I am the Villain

The Cursed Cave

The stillness of the glowing lake shattered as black, vine-like tendrils erupted from the surface, writhing like serpents with minds of their own.

They lashed toward the trio with terrifying speed. Shen Guang and Shen Liang reacted instantly, swords drawn, blades slashing through the air with divine precision. Zelin, slower to move, felt one of the slick black tendrils wrap around his ankle. "—Tch! Not again!"

He dug his nails into the ground as he was dragged toward the water, the strange liquid hissing and steaming as if eager to consume him. His fingers left trenches in the soil.

Shen Liang's voice rang out like a blade. "Zelin!" Liang dashed forward and drove his sword deep into the writhing vine.

The tendril twitched violently, then jerked upward, hoisting Zelin into the air upside down by his ankle. "WOAH, WAIT!" His robes flapped around his face as he dangled, shouting. The blood rushed to his head. With precise force, Liang hurled his sword, the blade spun once, twice, and sliced clean through the tendril.

Zelin dropped hard to the cave floor, crashing on his back with a thud that echoed through the cavern. "ARGH, my back!"

Shen Liang staggered, a hand flying to his own lower spine as the phantom pain struck him like lightning. "ZELIN, STOP GETTING HURT!"

Zelin groaned and crawled behind a jagged rock, panting, clutching his ribs. "Tell the vines that..."

Liang and Guang took defensive positions, blades raised, but the black vines slithered back into the glowing lake, retreating without a sound. Then... Silence. Thick. Crushing. Heavy. The three of them caught their breath behind the rock. Liang's brow furrowed. "Those things... weren't demons."

"No," Guang muttered. "They were something else."

That was when the ground began to tremble again. Not like before. This was deeper. Older. Like the mountain itself was growling.

Zelin gasped. A sharp cry tore from his throat as he fell to his knees. His veins bulged black, crawling like ink beneath his skin.

His fingers twisted, forming sharp, claw-like nails. His ears stretched to points. His skin grew pale as bone. His eyes turned crimson.

"Luo—!" Guang shouted, stepping forward, but froze.

Liang suddenly doubled over with a grunt, clutching his own ribs. Though his body remained human, he felt the agony surging through Zelin. The curse between them had awakened again. Zelin was transforming. Not fully. Not like a monster. But enough.

Enough to terrify.

He rose, slowly, staggering to his feet. His body trembled with residual pain, fangs poking just slightly past his lip. His eyes flickered between glowing red and their usual dark brown. He looked at his own hands. Clawed. Wrong. "...Again," he muttered. "This body's too weak... it can't handle it..."

Shen Guang pulled his sword. His expression was serious now. Guarded. Confused. "What the hell are you?"

Zelin looked up, startled, then narrowed his eyes at the blade pointed at him. But before he could speak, Shen Liang stepped between them, arms out. "Guang, don't."

"What do you mean don't?" Guang snapped. "He's clearly not human, he's changing. That's demon blood, Liang!"

Liang's voice was hard. "If you strike him, I'll feel it too."

Guang faltered. "...What?"

Liang didn't waver. "We're cursed. I told you."

Zelin clutched his chest and gave a small laugh, bitter and hoarse. "If I stub my toe, he feels it. Isn't that sweet?"

Guang blinked, still trying to process. "You're what—?"

"We entered a cave weeks ago," Liang said. "Something ancient cursed us. If he feels pain, I feel it. Emotion too. Our energies are... tied."

Guang looked at Zelin with a mix of suspicion and awe. "But why is he changing?"

Zelin sighed, his voice quieter, strained. "I don't know. Every time we get close to these cursed places, this... this thing in me starts waking up. I didn't ask for this." Liang glanced over at him sharply. Zelin met his gaze and added, "And I didn't summon those vines, either."

The three stood in silence. Only the faint glow of the lake remained, pulsing like a heartbeat. Then Guang finally sheathed his sword. "You two are cursed. Fine. But if he turns on us—"

"I'll handle it," Liang said.

Zelin raised a brow. "Aw. You'd kill your emotional soulmate?" Liang shot him a withering glare. "...Kidding," Zelin added, backing behind the rock again.

Guang exhaled and turned toward the water. "We need to get out of here."

Zelin glanced down at his clawed fingers. His skin still glowed faintly with red glyphs that pulsed beneath the surface. He didn't know what he was becoming. But one thing was clear: This place was changing him.