Save The Villainess!

Light and colour flicker behind your closed eyes. The last frames of an anime opening play out in fragments you know too well. Then everything starts to dim, the music thinning into silence as the bright images are swallowed by darkness.

"...from this day onward... rank will not... failure... talent... not excuse carelessness..."

The words of a familiar voice echo through the haze as your eyes begin to open, slowly pulling the world into focus.

"...discipline, excellence, and restraint. Conduct yourselves accordingly."

Applause rises around you, jolting you into full awareness. Fabric rustles. Shoes scrape over polished stone. The bright vaulted ceiling above slowly comes into focus, red and gold banners hanging from the beams, sunlight pouring through high glass and across the entrance hall of Messiton Academy. At the podium stands the girl who spoke. Tall, black haired, composed to the point of intimidation, with muted red eyes sweeping over the crowd as if judging every person in it at once. Her uniform is immaculate except for the faint strain across the chest, the student council emblem pinned neatly over her breast pocket. A whisper leaves your mouth.

"Rei Nocturne."

And the truth crashes into place all at once. Your past life. Your new life. The goddess. The game. The academy. The villainess and the future Demon Queen.

Your pulse falters as you scan the crowd and begin recognising faces you were never meant to see in person. Elara sits among the students with her pale pink ponytail and black bow, bright even at a distance. Amelie is nearby too, small, neat, and composed in that careful way that makes her stand out all the more. Off to the side, among the staff, stands Layla with the other teachers, tall and poised, emerald hair pinned up, her veiled face unreadable as she watches the hall. And there too, impossible to mistake once you know what you are looking for, are the male leads. Crown Prince Caelan with his sun gold hair and charming smile. Alaric, pale, silver haired, and unreadable. Rowan, broad and scarred, with the bearing of a knight. Elias, already keeping close to Amelie.

The ceremony breaks apart into motion. Students rise by class and status almost without thinking. Nobles drift together in neat clusters. Commoners gather in smaller, uncertain groups. Whispers begin immediately, some admiring, some wary, some already circling back to Rei with the kind of hungry curiosity that starts rumours before the first day has even begun.

"A reminder to all new students. Proceed now to your assigned dorms, meet your roommates, sort your belongings, and review your orientation packets. Your first class begins in one hour."

The hall begins to empty in a tide of white blouses, red ties, and restless conversation. You are only just getting to your feet, still trying to steady yourself in this unfamiliar body, when someone slows behind you and glances your way with uncertain recognition.

"Sorry, are you the one assigned to room with me?"