The attic was dark, dusty, and smelled faintly of old books and dead rats. Riel Arkwood or rather, Aki, the unfortunate player stuck in Riel's body ,sneezed as he pushed open the creaky wooden door.
"Ugh… this is where villains keep their hidden treasures? More like where villains keep their lung infections." He coughed and waved his hand dramatically. "I should've worn a mask. Or brought disinfectant. Or at least a broom."
The diary in his pocket pulsed faintly with that eerie glow again, reminding him why he was here.
Go to the attic. You'll understand.
That was all the entry had said. No details. No explanations. Just vague, ominous guidance like always.
"Great. Fantastic. As if I don't already have enough anxiety from breakfast poisoning, cursed chairs, and smiling heroes," Aki muttered as he climbed the last step. "Now I'm breaking into my own creepy attic."
He looked around. Piles of old furniture. Boxes. A broken mirror. And—
"...meow."
Aki froze. Slowly, he turned his head.
Sitting on a cracked wooden beam was… a cat.
Not just any cat. A fluffy black-and-gray cat with eyes so sharp they looked like they could cut glass. Its tail flicked back and forth like a whip. And around its neck was a tiny silver bell that jingled eerily even though the cat hadn't moved.
"...Okay," Aki whispered. "This is fine. Totally fine. It's just a normal… slightly terrifying cat."
The cat opened its mouth.
"You're late."
Aki's brain short-circuited. "....Excuse me???"
The cat licked its paw with exaggerated boredom. "I said, you're late. Took you long enough to come here. Seven days late, in fact. The last idiot who lived in this body always procrastinated too."
Aki's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait, wait. Did… did the cat just—?? Did you just TALK?"
The cat gave him a flat look. "What gave it away? The moving mouth, or the coherent sentences? Idiot."
Aki slapped his face with both hands. "Oh no. Oh no no no. This is it. This is the breaking point. I've finally gone insane. Talking cats. What's next, flying pigs? Singing swords? The Hero actually liking me?!"
The cat tilted its head. "The Hero already smiled at you, didn't he?"
"STOP READING MY TRAUMA LIKE A BOOK!" Aki screeched.
The cat yawned. "Calm down, human-disaster. My name is Whiskerdoom. Keeper of secrets. Breaker of pride. Devourer of—"
"Hairballs?" Aki muttered under his breath.
Whiskerdoom narrowed his glowing eyes. "—souls. Don't interrupt."
Aki held up his hands defensively. "Okay okay, souls, right. Sorry, Mister Doom. Totally terrifying. Please don't eat mine."
The cat flicked its tail. "Relax. If I wanted to eat you, I would've done it before you complained about the dust."
"...Comforting."
Whiskerdoom jumped down gracefully and landed with a soft thud. He stared at Aki, unblinking. "So. You're different."
"Different?"
"You're not the same Riel Arkwood I used to know. The old one was cruel, sharp-tongued, full of malice. You…" The cat sniffed him. "Smell like fried chicken, sweat, and panic."
Aki's face went red. "HEY. That's—okay, fair. But still rude."
Whiskerdoom's whiskers twitched in amusement. "You're weaker too. Softer. Yet somehow… stronger. Interesting."
"...Stronger? Buddy, I almost died from sitting in a chair yesterday."
"And yet, you didn't," Whiskerdoom said. His eyes glowed brighter. "You dodge death like a cat dodges water. Perhaps that's why the diary listens to you."
Aki blinked. "Wait. You know about the diary?"
The cat smirked. "Know it? I was the one who told the first Riel to write in it."
Aki froze. "WHAT?!"
Whiskerdoom walked past him, brushing his leg like any normal housecat would — except his fur left a faint chill instead of warmth. "That diary is no ordinary journal. It's a record of choices. A book of regrets. A warning system for fools who think they can outplay fate."
Aki swallowed hard. "So… that means…"
"Yes." Whiskerdoom's voice lowered. "It means you're not just living a second life. You're rewriting the ending."
The attic grew colder. Dust swirled around them as if stirred by unseen winds. Aki's heart hammered in his chest.
"Rewriting the… ending?"
Whiskerdoom looked up at him with piercing golden eyes. "This world already knows you as a villain. But villains don't have to die. Not if you have me."
Aki blinked. "You? A sarcastic, grumpy cat?"
The cat smirked. "I prefer 'mysterious and powerful guardian disguised as a devastatingly handsome feline.' But yes. Me."
There was a long pause. Then Aki groaned, dragging his hands down his face. "Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god. I've officially become a Disney princess. I have a TALKING PET."
Whiskerdoom swiped his tail across Aki's shin. "Pet?! Insolent mortal, I am no mere pet! I am Whiskerdoom, the terror of demons, the shadow behind secrets, the—"
"—the fluffiest cat I've ever seen," Aki interrupted, grabbing him and squeezing him into a hug.
"LET GO OF ME YOU FILTHY HUMAN!" Whiskerdoom hissed, clawing in protest. But deep down, just barely, Aki thought he heard a faint purr.
For the first time since waking up in this nightmare world, Aki laughed. A real laugh. The kind that made his chest feel lighter.
"Maybe… maybe being the villain won't be so bad," he whispered.
Whiskerdoom pretended not to hear — but his golden eyes softened.