Malakai didn't say anything. He had nothing to say to the sovereign.
He had seen the man's gaze and knew exactly what he meant.
However, he didn't feel the need to respond. From the very beginning, he had already resolved to give it his all.
He would join the hunt, and he would win it. Nothing would stand in his way.
Those weren't words he spoke aloud. Instead, his eyes had said it all.
The sovereign saw it, and his eyes glinted, as though intrigued.
Malakai lowered his gaze after that, his mouth never stopping as he recited the creed.
Soon enough, the crowd echoed the final words of the creed, and once again, silence fell.
Othric nodded. "I wish you luck."
"Thank you, Sovereign!" the crowd bowed and echoed in unison. In the next moment, Othric turned and walked back into the main building, the Pulses trailing respectfully behind him.
As the sovereign departed, the crowd began to murmur again, only to go silent when the Iron Saint stepped forward.
"We will begin moving the youths to the location. Say your goodbyes."
The hunt was set to take place far from Vitaemora. Considering the magnitude of people present, parents, older siblings, and more, the clan would only provide transportation and protection for the participants alone.
Loud chatter soon filled the space as parents began saying their goodbyes to their children, urging them to do their best and make them proud.
Of them all, the Veins stood motionless. The Pulses were with the sovereign, and the Veins were seen as independent in his eyes. As a show of strength, none had come to wish them farewell.
They each stood alone, alert, radiating an aura of unshakable confidence.
"Looks like it's just us, Ninth Vein."
Malakai didn't respond to Renlo's comment. Instead, he calmly swept his gaze across the area, at the strict parents, the worried ones, and even the ones who treated their children coldly.
A pang struck his chest.
No matter how much he tried to hide it, the scene overwhelmed him.
If his father and mother were alive, would they have acted like the Pulses and kept their distance?
Malakai shook his head.
He knew her. That woman was fiercely protective. Not even the sovereign's words could stop her from wishing her little Kai good luck.
Malakai felt his eyes sting. Tears threatened to fall.
'I miss them…' He chuckled slightly. 'So much.'
But before even a single tear could drop, he clenched his jaw and hardened his gaze. The tears vanished, and a cold aura enveloped him.
He was sad. But that sadness only fueled the raging fire within him.
The people present, the ones currently inside the Crimson Hold, some of them had plotted to have his parents killed.
They had taken everything from him. His joy. His peace. His family.
That was all the fuel he needed.
He would not show weakness.
He would only show them his blade.
Beside him, Renlo shivered. Octavia too. Both of them instinctively took a step back, staring at Malakai with wide, trembling eyes.
They had all just been standing there normally, and in the next instant, his killing intent had engulfed them like a suffocating weight.
'I hope I don't run into him during the hunt,' Octavia gulped. Since when had her ninth cousin become this scary?
He had been called trash for years. She had always thought of him as pitiful.
She loved her mom more than anything. Just the thought of losing her could drive her insane. She couldn't imagine what Malakai must be feeling.
That was why, even though she loved causing chaos, she always instinctively avoided Malakai.
He had lost too much.
Still, right now, he looked more like a monster than the pitiful boy she used to pity.
"A-Are you okay, Ninth Vein?" Compared to Octavia, Renlo fought through his fear and asked. He was genuinely worried about Malakai's sudden shift.
Malakai took a deep breath, his expression returning to its usual coldness as he turned to Renlo.
Renlo didn't believe him, but he didn't press. He knew better.
Silence returned between them. Compared to Malakai's icy calm, Renlo glanced at the scene of goodbyes with a sad expression.
Soon enough, the Iron Saint's voice broke the chatters.
"That's enough. Those of you who aren't participants, leave this place."
The crowd listened. The parents and captains began walking away, some heading back toward the main building, others lingering at the side to watch their kin depart.
As this happened, the Iron Saint raised his arm. A massive shadow fell over the area.
The people instinctively looked up, and many eyes widened.
A beast, ginormous in size, blocked the morning sun as it hovered over the crowd.
For many, including Malakai, it was their first time seeing one in person.
'A Skeldrith,' Malakai recognized.
They were a rare, mutated carrier beast, so rare their numbers could be counted inside the Dome.
The Skeldrith was flat and wide, like a living platform. Its underside writhed with hundreds of thin, twitching limbs that moved as though carried by an invisible breeze.
Its body was covered in coarse black fur, giving it an eerie, unnatural presence. Above it, a transparent, glass-like structure stretched across its entire length and breadth, almost like a dome of glass.
Malakai turned to see Renlo staring up, mouth wide open in awe as the Skeldrith slowly descended. He wasn't the only one. Despite being Sanguine, most of the youths had their mouths agape.
It wasn't every day one got to see a Skeldrith. A beast with no wings that could still fly at blinding speed across the skies.
As the Skeldrith hovered just above the participating youths, multiple ropes were tossed down from the glass dome above.
"You can start boarding," the Iron Saint's order rang out, but none of the youths moved.
Instead, they all turned toward the Veins, waiting for them to make the first move.
Without hesitation, Aurelia stepped forward and approached one of the ropes, followed by the other Veins.
"Let's go," Malakai said to Renlo, moving toward one of the ropes.
Renlo hesitantly picked one close to Malakai. Since he followed Malakai, he was the first non-Vein to move. The gazes boring into his back made his spine tingle.
Still, he climbed with Malakai and soon reached the top.