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Villainy was not a path for the weak of will, nor for the soft of heart. For all that she had not chosen this path but had it thrust upon her, Nailil knew this to her bones. She wanted great things in life, and when you were destined for great things, you had to ask yourself what you were willing to sacrifice in order to achieve them. A true villain needed to be ruthless, and what was ruthlessness, if not seeing a clear path to your goal and being unwilling to let anything impede you on that path?
But that was not to say that there were not days when she regretted the terrible weight of her mantle. She knew that, sooner or later, there would come a day when she was presented with a choice. She would be standing before that choice, and she would, just for a moment, waver in her convictions. She would ask herself, am I really and truly willing to do this, knowing what it will cost me? Is this the moment where I finally burn my bridges and harden my heart to the pain of those around me? Do I cross this rubicon, knowing that even for the softest, kindest, most loving people in all the cosmos, there are some lines that can never be uncrossed, some acts that can never be forgiven?
And Nailil hesitated. But in the end, she was what she was. It would always come down to this. She was not forced into it, nor was she left without a choice. This was her choice, and she had made it.
I am sorry, dear sister, she said to herself. But I cannot let anyone stand in my way. Not even you. I hope you can forgive me one day.
She slapped her hand down onto the table.
"And during my end step, I sacrifice my Sable Lily and, with the energy it generates, play my Axolotl Artillerist! I shall then use it to sacrifice all of my minions to the MechaNewt Excavator, which allows me to contaminate all of your wetlands, meaning that for the rest of the game, you will lose three life points every time you attack or cast a spell, effectively locking you out of the game!"
And she threw her head back and laughed the laugh of the triumphant.
Lilian looked down at the board in front of her, then at her hand. She let out a long and weary sigh.
"...Does that mean you pass the turn, then?"
"For all the good that it does you, yes! Enjoy your next turn, as futile as it may–"
"Cool. During my recharge phase, I play Breath of the Elder Olm, discarding three cards from my hand to reduce its cost. All mechanical cards are destroyed, even if they have rustproof. With your lock negated, I attack with everything, and since you sacrificed all of your minions, you have nothing to block with and I believe that's the game."
Nailil's blood froze in her veins as she looked down at the shiny card her sister had just laid down, and for a moment, time stood still.
"HOW CAN THIS BE?" she snarled, tossing her cards over her head. "UNDONE BY MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD! YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU CROSSED ME, AND MY VENGEANCE WILL BE AS SWIFT AS IT IS AGONIZING!"
"I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, want to go again?"
"Oh, sure. You mind if I switch decks, though?"