Minutes passed that felt like hours, yet neither Malakai nor Nyx had asked him a single thing.
They just kept on torturing him.
Wasn’t the point of this to extract information? Then why weren’t they asking any questions!?
Still, the torture continued.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and his screams never stopped.
But Malakai and Nyx never said a word.
From the side, another figure besides Delmas began to tremble, Varek.
He watched it all with his eyes wide, body shaking.
He had never been this scared in his life.
‘He’s insane…’
Nyx might’ve been the one carrying out the torture, but Malakai, a literal child, stood there motionless, just watching as if he were enjoying a performance.
Every thought Varek had ever had of Malakai being weak, worthless, trash, died at that moment.
And in its place, a dark, unsettling fear took root.
The Ninth Vein of the Sanguine Clan… was a monster.
But Varek wasn’t the only one with that sentiment.
‘H-How can you watch this so calmly!’
Valentine’s trembling voice echoed in Malakai’s mind. ‘This is so cruel…’
But Malakai said nothing.
Anyone who saw his steady eyes on the ongoing torture would instantly believe he wasn’t feeling anything. But only he knew how hard he was fighting the urge to puke his guts out.
He had been beaten. He had been tortured.
But it was different watching it happen to someone else, especially when he was the cause.
His hands clenched around his scythe so tightly that the whites had shown.
Still, his expression didn’t change.
He was doing it for the fear.
To strike terror into Delmas’s heart, enough to make him talk.
The man already knew what Malakai wanted. He didn’t need to ask any questions. When the pain became unbearable, he would talk.
But it wasn’t just Delmas. The one behind too, Varek, was included.
Malakai needed to start planning. Now that he had evolved, things would shift within the clan.
Alliances would change. Hierarchies would stir. Old ties would break, new ones form.
And one of the best ways to navigate the storm… was through rumor.
Spread fear into one, and let that one spread it to the others.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Still, Delmas hadn’t broken.
He screamed, he writhed, but he didn’t say anything.
Malakai had been left to his thoughts. He used that opp to reflect on the ongoing scene. And in that time, he reached a conclusion.
It was cruel. But it was necessary.
So he swallowed the churn in his gut and watched it all happen.
But as more time passed and Delmas still hadn’t said anything—
“Enough,” Malakai said.
Nyx paused instantly, obeying his word like law.
Delmas gasped, every breath coming in ragged and desperate. Hot blood dripped from every orifice. He looked like a man who had visited hell.
Nyx turned and bowed deeply toward Malakai, awaiting his order.
“We’re stopping,” Malakai said calmly. “He doesn’t look like he’ll talk. We’ll let the clan handle him.”
Nyx bowed again. “Yes, Ninth Vein.”
Malakai lifted his gaze to the sky.
The clear skies above seemed oddly distant.
‘We’ve stayed here for too long.’
He had no doubt others had sent more assassins after him. Even with a Bloom by his side, he wasn’t willing to risk it.
Besides, staying too long in the wilderness was a recipe for disaster.
Even the death of a mutated beast could birth a darkness creature. And with enough bad luck, anyone could run into a stray darkness creature.
It was that dangerous.
‘It’s good we’re not far from the city.’
Ironhold wasn’t far. And the zones around it were regularly cleared of threats.
Still…
They had to leave.
“We’re heading back to Ironhold,” Malakai said.
Nyx nodded. Seeing this, Varek quickly followed, his voice sharp. “Yes, Ninth Vein.”
With Nyx carrying him through the blood, they moved faster, covering great distances with ease.
Since the city wasn’t far, they reached Ironhold swiftly.
Their crimson hair alone stripped the gate guards of all thought of questioning them.
They were Sanguine. One of the overlords of the dome. And wherever they went, they were treated with utmost respect.
Upon entering, they took to the skies and made their way to the Bloodmorne branch.
Once there, Varek was immediately reunited with his Equilador, which had returned ahead of them.
But this time, they didn’t waste any time. They weren’t planning on spending the night.
Malakai wasn’t about to go through another night stuck in the ceiling.
They acquired one more mount, with Malakai and Nyx sharing, and left the base… and Ironhold behind.
…
Now that there weren’t any carriages to drag along with them, they flew at full speed, parting the air with their momentum.
They covered more distance with ease, and despite the delay the ambush had caused, Malakai predicted they would reach Vitaemora not too long after the originally planned time.
Still, during the ride, Malakai fell deep into thought, reflecting on everything that had happened.
‘The Maugrims…’
He had known it was them ever since he killed those six recruits in the forest.
The way they moved. The way they dressed.
He had noted it all.
And the insignia on the back of their shirts confirmed it. They always wore it whenever they were on a job.
‘They’re dangerous…’
Malakai had no doubt Khana was the one who put in the request.
The mere fact that the wife of a Pulse was in contact with them was enough to destroy her completely. But…
‘There’s no evidence.’
Delmas might know something, but he wasn’t talking.
Taking him back to the clan was risky. If Khana’s husband, a Pulse, used his connections, they might just bury the matter.
But Malakai had no choice.
Delmas wasn’t going to speak. And he didn’t want to stay outside any longer.
Regardless, bringing him back was better than killing him. Either way, Delmas had no chance of surviving.
Still…
‘Should I consider them my enemy?’
The Maugrims weren’t just some low-tier thugs.
They were dangerous. Experts at hiding.
Finding them was almost impossible.
And having an enemy who could find you… while you couldn’t find them, was nothing but a nightmare.