Villain's Rising

108 108. Hope And Regrets

"Mom! Look, I got my report card!"

"Oh? How did it go, son?"

"I aced it as usual! Hahaha!"

"Ah~ Come here, give your mom a hug! I hope Michael does well in his tests too."

"Don't worry, mom. He'll be fine. After all, he's my brother!"

At the entrance of a rather big, luxurious house, a duo of mother and son could be seen standing.

The mother was hugging her son, who had just returned from his school.

Watching the duo, standing a little behind them in the hallway, were two guys.

Yes, they were Samael and Michael. And by the looks of the things, they seemed to be invisible since neither the lady nor the boy was noticing them.

"Is this what you wanted?" Michael asked his brother with a frown on his face.

However, Sam remained silent. He had an unreliable expression on his face as he stood there in utter silence, watching the scene in front of him play out.

Yes, Sam and Michael had successfully traveled back in time.

But Sam concluded that it wasn't going to be enough to merely see the life he had lived replay in front of him to infer his true nature.

No, he needed to see whether he'd turn out the way he turned out had his life been different.

So that's what he did. He made his life different.

Or, in simpler terms, he changed some events in his life and created a different timeline.

For starters, in this timeline, as soon as Sam was born, the real Sam, or the Sam from the future, killed his father.

That event resulted in Samael's mother getting his custody. Hence, in this timeline, he experienced no childhood trauma.

In fact, he grew up happily with his mother and half-brother. Even his stepfather was a kind-hearted father figure to him.

In this timeline, Samael had everything that wasn't given to him in his real timeline.

"Yes, this is what I wanted."

After a long unbearable silence, Sam finally uttered those words to Michael.

"In this timeline, we are like true brothers," Michael remarked.

"Yes, yes we are," Sam nodded his head. "This timeline is so peaceful."

It really was peaceful. Unfortunately or fortunately for Sam, he couldn't live in this timeline.

You see, no matter what you do, you can't change the past since it's already set in stone.

If you try to change it, you'll only end up creating a different timeline with a different version of 'you' living in it.

That's what was happening here.

Although Sam did change the past, this was not 'his' past. This would never be his past. He could only see what his life would've been.

This was a 'What If?' situation, to be precise.

"So? Are you satisfied now? You see it right. Without your father's influence on you, you would've loved a normal life. You are just broke-"

Before Michael could complete his little speech, Sam cut him off.

"Let's watch for a few more years."

Yes, they've already been watching this timeline for about nine years now. Yet, both Sam and Michael looked like they hadn't aged even a day.

Of course, it was because Sam was keeping both their bodies and minds in optimal conditions.

At Sam's suggestion to watch this timeline for a few more years, Michael could only heave a defeated sigh.

…

"Hello, my name is Samael Rightwill. I'll be joining the warrior class starting today."

Turns out, in this timeline, without any negative influence on him, Sam turned out to be a decent person.

He, much like his half-brother Michael, joined the Hero Academy under the warrior class as soon as he turned 18.

"Wow, so I would've ended up coming to this academy anyways, huh?" Sam remarked. "It seems like there really is something akin to destiny."

"And by what we've seen, this Sam will become a good hero," Michael, who was standing beside Sam, commented.

-"What's your ability?"

One of the kids present in the class asked. To which Samael replied

"I can use telekinesis."

In this timeline, Samael wasn't given biokinesis by his father, so he developed another ability instead.

In this timeline, Samael could use telekinesis. Although it's not very powerful, Samael is very creative with this ability.

"Haven't we seen enough? It's proven now you weren't born like this. You were made into this person by your father. Had you not been born as his son, you would've become like Sam in this timeline."

Michael, who had been watching over Sam of this new timeline, turned to his half-brother and spoke his mind.

"You would've turned into a kind big brother, a good human being, a passionate hero, and a loving son."

Michael was right. The Samael Gracefell, or rather Samael Rightwill of this timeline, was everything Sam could've been if not for his father.

But Sam wasn't convinced. He still believed that becoming what he had become now was his true nature.

After all, he knew himself better than anyone else. He enjoyed killing. He adored suppressing. He loved being a god.

He knew that although those thoughts were drilled into him by his father, he chose to become what he had become all by himself.

Thus, he spoke.

"Let's watch for a few more years."

…

It's been 30 years now since Sam and Michael created this new timeline.

Till now, they have been closely following Sam in this timeline, watching his every move, monitoring every part of his life without a second's break.

Sam has been using [Concealment] on both him and Michael during this time duration.

Yet, till now, even 30 years later, Sam of this timeline showed no sign of becoming a villain or turning evil.

(Just move on, Sam. This is pointless.)

Even the voice in his head has been urging him to return to his original timeline recently.

After all, 30 years is a long time.

"Just believe it, Sam. You are not an evil person. Your father broke you."

During this time, Michael has not even once stopped believing those words. He kept on saying that to Sam every single day.

"You know, if you really want to be free from your father's influence, then return to our timeline. Return and fix everything that you've done. Bring back the people that you've killed and surrender. Plead guilty and repent. Please."

Sam, of course, acted like he didn't hear Michael talking. No way in hell he was going to do all that bullshit.

Besides, he still believed that he would see something interesting soon. So he kept his eyes on his target.

In front of Sam was a version of him but much older. Almost 12 years older.

He had disheveled black hair and a full-grown black beard and was dressed in a plain-looking hero suit.

In this timeline, Samael had graduated to become a hero. But due to his simplistic ability, he wasn't able to become a well-known one.

His half-brother, Michael, on the other hand, became a renowned superhero on par with the likes of Scarlett Vampire, Lightbringer, and Starsuper.

Their situation was a contrast to what it was when they were children.

In their younger years, Samael was an academic genius while Michael always lived in his shadows.

But as they grew up and entered the Hero society, Michael took the spotlight, and Samael wasn't even allowed to stay in his shadows.

And today, after a hard day at work, Samael was returning home with a tired look on his face.

He had black circles under his eyes, and he was reeking of alcohol. To forget his miseries, he indulged in alcohol.

Michael couldn't help but pity this version of Sam. He was nothing like the Sam he knew. This Sam has almost given up in life.

"Do you feel bad for him?" Sam asked, seeing the look on Michael's face.

"He looks so sad," Michael replied.

"Yeah, but the biggest reason for his misery is you. Or rather, this timeline's version of you."

Michael remained silent at those words. He knew Sam was right.

In this timeline, Michael went on to become a great hero. He got everything while Sam was stripped of everything.

There was a girl both of them liked in the academy. Michael married her. Their mother visits Michael more than she visits Samael. Friends always surround Michael, while Sam's a loner.

Not only that, but even the general public knows the face of only one of the brothers, and that's Michael.

In this timeline, Samael Rightwill is nothing but a [C-Rank] hero sidekick.

Although Michael was pitying Samael in front of them, Sam knew better.

There was a look in Samael's eyes. Sam knew that look. It was a look of hatred.

After seeing that, Sam became certain. "It's time for a villain to rise."