After the intense moment between Malakai and Aurelia, the youths soon returned to their battles at the word of the instructor. The clash and clang of weapons filled the air once more.
Malakai followed Renlo, who seemed hell bent on getting as far away from Aurelia as possible, heading back to their original position in the field.
The boy’s legs still trembled noticeably as Malakai stood across from him, scythe raised.
‘Ah shit, I still have to fight him!’
Renlo winced. Pain radiated from every part of his body. He had been kicked around and rolled across the ground numerous times by Malakai.
‘Do I have to?’ He really wanted to walk away and leave everything behind.
But the Sovereign’s decree hadn’t just stopped interruptions once class began, it had affected them, too. Even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t. The instructor had full authority to stop anyone who tried. Even Veins.
‘If the instructors can stop the Veins, then they’d probably do worse to me!’
Renlo had seen Aurelia’s attack. His eyes had been wide open the entire time. Even he couldn’t help but dread what would’ve happened if that strike had landed.
‘But he’s even worse!’ His gaze locked on Malakai, who stared back at him coldly.
Honestly, Renlo didn’t know what to do. Leaving was out of the question. But facing this monster in human skin might just have him dying from fear.
Just as Renlo wondered what to do, Malakai moved.
He erased the distance in a blink, his scythe flashing toward Renlo’s chest.
‘Shit!’ Renlo tried hard to steady his legs as his spear whipped up to parry the scythe with a burst of sparks.
‘His legs!’
Predicting Malakai, this battle demon, was next to impossible, especially for someone like Renlo. But today… today he had noticed a pattern. Malakai always followed his attacks with a kick.
Renlo’s gaze dropped, watching closely for the slightest twitch in either leg, only for his eyes to widen.
The butt of Malakai’s scythe hurtled toward him at speed.
‘Shit!’
He had been wrong. Malakai hadn’t followed up with his legs… but with the staff of his scythe.
Still, as he stared at the approaching shaft, Renlo’s eyes sharpened. ‘It’s… slow.’
Very unusual.
Malakai Von Sanguine didn’t have the word slow in his vocabulary. When fighting, he was fast, seamless, vicious. But this…
Renlo shifted his spear, using it to parry the attack. His gaze sharpened again as the blade of Malakai’s scythe screamed from below, arcing toward his chin.
‘I can see it.’ Renlo was baffled. He’d only started sparring with Malakai yesterday, but he had fought him enough to know: they were in different leagues. And yet… he could follow the attacks.
‘He’s going easy on me.’
Renlo might act foolish, but he wasn’t dumb.
Realizing this, he didn’t even notice the sheepish smile that crept onto his face. He adjusted his stance, parrying Malakai’s attack once more. Another slash came, and he blocked it again.
‘Sorry…’
It was just one word. But it was the word Malakai had been meaning to say to Renlo for a while now.
It had one hundred percent been his fault. If not for him, Renlo wouldn’t have ended up in that situation with Aurelia. Because of this, Malakai felt guilty. And he had no idea how to deal with it.
‘This is a first.’ He buried the thought deep inside, where even Valentine couldn’t reach.
Malakai couldn’t recall ever apologizing to anyone outside his parents. It was foreign. Awkward.
Which was why he had opted for this instead.
He’d go easy on Renlo. It was the least he could do.
For the first time since Renlo had started sparring with Malakai, they clashed continually without the instructor needing to intervene to stop a killing blow.
Blade met blade. Staff met staff.
To Renlo, it had already become clear, Malakai was holding back. He didn’t know why, but it was obvious. Still, the boy wore a wide, sheepish grin on his face.
And as they continued to clash, Renlo began to grow more confident. His arms steadied. His footwork improved. He even began launching his own attacks.
Even the instructors observing the battle couldn’t help but raise their brows. There was surprise in their eyes.
The fight continued all the way until the class ended. While the other youths collapsed onto the grass, gasping and covered in sweat, Renlo, drenched in sweat himself, walked over to Malakai and bowed sharply.
“T-thank you, Ninth Vein!”
Malakai, taken slightly aback, raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
Renlo lifted his head, with his face lit up with excitement. “For taking it easy on me! I swear, I feel like I improved more in this spar than I have in years. Thank you, Ninth Vein!”
Malakai fell silent. He didn’t know what to say.
He noticed Renlo’s legs were still trembling, but the boy was too excited to care.
‘He has the same eyes…’
It was faint, but Malakai was sure. That same unwavering desire to grow stronger. It was there.
“…Alright,” Malakai finally responded with a small nod.
Renlo bowed again, grinning so wide his teeth shone. “I have to go now, Ninth Vein! I hope we meet again in the Darkness Creature Hunts Discipline!”
Aside from the Combat Conditioning Discipline, that was the only one they had together.
At Malakai’s startled nod, Renlo bowed once more before spinning around and dashing off.
The other students in the class still stared at their interaction with baffled expressions, completely unable to understand what had just happened.
Whispers floated through the air, but Malakai didn’t pay them any attention. His eyes were still fixed on Renlo’s departing figure.
‘What… is this?’
Something was happening to his heart, but he couldn’t place it.
‘A heart attack? No… I would’ve detected it…’
It felt like a sharp sting that made his heartbeat stutter erratically. And it was all caused by that boy.
‘Did he poison me? No, I didn’t even eat the bread… or is it by contact… I touched it—’