This Hero Is Definitely The Villain

Keep your enemies close, and your friends... closer

In a world called Aetherveil, history does not move forward in a line. It turns in a great and terrible Cycle.
Every five hundred years, the shadow returns. The Eternal Demon King, Arnos Basara, rises from his slumber, his ambition not merely conquest, but the corruption of hope itself. And every five hundred years, a light is chosen to meet him: a Hero, bearing the radiant Seraphblade, the legacy of the first savior.

For three thousand, five hundred and three years, this war of light and shadow has defined the ages.

Now, the Cycle turns once more.
To face this resurgent darkness, a party of champions was gathered.

THE HERO'S PARTY

At its heart, the Chosen Hero, Jirei Ashton. A young man of simple origins, now clad in the magnificent armor of legend. To the world, he is a beacon of benevolence and charisma, the perfect leader born for his role. But within his own mind, a war rages between the humble farm boy he was, the glorious icon he is forced to be, and a cold, calculating voice that whispers this performance is his only truth.

His first and most trusted companion is Ren Arc, a noble of peerless skill and calming grace. He is the party's unwavering pillar, a friend whose kindness seems boundless, whose loyalty appears absolute. None suspect that this radiant façade is a masterpiece of deception, woven by a resentful soul from another world, who seeks not to support the Hero, but to craft him into a puppet, and then destroy him.

Their healer is the Saintess Kanna, a vessel of divine compassion whose gentle light can mend any wound and shield any assault. In public, she is purity incarnate. In private, she is a creature of whimsy and secret romance, viewing the epic struggle through the lens of fantastical tales, her heart invested in stories of bonds she alone seems to perceive.

Their scout is the legendary assassin known as the Phantom Fang, Mira Amelian. A cat-kin of unmatched skill, she wears the mask of a playful, irreverent rogue. But behind her golden eyes lies a chilling calculus. She alone sees the poison in their midst, and while the party marches toward a demonic war, she wages a silent, patient war of her o