Ascension Of The Villain

Chapter 331 - 331: Grief Never Goes Away

Vyan's breath caught in his throat.

He stood frozen, eyes locked on the older woman before him. Ginger-red hair cascaded gently over her shoulders, eyes the soft shade of stormy grey. Just like his mother's. Exactly like hers.

The resemblance was so uncanny that it knocked the air from his lungs.

It was happening again.

That same disorienting, heart-wrenching feeling he had when he first met Celeste at the garden in Crystal Palace. That fragile moment when memory and reality collided, and he saw his mother through someone else.

Only this time, the illusion was heavier.

This time, there was another figure beside the woman—an older man. And the sight of him hit Vyan like a punch he hadn't braced for.

Black hair peppered with gray. The same sharp jawline. The same strong features.

Father.

He looked like him. Not just a resemblance, but a living and breathing echo of the man Vyan had lost. The only difference was in the eyes—amber, not red. Adrian's eyes. Elian's eyes. But everything else was a cruel mirror.

A merciless replica.

And standing side by side like that—Adrian's parents—it was clear. They weren't his parents. But they could've been. They should've been.

Wasn't it cruel?

Wasn't it unbearably, gut-twistingly cruel?

A sharp pressure gripped Vyan's chest, as though invisible hands had reached into him and started pulling everything apart. He didn't know what expression he wore—if he looked lost, or haunted, or just… hollow.

He didn't even know how to feel. Was he supposed to smile? To say something? To act normal?

But how could he, when every fiber of his being was on fire?

Even after all he had done… Even after avenging them… After delivering justice in the only way he knew how… why did it still hurt so much?

Would this grief ever stop gnawing at him?

Would he always ache like this, whenever something… or someone… reminded him of what he'd lost? He thought he had made peace with this fact. He had talked to them above their graves, hadn't he? So why… Why did it hurt again?

His eyes were stinging when a gentle voice reached him.

"Honey, are you okay? You look a little pale."

It was Adrian's mother.

Vyan forced himself out of the haze that had overtaken him. His heart still hadn't steadied, but he mustered a polite smile.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry," he said quickly, voice a little too tight with forced cheer. "I just got surprised for a moment. I wasn't expecting you. Actually, I think Adrian forgot to mention that you were coming."

He chuckled softly, pushing his hands into his pockets to keep them from fidgeting. "Anyway… hello, Mrs. Evans. Mr. Evans. It's good to meet you both. Did Adrian tell you about me?"

The woman nodded at once. "Yes, he did. You're the new intern who's working as Adrian's assistant, right?"

He nodded.

Her brow furrowed slightly with concern, and her tone dipped into motherly dismay. "Poor thing. He told us you got kicked out of your apartment. That landlord sounds awful. He should've at least given you a warning before selling the place."

Vyan laughed, awkward. "Yeah… it was unexpected."

He nodded along, trying to keep up with her empathy like he wasn't fraying at the edges.

She watched him closely, her eyes scanning his face with open curiosity and something like awe.

"Wow," she murmured. "You really do look a lot like Adrian. He wasn't exaggerating at all."

Her husband added with a chuckle, "Yeah, it's kind of jarring. It's like I'm looking at Adrian during his college years."

Vyan gave them a crooked smile, trying to keep the air light despite the heaviness in his chest. "What a coincidence, right? I was surprised too when I first met him."

Just then, Elian's bright voice broke in, "He feels like he'd be Daddy's twin, right, Nana?"

His grandma smiled softly, gaze never leaving Vyan. "Honestly, if I didn't know any better, I'd think he was my lost child," she said, voice tinged with affection and wonder.

And that was the moment Vyan felt it.

That he could end up crying here for real.

A tight pressure welled up in his throat. He turned away quickly, casting his gaze toward the hallway like it was the most interesting piece of art in existence.

"You two should take a seat," he said, tone still pleasant, but thinner now. "Emma told me it was okay for me to use the kitchen. Should I get some breakfast for you? Or maybe some snacks, Mrs. Evans?"

"Oh, no need for all that," she replied warmly. "And please, just call me Julia."

"Yeah," Mr. Evans added with a grin, "me, too. Atlas is fine."

Vyan didn't meet their eyes.

"Okay," he said quietly, already stepping away. "But still… let me get something for you. Some juice, at least?"

Julia gave a gentle nod. "Okay then. But what's your name again?"

"Vyan," he said, a little too quickly, too softly, then he disappeared into the kitchen before they could see the tears gathering in his eyes.

Behind him, the voices blurred. But inside, Vyan stood alone again—five years old, standing in the shadow of two people who weren't his parents, yet resembled them enough to hurt like hell.

The refrigerator door opened with a soft hum, its cold light spilling out into the quiet kitchen.

Vyan leaned in,