Malakai’s expression hardened. The survivors behind him gasped, some already falling to the ground, all hope lost from their expressions. Even Nyx and Rhett struggled to calm their trembling hearts.
However, a wave of blinding green light brought them out of their horror.
Malakai’s grip tightened on his scythe, his entire body coursing with surging vita.
His power flared, pushing himself to the limits. He looked like a beacon of green brilliance.
With a roar, he streaked upward to meet the falling calamity. The clash detonated like two worlds colliding, darkness and green light erupting into a storm, shattering earth and ripping apart the skies.
Below, the risen dead surged forward in a tide, claws and teeth bared to rip and tear.
Nyx’s eyes blazed crimson as she blurred around the group, her blade slicing arcs of red that severed the advancing horde.
Rhett’s own gaze also flared, his spear whipping across the dome, intercepting every darkness that wanted to pierce their defenses.
Together, they held the darkness army, holding the line as Malakai went through his own battle above.
Malakai felt like he was pushing against a mountain. He used all his power, straining his body to its limits.
Bulging veins throbbed across his body like worms and it felt as though his muscles would tear, bones shatter.
However, there was no other choice. Should this darkness land, not even he would be able to outrun the blast.
Plus, this being was after him, if he should run, it could simply follow him. Malakai wasn’t stupid enough to think he could outrun such a being.
He had come so far, and he would have never expected that things would end this way.
Once he ran out of vita, the darkness would land, and no life in this city would survive. It was over.
Malakai heard a voice he hadn’t heard in a while. Valentine’s.
’I know now’s not the time to talk, but... I’d like to help.’
’Help?’ The ghost had his attention.
’Use you? What are you talking about?’
’I’m made from vita, a lot of it, to be honest. I don’t know if it’ll be enough, but you can use it to escape at least. I kno-’
’What will happen to you if I do that?’ Malakai knew the answer, but he thought it necessary to ask. He could feel Valentine smile.
’I’ll cease to exist.’ Malakai’s eyes slowly widened.
’But it’s not like I’m useful for anything. It’s for a good cause-’
Valentine was taken aback. ’Huh? What do you mean no?’
’I’m not sacrificing you.’
’Do you even realize your situation!? You will die. You need the vita.’
’I do. But I’m not sacrificing you.’
’Why? It isn’t like you to be this indecisive. This is necessary. Why do you refuse!?’
’Don’t tell me you’re starting to care for me? I’m nothing but an overweight ghost who can’t mind his business. There’s no way you care for me.’
Valentine froze, but Malakai continued.
’Yes, I care for you. You’re the most insufferable person I’ve ever met. But you’re one of the few people who actually cares about me, so no, I’m not going to sacrifice you.’
’But... we’re going to die...’
His expression hardened.
Malakai roared, his figure igniting in a blinding green light.
Valentine watched, emotions surging, as Malakai pulled every ounce of vita he had left in his body.
It erupted in a detonation of energy, blasting the pillar of vita back momentarily. In that brief second, Malakai glanced down at the group.
His eyes found only two people. Nyx, and the unconscious Renlo. Nyx paused her movements, meeting Malakai’s gaze. At that moment, she felt her heart beating fast. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
It was the first time Malakai had ever looked at her like that. It was... sadness.
Why... why would he be sad?
A dome of vita suddenly flared to life, encasing her and the group. Malakai smiled.
"Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Nyx. I will never forget you. Please, survive."
Nyx felt like she’d been hit by a truck. A scream tore from her mouth the next moment.
But Malakai had already turned away. A blast of vita exploded from him, slamming against the dome. They were sent tearing back with supersonic speed, moving away from the stronghold.
Nyx’s screams ravaged the vita dome. Her blood had encased her hand, and she punched and clawed at the dome with every fibre of her strength.
Tears spilled from her eyes, and despite the fact that her attacks didn’t seem to have any effect on the dome, she didn’t stop.
The others watched, expressions darkened, not knowing what to do. They knew what had just occurred. Malakai had just sacrificed himself.
’Just like his father.’ Rhett clenched his fists, a wave of shame slamming into him.
He would switch places with Malakai in a heartbeat, however, he was too weak to even delay for a second. The darkness would swallow him whole.
Nyx’s screams only grew the farther they got from the scene, and her attacks became more fierce.
However, in the next moment, they watched as Malakai’s green brilliance dimmed, and the darkness engulfed him.
Rhett and the others winced, placing arms on their ears as Nyx’s scream tore out.
"No... no..." she reached out, as though to grab Malakai, sobbing uncontrollably.
The dome fell utterly silent, as though mourning his loss.
Then, from the far horizon, a brilliance like no other shattered their thoughts.
A lance of searing green ripped through the heavens, a beam so vast it looked as though the sky itself had been split in half.
It crashed into the sea of darkness that had consumed Malakai, detonating in a cataclysm of light.
The explosion birthed a blinding storm, shockwaves tearing across the land, turning corpses and darkness alike into nothingness.
Every head snapped upward.
There, amid the green storm, a man hovered. His radiance was as though he were a sun given form.
His brilliance bathed the dark skies in emerald light, his presence drowning out even the void.
In his hands was Malakai, barely conscious.
As their eyes narrowed in on the man, eyes tore wide. There was no one in the dome who didn’t know him.
The Giant of the West.
The Head of the Sanguine clan.
The Eternal Blood Sovereign.