Valentine took a few steps back, trying to make sense of the situation.
To him, it had only been moments since he sacrificed himself and created the dome.
But now… now it seemed more than three centuries had passed.
“The rules!” he suddenly realized, his eyes widening. “Yes! That’s it!”
Before he had sacrificed himself, he had crafted the rules of the trial. During the planning, he had chosen for the trial to begin only when thirty participants were present.
That had to be the cause.
It made sense now, why only Malakai felt different from the others. He was from another time.
A different era.
“So the trial had waited… waited for nearly four centuries for enough participants to gather before it could begin.”
“Are you done?”
The voice cut cleanly through his thoughts.
Valentine blinked and turned. Malakai was approaching, his eyes calm and sharp.
“I’d like to ask some questions of my own.”
Valentine exhaled deeply. There was no undoing the past. Whatever had happened… had happened. He took a moment to calm himself, then gave a small nod.
“Okay. I’ll answer to the best of my abilities.”
Malakai nodded once. “I’m leaving this place now. But before I go, I want to confirm some things.”
He paused, then asked, “First, the dome. It was created by the essence, right? Now that I’ve fused with it… does that mean it’ll disappear?”
Valentine raised a hand to his chin, resting it on the soft meat of his palm as he pondered.
After a moment, he slowly shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Can I ask the essence, then?” Malakai asked.
Valentine shook his head again. “Wait… I think it’s better if I ask.”
Malakai raised a brow. “I thought you said you couldn’t interact with anything?”
“The essence is different,” Valentine replied. “My consciousness is tied to it. I should be able to communicate better with it.”
Malakai nodded. “Alright.”
Without another word, Valentine’s body began to glow. His form unraveled into green particles of light, and like a stream of mist, he dispersed, flowing into Malakai’s body.
Malakai waited. Then hummed.
‘…I can’t feel anything.’
It would appear Valentine was telling the truth. There was no sensation, no shift. Nothing. It didn’t even feel like something had entered his body.
Seconds passed until a voice sounded in his mind.
“I got a response!”
Malakai cleared his thoughts, listening closely as the round man’s voice echoed through his consciousness.
“It didn’t respond with words,” Valentine continued. “It felt more like a feeling, honestly. I’m not—”
“Go straight to the point,” Malakai cut in, irritated.
Valentine cleared his throat.
“Right. From what I gathered, the dome wasn’t being sustained by the essence directly. It was created by taking a part of it… and a part of me. So it’s been self-sustaining.”
Malakai released a breath of relief.
If the dome had collapsed the moment he fused with the essence, survival, let alone revenge, would have been impossible.
But then another thought struck him. His expression hardened.
“…Then how long will the dome last?”
If there was nothing actively sustaining it… didn’t that mean it had an expiration date? Especially with the darkness constantly clawing at its borders, looking for a way in.
There was a pause.
Then Valentine spoke again.
“The essence isn’t sure… but it’s saying not long. A few years at most.”
Malakai’s eyes shot wide. His mind immediately began to race.
A few years. That was all?
It wasn’t just devastating news. It was dangerous.
If word about this spread, it would throw the entire dome into chaos.
Malakai exhaled heavily. It was too much to take in.
“I thought I’d have more time.”
More time to grow. To plan.
Time to get strong enough to exact his revenge.
But now… he had just found out there was a ticking time bomb under his feet. One that could ruin everything he just wanted to start building.
‘It’s not possible the Sovereign doesn’t know…’
It was hard to believe the leaders of the grand and great families were unaware of this.
‘They probably kept it to themselves.’
Malakai shook his head.
‘There’s no use dwelling on it. I’ll keep getting stronger and handle things as they come.’
‘That’s a good mindset to have!’ Valentine’s cheerful voice rang in his mind.
Malakai froze. His thoughts turned cold.
“…You can hear my thoughts?”
That… was a problem.
A big problem.
His thoughts were the only place he felt safe. The only place where no one could intrude.
There was no way, no way, he was going to let anyone violate that space.
Valentine sensed the change in Malakai’s demeanor and quickly spoke up.
“No, no! Wait! Just the ones you think aloud! I swear! I can’t hear your deep inner thoughts. I’m only hearing the ones you kind of… project, I guess. Since I’m attached to the essence, and by extension, to you, I can see and hear what the essence perceives. But I can’t do anything. I’m just… here.”
Malakai’s eyes remained cold. He decided to test it.
He buried a thought deep in his mind. But after some seconds, there was no reaction.
Then he thought something deliberately loud and clear.
‘You’re a sad, fat, middle-aged man.’
Valentine gasped. “Whoa! That’s… that’s a very mean thing to say! My life isn’t sad! Sure, I liked pastries a bit too much, but still!”
Seeing his over-the-top reaction, Malakai relaxed slightly. His guard didn’t lower completely, but it was better.
Then, returning his mind back to focus, Malakai spoke.
“For my second question…”
Valentine stopped ranting, begrudgingly falling silent.
“I don’t know if you know,” Malakai continued, “but this trial world you created looks like a dark pit from the surface. And every month, darkness creatures spill out of it. After I leave… will this trial world collapse, and will the darkness stop spilling out?”
Valentine went quiet, reaching out again. Seconds passed.
“…Yes,” he finally said.
Malakai’s eyes narrowed.
‘That’s bad.’