Why Did I Reincarnate as the Heroine When I Wanted to Be a Villainess?

Chapter 27: The Building That Shouldn’t Still Exist

The trees slowly broke apart.

Not suddenly.

Not like an exit.

More like the forest simply... stopped continuing.

Ahead of them stood a structure.

Old.

Half-collapsed.

Stone walls covered in vines.

A roof that had given up on staying straight.

But still standing.

Somehow.

Seraphina stopped first.

Kael stopped immediately after her.

Lyra stopped last.

Silence settled.

Seraphina stared at it.

"That is not natural."

Kael replied quietly.

"No."

Lyra tilted her head slightly.

"It used to be a checkpoint."

Seraphina looked at her immediately.

"Used to be."

"Yes."

Kael’s tone dropped slightly.

"What happened to it."

Lyra smiled faintly.

"People stopped coming."

Seraphina frowned.

"That is not how structures disappear."

Lyra nodded.

"Correct."

Silence followed that.

No one liked that answer.

Kael stepped forward slightly.

Careful.

Observing.

"It is stable enough to enter."

Seraphina looked at him.

"That sounded like encouragement."

"It is survival assessment."

"That is worse."

Kael didn’t respond.

He was already checking angles.

Lyra walked past them first.

No hesitation.

Seraphina watched immediately.

"She is too comfortable."

Kael replied without looking.

"Yes."

"That is suspicious."

"Yes."

Seraphina paused.

"You are agreeing too much."

"Because it is true."

Seraphina clicked her tongue lightly.

"This is becoming a pattern I dislike."

They followed Lyra inside.

The structure creaked slightly as they stepped in.

Not collapsing.

Just... acknowledging them.

The inside was darker.

Broken pillars.

Old wooden beams.

A faint smell of dust and something metallic.

Seraphina looked around.

"This place feels watched."

Kael nodded slightly.

"Yes."

Lyra added casually.

"Most abandoned places do."

Seraphina looked at her.

"You say that like it is normal."

"It is."

Kael stepped closer to a broken wall.

Something carved into it.

Faded markings.

Unreadable.

"This is not recent."

Lyra glanced at it.

"No."

Seraphina folded her arms.

"Then why bring us here."

Lyra turned slightly.

Smiled.

"Because you were going to come here anyway."

Silence.

Kael looked at her directly.

"Explain."

Lyra shook her head slightly.

"Not yet."

Seraphina sighed.

"I am starting to dislike ’not yet’ more than honesty."

A soft sound echoed inside the structure.

Wood shifting.

Or stone settling.

Or something else pretending to be either.

Kael immediately stepped in front of Seraphina slightly.

Not dramatic.

Just instinct.

Seraphina noticed.

"You are doing it again."

Kael replied without looking back.

"Yes."

"Protective habit."

"Yes."

"Annoying."

"Yes."

Silence.

Then Seraphina added quietly.

"Do not get used to it."

Kael paused slightly.

"Too late."

Lyra moved deeper inside.

Seraphina followed reluctantly.

Kael behind her.

The structure opened into a wider space.

A collapsed hall.

Moonlight slipped through broken roof sections above.

Lighting the dust in pale streaks.

Seraphina stopped.

"This is not just abandoned."

Kael nodded.

"Something was removed."

Lyra spoke softly.

"Yes."

Seraphina turned.

"What."

Lyra looked up slightly.

"History."

Kael’s expression tightened slightly.

"That is not an answer."

Lyra smiled faintly.

"It is the safest one."

A sudden sound came from above.

Stone shifting.

All three looked up instantly.

Nothing visible.

Only darkness in broken roof gaps.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes.

"We are not alone."

Kael confirmed immediately.

"Correct."

Lyra sighed lightly.

"Finally."

Seraphina turned to her.

"Why are you not surprised."

Lyra shrugged.

"Because it is my fault."

Silence.

Kael immediately.

"That is a worse answer."

Lyra nodded.

"I know."

The air in the hall changed slightly.

Heavier.

Like pressure dropping.

Kael stepped forward half a step.

"We leave."

Seraphina didn’t argue this time.

"Agreed."

Lyra tilted her head.

"You can try."

Seraphina looked at her.

"That is not helpful."

"I never claimed to be helpful."

Kael spoke firmly.

"Move."

They turned toward the entrance.

But the entrance was no longer empty.

Something stood there now.

Not fully visible.

Just shape against moonlight.

Still.

Waiting.

Seraphina stopped.

Kael stopped instantly after her.

Lyra didn’t move.

Silence stretched.

Seraphina spoke softly.

"That is new."

Kael replied.

"Yes."

Lyra added casually.

"No."

Seraphina turned slightly.

"What do you mean no."

Lyra smiled faintly.

"It was always there."

The shape shifted slightly.

Not attacking.

Not moving forward.

Just acknowledging them.

Kael’s voice lowered.

"We are being observed."

Seraphina exhaled slowly.

"I am starting to dislike observation as a concept."

Lyra finally stepped forward.

One step.

Then another.

Seraphina immediately.

"Do not."

Lyra didn’t stop.

"It is fine."

Kael’s tone sharpened.

"That is not reassuring."

Lyra stopped near the center.

Looked up at the shape.

"I brought them."

Silence.

Seraphina stared.

"You what."

Lyra glanced back.

Smiling slightly.

"Now we can begin."

Kael immediately stepped forward.

Seraphina raised her hand slightly.

Not fear.

Control.

"Explain."

Lyra’s smile didn’t change.

"Later."

The shape above shifted once.

And the structure... responded.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Nothing exploded.

Nothing collapsed.

Honestly, Seraphina would have preferred either of those.

At least explosions were straightforward.

This was worse.

The stone beneath their feet vibrated once.

A low hum echoed through the hall.

Then silence returned.

Kael didn’t take his eyes off the shape near the entrance.

Neither did Seraphina.

Lyra looked completely relaxed.

Which remained deeply concerning.

Seraphina pointed at her.

"I would like everyone to know that if this becomes a disaster, I am blaming her."

Lyra nodded.

"Fair."

"You accepted that too quickly."

"Experience."

"That answer somehow made everything worse."

Kael stepped slightly forward.

"Enough."

The word wasn’t loud.

It didn’t need to be.

Even Lyra looked at him.

"Explain."

Lyra sighed.

Actually sighed.

As if he had asked something inconvenient.

"You keep saying that."

"Because you keep avoiding it."

"Also fair."

Seraphina folded her arms.

"Stop being reasonable. It’s suspicious."

For the first time, Lyra laughed hard enough to nearly lose her balance.

"You really are strange."

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"Still counts."

Kael ignored both of them.

A skill he had perfected years ago.

His attention remained on the figure.

Moonlight shifted slightly through the broken roof.

For a moment, the shape became clearer.

Not human.

At least not completely.

Too tall.

Too thin.

Its limbs seemed wrong somehow.

Like they belonged to different creatures that had reluctantly agreed to work together.

Seraphina immediately looked away.

"I dislike it."

"Agreed."

"Good."

She pointed at Kael.

"Because if you had said you liked it, we would be having a completely different conversation."

The figure moved.

Just once.

A single step.

Stone scraped softly.

Then it stopped again.

Watching.

Waiting.

Seraphina frowned.

"Why isn’t it attacking?"

Lyra answered.

"Because it isn’t interested."

"Wonderful."

"Actually that’s good."

"No. Good would be it not existing."

Kael quietly nodded.

"Also true."

Lyra looked between them.

"You two agree more than I expected."

Seraphina immediately answered.

"Only when survival is involved."

"That’s healthy."

"No it isn’t."

The hall grew quiet again.

Wind drifted through the broken walls.

Dust moved across the floor.

Then something unexpected happened.

The figure slowly lowered its head.

Almost like a greeting.

Everyone froze.

Including Lyra.

That got Seraphina’s attention immediately.

"Oh."

Kael noticed too.

"You didn’t expect that."

Lyra frowned slightly.

First genuine reaction she’d shown all night.

"No."

"Good."

Lyra looked at Seraphina.

"Why is that good?"

"Because for the first time tonight, you’re confused too."

The figure remained still.

Head lowered.

Waiting.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

The silence stretched.

Then Seraphina pointed at it.

"You first." freewebnøvel.com

Lyra blinked.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Why me?"

"Because this is apparently your haunted building."

Kael looked away slightly.

Not because she was wrong.

Because she wasn’t.

Lyra stared at the figure.

The figure stared back.

Several long seconds passed.

Then Lyra slowly raised a hand.

The figure raised one too.

Seraphina immediately took two steps backward.

"No."

Kael moved with her automatically.

"Agreed."

Lyra didn’t even look back.

"Relax."

"I have never relaxed in my life."

"I noticed."

The figure lowered its arm.

Then pointed.

Not at Lyra.

Not at Kael.

At Seraphina.

The hall went silent.

Seraphina pointed at herself.

"Me?"

The figure didn’t move.

"Why me?"

Still nothing.

"I object."

Kael glanced toward her.

"You don’t know what it’s asking."

"That’s never stopped me before."

Something strange happened then.

A brief pressure.

A faint sensation behind her eyes.

Like a memory trying to surface.

Gone almost immediately.

Seraphina blinked.

Once.

Twice.

For a split second—

Bright lights.

Glass buildings.

A phone screen.

Someone laughing.

Then nothing.

The vision vanished.

The old hall returned.

Seraphina frowned.

"I hate when that happens."

Kael immediately looked at her.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"That’s not true."

"I know."

Kael waited.

She didn’t continue.

Eventually he stopped asking.

The figure remained focused on her.

Not hostile.

Not friendly.

Just... interested.

Which somehow felt worse.

Seraphina shifted uncomfortably.

"Why does everything weird like me?"

Lyra answered instantly.

"Because you’re weird."

"That was rude."

"That was accurate."

"Still rude."

For the first time all night, Kael’s attention left the figure.

Only briefly.

He looked at Seraphina.

Actually looked.

Observing.

Thinking.

Then looked away again.

Seraphina noticed immediately.

"What."

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"Probably."

"You’re getting better at honesty."

"That’s your fault."

A loud crack echoed somewhere outside.

Everyone turned.

The sound came again.

Closer this time.

Not from the building.

From the forest.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

Even Lyra’s smile faded slightly.

That got everyone’s attention.

Seraphina pointed.

"There."

Kael was already looking.

"I know."

Another crack.

Then another.

Like heavy footsteps breaking branches.

Approaching.

Fast.

The figure near the entrance turned toward the sound.

For the first time, it seemed alert.

Lyra’s expression hardened.

Just slightly.

But enough.

"That’s not supposed to be here."

Seraphina stared.

"You have got to stop saying things like that."

Kael’s hand moved toward his weapon.

"What is it?"

Lyra didn’t answer immediately.

Which was answer enough.

The distant sounds grew louder.

Closer.

The forest itself seemed to be moving.

And whatever was coming—

Was big.

Very big.

Seraphina slowly looked toward Kael.

Then toward Lyra.

Then back toward the forest.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I officially miss normal problems."

The next crack sounded much closer.

Nobody disagreed.