Having an enemy who could find you… while you couldn’t find them, was nothing but a nightmare.
Malakai shook his head the next second.
‘I shouldn’t think like that,’ he admonished himself.
He was already drifting from the true threat, the one who had actually tried to have him killed. Khana.
‘That’s right. My focus should be on her,’ Malakai concluded.
Khana had orchestrated the ambush. She had most likely reached out to the Maugrim, trying to use them to eliminate him.
Which meant she was the enemy. Not the entire Maugrim society.
‘Still… I should watch out for them.’
Now that Donju had escaped, and with no idea what information the man had, Malakai was expecting the worst.
Appearing on the Maugrim’s radar so early might turn out to be a terrible thing.
He had no idea how they’d react. Which meant he had to stay on his toes.
As he finished piecing his thoughts together, Malakai slowly returned to reality, only to be welcomed by the loud ramblings of the consciousness living inside his head.
“WHOA! We’re flying! We’re actually flying! This is incredible!”
Valentine’s voice rang out excitedly, full of awe.
Since Malakai’s evolution and Valentine’s appearance in his consciousness, this was the first time Malakai had climbed an Equilador directly. In the past, he had only ever ridden carriages, which dulled the experience.
Now, there was nothing between them and the world. No windshield. No carriage.
The cold wind slammed against their bodies as they cut through the sky, making Malakai’s hair flutter.
Ordinarily, the sheer pressure from the altitude and speed would’ve blown him away. But Nyx, seated at the front of the mount, had used her aura to bend the air around them, forming a shield that softened the intensity of the wind.
Malakai frowned. ‘What’s wrong with you? Have you never flown before?’
Valentine’s laughter stopped. He cleared his throat. ‘Of course I have! Back in my time, we had machines that could fly in the air. They were called ai—’
‘Aircrafts,’ Malakai finished.
Valentine paused, stunned. ‘How did you know that?’
‘Books.’
‘You read?’
Malakai raised a brow. ‘And that’s hard to believe…?’
‘Uh, yeah! Have you seen yourself? You look like the kind of kid who tortures someone before breakfast and goes back to sleep right after. You’re like a baby warlord!’
Malakai was tall for his age, cold, ruthless, and carried the aura of someone bred for nothing but war. Reading was the last thing anyone would associate with him.
He narrowed his gaze but chose to ignore the remark entirely. ‘I mentioned this earlier, when I was explaining how Vita worked.’
‘You did? How did I miss that? Sor—’
Valentine paused, catching himself before the apology could escape. He shifted the conversation instead.
‘Do you enjoy reading? Why do you read?’
‘I read to survive,’ Malakai replied.
He said nothing else.
Valentine fell quiet for a moment, something about Malakai’s words had struck him.
He remembered the boy’s past. Malakai had no one to teach him, no guidance. Just blood, pain, and the desperation to live. He had to turn to books to learn how to survive.
It was sad. But also impressive.
For all the wrong reasons, Malakai was the most driven person he had ever met. The complete opposite of himself.
Still, that didn’t stop Valentine from talking.
‘So what kind of books do you read…?’
“How annoying,” Malakai muttered under his breath with a sigh.
Nyx, seated in front, glanced back at the sound. “Ninth Vein?”
Malakai realized his mistake and quickly shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
Nyx gave a slight nod before facing forward again.
‘It’s going to be a long ride,’ Malakai thought, as Valentine continued his endless barrage of questions, completely undeterred.
…
Fortunately, the ride back to the City of Blood was without any incident. The group hadn’t encountered any more ambushes on the road, and after many hours, the massive fortress of blackened stone finally reared its head over the horizon.
Moments passed, and they drew closer. The full grandeur of the city came into view, bare, imposing, and impossible to miss.
‘Finally.’ Varek couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as his eyes landed on the majestic city. At last, he would be rid of this monstrous duo.
He wasn’t even sure who he wanted to avoid more, the weapon of mass destruction, Nyx, or the cold-blooded 14-year-old monster.
Either way, he never wanted to see either of them again.
He gave the side of his mount a quiet tap, trying to urge it forward, desperate to reach the gates even faster.
But Varek wasn’t the only one lost in thought.
Malakai stared at the city, completely silent. His expression was unreadable. His mind, somehow, blank.
’25.’
The number echoed inside his head. Many would’ve dismissed it as a random number. Even Valentine, who had also heard it, had no idea what it meant.
But Malakai knew.
The number of times he had seen the City of Blood from the sky.
The number of times the Sovereign had sent him on deadly missions.
The number of times he had returned, beaten, battered, broken.
The number of times he had come back weak. Useless. Futureless.
Right now, he was still sore, bloodied in places. His incredible vitality had healed most of the damage, but he had pushed his body too far back when he was running. Even now, it still hadn’t fully recovered.
But that didn’t matter.
Malakai clenched his fist so hard, blood dripped from his palm.
‘Not anymore.’
He wasn’t weak.
He wasn’t useless.
He wasn’t futureless.
Now, he had power.
Now, he had the potential to become the strongest—to reach the peak.
Malakai’s eyes blazed.
He had come back reborn. And he would never stop… not until he accomplished his goal.
They soon reached the gates of the City of Blood. Just like Ironhold, the entire city was built like a fortress. However, the City of Blood was larger, much larger, and its security was tighter.