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The city was crimson. The plan he had worked so hard on for several years had been set in motion, and it was coming to an end. Victory was close.
Rollo stood at the top of the bell tower, behind him the Bell of Salvation was surrounded by red spots. He was watching the city invaded by crimson lotus flowers that covered every nook he could lay his eyes on. His hands were folded behind his back and the light evening breeze was swinging the bands of his presidential hat. He felt the warmth of the wind colliding with his face and the flowers warmed him as they were carrying the heat of a fire that was devouring the City of Flowers. Rollo should have felt suffocated, yet it was something else that oppressed him. He must have been happy, foretaste of the well-deserved victory, the realisation of his revenge, but he did not feel in the mood for celebration, and not because he did not want to attract bad luck. There was a thought that suddenly came back to haunt him, and it had nothing to do with his mission.
His eyebrows frowned until they joined, while his eyes continued to probe the streets full of flowers and screaming people, mostly desperate mages. His mind was not giving a rational explanation for his attitude, but deep down he knew why he was acting that way.
In the end, he had kicked her out. He had pushed her away with the Night Raven College gang, and he was sure that he had made the right choice: keeping (Y/n) around there, with him on the bell tower, would only be a distraction, a beautiful distraction that he could not afford, especially in a critical moment like the one he was facing.
She... He felt like he was losing his mind over her. Every time he took a break from revising the plan or fulfilling his duties as student council president, he found himself thinking about her. She was always there, as soon as his mind was cleared of all other thoughts, as soon as it was no longer occupied, she was always there. She, with her billowing skirt, her dances at the Topsy-Turvy event, her sweet demeanour, her delicate movements, her body, her smile, which she had never given him. That smile... he wanted it, he desired it, he longed for it. He called for it in an endless prayer, that smile made his knees weak. He wanted her to smile at him even once and that would be enough to satisfy him. Just once. At the thought of those beautiful lips gently folded, he felt his heart go crazy in his chest, growing heavy as it slowed its beats before speeding up and going wild like a wild horse on the prairie.
Rollo frowned harder, still searching for… something.
It was a special night for him. Finally, all the wizards would disappear from the face of Twisted Wonderland, he would win, he would avenge his beloved younger brother, and he would feel relieved. Still, he was certain he would not sleep, and he would spend the night staring at the ceiling until dawn and beyond, a heavy boulder on his stomach oppressing him more than the overwhelming and long-lasting desire for revenge.
Where was-...?
His eyes went to scan a path near the square. Some mages were trying to keep the flowers away with a water spell. A pathetic attempt that would have hastened their end. A slight smile broke out on Rollo's face, but it disappeared quickly. (Y/n) was not even there, so he moved forward.
He was looking for something, something he did not understand. The only thing he knew was that he would feel relieved at her sight. His eyes snapped in every corner, in every street, and a shiver ran down his spine. The minutes passed but he found no peace. Where is… she?
His body was still, upright and rigid, and his pupils were churning, looking for a sense of relief. It was her, the girl wrapped in the dress he had made a few days before. What an ironic scene! He was putting the finishing touches to his plan just as he was helping the council and the volunteers who were sewing clothes for all the participants of the exchange. His hands were holding that one woman's dress. He had never given her a thought as he plunged the needle into the fabric to create the embroidery, except for a brief moment. He began wondering if the dress would fit well, as he had never sewn a woman's dress before. It was ironic because now every single one of his thoughts seemed to be captured and monopolised by the wearer. He wanted to hold the hem of that skirt in his hands again, to hold it in his grip, kneeling before it and begging for a smile.
What have you done to me?
Then he suddenly spotted her. She was in the square, helping the professor and the little monster to uproot the flowers, an utterly pointless action considering those around her. Besides, it was useless because they were already overwhelmed by them. In a few minutes the two magic-bearers would lose their magic forever, but she continued undaunted. Rollo's eyes narrowed, annoyed by that scene. These mages had ruined her view of reality, trying to make her one of them, even though she had no magical gifts. But he would bring her back to the right path, once the evil had been eradicated. He would make her understand that he was right. Just like the Judge. And they were the Villains. It was the only way he could get her. Otherwise she would have hated him for the rest of her life.
He felt a weight, a pain in his chest at the thought that she might hate him. He did not want that to happen, he wanted to push that thought away. It was too oppressive for him to be able to face it.
What are you doing to me?
He kept repeating to himself, while keeping his eyes on the slim figure he saw from afar. She was struggling to carry out an impossible task.
You're going to destroy me... (*)
Rollo stared at her with a hint of surrender in his dull green orbs. She was only supposed to be an assistant, sent to support Professor Trein, but then she had turned into an inconvenience for the plan and lastly into his destruction. A real destruction for him, his heart and his mind. The heat rising from the flowers did not bother him at all, but the fire burning inside him was unbearable, he could not have held out for long. He was losing his mind.
He looked away from her, blinked, gritted his teeth, grabbed his uniform at chest height from under the bell-shaped pin and clenched it into a fist. A fire was raging from the inside and she was like petrol. She fanned the flames with her beautiful foreign mouth and he felt surrounded by those flames (**). There was nothing Dark Fire could do to save him from the flames that would consume him if he did not get away from her.
He opened his eyes and his breathing was heavy. He was not able to breathe even though he was inhaling lots of air in his lungs. His shoulders hunched forward to help him recover, but in vain. He had to stop thinking about her and stay focused on the plan, on his poor younger brother, on the imminent revenge. There was no room for her, no room for such a distraction, no room for those lips he longed for, even on his own lips, no room for that sweet voice, for that skirt he wanted to grab and lift. He could not let himself be destroyed, not one step away from the end, from victory. He had to stay focused on the cause. After all, the hardest part was coming, it was just around the corner. He could hear footsteps pounding swiftly on the wooden stairs of the tower, they were behind him. Then he heard their voices.
«We did it. We have finally reached the top of the bell tower»;
«The Bell of Salvation stands out at night. It's a mirror that reflects the moon»;
«We'll win if we ring the bell, so let's hurry up and finish this annoying side quest for good.»
«Yes, but wait a moment...»; Malleus had already noticed Rollo, even though he was right behind the Bell of Salvation, and remembered something important, «we have to say hi to our guest first».
«Hmph…», Rollo approached them, «I see you've gone really far». Then he stopped and put his hands on his stomach. «Villains like you think they have a free hand in this world. Despicable», he concluded angrily.
The battle he had been working on for all his life had begun, the time had come. If he had beaten the three Villains right there in front of him, the victory would have been unchallenged. He had to stand firm, now there was no room for (Y/n).