Kaede Renji leaned back in the stone chair within the war room, exhaustion seeping into his bones. The dim light of the torches flickered against the castle's cold stone walls, casting elongated shadows that danced with the eerie calm of the night. Outside, the hero's party had withdrawn into the forest to lick their wounds and regroup after his traps had stymied their advance.
For now, he had time. Time to think, time to plan, and most importantly, time to prepare for the next encounter. The castle was his for the time being, but he knew that wouldn't last long. Eventually, they'd break through his defenses. And when that happened, he'd need something more than traps and tricks to survive.
"I have to keep up the act," Kaede muttered to himself, his voice echoing slightly in the empty room. "They think I'm strong… so let them believe it."
He couldn't stop thinking about the game's story—the one he knew inside and out. In the game, Xalor was nothing more than a third-rate villain. He was supposed to fall here, killed off by the hero's party in a climactic battle before the real antagonists were introduced. The problem was, Kaede wasn't playing by the game's rules anymore. He was rewriting them.
**Two days earlier...**
Kaede's mind had been racing ever since he'd first woken up in Xalor's body. It was disorienting at first, feeling the weight of someone else's memories pressing down on him. The moment he realized he was inside the game, in Xalor's skin, he had one overwhelming thought: survival. It was no secret that in this world, characters like Xalor were expendable. A mere stepping stone for the real plot.
Not him. He had too much to lose to go down like some disposable villain.
But how was he supposed to play this off? He wasn't a warrior, he wasn't a hero, and he wasn't some tactical genius. What he had, though, was the knowledge of what was supposed to happen. He knew every boss fight, every major event, every twist and turn the game had to offer. This wasn't just a world of swords and magic—it was a world he could manipulate. And that was his edge.
The flickering torches threw sharp shadows across the castle walls, and Kaede pushed himself up from his seat, walking over to a table where a dusty old book lay open. The contents were familiar—lore about Xalor's lineage, magical artifacts, and spells that the villain had never truly understood. But Kaede wasn't interested in that. He needed something more practical.
He scanned the room for anything useful, eventually laying his eyes on a map that detailed the nearby kingdom. There were markers indicating old battlefields, long-forgotten caves, and various settlements. If Kaede could somehow turn this to his advantage, he might be able to gain some ground.
But that wasn't the immediate concern. He needed more time to come up with a real plan.
"First things first," he muttered, eyes narrowing as he considered the immediate situation. "I need to push them back, delay them for as long as I can."
---
**Back in the present...**
The castle was silent, but the tension hung in the air like a heavy mist. Kaede could feel it—the subtle, creeping dread that came from knowing you were outmatched. The hero's party had camped out for the night, but they wouldn't stay idle for long. When dawn broke, they would come for him again.
Kaede's mind drifted to the companions the hero had brought with him. The knight, heavily armored and carrying a shield that glowed with some divine enchantment. The mage, a sorceress whose powers far exceeded anything Kaede could hope to match right now. And then the archer, nimble and deadly, her arrows capable of striking targets from impossible distances.
He shook his head. They were formidable, and they would have the upper hand in any direct confrontation. But Kaede had no intention of giving them that.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps behind him. He tensed instinctively, hand drifting to the small dagger he carried at his side. For a moment, the room was filled with silence as Kaede strained to hear who—or what—was approaching.
A small figure emerged from the shadows: it was Elara, one of the castle's former servants. She was a shy girl, no older than fourteen, with dirt-streaked clothes and wide, fearful eyes. Xalor had kept her around for menial tasks, but she was no fighter. In fact, Kaede was surprised she hadn't fled like the rest of the castle staff.
"Lord Xalor," she whispered, her voice trembling. "They… they're coming again."
Kaede let out a small sigh, suppressing his irritation. He didn't want to scare her any more than she already was, but the constant fear from the people around him was beginning to weigh him down.
"How long?" Kaede asked, his voice calm and measured.
"They're moving as we speak," Elara said, her hands fidgeting nervously in front of her. "I—I heard them talking about breaking through the gates by morning."
Kaede nodded, his mind racing. He had to act fast. The traps he'd laid so far had only delayed the inevitable, but they wouldn't hold the hero's party forever. He needed another edge—something that could tip the scales in his favor.
"Good," he said, standing and brushing off his cloak. "Let them come. We're ready."
Elara looked confused for a moment but quickly nodded and scurried off, clearly relieved that her master had a plan.
The truth was, Kaede had no idea if they were truly ready. But appearances were everything. If he could keep up the act of being the calm, collected villain, maybe—just maybe—he could make it out of this alive.
---
As dawn approached, Kaede stood at the top of the castle's main tower, watching the hero's party from afar. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a golden hue over the forest and illuminating the path leading up to the castle gates.
The adventurers moved with purpose, their weapons at the ready, faces set in grim determination. They thought they were marching toward victory, but Kaede had no intention of making it that easy for them.
He took a deep breath and allowed himself a small smile.
"Game on."