What is it about a truly compelling villain that keeps us turning the pages? In the Legion of Pneumos series, the answer lies in the rich complexity of its antagonists. These characters are not merely obstacles to be overcome—they are forces of nature, ideologies given flesh, and mirrors reflecting the heroes’ darkest doubts. Today, we’re peeling back the layers on some pivotal antagonists from the series: the corrupt Bellatorio and its military leaders, the conniving Lady Junia, and the unapologetic rebel leader Neval Brennan. These antagonists and morally ambiguous players shape the story’s tension, making readers question where their own loyalties should lie.
The Bellatori Leaders
Bellatori leaders Millus Szerio and Imperator Lanus are two sides of the same tarnished coin, each showing a different face of power gone wrong in The Centus. Both men command authority within the Bellatorio, but their approaches to leadership—and their flaws—couldn’t be more different.
Szerio is the kind of villain you love to hate. He’s brazenly self-serving, brushing off his soldiers’ desperate pleas for help while indulging in the comforts of his rank. His carelessness isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous. Yet, beneath his arrogance lies a warped sense of duty. When he orders an act of shocking brutality in the name of the Marian crown, you can see how his blind loyalty has turned him into a tool for a flawed system. He’s not trying to be evil; he’s just too selfish and shortsighted to see the damage he’s causing.
Then there’s Lanus, who, at first glance, couldn’t be more different. He’s polished, strategic, and deeply charismatic—the kind of leader who can make you believe in something bigger. But look closer, and you’ll see the cracks in his armor. His carefully cultivated image as a noble protector hides a ruthless streak, one that whispers of manipulation and betrayal. Unlike Szerio’s brash incompetence, Lanus’s villainy is subtle, creeping in like a shadow until it’s too late to stop him.
Together, these two men represent the many ways power can corrupt. Szerio’s recklessness and Lanus’s cunning both contribute to the growing sense that something is rotten at the heart of the Bellatorio, and both play pivotal roles in Gaius Flavius’s growing disillusionment. Szerio’s overt failures highlight the immediate, tangible harm caused by poor leadership, while Lanus’s deception and betrayal shatter Gaius’s trust in the very ideals the Bellatorio claims to uphold.
As you delve into The Centus, you’ll find yourself questioning not just the actions of these two villains but the system that created them. Are Szerio and Lanus products of their own flaws, or are they inevitable in a world where power is everything? In this story, villains aren’t just obstacles for the heroes to overcome—they’re reminders of the costs of blind obedience and unchecked ambition. Through them, The Centus explores how power, whether wielded clumsily or shrewdly, can twist even the most steadfast institutions into instruments of destruction.
Lady Junia
Lady Junia of Loren is a woman caught between two worlds, and she’s determined to remake both. As the firstborn of the Marian line, she was raised with the values of her ancestors—a culture where men and women stand as equals, where her birthright to rule would have been unquestioned. But in Chaos Looming we learn that Loren, the kingdom her family conquered, doesn’t see her that way. To the people of Loren, leadership belongs to men, and Junia’s claim to the throne is dismissed, not because she lacks the skills, but because of her gender.
To outsiders, she’s poised, commanding, and utterly unshakable. But behind her calculating gaze lies a storm of ambition and a wound that has never truly healed: the sting of being overlooked, underestimated, and denied what she believes is her rightful place. This rejection is a wound that fuels her relentless ambition. To Junia, the people of Loren are the ones who are backward, clinging to outdated traditions that deny her rightful place as Regio. Every manipulative move she makes, every cold-hearted decision, is justified in her mind by this injustice. She sees herself as a pioneer, fighting not just for her throne, but for the recognition of her worth as a leader—and for the countless women after her who will face the same barriers.
But ambition has its price and Junia’s crusade is anything but noble. Her tactics are ruthless, her vision singular. While her pain is real and her desire for equality understandable, her methods force us to ask whether the ends justify the means. She uses her brother Landry as both a pawn and a rival, believing his softer nature proves his unfitness to rule. And in her eyes, the people of Loren are obstacles to be overcome, not subjects to be protected. Junia’s fear of being perceived as weak or unfit drives her to relentless extremes. She tells herself that her actions are for the good of the kingdom, but deep down, her ruthless pursuit of power is as much about proving her own strength as it is about ruling wisely.
This tension makes Junia one of the most complex figures in Chaos Looming. Raised in the Marian tradition, she carries the ideals of equality and progress. But in her pursuit of power, she becomes a mirror of the very empire we’re taught to despise. Is she a villain born of circumstance, or a revolutionary whose tactics went too far? As you read, you may find yourself grappling with the same question—and realizing that the answer isn’t as simple as it seems.
Neval Brennan
Neval Brennan is the kind of character who turns the idea of heroes and villains on its head, leaving you to sift through the shades of gray. In Chaos Looming, he’s introduced as a rebel leader stirring up chaos in Loren, a thorn in the side of both the Marian Empire and the Legion of Pneumos. But as his story unfolds, the line between rebellion and righteousness blurs, leaving readers to wonder: is Neval a villain, or just a hero fighting for the wrong side—or in the wrong way?
Charismatic and relentless, Neval inspires fierce loyalty from the uplanders he leads. To them, he’s a champion of justice, fighting against the Marian Empire’s exploitation and the systemic neglect that has left their lands in ruin. His rebellion is born from a lifetime of witnessing suffering—the kind that burns itself into your soul and demands action. But action has a cost, and Neval’s choices often leave blood in their wake. His barricades and riots disrupt lives, and his unwillingness to compromise puts him at odds with those who seek a more peaceful resolution.
What makes Neval truly compelling, though, is the nuance in his motivations. Beneath his hardened exterior lies a man shaped by personal loss and societal scorn. He’s not fighting just to overthrow the Empire—he’s fighting to prove that his people deserve more than the scraps they’ve been given. Yet his methods, often ruthless and manipulative, force us to confront uncomfortable truths about the cost of justice.
In The Rebel, we see the roots of his defiance: a childhood of poverty, a tragic loss to the Empire’s brutality, and a lifetime of being told he was powerless. These experiences fuel his fire, but they also weigh on him, adding layers of guilt and sorrow to his quest for change. It’s this blend of vulnerability and determination that makes Neval more than a standard rebel leader. He’s a man caught between the world as it is and the world as he dreams it could be, and that tension makes every choice he makes—heroic or horrific—all the more gripping.
And Neval’s story doesn’t end with Chaos Looming—far from it. In Haven Enduring, his motivations grow even more tangled, his actions more calculated. As he steps deeper into the shadows, Neval begins to weave a web of alliances and deceptions that blur the lines between hero and manipulator. With every choice, he forces those around him—and readers—to question whether his vision of justice is worth the price he’s willing to pay. As you delve into his story, you’ll find yourself asking not just what makes a villain, but what makes a cause worth fighting for. Does the end truly justify the means? Or is Neval’s vision of justice destined to crumble under the weight of his own compromises?
The world of Legion of Pneumos is shaped as much by its villains as its heroes, and nowhere is this more evident than in the ruthless authority of the Bellatorio, the relentless ambition of Lady Junia, and the fiery rebellion of Neval Brennan. Each of these figures pushes the boundaries of morality, forcing readers to confront uncomfortable truths about power, justice, and sacrifice. From the calculated manipulations of Junia to the raw defiance of Neval, and the flawed yet potent authority of the Bellatorio, these antagonists are not mere obstacles—they are the lifeblood of a world teetering between order and chaos. As their stories unfold, they challenge us to question not just what it means to be a villain, but what it takes to rise above the forces that seek to define us. Their legacies leave an indelible mark on Loren, and on anyone brave enough to step into their shadowed, tumultuous world.