“Finally…” Verek eyes glinted
After years of being forced to drag that useless trash along on missions, it was finally time to be rid of him.
‘I hope he refuses or runs.’
If Malakai tried to flee or reject the order, Verek would be given the pleasure of taking care of him. And to him, there was no task more satisfying.
The manor doors swung open, and Malakai stepped out, Nyx trailing silently behind him.
Back straight. Gaze cold. Steps swift.
The gathered warriors bowed in respect, but Malakai didn’t acknowledge them.
“9th Vein.”
He reached the carriage, entering without sparing so much as a glance at Verek.
Normally, that kind of disregard would have sent a wave of anger surging through him, but today, Verek was in a good mood.
It didn’t matter. He was a dead man anyway.
With Malakai aboard, Verek signaled his unit. In the next instant, they mounted their Equilaters, the winged creatures launching into the sky with a powerful gust.
…
“Have them follow him. If by some miracle he survives, kill him.”
A cold, sharp voice echoed through a room.
Khana.
She lounged by the window, adorned with an extravagant assortment of jewelry, face covered in makeup, her gaze fixed on the departing figures shrinking into the horizon.
“Y-yes, Mistress.”
Jorge, the man bowing behind her hesitated, before responding. He left the room to carry out her orders.
Khana remained still, her fingers tightening into a fist.
‘No chances.’
She wasn’t about to leave loose ends. Malakai would die, one way or another.
Her thoughts darkened, flashing with the image of a white haired woman with snow-like eyes.
Selene Sanguine.
Khana’s jaw clenched. When Selene, Malakai’s mother, had been alive, she had butted heads with the woman countless times.
But no matter how much she despised Selene, she had been untouchable, protected by the privilege of her husband, Valerian Sanguine, and his monstrous talent.
Humiliation after humiliation. Forced to swallow her rage.
But after their deaths?
Malakai had been left behind. A remnant of the woman she loathed.
And so, she had made it her mission to punish him.
‘The sins of the parent must be inherited by the child.’
…
Their journey took one and a half days.
Under normal circumstances, the Equilaters alone would have made the trip in less than a day. But with Malakai’s carriage in tow, the flight was slower because of the extra weight and considerations.
They had to stop at Iron Hold for the night before finally reaching their destination the next noon.
The Black Reach.
It was a colossal fortress of dark, durable stone, its towering walls stretched endlessly in both directions, blending into the horizon.
Malakai gazed down at it, his expression unreadable.
‘To think I’d be back here so soon.’
His last mission had been a death sentence. A 14-year-old unevolved, thrown into the heart of an army of darkness creatures. No one had expected him to return.
But he had.
And now, here he was again, facing a mission even deadlier than the last.
‘Stay calm.’
He steadied his heartbeat as the group descended into an open clearing inside the fortress.
The warriors of Black Reach took notice immediately.
They each stopped their movements and their gazes locked onto the carriage. That carriage… there was no way they could forget it.
It was the same carriage that visited the fortress a few days ago!
What the hell was the ruined heir doing back here so soon?
As Malakai disembarked, the whispers spread like wildfire.
“It’s him!”
“What’s he doing back here?”
“Don’t tell me the Sovereign sent him again…”
“If last time wasn’t enough to finish him, this one definitely will.”
Malakai ignored the murmurs, his gaze focused instead on the figure approaching him.
A broad frame, a hardened expression, and the unmistakable blood red hair and eyes of the Sanguine family. A thick beard like mane covered his chin, adding to his formidable presence.
The whispers died instantly as he stopped before Malakai, his gaze turning somber.
He bowed slightly.
“9th Vein.”
His voice was deep and rough, the voice of a seasoned warrior. He carried an air of strength that silenced the area.
“It’s unfortunate that we meet again under these circumstances. You may remember me from before, but I will introduce myself once more.”
Malakai gave a curt nod.
The man continued.
“Hamada Sanguine. I have been tasked with escorting you safely to your destination.”
Malakai’s expression remained blank. He remembered Hamada.
The man had been his guide on his last mission. His help had been invaluable and he remembered the man giving off an honorable aura, a trait that was almost impossible to find in the sanguine clan filled with cold blooded warriors.
However, Hamada’s presence here was different. There was no mistaking where he was being sent. It was literally a large pit.
So why give him an escort?
Bullshit.
‘They’re making sure I don’t run.’
A cold twist formed in his stomach, but his face didn’t betray a hint of emotion.
He would not show any weakness.
Hamada hesitated. “Would you like to rest for a bit before—”
“No.” Malakai cut him off, his voice calm.
“Take me to the Pit. Now.”
A stunned silence. One so heavy a pin drop would’ve sounded like a bomb.
Had they heard correctly?
The Pit?
The fucking Pit?
The cursed abyss where armies of darkness swarmed endlessly, a battleground where even they would be shredded into pieces?
Warriors stiffened. Eyes widened.
Whispers turned into hushed gasps.
Malakai was dead. It was only a matter of time.
Hamada frowned.
He had hoped to give Malakai some time before the inevitable. A moment to rest before walking into death itself.
But as his gaze met the boy’s, his own trembled.
‘So clear.’
Malakai’s eyes weren’t clouded with fear. There was no hesitation, no second guessing.
It was the gaze of someone ready to face whatever the world threw at him.
Hamada’s fists clenched, his knuckles turning white.
His warrior’s heart pounded in his chest.
‘This child… He’s the real deal.’
If only…
If only.
A shame. A damn shame!
Hamada bowed once more.
“As you wish. Follow me.”