Etain was bored with the life she had lived for almost three thousand years. She became a villain in one moment. It was not something subtle. It was not her trying to do what was best for the greater good, and she found herself the villain. She had been happy with her boring life. She had hidden her powers from her power-hungry father. She had been born at a time that would become known as the Early Bronze Age. However, her family were landowners and farmers. Her father loved lording over people. Life was basic. She had been happy. She had her little sister; she had a young woman in the village she had been in love with, a male lover who was going to marry them both so they could all live together, and most of all she had her happiness.
It was common to have multiple wives.
What was not common was that the three of them actually loved each other.
She had been lucky.
Etain knew she had been lucky. She knew that getting married for actual love was rare, and if she had not been in love with the heir to the next village over, she knew she would have been sold.
She had been lucky.
Until that day.
Until her life came crashing down.
Of course it did. After all, she could not have happiness. So, she vowed nobody would be able to rip her heart out again like they had been able to with her sister, with her girlfriend, with her future husband. She vowed to close herself off.
Instead, she fought.
She destroyed.
She became the villain of her story.
But she was still determined to win.
Heroes fought her. Battled her. Tried to destroy her. That was a hero’s job in the end when everything is said and done to defeat the villain. Some say there comes a day when even the strongest and most powerful will die. That they should stop the wars, the battles. It was not about avoiding battle; it was not about avoiding war; it was about winning. Pure and simple, everything in life is about winning. One is either the winner or the loser. There is no second place in life. No participation points. There is a winner. A loser. The one who lives or the one who dies. And she would let nobody take her life.
She would let nobody have that power over her soul. She remembered the stories passed down. That killing someone gave you, their soul. Their power. Their life force. She always believed it was bullshit. But she would not take the risk that someone could have her soul, her blood, her life, and most of all, her power.
So, she killed many humans. Villains. Heroes. Killing them was a choice in self-perseveration. After all, letting them live to fight another day meant another chance for them to gain her life and soul from her. She had made a name for herself amongst the villains. They respected her. She became a leader, a voice among them, even if they all worked separately from each other.
Be it power from fear.
Be it power from awe.
Be it power from respect.
It was power.
And she reveled in the power.
After all, she was the Queen of Evil.
A title given to her by the normal people. The ones who feared all those with talents. Though they worshiped the heroes, they did so out of fear.
Not respect.
And though she was feared, not a single person dares to disrespect her when she showed up in their little corner of the world.
Queen of Evil.
Sometimes when she thought about it, she smirked.
Other times she wondered what those she had loved would have said.
But she shut down those thoughts quickly.
She had to shut them down.
If she did not she would show weakness.
Queen of Evil.
She reveled in that title. People feared her. She had destroyed anybody who knew her true identity. Nobody knew her.
Everybody knew her as Arc.
And later, Doctor Arc, mostly due to the fact that at some point in time the ordinary people started giving all villains and heroes whatever name they wanted. And most went with it. It is easier to keep their names safe.
Though there were few villains that were as known as she was in this world. And those were the ones she was trying to get a chance to talk to. But villains are not known for playing nicely with each other. Basically, long enough to get an orgasm. Same in neutral territories with heroes. Sex was a pastime of heroes and villains alike.
The blood pumping, knowing it was going to end in a draw?
Fly off and have a good time.
Have an orgasm.
Leave to fight another day.
Neutral was a joke word. Most of the time those heroes became corrupt and became villains. Or were killed.
Heroes… they were human, too. And everybody had a price.
Everybody.
Some just had a higher cost than others is all.
She had corrupted many heroes in her time. She did not care about how she did it, money, sex, or drugs. The end was always the same.
But for one.
Etain worked hard to become the most feared villain in this world. And villains and heroes alike feared her. She could kill with a blink. She could fly. She was a deadly woman who had no emotions to hold her back from gaining the ultimate control. Her father had taught her one thing. Making others fear her was the only way to get ahead in life. The only way to prevent self-destruction was to shut off emotions. Shutting down emotions was just one step into becoming feared. Becoming feared leads to having almost unlimited power.
And power was what she craved.
Power was the only way to protect herself.
But her existence had become boring.
Routine.
Affairs to gain power, money, whatever she needed at the time. Battles with both sides. Choosing Minions to go on suicide missions. Blowing up towns, cities, villages, all in the name of being bored. She understood why some beings that were basically immortal killed themselves. Life as an immortal was boring. Even as she watched the world change decade by decade, century by century, millennia by millennia. There were so many changes that she could not deny, but those new shiny people and advancements could only hold her attention long enough for her to say, ‘oh, shiny!’
It all changed when she first came across an eighteen-year-old hero named Earth Phoenix. She was a brand-new shiny hero. It revealed a bit of her powers during each battle. At first, she seemed to be a very annoying hero, like all the others. But, Etain had to admit, this one was cute. So, she called Dibs. And she had to know everything about her. Everything. Including her proper name and identity. Each little battle, each piece of news on this Earth Phoenix revealed a bit about who she was, and it led Etain to her village.
So, she had a plan to send her minions into the town to find her name.
But she had to get that precious little hero out of the village.
So, she attacked.
The village next to her target village was at the base of a volcano. Etain decided that Doctor Arc needed to send a message.
And what a battle.
The punches thrown.
The jibs.
The flirting.
All that was missing was the extreme sex afterwards.
Such a moral little hero.
The villain known as Doctor Arc smirked at the superhero known as Earth Phoenix. Oh, Etain knew she was in lust with this hero, that she stopped denying at least. She also knew that this hero considered her the Queen of Evil, well most heroes concurred with that statement. She loved the name and allowed the stories and rumors to spread.
Doctor Arc finally had an archrival. Perhaps someday when she succeeds in her plan to take over the world, she will keep this superhero as her pet. Okay, so she would keep her safe. She wanted only willing people in her bed. She became a villain because of someone raping and killing her sister. She would never force someone to be in her bed.
Never.
She had some morals. Not a lot and she could offer nobody moral support because of the lack of morals, but she did have some morals. She had rules of life. Do not hurt kids. Do not rape. Do not allow men to make women sub-servant. And she never trusted anybody but herself, so she could never get hurt again. She knew deep down it was all fear, fear of losing people she cared for once more. But what she feared even more was that she would care more for them, more than they would care for her. Then her world turned upside down.
Since this beauty known as Earth Phoenix came of age with her powers, she had been a thorn in Etain’s side. She would always end up going up against her. And something within Etain’s conscience would not let her actually kill the new hero.
Etain would admit, however, life was finally a bit more interesting. One could only have so many one-night stands with villains and heroes alike. She would never degrade herself to sleep with a normal mortal.
“What has you smirking, Arc?” Catriona sneered. They were in the middle of a battle. And Doctor Arc just floated there, relaxed as could be, and had a smirk on her face.
Why were they battling? Arc had sent an electric surge through the ground to set off a volcano. Catriona had capped it and contained it, barely. If she had not had the ability over matter, then the town would have been lost.
“I got you where I want you, Pheonix.” And Etain had this beauty where she wanted her. Away from her village and distracted.
“And how do you figure that, Arc?” Catriona spat out as she tried to contain any shockwaves. There were going to be quite a few, due to the fact that Arc had used the electric currents from the core to cause a series of earthquakes to set off the volcano.
“You are being distracted by me, while my minions get my what I sent them after,” Etain laughed as she brought herself to the ground. Etain knew her flying was just a pallor trick with the electric currents within the Earth’s atmosphere. Phoenix did not know that it was a trick. In fact, Phoenix was not one hundred percent sure what her powers were, and Etain was still figuring out what all Phoenix had in her arsenal. That was the toughest thing when dealing with a newly born hero. Figuring out what their powers were and how to defeat them. At least Earth Phoenix was some nice eye candy.
“What are they doing, Arc?” Catriona was just exhausted. Sometimes dealing with Arc was too much to handle. Arc messed with her mind and emotions. The flirting was the worst part, especially since Catriona knew that Arc was her type, if she was not the Queen of the Villains.
“Getting me one tiny piece of information. Nothing too evil, Phoenix, baby.”
Catriona growled, “stop flirting and tell me!”
“Nothing to concern you. Only the minions shall die. None of your precious humans.” After all, the piece of information she wanted none of her minions could live, only she should know this information. The piece of information was concerning her precious Earth Phoenix.
Honestly, most villains thought minions were disposable, and Etain was no different in this thought. Etain hired a lot of brawn, but some smarts. This time around, she sent a few of her smartest minions with a bunch of brawn. They were to get her Phoenix’s name and then, well, their deaths would be quick… ish.
Catriona growled and went to throw another attack when Etain disappeared. She sighed and dropped the attack; she turned to help the citizens of the devastated town. Catriona helped clean up the village, helped contain the aftershocks of the devastation from Doctor Arc. How could someone turn out that evil?
Etain saw the signal that her minions were successful, and she used another pallor trick to appear to disappear, causing the electrical currents around her to create a shield that made her invisible. That had taken her a thousand years to learn how to do it. However, it was only after Phoenix that she let the world see the trick.
She now had her minions in front of her. She smirked as they told her the name of her Phoenix. Catriona O’Consaidín. Last names. They really started around a couple of hundred years ago. She really did not understand the use. Etain had been born when she had been called the daughter of her father and would have become known as the first wife of her husband.
“Madam? What will you have us do now that you have Earth Phoenix’s identity? Kill her?”
That caused a fury to flow through Etain. “How could you suggest such a thing? She is the only entertainment and excitement I have in this world.” She caused a charge to go through the ground and stop the hearts of all her minions. She was glad she had been planning to leave this lair and set up a new base. She was not even going to deal with the bodies. She wondered what people would say in another thousand years when they found the cave.
She swept out and went to her house. Perhaps it was time to leave home. She had stayed on this island for a long time.
She turned when Prince John, Lord of Ireland, came in with a smirk on his face. She knew what that meant. This man had a power as well, but it was of being able to control those who were not powered with his voice. She had taken him as a lover, but she was tired of him. It was time to end this sexual relationship and move onto the next phase of her life.
She moved her documents into a locked drawer. They were plans of a thought of organizing the villains, creating a company and ruling class within those who have powers.
A thought had been born as she watched the British Empire grow. “John, I was thinking, though this affair is beneficial to me, it is time for you to prepare to take the throne. After all, why should your siblings keep the throne? There are many who wish revenge. Give one of them a crossbow with an arrow dipped in Belladonna. He will die, and as he has no legitimate children, you shall become King. It is time to lose the name John Lackland and become King John. With a new wife. Have an annulment due to consanguinity, seize her property, and then marry the granddaughter of Louis VI. Have her give birth to your heirs. Then your legacy will end with you being a King. Not just the favored son of a King who had his throne stolen from him from his rebellious, traitorous brother.”
John looked at his mistress. “Will it work?”
“Of course it will. Not only do you have a silver tongue ability, but you have the power to be king. Lord of Ireland to become King of England.”
John kissed her hard. “I guess this is our last night together, my dear?”
“It is for the best.” She pulled him down for a kiss, her thoughts all on her plans, and how she would leave the bed with all the jewels, gold, and silver this man had given her over the last three years.
She left the bed in the dead of night. It was the Devil’s Hour, but she was not afraid. She had already figured out her soul was damned to whatever hellish punishment awaited the wicked. She was also sure she would not, if she ever met one, make a deal with a demon. Maybe become its lover; just so when she did go to her hellish punishment, she would have a connection in her bid to gain power after death. Thankfully, however, she was practically immortal, so the thought of Dubnos did not cause her any doubts. She knew the moment she destroyed the villages at just thirteen that she would never see Albios. So, she focused on controlling Bitu.
She looked down at the last thing she grabbed before going out to her horse, a stack of parchment. On the very first page there was one word: VilCorp.
Kris Charles - Author 