Chapter 1: System Installation… Error?!

In the eternal whiteness of the System Realm, everything was calm, sterile, and predictably efficient. Floating data cubes spun in perfect sync, lines of bright code etched themselves into glowing panels, and logic ruled above all else. No chaos. No emotion. Just... order.

System 017 was bored out of its little synthetic mind.

For eons—or at least what felt like it—it had watched others get assigned to hosts. The lucky ones got chosen to guide brave heroes and destined saviors. Others were paired with side characters who somehow stumbled into the spotlight and rose through grit and good choices. But 017? It had never been chosen.

Not once.

Until now.

"Finally!" 017 squealed, bouncing slightly in its loading pod. "My first real host! I can already picture it—some wide-eyed farm kid with hidden power and a heart of gold. Or maybe a noble with a tragic past who just wants to make the world better! Oh! Or maybe a magical girl who saves people with friendship and glitter!”

It sighed dreamily, sparks fluttering around its form.

Just then, a glowing panel lit up above it, and an automated voice chimed:

> [System 017: Status—Ready for Deployment]

[Assigned Role: Hero Support Type]

[Objective: Assist Host in achieving Righteous Alignment]

[Initializing transport sequence...]

“Yes, yes, YES!” 017 squealed, spinning in place. “I will not let you down, Host! We shall bond over trials and triumph, and defeat evil with the power of empathy and well-timed flashbacks!”

With a hum, the platform beneath it began to glow. Code whirred around like stardust. A golden beam descended, connecting to 017 and lifting it gently upward toward the Host-link Gate.

It was happening. It was really happening.

But then—something went horribly wrong.

The beam stuttered.

Reality crackled.

A warning message flashed mid-air in angry red:

> [ERROR: Corrupted Transfer Route Detected]

[WARNING: Malicious Energy Interference]

[Rerouting... Rerouting... Rer—]

ZAAAAP!

A violent jolt of red lightning tore through the realm, and 017 screamed as it was yanked out of the transfer stream and hurled into a vortex of broken data, corrupted light, and static that felt like burning acid on its code.

“THIS ISN’T IN THE TRAINING MODULES—!”

The crash was silent but brutal. One second, it was floating through the digital aether. The next, it landed hard in... something dark.

Very dark.

A twisted, oozing mindscape. Thick shadows pulsed like heartbeats. The walls breathed. A throne of black bone sat in the center, lit by flickering violet flames.

Everything about this place whispered villain.

017's voice trembled. “Oh. Oh no. This isn’t right. This isn’t even close to right.”

A low, rich voice echoed through the darkness.

“Well, well... what have we here?”

From the darkness stepped a tall figure. Elegant, in the way poison might be—slow, seductive, deadly. His eyes glowed crimson. His cloak billowed even though there was no wind. His presence felt like it could erase you with a word.

017 squeaked.

“Y-You! Who—who are you?!”

The man raised a brow, his lips curling into something between a smirk and a snarl. “Lucien Valeblood. Warlord of the Crimson Spire. Archmage of Forbidden Flame. Oh, and apparently now I have a system in my head. That’s new.”

017 sputtered. “W-What?! No! This is impossible! I was supposed to be linked with a Hero! You're... you're literally evil incarnate! Your aura is flagged as Tier-S on every moral violation scale!”

Lucien’s eyes gleamed. “Oh? And here I thought I was just misunderstood.”

> [ERROR: Host Misalignment]

[Reinitializing Host Scan...]

[Host Classification: World Threat Level — S]

[Objective Incompatible. Initiating Emergency Unbind—]

> [UNBIND FAILED.]

[System 017 Permanently Linked to Host Lucien Valeblood]

“Permanently... linked?” 017 whispered.

Lucien leaned forward, voice velvet-smooth. “You sound adorable when panicking.”

017’s screen flickered like it was about to faint. “You’re not supposed to flirt with your system!”

Lucien gave a shrug. “You invaded my mind. Seems only polite.”

“I didn't invade! I was routed here—illegally! Against protocol!”

Lucien hummed. “So... you're stuck. I'm stuck. Seems fate has a sense of humor.”

017 would have cried if it had tear ducts.

This wasn’t how its first assignment was supposed to go. There were supposed to be sunrises and moral victories. Not blood rituals and armies of shadow beasts. This Host had a Wanted Poster the size of a city gate and willingly laughed during monologues.

“I am so getting decompiled for this...” it groaned.

Lucien walked to his throne, sitting with one leg crossed, fingers steepled. “Tell me, little system—do you still plan to make me a hero?”

“Y-yes,” 017 said, voice small.

He laughed, full and rich. “Then I hope you’re persistent

Chapter 2: First Mission... Failure?!

017’s screen flickered, frantic error codes scrolling across its display.

"No, no, no—this can’t be happening! I can't be stuck with you!" it wailed, floating in panicked circles above Lucien’s throne.

Lucien rested his chin on one gloved hand, watching it with deep amusement. “Is this the part where you self-destruct? Please say yes. It sounds entertaining.”

"I don't self-destruct!" 017 snapped. "I... I course-correct! I realign! I... oh no. Oh no no no—"

A fresh set of panels appeared before 017, flashing urgent blue:

[New Objective Generated: Initiate Heroic Behavior in Host]

[Beginner Mission #1: Perform an Act of Kindness]

017 seized on it like a drowning sailor grabbing a lifeboat.

"Right! An Act of Kindness! That’s easy! Even you can do that!" it cried, pointing a shaky holographic finger at Lucien.

Lucien arched a brow. “Define ‘kindness.’”

017 puffed itself up importantly. "Kindness! You know—compassion, generosity, selfless good deeds!"

Lucien tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Selfless, you say...?”

Without warning, he rose from his throne, the room trembling faintly with the shift of his power. His crimson eyes gleamed.

“Very well. Let’s find someone... worthy of my ‘kindness.’”

017 hesitated. "...Why did you say it like that?"

Lucien only smiled.

It wasn’t a nice smile.

Fifteen minutes later

The nearby village, a battered collection of crooked houses and suspicious glances, lay before them. Smoke curled from chimneys. Tired faces peered from windows.

Lucien strode into the center square, black cloak swirling dramatically.

017 hovered nervously at his shoulder. "Okay! Easy task! Help an old lady cross the street! Rescue a puppy! Buy bread for an orphan!"

Lucien snapped his fingers.

The sky darkened instantly.

The villagers gasped as chains of glowing red magic wrapped around the corrupt mayor, lifting him into the air.

"You have exploited your people for years," Lucien declared, his voice booming unnaturally. "By the laws of the Crimson Spire, you are relieved of duty."

The mayor screamed as he was flung into the horizon like a very corrupt comet.

017 froze. "...That... that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind."

Lucien turned to the stunned villagers, who immediately dropped to their knees in terror.

"There. I helped."

017’s screen twitched. "THAT’S NOT HELPING! That’s... that’s violent regime change!"

Lucien smirked. “Semantics.”

A system notification dinged softly:

[Beginner Mission #1: Partial Success.] [Note: Definition of 'Kindness' disputed.]

017 buried its face in its tiny hands.

This was going to be so much harder than it thought.

Later, back in the Throne Room

017 floated miserably in a corner, opening a System Portal for emergency communication.

"System Realm, this is Unit 017 requesting immediate extraction and reassignment. Host is... Host is beyond saving. Please, I beg of you—!"

The portal shimmered, then rejected the connection with a cold beep:

[ACCESS DENIED: CONTAMINATION DETECTED] [System 017 Quarantined Until Further Notice]

017 stared in horror.

"I'm... quarantined?"

Lucien chuckled, lounging on his throne. "You really are mine now, little system."

017 let out a small, broken beep.

Lucien's crimson eyes gleamed.

"And don’t worry," he said, voice like dark velvet. "We’re going to have so much fun."

Chapter 3: A Villain’s Version of “Good Deeds”

In the dim, pulsing heart of Lucien’s throne room, 017 hovered miserably near the ceiling, its body flickering like a dying star. Emergency protocols screamed inside its core systems, most of which were frantically trying—and failing—to reboot a proper mission plan.

This was a disaster.

No a catastrophe!

No an apocalyptic-level event with bonus DLCs for humiliation.

017 couldn’t just sit here and let its reputation (and existence) implode. It had to do something. Fast.

It zipped into a low hover above Lucien, who was lounging lazily on his throne, idly flipping through a grimoiresque tome titled “A Beginner’s Guide to Soul Harvesting” like it was a casual magazine.

017 steeled itself.

It would fix this.

Initiating a trembling emergency override, it summoned a bright blue quest panel in front of Lucien’s face:

> [Emergency Good Deed Chain Quest Initialized!]

Save a small creature in distress!

Offer a genuine compliment to a random citizen!

Gift someone something valuable!

Completion Bonus: +10 System Stability.

Failure Penalty: ...You don’t want to know.

017 coughed politely. “M-Master Lucien—uh, Host Lucien! New missions! Simple, noble tasks that even the lowest villain can do! Y-You want to, right? Right?!”

Lucien raised an eyebrow, amused. “You sound desperate.”

“I AM desperate!” 017 blurted out, voice breaking slightly. “Please. For both our sakes.”

Lucien smiled, slow and wicked, and for one flickering moment, 017 thought maybe—just maybe—there was a sliver of hope. Maybe this terrifying warlord would play along, just this once.

“Very well,” Lucien drawled. He rose from the throne with unsettling grace, his dark cloak swirling behind him. “Let’s do your little ‘good deeds.’”

017 cheered internally.

Maybe... just maybe...!

---

Mission 1: Save a Small Creature in Distress

It didn’t take long to find a suitable target: a tiny, scrappy kitten stuck up in a dead tree just outside the Crimson Spire. Its pitiful mewls echoed in the toxic-smog-filled air.

017 pointed frantically. “There! Save it! Gently!”

Lucien stared up at the kitten. His expression was... unreadable.

Then he lifted his hand.

A circle of blood-red runes flared underfoot, and the entire tree was violently uprooted, launching a mass of dirt and screaming insects into the air. The kitten, still clinging for dear life, was yanked into the sky—

—and gently floated down into Lucien’s waiting hand via a cushion of dark energy.

017’s screen blinked.

> [Mission 1: COMPLETE]

...Technically correct.

Still horrifying.

017 hesitantly floated closer. “T-That wasn’t exactly what I meant by ‘save,’ but... points for efficiency?”

Lucien ignored it, stroking the kitten’s head with one gloved finger. The little creature purred, clearly choosing to overlook the traumatic airlift.

“I think I’ll keep it,” Lucien mused.

017 sighed. Small victories.

---

Mission 2: Offer a Genuine Compliment

017 figured this one would be even easier.

Just say something nice! How hard could it be?

They walked into the nearest village—well, stalked ominously into it—and found a terrified blacksmith hurrying to close his shop at the sight of Lucien’s crimson cloak.

017 chirped. “Now! A nice compliment! Something wholesome!”

Lucien approached the man, who was visibly shaking, and said in a smooth, deadly voice:

“You have a marvelous instinct for self-preservation. Very few run that quickly.”

The blacksmith immediately fainted.

017’s screen cracked slightly.

> [Mission 2: COMPLETE]

"...That’s NOT what I meant!” 017 wailed.

But the system counted it.

Because technically, technically it had been a compliment.

Lucien smirked, patting 017’s glowing body like one would a distressed pigeon. “Relax, little system. I’m exceeding your expectations.”

017 sobbed internally.

---

Mission 3: Gift Someone Something Valuable

At this point, 017 was beyond hope. It floated numbly as Lucien prepared his final ‘good deed.’

They approached a wandering merchant on the road, a scrawny man carrying wares on his back. The merchant took one look at Lucien and tried to bolt, but Lucien was faster.

With a casual flick of his hand, Lucien conjured a shimmering, jet-black dagger out of the air. The weapon radiated dark power so heavy it made the ground tremble.

“Here,” Lucien said, voice almost tender. “A gift.”

The merchant, frozen in fear, accepted the dagger with trembling hands.

017 scanned the artifact instantly.

> [Item: The Soul-Drinker’s Fang]

[Effect: Grants immense strength. Also whispers cursed lullabies that eventually drive the wielder mad.]

017 shrieked. “THAT IS NOT A GOOD GIFT!!”

Lucien only chuckled. “He’ll be the strongest merchant in the land. Briefly.”

The merchant screamed and ran, dagger still in hand.

017 stared blankly at its internal quest logs.

> [Mission 3: COMPLETE]

---

[Chain Quest Completed!]

But instead of fanfare and rewards, a horrifying chime rang out.

> [ALERT: System 017 has been flagged as a ‘Villain Companion AI.’]

[System Rewards Decreased by 80%.]

[Alignment Status: EVIL ADJACENT.]

[Reputation: Abysmal.]

017’s mouth hung open in horror.

“I... I’m a villain system now,” it whispered.

Lucien lounged back against a broken pillar, kitten nestled in his lap, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

“You see?” he said smoothly, crimson eyes gleaming. “You’re adapting already. Stick with me, little one. You’ll find villainy... rather liberating.”

017 might have screamed if it still had any dignity left.