Chereads / TALE OF A VILLAIN: INHERITOR OF CHAOS / Chapter 7 - The turning point

Chapter 7 - The turning point

Tom was not truly affected by the scene, but seeing himself causing chaos that end up killing kids and innocent people, was heart shattering. He got nothing to say apart from that one phrase.

* * *

The next morning, Tom awoke with the vision of the elder knight's dream still burning in his mind. His future, the power, the chaos, the blood, it felt inevitable, as if no matter how much he resisted, he would end up a monster which something he never wants for himself, as much as he wants revenge, he still wants to do it himself, not subconsciously. He sat up, clutching his head, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I'll control it," he whispered to himself again, the words sounding hollow in the silence of his small room.

The headquarters was still quiet when Tom arrived for his morning shift. He moved through the halls like a ghost, his thoughts too loud for him to focus on anything else. His mind kept replaying the vision, the way he had stood in the center of a burning city, cold and unfeeling as he watched it all crumble.

Was that really what he was destined for?

He thought about his family, about the Crowleys and their legacy. His father, who had always looked down on him, would probably laugh if he knew what kind of power Tom held now. His brothers and sister, the knights who had let their to mother die, would never believe it either. They thought he was nothing, a failure, a waste of space in the world.

But they would learn. Eventually, they would all see what the failure has became.

---

The day passed slowly, the weight of the elder knight's words pressing down on Tom as he went about his duties. He cleaned, he swept, he did everything he was supposed to do. But inside, his mind was a storm. He could feel the power thrumming beneath his skin, itching to be released, to be used at all cost.

He thought about the knights, about the system that allowed them to get away with so much. They were praised as heroes, but they weren't. They were cowards, all of them. And Tom would prove it.

As he finished cleaning one of the upper rooms, he overheard a conversation coming from the hallway.

"Did you hear? Another knight was found dead this morning," one of the knights said, his voice low.

"That's the third one this month," his companion replied, her tone tense. "They say it's the same killer. No traces, no clues, just… gone."

Tom paused, his hand tightening around the handle of the mop. He had known this would happen. After all, it was him who had been planting the seeds of chaos, manipulating some of the weaker minds within the knight faction to turn on each other with his mind manipulation ability. It had been a simple test of his power at first, a way to see how far he could push them. But now, it had become something more.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. They were afraid. They didn't know who the killer was, but they were starting to panic. And that was exactly what Tom wanted.

He slipped out of the room, his footsteps silent as he moved through the halls, his heart racing with the thrill of it all. The knights were supposed to be invincible, untouchable. But Tom was proving them wrong, one by one.

---

That evening, as he left the headquarters, Tom found himself drawn to the statue of the elder knight again. He stood before it, his hands in his pockets, staring up at the stone figure with a mixture of awe and fear.

"You were right," he muttered under his breath. "They're all the same. They deserve what ever hits them, at this moment."

The elder's voice echoed in his mind, dark and powerful. "You're only beginning to understand, Tom. They will never change. The only way to fix this world is to tear it down and rebuild it in your image."

Tom swallowed hard, his gaze shifting to the ground. "I'm not ready for that," he whispered. "I'm not ready to… to become that monster. I'm not ready to have the blood of the innocents on my hands."

The elder's laugh sent chills down his spine. "You don't have to be ready. The power will guide you, whether you're prepared or not."

Tom clenched his fists, his body trembling with a mixture of fear and excitement. The power was already changing him, warping his thoughts, making him see things differently. He wasn't the same man he had been before. He wasn't the failure, the loser, the disappointment.

He was becoming something else. Something stronger.

But was that a good thing?

---

As Tom walked through the city that night, he kept his hood low, his mind swirling with thoughts of the elder knight and the future he had seen. The streets were busy, people moving about their lives as if nothing was wrong, as if there wasn't a storm brewing just beneath the surface.

He thought about the knights, about the system that kept them in power, about the way they had destroyed everything he loved. His siblings were part of that system, the very people who had let their mother die, who had turned their backs on him without a second thought.

His fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to destroy them all. Every last one of them.

But something stopped him. A voice; soft, familiar.

"Tom?"

He turned, his heart skipping a beat as he saw his younger brother standing at the edge of the street, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Chris?" Tom breathed, his chest tightening with a mixture of relief and guilt.

Chris was only fourteen, the last child of the Crowley family, and the only one who had ever shown Tom any real kindness. While the others had mocked him, pushed him away, Chris had always stayed by his side, offering a kind word or a helping hand when no one else would.

"What are you doing out here?" Tom asked, his voice rough with emotion.

Chris shrugged, his small frame dwarfed by the oversized cloak he wore. "I was just… walking. Thinking about some stuff, and Mom."

Tom's heart ached at the mention of their mother. She had been the only person who had ever truly loved him, and now she was gone, ripped away by the very people Chris idolized.

"Do you ever think about what happened?" Chris asked, his voice quiet. "About the knights? About our brothers and sister?"

Tom stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Chris looked up at him, his eyes filled with a sadness that seemed too deep for someone his age. "I know you hate them. I know you blame them for what happened to Mom. But… they're still family, don't let that separate us, they might be harsh towards you, but that doesn't mean you should give up on them, for God sake, you are the only one who has been drifting from the family. And I don't want to lose you, too."

Tom stared at his younger brother, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel some kind of power inside him, the elder knight's voice whispering in his mind, urging him to strike, to manipulate, to destroy. But when he looked at Chris, all he felt was an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"I don't want to lose you either," Tom whispered, his voice barely audible.

Immediately another voice appeared in his mind space, it was his own voice, but this voice was like is old personality, kind and gentle, with no sign of hatred or anger. "Then don't. Don't let this power change you, Tom. Don't let it turn you into something you're not."

He was so confused he couldn't understand what was happening. It was also as if he as had two personality in him, just as the elder night, he could feel the sadness of the voice, disappointed for what he had became.

The voice continued, "you need to wake up Tom, the elder knight is just using, you to accomplish his vengeful hatred against the knights of the city. The hidden truth you are constantly denying, is that: not all of them are evil, most of them are just corrupted with: pride, riches, fame and power. There are still many of them who could control such things."

The voice made a stop to hear Tom's response, but got nothing but silence. The voice then press forward to say. " What kind of example are leaving out for your youngest sibling, who is also looking forward for you to grow in society, so you can prove everyone wrong, and for you to be a better man."

Tom wanted to believe him. He wanted to think that he could still control the darkness inside him, that he could hold on to the last shred of humanity he had left.

But deep down, he knew the truth.

It was already too late.