Your Not So Ordinary Villain

Isaiah didn't have any idea about what the man was talking about. To read someone's mind was no easy feat, even for them as mages. In fact, no one in the world could do that unless he did something beyond human to gain that kind of ability.

"Ah, I know that look. I can't read your mind but what you are thinking shows on your face," Cygnus chuckled. "I am reminding you to not come up with a conclusion in your mind."

Isaiah frowned, "Is it really true that you can read minds?"

"Of course. How do you think was I able to become a Ginehart and a mage at tower? Or how was I able to gather that much evidence against those mages? Or how was I able to sit here and talk to you when I promised that I would help you and the duke with your problems?" It was not all attributed to his ability but he didn't care since he was still the master and all orders came from him.

Isaiah couldn't speak for a while as he slowly digested the master's words. It took him a couple of minutes before he could finally ask the other question that was bothering him. "How did you gain that kind of ability when it is humanly impossible to have that kind of power? Even mages or heroes don't have that kind of ability."

A glint flashed through the master's eyes. A flash of red which caught Isaiah off guard. The air around Cygnus instantly changed that both Ezio and Isaiah weren't prepared for the next words he said.

"What do you think? I know that you already have an idea of how I did it." His voice went down a few octaves which added to the chill in the air. "Of course there should be some sacrifice." He grinned followed by an almost maniacal laugh.

Isaiah stood up from his seat and took several steps back from the master. He was almost at the door when he felt his body froze. His limbs were locked in place and he could hear the loud thumping of his heart.

"Why are you running away?" Cygnus stood up and made his way towards the young man. He was not going to let the young man escape.

He stood a few feet away from him with his hands behind his back. His smile made his eyes narrowed into slits which only made Isaiah nervous. Cygnus remained silent for a while as he enjoyed watching Isaiah's reaction.

The young man's eyes were wide with fear and the large bead of sweat on the side of his face was clearly visible to him. His jaws were locked and even the rise and *low* of his chest indicated how anxious he was. Even the clenched fists did not escape Cygnus's eyes.

"You know, you can't really escape from me and even if you run now, I will still be able to find you. So instead of running away, you better stay and amuse me." Cygnus took one step forward and stopped. "They'll be coming for me soon and you'll be a weapon I will use against them."

He did not hide his intention which made the young man want to object. Isaiah didn't have any idea what the other was talking about but he could feel that it was not something good. And whoever those who will be coming for the man, it was not his problem.

"You use dark magic. I know that I made a deal with you but that doesn't mean that I agree with your ways." He gritted his teeth after speaking.

Cygnus laughed, "Blah blah blah, that's what they all say. Even Linius and Astrophos showed their disapproval of the methods I've used so far but they couldn't do anything, oh well recently, they didn't do anything."

The fear in Isaiah's eyes was replaced with surprise. "Does Duke Ginehart know about it too?"

Cygnus hummed, then his forehead creased, "Maybe, but I'm sure he already had an idea since he speaks with Linius often." He took another step forward again until he was a few inches away from the young man.

"What did you do to them?" He asked. "Does Ezio know about this too?" His gaze fell on the young man who was silently listening to them.

Cygnus also looked behind and sighed when he saw that Ezio had a cold expression on his face. Even though he knew that Ezio was having some realizations right now, he was still amazed at how he was maintaining his neutral expression. He could also hear many questions running through his mind but he was restraining himself from asking.

"Ezio is different. He is someone special because he could do something that none of you can. He is also more powerful than you once he learns how to use his magic properly. He is just an innocent boy who got entangled with a person like me." He paused then returned his gaze to Isaiah, "As for the others, I didn't do anything to them. I am just making deals here and there like what I did to you and to the duke."

"Why are you doing this?" Isaiah asked as he slowly forced himself to relax. He figured out that the master was not going to do anything, if he would, he should have done it a while ago.

Cygnus noticed that Isaiah's body slowly eased up and his tense expression also slowly relaxed. Even though he did not retract the invisible force he used to bind the other in place. He was too lazy to bind him again once he decided to flee since he couldn't read what's exactly on the man's mind.

"At first it was for fun but then something in this world is different from the others I have seen. You've already heard a gist of it at the tower, right?" Cygnus didn't mind answering all of his questions because he wanted to get the man's trust.

But if he could not obtain it, he has many ways to pull him to his side. He didn't mind using some violent techniques or he could always use the technique he used to that bandit leader and to Linius. Cygnus frowned because he thought that those methods were all overused. He should explore other ways in the future.

"Then are you going through with your revenge?" Isaiah continued to ask because he wanted to get a grasp on what Rigel was thinking. Anything he could learn from their conversation would help him decide if he should trust him or not.

"Of course. A thousand years of grudge, I couldn't leave it be especially now that I am back in the world where it all began, don't you think that it would be a fitting adventure for me. Something to make up for my boring life," Cygnus nodded with a smile on his face that hid all of his malicious intentions.

Isaiah didn't know if he should believe that the man was actually a thousand years old now. He looked too young to have reached that age. If that was the case, he must have done something to remain young in appearance and with these thoughts in his mind, several forbidden techniques he read from some of the books he had studied flashed in his mind.

'If he used any of those to obtain that power then, was he any different from those mages who used dark power or those who had made a deal with demons for their own gain?' These thoughts were running in his mind.

Cygnus could feel that there was still doubt in Isaiah's eyes. He did not believe all of what he had said. "You don't believe me," he laughed, "it must be because of that issue about my age."

Isaiah's eyes twitched a little bit because he guessed right. Cygnus shook his head and closed the distance between them then stared at Isaiah's eyes. The man avoided his gaze as he looked at anything but him.

"I think I have done many things along the forbidden lines that is why I had this appearance but even if you think that it was dark magic, then how do you explain this?" On Cygnus's palms a white flame appeared.

It was the same as the magic that Celes used to fight the dark child during the attack on the magic tower. Isaiah had seen that kind of magic before from Archmage Celes and from some of the heroes he had encountered since most of them were adept at using that kind of magic. He could feel that the magic was real and that it was not just an illusion.

He raised his head and looked at the man in front of him. It was a bit difficult for this scene to sink in on his mind because this was the first time that he was seeing someone who could wield most of the elements and now holy magic. He was beyond his comprehension.