The Villain Professor's Second Chance

"What is this...? Dark smoke...? Maris! Cover your nose and mouth!" Sophie shouted.

The smoke bomb bought Revenant enough time to make his escape, but it also gave Selene the precious seconds she needed to recover. As the dark cloud settled, Selene pushed herself to her feet, her movements sluggish and pained. She fumbled for a vial at her belt, uncorking it with trembling fingers. The liquid inside shimmered ominously as she brought it to her lips.

With a grimace, she drank deeply, her eyes turning pitch black as the potion took effect.

"How dare you use an illusion on me, you snotty brat!" Selene screamed, her voice filled with fury as she glared at Maris. Dark energy crackled around her, making the air hum with malevolence. But Maris stood her ground, her wand steady in her hand, her face set with determination.

Sophie glanced at Maris, and their eyes met. Sophie nodded. "I won\'t question you right now. We have something more urgent to do. You might get scolded later, but as a knight, I commend your bravery."

Maris blinked in surprise, her expression softening for a moment. She had expected judgment, maybe even reprimand, but not this. "Thank you, my Lady," she said, her voice steady despite the tumultuous emotions swirling within her.

Maris hesitated, wanting to tell Sophie about Professor Draven and his involvement, and how back then he was just saving her not killing the low-ranked member of the Deadly Hollows on a whim, but she held her tongue. Draven had made her promise to stay silent, part of the deal for his help in her quest for revenge. Instead, she tightened her grip on her wand and focused on the immediate threat.

Selene was ready to attack.

The two knights faced Selene together, their resolve unshaken. Sophie brandished her sword, its blade glistening with a frosty sheen, while Maris began to weave intricate patterns in the air with her wand. The chamber seemed to shrink around them, the air thick with anticipation.

"Ready, Maris?" Sophie asked, her voice calm and collected despite the chaos.

"Ready," Maris replied, her eyes locked on Selene, who was now radiating dark energy.

Selene snarled, her dark eyes fixed on Maris with a hatred that seemed to burn through the darkness itself. "You\'ll pay for your insolence," she spat, summoning her magic with a flick of her wrist.

A wave of dark energy surged toward them, but Sophie was quicker. With a graceful swing of her sword, she deflected the attack, shards of ice forming a barrier that shattered upon impact. "Now, Maris!" Sophie shouted.

Maris thrust her wand forward, releasing a torrent of bright, searing light that cut through the darkness. Selene screamed as the light struck her, her form wavering for a moment before she retaliated with a blast of shadowy tendrils. They whipped through the air, aiming to ensnare both Sophie and Maris.

Sophie moved with the agility of a seasoned warrior, her blade slicing through the tendrils with precision. Maris, meanwhile, conjured a protective barrier, the light from her wand forming a shimmering shield around them.

"Keep her off balance!" Sophie commanded, her voice a steady anchor in the midst of battle.

Maris nodded, focusing her energy on disrupting Selene\'s spells. She cast a series of rapid, blinding flashes, each one causing Selene to falter, her concentration wavering under the relentless assault.

As she summoned the magic circle from the end of her wand, flashbacks of her brief training with the Professor flashed through her eyes.

\'I will give you one advice, to survive facing users of dark magic\' His cold and indifferent voice still lingers inside her ears.

\'A simple light magic, a flash, could overpower intermediate spells. Further light spells could defeat stronger ones. So use them wisely, fights are not about strong. But about using that useless weight on top of your shoulders\' His blunt and sarcastic-fueled advice now made her chuckle.

"Thank you, Professor,"

Selene roared in frustration, her dark eyes blazing with fury. She lashed out with a wave of pure darkness, but Sophie met it head-on, her sword glowing with a brilliant, icy blue. The clash of their opposing magics sent shockwaves through the chamber, the very air crackling with power.

Meanwhile, deep within the church\'s underground chambers, Revenant fled, his heart pounding in his chest. He navigated the dark, narrow passageways, his mind racing. He needed to reach a certain exit, a hidden route known only to the highest-ranking members of the Deadly Hollows.

But the sound of steady, firm steps echoed through the tunnels, causing him to shiver. He slowed, his breath catching in his throat, and peered through the dim light. A figure emerged from the shadows, his presence commanding and cold. Draven.

Draven\'s eyes were icy, filled with a contempt that made Revenant feel like the dirt beneath his feet. He walked with a calculated grace, the water at his feet evaporating with each step, the filth and grime lifting off the ground under his influence.

"You..." Revenant breathed, realization dawning on him. "This was all your orchestrated plan."

Draven snorted, his expression unchanging. He summoned his fire, water, psychokinesis, and the Devil\'s Pen, the air around him shimmering with power. With a flick of his hand, he used psychokinesis to pull all the devil vials from Revenant\'s pockets, suspending them in the air before him.

"Don\'t be foolish," Draven said, his voice dripping with disdain. "I know all your cards, and I know you have close to zero mana right now. To be such a weakling, resorting to such a useless substance to act strong," he mocked.

Revenant\'s face twisted in desperation. "You have no place to say so! You\'re as evil and dirty as I am!"

Draven\'s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in them. "Don\'t lump me with you," he said coldly. "I may be a scum, but I\'m a scum who hates filthy scums."

With a surge of power, Draven slammed Revenant against the wall, the impact rattling through his bones. "Now," Draven said, his voice calm and measured, "where is the \'Dark One\' that you serve? When was the last time you saw or communicated with him? What are his further plans?"

Revenant clenched his teeth, refusing to answer. Draven\'s gaze hardened, and he raised the Devil\'s Pen, the dark artifact glowing ominously. "You will tell me," Draven said softly, "or I\'ll make you wish you had."

He cast an illusion of torturous pain, the Devil\'s Pen amplifying Revenant\'s worst fears. Revenant screamed, the imagined agony more real than anything he had ever felt. The vision was a horrific tapestry of pain—burning, slicing, crushing—all unfolding in excruciating detail.

"Stop! Stop!" Revenant cried out, his resolve crumbling under the relentless assault. "I\'ll tell you everything!"

Draven\'s expression remained impassive as he listened.

"It\'s been a long time since we last saw the \'Dark One.\' He has no plans to move in the near future. We were just following old orders, maintaining the chaos, gathering resources." Revenant\'s eyes panicked when he saw Draven seeming not convinced. "It\'s the truth! I\'ve confirmed once since I wanted to see him in action, but he replied with disdain and blasted me with his magic!"

"I swear! I swear! Please! I guess he\'s still weak and didn\'t have enough strength yet to move out! I don\'t even understand what he actually is! But he granted me strength!

Please! I was just following orders!" Revenant constant pleas finally convinced Draven.

Draven let out a sigh of relief, the tension in his body easing slightly as he closed his eyes. The Devil\'s Pen moved, its form shifting in his hand. "I appreciate the information," he said, his voice almost gentle. "For the payment, I\'ll let you meet the artifact you\'ve been searching for like a rat all this time."

With a flick of his wrist, the Devil\'s Pen transformed into a gauntlet, its dark metal glinting in the dim light. The gauntlet\'s fingers wrapped around Revenant\'s neck, squeezing with an unrelenting grip.

Revenant\'s eyes widened in shock and horror. "So it\'s been you... All this time..." he choked out.

Draven sneered, his gaze unwavering.

The gauntlet\'s grip tightened, draining Revenant\'s strength, life force, and mana. Revenant struggled, gasping for breath, but it was futile. The gauntlet\'s power was absolute.

Draven watched as the life drained from Revenant\'s eyes, the once fearsome leader of the Deadly Hollows reduced to a lifeless husk. The gauntlet absorbed the last of Revenant\'s energy, and Draven released his grip, letting the body fall to the ground with a dull thud.

"I guess the mice always die in a sewer," Draven repeated, his voice a cold whisper. He turned and walked away, the chamber growing silent in his wake.