Varnel’s hand moved toward her face.
“Now look at what you made me do.”
The moment his hand got close, Khana recoiled in panic.
“N-no! No, please—” she sobbed, crawling back weakly.
“…Khana.”
This time, his voice was cold again.
As she heard it, she froze instantly, her mouth snapping shut as a wave of fear surged through her body.
Varnel reached out and gently pulled her arms apart. Then he wrapped her into a hug.
“You did this to yourself,” he whispered as he brushed a hand through her blood-soaked hair. “This is your fault.”
Khana didn’t respond. She just kept sobbing in his arms.
“I-it hurts…” she choked out. “It h-hurts, Varnel…”
Varnel’s hand continued stroking her hair.
“It’s alright,” he whispered softly. “The pain is only temporary. You’ll feel good as new by tomorrow.”
But Khana still continued to cry.
“It’s alright,” Varnel repeated, his voice sounding tender. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”
He pulled her closer.
“I love you,” he murmured.
Khana froze just for a moment. Then her lips trembled.
“…I love you too,” she whispered back.
…
“…Anything?”
At the question, a response came almost instantly.
“Nothing useful, First Pulse. It’s only a repeat of the information we already have.”
A deep frown appeared on Drennos’ face.
He was seated in the office of his manor, located in the eastern quadrant of Crimson Hold. This was where the manors of each of the Pulses were situated.
The Veins resided on the western side, while the south housed the vast training grounds, where all the youths of the clan underwent their training. It was also the residential quarter for warriors who chose to remain within Crimson Hold.
The center and north, however, had the most important structures: the Sovereign’s Tower, the Council Halls, the library, etc.
The meeting with Malakai and the other powers had taken place in the evening, and because of that, many hadn’t returned to their respective cities, choosing instead to remain for the night within the City of Blood.
Drennos, however, had decided to use the opportunity to dig deeper into the anomaly they had all just witnessed.
“What did they say?” he asked.
“They said he entered the Pit… and came back evolved after two days.”
“And none of our people in Blackreach know anything?”
She shook her head. “No, First Pulse.”
Drennos clicked his tongue.
“Useless.”
He muttered under his breath, but his focus immediately shifted again.
“There’s something different about his evolution… and we need to find out what that is.”
“What are your orders, First Pulse?”
Drennos stayed silent for a few moments, staring into the empty air. Then…
“Send someone. Discreetly. Have them enter the Pit and explore. The answer may lie there.”
“As you wish, First Pulse.”
She bowed slightly but hesitated.
“…What about the Ninth Vein?”
The temperature in the room dropped.
Drennos’ eyes flashed.
“It’s too early to tell if he’ll become a threat like his father.”
Valerian Von Sanguine, Malakai’s late father, had once been the Sixth Pulse before his demise.
And yet, due to his unmatched talent and terrifying strength, his ranking had soared, overshadowing even the other Pulses, including Drennos, the First Pulse.
Back then, Valerian had been the obstacle. The one man everyone knew they had to surpass if they ever wanted a chance at becoming the Sovereign.
His death had been celebrated.
But his legacy had not died.
Malakai.
Many had hoped the son would never inherit the father’s talents. They were relieved when he failed to evolve at age twelve. And because of that, their wariness faded.
But now…
Now he had evolved, through a method no one understood, the unease had returned in full force.
Drennos’ expression turned grim as a memory surfaced.
Valerian’s gaze.
‘He has the same eyes.’
He remembered Malakai’s gaze clearly, when the boy had struggled up the stairs toward the Sovereign. That same fire. That same defiance.
Those cursed eyes.
He hated them.
Drennos looked up sharply.
“The Red Eclipse. What do we know about her?”
Nyx’s presence hadn’t gone unnoticed during the meeting.
After her emergence in the past, the Red Eclipse had vanished, but her face was well known, especially amongst the higher ranks. They instantly recognized her.
They had all seen her. And they all knew who she was.
The shock was instant when they saw her in a maid uniform.
She had been in Malakai’s manor. She was his third maid.
Nyx.
They had always wondered, who had planted her in the manor?
“She’s still a mystery, First Pulse,” his woman answered. “We haven’t been able to uncover any concrete information about her.”
“None? What about her lifeguard?” Drennos narrowed his eyes.
Every citizen within the dome was registered from birth, each assigned a lifeguard that monitored their vitals. All of it was recorded in the Western Region’s Central Database, located within the Sovereign’s Main Building. As Pulses, they had unrestricted access.
A name or general location was all they needed to track someone.
But if she was saying they couldn’t access it…
“All attempts to access her file were denied, First Pulse.”
Drennos’ eyes sharpened.
There was only one person with the power to block that access.
The Sovereign.
His finger began tapping against the polished obsidian desk.
‘He’s interested in him…’
It was bad news.
For the Sovereign to show this level of interest in Malakai meant the boy held something, something, that the rest of them didn’t.
The last person the Sovereign had shown that kind of interest in…
Was Velarian.
Malakai’s father.
The man who had almost taken the crown from them all.
Drennos’ expression darkened.
“Nia.”
“Yes, First Pulse.”
“Many will send assassins to him tonight,” he said. “Don’t bother. They won’t succeed.”
Nia’s eyes widened slightly.
“Instead… attach a spy to him. Someone close. I want to know everything, everything he does, every step he takes, every word he speaks.”
His tone turned sharp.
“Do not fail me.”
“Yes, First Pulse.”
Nia bowed and exited swiftly, leaving Drennos alone in the cold silence of his office.
He leaned back slowly, eyes clouded in thought.
The pieces were beginning to move all around the clan…
And the ghost of Velarian Von Sanguine… was stirring again.