Chapter 1: Welcome to the Show
The multiversal villain agency (MVA).
It's building loomed like a forgotten church. A jagged tower of concrete and steel, its windows were tinted so dark they reflected nothing—not the smog-choked sky, not the flickering city lights. Just the pure, black emptiness that consumed the world. Above the massive glass doors, etched in faintly glowing gold, the motto read:
"Villany, Reimagined."
Alaric Vyle scoffed, tugging his crimson overcoat tighter against his tired frame.
"Catchy. Still sucks."
His shoes clicked against the polished obsidian floor as he entered, the automatic doors hissing like a sigh. The lobby of the Multiversal Villain Agency was pristine, hostile, and just depressing enough to remind everyone they were part of something bigger and muuuch more miserable. Embodying a corporate building perfectly.
The scent of burnt coffee and ozone clung to the air.
Eyes followed him the moment he stepped in. Not literal ones well, some of the eyes were but mostly the kind that lingered in shadows, behind security lenses, in the stillness of the marble pillars that looked just a little too organic to just be... Stone.
Alaric didn't flinch. He was too tired for paranoia.
'seriously this place just get weirder ever visit.'
His normally sharp suit was rumpled and stained. His signature monocle, cracked at it's rim, clung to his face with the desperation of a man who still thought it was fashionable. His Grey hair, usually slicked back, now drooped down over one eye. He looked like a magician halfway through having a nervous breakdown. Or maybe a jester who lost his circus to a fire and kept performing anyway.
'should've listened to her warning..' Alaric muttered to himself while clutching his rib that never stopped bleeding.
Drops of blood one by one fell on the grey carpet.
Behind the desk at the center of the lobby, a receptionist sat with perfect posture. Her nametag read,
SYRA, Automated Assistant—Smile Level 3.
"Welcome back, Agent Vyle," she said, voice as flat as a robot.
"Any particular reason behind you staining my carpet blood red?"
"I see your mouth is still as bitchy as ever" A vein bulged on his forehead.
"I think you can... See why I'm bleeding? Do you need those eyes replaced? I would gladly help."
"No thanks." She spoke,
"It's for the debriefing with celia... You should know shouldn't you o' might receptionist?"
Her smile was as emotionless as ever as she checked her computer.
"You... are two hours late for your debriefing with custodian Celia." Her eyebrow raised.
"No thanks"
"Glad to see someone missed me," Alaric muttered, leaning an elbow on the counter.
"Still running that vintage 404 personality?"
Syra blinked once. "Would you like to submit a formal complaint?"
"No thanks. I'm too tired to fight a robot today." Alaric rubbed his temple.
"Mhm hmm. Conference Hall 12-B." A passcard slid toward him across the desk.
"Please avoid trying to teleporting within the atrium. Last time, you melted the security intern."
"Ah. Right... Poor Greg."
"There is no Greg."
"Shhhh there was. Briefly." He pocketed the card and offered a lazy two-finger salute.
"Tell your programmer I still think he's lonely."
As he moved toward the hallway, he mumbled to himself, "Could've been worse. Last mission I nearly got turned into a sentient garden gnome."
Multiversal Villain Agency — Internal Memo
Agent Profile: #927 - Alaric Vyle
Alias: Ashvale
Species: Human (Former Protagonist Class)
Rank:B tier
Narrative Points: 765,350
Status: Active
Mission Type: Tier B and Below.
Power System: Applause Points (Exclusive System)
Signature Weapon: Six-Sided Die ("Dice of drama")
Core Ability: Reality is temporarily warped based on the result of his six-sided roll. Each result grants him a themed power, strengthened by accumulated Applause Points. Higher rolls = stronger effects.
Secondary Weapons:
Threaded Gloves ("Seamstress") – Combat threads for mid-range offense, traps, and stitching out of reality.
Broken Pocketwatch ("Second Act") – Rewinds one second of time with a narrative cost. Can record one battle "scene" for replay.
By the time Alaric reached 12-B, his coat had mostly dried, and his sense of sarcasm was at full charge.
He pushed the door open.
"CELIAAAA, did you miss me?"
Celia sat at the table, legs crossed, tablet in one hand, twirling a pen in the other. Her golden hair cascaded down one shoulder in loose waves, catching the cold white light like spun honey. She wore a fitted MVA blazer, slightly undone at the collar, and smiled. Her rose fragrance had filled the room.
"Wow, would you look at that" she said, eyes flicking up. "You look like you got in a bar fight with a bear."
Alaric dropped into the chair across from her with a dramatic groan. "And lost. Badly."
Celia tossed a can of a vaguely caffeinated drink toward him. "Catch."
He cracked it open, took a sip, and winced. "same as ever still tastes like regret,burnt ambition and forgotten dreams.
"suits you perfectly then."
They laughed. For a moment, it felt like old times—back before the jobs got darker, the stakes higher.
"So," she began, tapping on her tablet.
"Mission #243. Villainizing a Noble Succession Tale. You scored high...real high. Managed to turn the heir into a tyrant, frame the prince for treason, and collapse the three kingdoms."
"Trick was pretending to be their long-lost nancent ancestor." He stretched. "Kids trust them with everything."
Celia raised a brow. "You're disgusting."
"I'm effective."
"Fair point. That one netted you 65,000 Narrative Points. Puts you at…" She flipped to another screen. "765,350."
Alaric exhaled. "Still a quarter million short."
"You'll get there," she said, voice softening. "One world at a time."
He looked at her. "You still believe they'll give it back, don't you? My world?"
Celia's smile didn't fade. But something flickered beneath it. "I believe in you."
A pause.
Then she handed him a new file a black folder, red stamp across the top:
________________________________________
MISSION CLASS: B – Mythic Collapse
Target World: Arcadia-VI (Academy Realm)
Alaric flipped it open.
Inside: photos of castles floating above landscapes, a sprawling campus of ancient towers and glowing obelisks, students in uniform dueling with spells and sabers.
World Synopsis:
Arcadia-VI is a grounded magic-academy realm where nobles and commoners alike are trained to become elite combatants. The society maintains a tense balance between bloodline privilege and merit-based progress. Magic aptitude is determined through relic-bound tests at age sixteen.
Protagonist Target:
Name: Lysander Aelwyn
Class: Commoner-Born, High Aptitude
Trajectory: Destined to unite both noble and commoner factions through sheer power and political wit.
Mission Goal:
Sabotage protagonist's development. Deviate the world's storyline and change the ending.
Options include:
Infiltrate as staff (professor/administrator).
Bonus: steal the various golden fingers the protagonist will be given/ steal his partners.
Estimated Reward: 90,000–110,000 Narrative Points
Threat Level: Moderate to High. World has mild narrative resistance and a high density of "Hero Support" characters.
________________________________________
"We're still collecting information about the world. Rest assured the sheet will get updated as soon as possible."
Alaric let out a low whistle. "Classic setup."
"You're going in as a professor. A New hire.They expect someone different, eccentric, which is... convenient for you."
Alaric grinned. "What's my subject?"
"Applied Magical History and field combat."
Hearing this Alaric almost spat out the soda he was drinking.
"Ironic."
"And how do you suppose that I'm gonna teach them Applied magical history? I'm not sure if you know this... But I'm not exactly the scholar type."
"Don't worry about it you can buy the basic knowledge and teaching expertise you need at the MVA shop interface." Celia winked at him.
"Tch. You greedy bastards sucking me out of everything I've got"
"Think of it as an investment, Alaric." Celia rolled her eyes.
"Alaric… be careful this world is balanced on the back of its protagonist. If he dies, everything spirals downward."
"And if I succeed?"
Celia's gaze held his. "One step closer to... your home."
He stood, flipping the file shut and slipping it into his coat.
"Guess it's time to educate the youth."
"Pffft A guy like you? Try not to traumatize them on the first day."
"No promises."
He walked to the door, then paused.
"Hey, Celia?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For sticking around."
She smiled again before closing the file she was reading.
"Always."
As the door closed behind him, her expression lingered a second too long. Her fingers curled slowly around the pen until it snapped in two.
"Always," she repeated softly.
END OF CHAPTER 1