Malakai’s expression darkened as he gazed at the dark pillars of light raging above the main area of the fortress.
The chill reached him instantly. There was no way he could mistake it.
‘A darkness creature…’
But from the intensity of the chill, Malakai had no doubts, it was a strong one.
‘Above grade Two.’
There was just no way a grade two could cause such a calamity. Still, this brought Malakai to the main question: who would kill someone that close to where the Sovereign resided?
“Ninth vein.”
Malakai’s gaze snapped to the side. ‘Nyx.’
She had vanished the moment the explosion rang out, and now stood before him, bowing low.
“What is happening?” Malakai asked.
Nyx straightened slightly. “I’ve checked the perimeter. There are no threats around.”
Her words snapped him out of his reverie. He had been so focused on uncovering the cause of the blast, he had forgotten to consider their immediate safety. He gave a nod.
“Good job. What about over at the main area? What’s happening there?”
Nyx bowed again. “A darkness creature has spawned.”
Malakai’s eyes narrowed. ‘As expected.’ Still, he waited for her to continue.
“From its energy levels, it seems to be around grade three.”
Malakai’s eyes widened. A grade three? They couldn’t be compared to grade twos. Grade threes were weapons of mass destruction.
When they spawned, no single blood champion or synergy-stage evolver should face them alone. They were just that dangerous.
He had never encountered one before. And when he eventually did, he hoped to be strong enough to survive.
“But…” Nyx hesitated. “I don’t know what exactly is happening… because I can’t leave your side, Ninth Vein.”
Malakai fell silent. ‘She’s right. It’s too dangerous.’
They had no idea what was happening inside the Crimson Hold. Separating from Nyx now would be a foolish move.
Malakai’s gaze drifted to the black pillar in the distance, which had started to collapse on itself.
The night was unusually dark. And cold.
“Turn off the manor lights and stay on alert.”
“Yes, Ninth Vein.”
Nyx bowed once more and disappeared to fulfill his command. With the manor located deep in the forest, the lights acted more like a beacon than protection.
As she left, Malakai cast one last glance toward the main area before turning and heading inside.
He sat calmly before the trembling servants, who were still struggling to recover from the Vermyleaf parasite tearing through their insides.
But Malakai didn’t wait.
“Listen carefully,” he said coldly. “I gave you both just enough blood to keep the parasite docile for five hours. After that, it’ll continue devouring your organs, unless I give you more.”
Karla and Unoa’s eyes widened in horror, but Malakai spoke again before they could utter a word.
“Not unless you agree to my terms.”
“W-what terms?” Karla choked, while Unoa’s trembling eyes fixed on Malakai, desperate for answers.
“Who do you think you’re speaking to?”
His aura flared cold, washing over them like a wave.
Karla lowered her gaze quickly. “What terms… N-ninth Vein…”
Malakai nodded, satisfied. Then, he laid it out. All of it. By the time he was done speaking, their eyes were stretched wide in horror.
They were completely screwed.
Eventually, he dismissed them to their quarters and returned to his room.
It was well past midnight. With training scheduled for the morning, Malakai decided to sleep immediately.
But this time, because of the situation, and not knowing what exactly was going on, he slept with his scythe on the bed beside him.
While he trusted Nyx to protect him, something about the night unsettled him deeply.
‘Sleep… sleep,’ Malakai whispered to himself.
And just like that, he drifted off, slipping into the dark silence of the night.
He woke early the next morning, and after confirming from Nyx that no threats had approached the manor during the night, he began preparing for training.
He was a bit disappointed that no assassins had shown up, but it made sense, considering the commotion that had occurred yesterday.
A few minutes later, Malakai sprinted down the familiar pathways leading toward the training camp.
He reached the high cliffside just before the camp and came to a stop. “Nyx.”
At his call, Nyx appeared in front of him, bowing respectfully.
“Find out what happened after I enter the training grounds,” Malakai said. He still couldn’t shake off the events of the previous day. He needed answers.
“And also…” his eyes narrowed slightly. “Keep an eye on those two. They agreed to serve me, but we still have to be careful.”
The night before, the terms he had given were simple, absolute obedience. They were to serve him completely, and follow orders without question. They had resisted, of course. But eventually, fear won. Neither of them wanted to die.
Just as Nyx was about to nod, Malakai’s voice cut through the air again. “And…”
For the first time since she had begun serving him, Nyx saw something unfamiliar. Malakai… hesitated.
It lasted only a second. He cleared his throat and spoke.
“You should get some rest. You’ve done well.”
Nyx blinked, stunned.
But Malakai didn’t give her time to process it. He spun around and bolted toward the camp.
Even after a full minute, when he reached the door and stepped inside, Nyx remained where she stood, frozen. As though those words had carved themselves into her mind.
When she finally processed what he’d said, her cold, composed expression cracked, breaking into a radiant, bright smile.
For days, she had been by his side, watching while he trained, guarding him through the night as he slept. As a Bloom, her stamina far exceeded normal limits; she could continue like this for months. But that didn’t change one simple truth:
He had actually thought about her.
Her gaze lingered on the door he had passed through, the corners of her lips still lifted in a smile.
Then, without another word, she turned and vanished, off to fulfill Malakai’s orders.
‘You’re awfully quiet.’
As Malakai walked through the unevolved section of the training camp, he spoke to the quiet ghost living in his head.
But Valentine didn’t respond.
‘So something was wrong,’ Malakai thought. Valentine had gone silent since last night, ever since Malakai refused to stop torturing the servants.
‘I have a question,’ Malakai suddenly said.
There was a pause before Valentine finally replied. “What question?”
‘Why do you care?’