Becoming the Terminally-Ill Villain Who Torments His Disciples

“Come to think of it, I saw white sparks flying from your hand.”

“Oh, that. It’s a newly awakened ability. It manifested when I developed as an Alpha.”

Oscar shrugged as he continued speaking.

According to Ryan, in rare cases, people with dominant traits can experience this if their Alpha or Omega characteristics are exceptionally strong.

Normally, abilities awaken before secondary gender traits manifest. But in Oscar’s case, it was delayed because his pheromones had been significantly disrupted before the traits appeared.

“Disrupted pheromones…? Did something like that happen?”

Cielo looked at Oscar with wide eyes. It was a natural reaction since he had no memory of giving Oscar any trait-conversion agent.

“They say when someone has a sudden growth spurt, the pheromones sometimes can’t keep up with the increase in height.”

In the end, Oscar told a harmless lie.

Seeing Cielo’s clueless and innocent expression, Oscar sighed to himself. At times like this, he could understand why Ryan treated Cielo like a child left alone near water.

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, Cielo groaned and clutched his chest.

Startled, Oscar pulled him close as Cielo’s body curled up.

“Master, are you all right? Master!”

“Huff, haah…!”

The pain was so intense that his back hunched on its own.

He couldn’t even tell whether what dripped from his lips was blood or saliva. With his eyes tightly shut, Oscar held him even closer.

There was no doubt now. Even that brief heat cycle had put a strain on his heart.

“Damn it. We don’t even have any medicine…”

Oscar’s face twisted in frustration, but soon he looked at his own hand as if something had just occurred to him.

“…I might be able to heal you.”

He mumbled as he leaned in and slipped his hand into the gap between Cielo’s tightly curled body.

Placing his hand over the left side of Cielo’s chest, Oscar summoned all his strength. A brilliant white light erupted, wrapping around Cielo’s entire body.

The light was much larger than when Cielo had used his powers. It enveloped his small frame entirely.

Oscar could feel the strength draining from his body bit by bit.

He was trying to save someone who might be on the brink of death. That alone would place a huge burden on him. But it didn’t matter. If this could save Cielo, he could endure it.

However, before long, Oscar’s expression began to stiffen.

Because it was a heart condition, healing it required much more power. But the energy he had poured in had done little more than close a few minor wounds.

“Why…”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Cielo’s heartbeat, soft and small, tapped against Oscar’s palm. It was too faint to be an adult’s. The heart under his hand continued its unstable rhythm, barely holding on—no different from how it always was.

“Why isn’t it working…? You said it would…”

Oscar had even treated patients with similar symptoms before. But for some reason, Cielo couldn’t be healed.

While Oscar stared in confusion, Cielo gave a faint, bitter smile.

‘So this is how it ends after all.’

He had held onto a tiny bit of hope. But deep down, he had expected this.

No matter how much the original story was twisted or rewritten, someone fated to die would still die.

“Lord Esteban. About the gatekeeper, Brandon. He… was recently killed in a monster attack.”

The brief flicker of hope was now completely crushed.

Cielo would probably die too—just like Brandon, and just like the Cielo in the original work.

He couldn’t say exactly what the cause of death would be. But one thing was certain: he would die.

“I really wanted to live a long life. But I guess you can’t change what’s already been decided.”

Oscar held his breath when he heard the quiet, despairing words.

It was the first time he had seen Cielo let go of his usual strength and show a fragile heart, as if he didn’t intend to hide it anymore.

“…I’ll find a way.”

“…”

“I’ll find a way to save you, Master. No matter what it takes.”

Cielo didn’t reply to Oscar’s whisper.

He only leaned his head against Oscar’s chest and stared blankly toward the cave entrance, his expression dazed. He looked like someone slowly letting go of his attachment to life.

“So please, just hold on a little longer…”

Oscar’s voice trembled as he spoke to Cielo’s resigned expression.

He had always believed that Cielo lived with hope—that he believed he could survive. Even when Ryan’s medicine didn’t help, Cielo had never once shown disappointment.