against fluffy raven hair. With striking, blood-red eyes and long lashes, Elijah almost fainted from shock.
Despite the decades that passed, he could still remember this bitterly familiar face. Amidst his ears ringing, thoughts echoed wildly in the cave known as his mind.
'I'm back..?'
Instantly, a piercing needle-like pain assaulted his chest. Each affliction of agony made his abused heart pump faster. It felt like his body was overheating one second and then freezing the next! Elijah wheezed and crumpled onto the floor, writhing.
Eventually, the torment passed, leaving a dull throbbing pulsation within. Exhausted, sweating, and very much in after-pain, his heaving breaths pushed out a familiar name.
"Huey Astaseul..."
The name which haunted his memories came out as a mere whisper.
Huey Astaseul, only living relatives are his uncle and two cousins after both parents passed from unfortunate incidents.
Elijah grimaced at the unpleasant memories forcibly resurfacing with the realization.
After his father's death when he was five, the duke's title was handed over to his uncle, Heiden Astaseul. However, despite being the rightful heir to the duchy he was being neglected, abused, and treated as a tool by the only family members he had left. The new duke isolated him in the east wing, where he was practically forgotten. With the only human interactions being the servants (who either hate or fear him), it wasn't far-fetched to say that he had gone mad. Unfortunately, due to such an environment, Huey developed a cruel personality. After all, it was all he knew. Cruelty and brutality were necessary to survive in the current Astaseul household.
Warmth was a foreign concept up until he was reborn.
Now, he is back in this cold, brutal world.
Perhaps this was fate's punishment for all he had sinned.
"At least uncle provided me with an education..." Elijah thought bitterly at the fact he was back in this accursed household.
Huey died and was reincarnated as Elijah. He experienced a true family, friends, and love in his new life. It was also there that he discovered his first world belonged in a novel.
In actuality, Elijah did not have memories of life as Huey in the beginning—until he read the book. Reading the first few chapters felt eerily ominous, and seeing his name appear was like the missing puzzle piece. Foreign memories of Huey Astaseul poured into his brain in a flurry. It was so bad he fainted! Only to wake up with newfound memories of a life devoid of love and fraught with pain.
The realization almost made him fall unconscious again had he not remembered the catalyst.
Castelle of Lux is an underrated web novel by an anonymous author. It's set in the world of Evendale. Following the romantic story of the protagonist Sorin Ceylon and the commoner female lead, Celine. Furthermore, it's not just a typical historical fantasy romance; thanks to its exciting plot, lore, and arcs, you get the point. The novel is also uncannily dark and gruesome, especially in depicting violence, gore, and grim themes, such as the details leading up to Huey Astaseul's death.
Elijah could still remember the shiver that went through him when he got to that part. Reading pages of characters torturing him was.. unpleasant.
Although it was warranted, he supposed. Elijah knew he was a sinner: scum, trash, villain, whatever. Aside from the usual tormenting of his peers (which caused him to develop an infamous reputation), he was also heartless and a criminal—colluding with the demons to hurt the kingdom of Ecrelyn (and Evendale in the long run). He also assaulted people, abused his authority, broke his servants, meddled in poison, tortured the black market and illegal syndicates, and slaughtered dozens. He'll need to sever the current ties with those shady groups.
Feeling the harsh stab of guilt, Elijah buried his face deep into his palms. Even though all the people he's broken and killed are now alive and fine, their blood and suffering shed through his hands will always be fact. His palms will forever be stained with crimson red and karmic debts. A bitter feeling enveloped him. Perhaps fate had foreseen it and chose to give him a pair of eyes to match. A cruel premonition and reminder for his victims.
A crystal clear memory showed how he wielded a sword laced with Macleonite—the poison he created. The invention used to hurt hundreds, if not thousands. The substance glistened in lethal gold. One that was powerful enough would erupt into hives and pus with one cut. Tiny amounts bubbled at the infected area until it ate away at its flesh before moving on. A painful process meant for a slow and agonizing death. He had cornered Celine with such a weapon, ornating a sickening expression. "A minacious smile of a devil's," the novel had described. He couldn't personally recall, but it also stated he was used as the demon's scapegoat. Typical.
The heroine was hysterical. The stench of blood invading her nostrils was repulsively heavy. The blood, which came from the mangled bodies of her companions, made her sick. They lay behind their murderer, who was also about to make her join them.
Right before he would have struck the heroine down, Sorin swooped into the rescue. The protagonist beat up the villain, apprehended him, and got him sentenced to execution. During his imprisonment, he was tortured, humiliated, and much more (such as experiencing every single poison he had used against his victims in amounts that could combat his resistance) before leading his battered body to the execution grounds with the entire kingdom as a witness. Fortunately, his death was swift. He supposed it fit Sorin to give him a merciful death despite his crimes, but the man had also tortured him.
Still, despite how detestable the novel was, Elijah kept reading because this was the only connection he had with his first life. Furthermore, it explained so much of his past world that it made him stop and stare at the ceiling one too many times.
Castelle of Lux was a decently long novel with five volumes and ongoing. A book that would usually take a month to finish took him three. This was because reading how horrible he was sent him into a spiral of guilt and self-loath. The only coping method he had against it was thanks to living on Earth. Like a praying mantra, he repeatedly repeated that he was no longer Huey but Elijah.
Now don't get him wrong, he knew he was shit. He was a bastard—a villain. The fact made him loathe himself to the point his parents forced him into therapy. He often wondered why he could be reborn into such a life despite all the pain he's caused. What had fate ordained for him? He was afraid. Terrified. That one day, all of this will disappear.
Then it did.
Elijah sighed exasperatedly, "Dying and reincarnating into another world where I then find out my old world was a novel-and dying again because the bus drove off a fucking BRIDGE Just to regress into my old body, which is destined to get tortured and executed! I feel like I can spit out blood.." He immediately took back his words when the poison flared up again. "And... I just had to regress to when I was doing mithridatism.. shit."
Elijah dragged his palms over his face. He laughs an awkward, dry chuckle that lacks any joy. More exasperation and dejection than anything. He thought about his world. He doesn't have any siblings, but his parents were good people. He had good grades and friends. Life was good, sure; he wasn't wealthy, but neither was he impoverished. There were bad days and good days. Even though he wanted to rip out his hair when he couldn't get the image in his mind, ideally on canvas, what was important was that he was happy (unlike when he was being neglected, taken advantage of, poisoned, and shunned). His only regret is not saying goodbye to his parents, teachers, and friends.
This world was similar to Earth. Although it was more primitive, admittedly less advanced, and is still in the steam era. Evendale was a world with a similar theme to the Renaissance and Medieval times, especially regarding society and aesthetics. The world revolves around magic and an imperial hierarchy. In fact, the protagonist was the first-born son of Count Ceylon. He is from a ducal family and even a school dedicated to nobles (except for promising commoners getting in with scholarships).
Elijah repeated the word magic. If he remembers correctly, he wasn't all that good at it. Although he had decent potential, it paled in comparison to the protagonist. Now that he was back and had a (painful) hax in the form of future-ish and book knowledge, improvement and proper growth are within arms reach.
"So that I don't meet that sort of end again, I'll avoid Sorin and Celine like the plague and build up my power!" Elijah held his hand in a determined fist." I attended the academy when I was around sixteen; I should have been about fourteen because I was not on campus. Fifteen? That's at least a year to prepare.."
Elijah collapsed onto his bed, sinking into the soft mattress. "I have at least a year to strengthen myself.." Head lolling to the side, the male whispered while peering up at the moon. "I guess... I'm Huey Astaseul again."
The battlefield begins.. at Glory Academy!