As Vajen's life flickered out in a blaze of agony, the forest fell silent, save for the crackling of flames and the eerie echo of my voice resonating in the air. While I ain't a pyrokinetic, I sure could burn my foes if I wanted to.
What exactly happened? Well, the concept was simple, but it was one of the most difficult feats that a hypnotist-class or telepath-class like me could do. I essentially tweaked Vajen's body temperature and heightened it so much that he self-immolated. The range of Vajen's body temperature was naturally higher than normal humans given his powerset, so it was extremely effective.
The twins, Anny and Jenny, were frozen in shock and horror, their minds reeling from the sudden and brutal demise of their Sect Leader.
"That was… easier than I thought…" I remarked as my gaze hovered over the twins.
I used my telekinesis to pull the flying fire-summoning Anny and suppressed her on the ground. I then proceeded to lock the joints of the frost-powered Jenny ensuring she wouldn't be able to move.
With subtle manipulation, I implanted mental suggestions of fear in the twins' minds. They were shaken by what I did to their Sect Leader, and their mental defenses were at their lowest. Fearmongering had been one of my specialties, and I was good at it. They were the bread and butter of the telepathic, hypnotic, or clairvoyant villains. It made planting mental suggestions easier after all. It was still humanly possible to get rid of mental suggestions no matter how strong it was, however, the twins were untrained.
Currently, they were immensely vulnerable to my powers.
I released Vajen's charred corpse, letting it fall to the ground in a heap of smoldering flesh and bone.
"You have witnessed the consequences of defying me," I declared, my voice was a cold whisper in their minds. "Remember this day, for it shall serve as a warning to any who dare to challenge the power of the Undoer."
I undid my telekinetic restraint on the duo.
Anny and Jenny exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. They knew they were no match for the being before them, and any further resistance would only lead to their demise.
"We... we understand," Jenny finally managed to stammer, her voice barely above a whisper as she helped her twin sister to stand up.
I continued, "Only one of you could go. To survive, one of you must die"
Jenny remained silent, her eyes fixed on me with a mixture of fear and determination. Meanwhile, Anny had a look of overwhelming fear on her face.
Seeing them this conflicted and in pain gave me no satisfaction. As a villain, manipulation had always been part of the game… I just hoped these two wouldn't show the 'tendencies' of a minion, because if they did, I wouldn't hesitate to turn them into my pawns.
It was contradictory, but I hoped people would choose to be 'good' first before choosing the 'bad'. I am not an unreasonable evil. I was a motivated evil who did things because I had reasons to… If one of the twins begged me they'd willingly die in place of her sister, I'd let them both go. If the two of them resisted and even went so far as to resist with their dying breath, then I'd just erase parts of their memories and let them go.
But no.
It appeared these two have villain-like inclinations. I was no psychologist, but I'd say I am overqualified. Their thoughts were too exposed, and I was able to judge them without holding back.
"Kill the other, and I shall let the other live," I repeated, making the instructions clearer.
As Anny remained silent, her gaze hardened, and without warning, she ignited her fist with superheated flames making the air around her crackle with energy. Jenny's eyes widened in shock as she realized her sister's intentions.
Jenny had love for her sister and could not bring herself to kill her, making her a coward through and through… to the point she couldn't bring herself to make a choice: offer her life in her sister's stead, or kill.
In fact, I could read in Jenny's mind that she secretly desired for her sister and her to die together. I could almost taste the twisted expectations the frost-wielding teen had.
"No, Anny, don't!" Jenny cried out, with desperation lacing her voice. But it was too late. Anny lunged forward with killing intent, her flames engulfing Jenny in a blaze of searing heat.
Jenny screamed in agony as the flames consumed her, her body writhing in pain. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, mingling with the smoke of the forest fire still raging around us.
When the flames stopped, Jenny remained unscathed. I had used my psychic abilities to protect her at the last second. The burning flesh that seemed to come from Jenny vanished, the olfactory illusions vanishing with it. I faked a laugh, an eerie laugh laced with psychic fluctuations that roused fear from whoever listened.
"No one died, it seemed no one could go."
Despair colored Anny's eyes as she deflated, she regretted being unable to kill her sister as she only wanted to survive. Meanwhile, Jenny was filled with joy as she would no longer have to suffer a lonely death.
I was yet to completely study the memory packet I extracted from Vajen, but I came to a quick understanding— this world was more fucked-up in some parts than Planet Earth with its villains and heroes. The two adolescents' minds were scarred in ways I could only see from asylum patients who volunteered their lives for me.
The twins prepared themselves, Anna with her flames and Jenny with her frost.
"Don't worry, I didn't say I would kill you." I emotionlessly attached my psychic tendrils to their minds as subtly as possible. "The two of you misunderstood."
And then, I exploded my psychic energy.
"Prepare for a fate worse than death!" I announced to the twins as I flew to them with incredible telekinetic speed. I grabbed the two's foreheads, and began my operation—
I planted a kind of unique bomb in their skulls with my psychic abilities. A combination of powerful mental suggestions, and telepathic triggers were arranged in their neural pathways.
"You will suffer a painful death, just like Vajen did, if you ever dare to betray me," I commanded, ensuring they understood the consequences of disobedience. "From now on, you are my little minions. Every villain needs their minions, and you two will serve me well… I wouldn't sugarcoat what I am, what I do, and what I am capable of… I am evil, I am wicked, and I am something that needed to be purged."
Anny and Jenny trembled under my psychic grip, the weight of their new fate sinking in. They exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them, filled with resignation and fear.
"I am a villain through and through," I emphasized to them that there was no moral gray in evil no matter the circumstances, despite calling myself 'motivated evil' which differed from 'unreasonable evil'… I was so sure of myself since it was only human nature to be unreasonable and... to be bad sometimes.
In my case, I was just bad for a very long time… until I resurrected my daughter. I knew how hypocritical I sounded in my mind, but I am a supervillain, and I had the luxury of being a hypocrite. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master," they whispered in unison, their voices barely audible over my psychic-infused words intermingling with the eerie silence of the forest.
Master? I have never been called that, but fine… The most extreme I had been called by my followers back on Earth was 'Boss Death'. Following that was 'Grim Reaper' or 'Lich' which was equally over the top.
I released my hold on their minds, allowing them to stand on their own once again. They were now under my control, bound by the fear of death and the desire for survival. The two were my ideal minions, one that feared death, and the other that feared a lonely death… Brainwashing people wasn't my style, because that would take away their free will.
Though honestly, forcing people at gunpoint wasn't any better.
Improving a minion's loyalty was the most difficult aspect of villainy in my opinion. I sighed. That could wait for another time. "Go back to your base of operations," I commanded the twins with a flick of my wrist, my voice carrying the weight of authority and menace. "Back to the Frost and Fire manor, your Sect's base."
Anny and Jenny exchanged puzzled glances, their brows furrowed in confusion. "But Master," Anny hesitated, "what about...?"
"You will do as I say," I interrupted, my tone brooking no argument. "Return to the Frost Fire Sect and await further instructions. You are to keep your new allegiance secret from the others."
Jenny's eyes widened in realization, while Anny nodded reluctantly, understanding the gravity of the situation. They both knew the consequences of disobedience, and they had no choice but to obey.
"Yes, Master," they replied in unison.
With a final nod from me, they turned and made their way back to their base. I have use for the twins, and while my plans were yet to form a big picture, I roughly had an idea of what direction I wished to go.
As the twins disappeared into the depths of the forest, I turned my attention inward, to the pocket of my mind where I kept the soul of my daughter. A pulsating blue orb rested in my bony palm, emanating a faint glow in the dim light of the forest.
The mind was a powerful entity, even in death, it lingered, leaving traces of its existence behind. With practiced precision, I drew upon the souls of the dead scattered around me, crushing them and extracting the excess soul energy. This energy would serve as the fuel for my next endeavor.
With a focused mind, I channeled the gathered soul energy into the orb containing my daughter's soul. The orb flickered with renewed vitality as the energy coursed through it, infusing it with power and life. It was a delicate process, requiring finesse and control, but one that I had mastered over the years.
As the ritual reached its conclusion, I felt a surge of satisfaction wash over me. My daughter's soul was now rejuvenated, but I wouldn't be reunited with her physical form any soon. I needed more souls.
I tucked the orb safely in my mind, knowing that the time for her resurrection was yet to come.