ԋαρριʅყ ҽʋҽɾ αϝƚҽɾ...σɾ Ⴆҽϝσɾҽ?

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓔𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽

❦︎

Cain scrubbed his face with the grimy cloth, the lingering stench of the uglification concoction clinging to his skin like a second, unwelcome shadow. With a grimace, he shoved the cloth into his pocket and started the long climb up the stairs of the Mischief Tower, each step echoing his frustration. Henchmen training. Great. Just what he needed after that... experience.

He reached the belfry classroom, a dimly lit space that smelled faintly of mildew and something suspiciously like burnt toast. Castor, the menacing half of the two-headed dog teacher, awaited them, his single, glowing eye scanning the room.

"A villain is only as good as their henchmen," Castor boomed, his voice a gravelly growl. "Whether you win or lose depends on the competency of your underlings." A smirk played on his other head's lips, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

Their first challenge? To train a golden goose. A collective groan rippled through the class. Golden geese, notorious for their disdain for villains, and these weren't your average farmyard fowl. These geese, with their shimmering blue eyes that gleamed with an almost unsettling intelligence, seemed to be actively mocking the students.

Castor, with a casual swipe of his sharp claws, carved five words onto the stone wall: Command, Taunt, Trick, Bribe, Bully. "Use these methods," he rumbled, "to convince these feathery fiends to part with a golden egg."

Cain found himself at the back of the line, a reluctant observer. One by one, his classmates approached the geese. Hort, of all people, emerged victorious - albeit with a shredded tunic and a coin-sized golden egg clutched triumphantly. Cain couldn't help but smirk as he watched Hort grapple with the indignant goose. It was almost... entertaining.

Now, it was his turn. Cain approached the geese, their blue eyes boring into him. He wasn't sure what Castor expected - blind obedience from a creature that clearly had a mind of its own? He wasn't about to try and bully it, and the thought of resorting to childish taunts left a sour taste in his mouth. Perhaps... there was another way.

Cain approached the geese with a hesitant step, the methods Castor outlined churning in his gut. He didn't like the feeling of coercion, the forced dominance. These geese, with their intelligent gazes, deserved better. As he neared them, a strange sensation washed over him. A soft, feathery voice whispered in his head, barely audible, "Wait..."

Suddenly, the golden goose closest to him lurched, its body convulsing in a horrifying display. A harsh squawk turned into a series of pained cries that echoed through the chamber. Before Cain could react, the goose went limp, its vibrant blue eyes dimming to a lifeless gray.

An unnatural silence descended upon the room. The other students, caught mid-attempt at their own goose wrangling, stared in stunned horror. Some huddled together, fear etched on their faces. Cain felt the world shrink around him, his mind reeling. His gaze darted from the lifeless goose to Castor, whose single eye burned with an unholy light.

"Never," Castor boomed, his voice dripping with a dark satisfaction, "have I witnessed such... evil."

Numbers flickered into existence above each student's head. A harsh, red "1" materialized above Cain, branding him. But he wasn't alone. Across the room, a horrified gasp escaped Sophia, the self-proclaimed princess. A shimmering "1" crowned her blonde head as well. Murmurs broke out amongst the students. Accusatory fingers pointed at Sophia, labeling her a "Grand Witch." Someone else was called a "Warlock." Panic and confusion filled the air.

Cain didn't understand. He hadn't done anything. The goose... it just died. But the weight of the accusation, the fear in the eyes around him, pressed down on him like a suffocating shroud.