The crowd was filled with people from all across the Sanguine family, those with standing, those without. Chatters from parents echoed through the area as they fussed over their children, making sure they were in the right fra of mind for the competition.
But amidst all this chaos, one part of the crowd stood out. Youths whose aura felt different. Unshakable deanors. Cold, distant gazes. The veins.
The rest made sure to steer clear of that section, even the captains, who were themselves walking weapons of mass destruction. Yet sohow, in this gathering, the veins felt even more threatening.
They would get their chance to try and win them over later. But now, with the tension running high and each youth on edge, trying to engage them would only be a mistake.
Still, many captains stole glances at the veins, already beginning to map out their approach.
In the middle of the buzz, a random captain's voice suddenly rang out.
"He's here."
The crowd paused. Eyes turned toward the voice, to see the captain gazing into the sky.
They followed his line of sight. A carriage was approaching at high speed.
As it drew closer, tension rippled across the area. Eyes narrowed. And people locked onto the carriage.
It was smaller than usual, and the fact that it was flying inside the fortress could only an one thing: a sovereign sanctioned carriage used only by direct descendants.
A direct descendant was approaching.
But the Pulses were already present, currently inside the building along with the sovereign.
Four of the five veins participating in the event had arrived. That left only one person.
The Ruined Heir. Malakai Von Sanguine.
The murmurs abruptly died. The crowd's focus locked on the carriage as it landed a few ters away.
Rumors of the Ninth Vein had spread across the clan. Whispers that were hard to believe, yet too frequent to ignore.
Many present hadn't witnessed the infamous eting between Malakai, the sovereign, the direct descendants and the other highbloods. They had only heard tales of his feats:
His defeat of a veteran warrior during the eting.
His performance at the clan's training camp, achieving the advanced rank and becoming one of the top students on the very first day.
And then, the most unbelievable rumor of all:
That Malakai, who had evolved only three months ago, had defeated the Eighth Vein, Julius.
He was a known genius, even amongst the monsters that were the veins.
But Malakai had beaten him…
The carriage door creaked open. Everyone's eyes sharpened. This was the mont they had all been waiting for, the mont they'd finally lay eyes on the boy shaking the foundations of their clan.
Footsteps echoed. A figure stepped down.
Thousands of eyes locked onto him. From Genesis stage youths to earth shaking Blooms, no one looked away.
No one held back. They scrutinized. They analyzed.
But Malakai simply stood before the carriage, his presence calm, his posture relaxed, as if daring them all to make a move.
"N-Ninth Vein…" Renlo's terrified voice echoed from behind. But Malakai didn't look back. He turned forward.
"Let's go."
With that, he began walking, Renlo scrambling after him.
The entire area had fallen into complete silence. Every eye was trained on the boy walking with a calm gait despite the piercing attention.
The crowd instinctively parted before him, like the Red Sea.
His dead cold gaze and chilling aura made it clear, no one wanted to stand in his way.
But as he passed, more eyes widened. And they each felt confused.
Unlike the youths, the captains and older mbers had the perception to probe him. What they sensed… made no sense.
One node.
That was all.
Malakai had only ford a single node in his body. Yet he had defeated Julius, who had three?
Even more baffling was the sheer amount of vita being drawn to him. It was unnatural. One node shouldn't be able to manage that. Sothing was wrong.
The whispers began.
"Wait… are the rumors true? He's only ford one node…"
"How can he beat the Eighth Vein with just one? And it's not even enhancing his speed or strength…"
"Sothing's off. There's no way soone with one node should attract that much vita. Sothing about the Ninth Vein isn't normal."
The whispers grew louder. They had finally seen the Ruined Heir, and instead of answers, they were left with even more questions.
Regardless…
"You're smiling too much."
Laila whispered, glancing at Captain Rhett, who had a wide grin plastered across his face as he stared at Malakai.
But Rhett didn't seem to care. His entire focus was locked on the boy.
'They have the sa eyes…'
Rhett clenched his fists, his eyes blazing. He wasn't just staring at Malakai.
It was like he was looking at a younger Valerian.
That sa unshakable deanor. Those sa eyes, filled with raw, unyielding resolve, as if ready to take on anything the world threw at him.
Even the handso, innocent features… everything.
As Rhett watched Malakai walk, a deep ache settled in his chest.
'Valerian…'
He missed him. So much.
The sound of teeth grinding sounded through the air as Julius's cold eyes locked onto Malakai.
'It's all your fault.'
He had fallen out of his father's graces because of that humiliating defeat.
'It was a fluke!' he kept telling himself. A mistake. Malakai had caught him off guard, and he'd miscalculated. That was all.
He'd tried to explain it to his father, but the man had simply silenced him, with pain. For three straight days, he'd endured torture. No sleep. No rest. He trained till his bones felt like glass. He absorbed vita from darkness creatures, pushing his body to its limits.
Three days of hell, all because of one person.
"Malakai…" Julius muttered, teeth clenched.
The attention Malakai was receiving gnawed at him. It made his skin crawl. 'They should be looking at . They should be praising .'
He was the genius!
Instead, all he got were curious stares. Doubtful stares. People wondering if he really lost to Malakai.
Malakai this. Malakai that.
Every whisper, every murmur chipped away at Julius's pride.
'This will be the last ti I see your stupid face.' His eyes glead coldly. He rembered his father Varnel's plan, and he fully intended to see it through.
Malakai eventually reached the area where the other veins stood.
He gave them a brief glance, cold gazes eting cold gazes, then looked away and walked to the edge of the lineup, choosing not to mingle.
This only enraged Julius further, who didn't bother hiding his hostility.
But Malakai wasn't just feeling Julius's burning gaze.
'Aurelia.'
His eyes landed on the Sixth Vein. 'She's gotten stronger.'
He could tell instantly. She'd ford another node. Which ant, she had four now.
'I hope she didn't form it there…'
His thoughts drifted, already running through possibilities when a voice chid in beside him.
"You're very cool, Ninth Cousin."
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