"He ran that way, find him and kill him!"

Running from the still-distant yell, the villain once again narrowly escaped death. This time, however, he was badly wounded by the hero’s sword. 

His demon magic core was also gradually evaporating thanks to the holy magic imbued in the weapon.

”That damn piece of-”, he cursed through his teeth as he painfully continued moving forward.

Using the ever-so-convenient escape tunnels every self-respecting villain owns, he headed to the deepest part of the dungeons - and most importantly, the sacrificial altar.

Hearing clamoring coming closer from the tunnels behind him, the villain finally stopped in front of a freshly killed youth on a stone pedestal. 

Lying there naked, the young man's skin faintly glowed in the torchlight, and if the silver dagger wasn’t still embedded in his heart, one could say that he was only sleeping. With a powerful yank the villain detached the dagger, and chanted a spell. The gaping hole in the corpse’s chest closed and the blood around it evaporated, leaving behind no evidence of his gruesome death.

The villain took a deep breath and while chanting another spell, plunged the dagger through his own heart, gasping and falling to his knees from the pain.

With shaking hands he touched his chest where the blood kept pumping out like a fountain and, with the last bit of their magic, used the blood to draw an array on the corpse’s chest.

The villain victoriously grinned as the world around him started to turn black, and then his lifeless body toppled to the cold stone floor. The bloody array began to glow faintly and then disappeared, like it had never decorated the youth’s body.

For a moment, the scene was like that of Romeo and Juliet, two beautiful people brought to their tragic end by cruel twists of fate.

—

The hero and his entourage finally arrived to the sacrificial hall from the tunnels, only to witness a shocking scene. A naked person was standing next to the villain’s corpse, holding a dagger dripping with blood.

”I... I killed him”, the youth gasped, his voice trembling slightly as the dagger he held previously loudly clattered to the floor, ”Please... Please help me get out of here!”

The young man knelt down and started sobbing.

’If the hero doesn’t fall for this, all my years as a villain have been wasted’, the youth thought while keeping up his heart-wrenching act.

'Good thing we killed this prisoner right before they arrived to the castle, I’d really be a goner otherwise! His looks certainly aren't hard to look at either... But... My poor gorgeous original body. Those abs, those eyes, the infamously large... Ahem. Not to even mention all that lost magical power, really too pitiful, too pitiful...'

He shed a few actual tears between the fake ones, before slowly lifting his red eyes towards the oddly pale-looking hero.

”It... It’s you...” the hero whispered, stepping forward, causing the kneeling youth to freeze.

’Did he recognise me?! It should not be possible!’ The villain started to panic internally but managed to remain calm on the outside, looking the hero straight in the eyes, ”You...”

But the villain never got to finish his phrase.

The hero ran towards him and lifted him into his embrace. The villain didn't dare to make a move as the hero’s hands were wrapped around him, squeezing just a little bit too hard.

”I thought I lost you when the villain’s soldiers attacked”, the hero sobbed next to the villain’s ear, ”I will never let go of you again. I love you.”

Loosening his embrace the hero softly started stroking the youth’s face, before gently lifting his chin.

”I. Love. You”, he said even louder, ”Will you marry me?”

Before waiting for an answer from the stupefied youth he caught him in a passionate kiss. The villain could feel the hero’s longing and desperation penetrate his soul through their lips.

Only after he started to feel dizzy from the lack of oxygen the hero finally let go, and smiled with such pure joy that the villain wanted to stab him dead right then and there.

’This youth is... Was... The hero’s lover’, the villain shuddered and cold sweat started to roll down his slender neck.

’Well, fuck.’