The Highbloods consisted of the top 100 within the Sanguine family.
Once a Sanguine reached a certain age and became a Blood Knight or Guardian, they would be eligible to enter the rankings, which was a culmination of every Sanguine's achievements.
One could rise through it by gathering points earned from various feats. In the Sanguine Clan, ranking dictated respect. Authority. It was everything.
Malakai's steps brought him to the flight of stairs at the end of the hall.
All around him, seated at a higher elevation, were the Highbloods. Not all had come, but a significant number had. And every single one of them radiated the suffocating aura of a Bloom.
Just above them, on smaller thrones, sat the Veins of the clan, Malakai's cousins.
Above them were the six Pulses of the Sanguine, Malakai's uncles and aunts. Each one was a Bloom in their own right. Behind them stood their spouses.
Somehow, all of them had come for this meeting. Their gazes bore down on him with varying expressions, cold, disdainful, curious.
And then… above all, on the largest throne, sat one man.
His frame was smaller than the massive throne beneath him, but his presence dwarfed everything.
He sat in silence, a small smile on his lips, one that never reached his eyes. He didn't release his aura. He didn't have to. His presence alone weighed down on everyone like a stormcloud ready to break.
He stared down at Malakai quietly, the corner of his lips lifting just slightly. He did not speak. He simply watched.
As Malakai reached the stairs, he raised his head, taking in every single person gathered.
The Pulses and Highbloods frowned. This was the moment he should kneel and pay his respects to those seated above.
Did his so-called "lucky" evolution fry his brain?
Still, none of them spoke.
The Blood Sovereign hadn't uttered a word. And until he did, no one else among them had the authority to.
Behind Malakai, Nyx and Varek dropped to their knees, their heads bowing to the ground. Their voices rang out in unison:
"All blood flows to you, Sovereign. May your will shape the veins of the world."
Silence fell instantly.
Everyone's gaze soon shifted away from Nyx and Varek and back to Malakai. Their frowns deepened.
Several seconds passed… and yet, Malakai still hadn't done the needful. He didn't kneel. Instead, he lowered his head with his gaze fixed downward.
The expressions of those watching became confused.
What was he looking at?
The question hadn't even fully formed in their minds when the realization struck, and their eyes instantly flew open.
He was planning to climb the stairs!
The stairs that led directly to the Sovereign.
There were no written laws forbidding one from ascending the stairs to pay their respects. But doing so came with two heavy prices, costs that only the daring or the powerful attempted to pay.
The first: to climb those stairs was to openly disregard everyone seated below the Sovereign, the Pulses, the Veins, the Highbloods.
It was a bold statement filled with defiance. Doing so would earn their ire and place a target on one's back.
Unless the person possessed the raw authority or strength to silence all opposition… they wouldn't survive the day.
Only Pulses and a few of the Highbloods dared to do such a thing. The rest, including the Veins, at least at this stage, did not.
And the second: the aura of the Sovereign.
Even though he never actively released it, the very air around him was pressure incarnate. Just standing near the stairs meant facing it. Climbing meant enduring it.
And while it somehow adjusted based on one's strength, it was still overwhelming. Many hadn't even been able to take a single step.
Which was why none of them could make sense of what they were seeing.
Malakai held no such status. No rank, no power. He was a disgrace, a former waste who had gotten lucky and evolved.
So why was he trying to ascend?
Surely, his evolution had dulled his mind.
The air of the room changed. The stares pressing down on him grew heavier, filled with disdain, irritation, and warning.
And still, Malakai didn't look away from the stairs.
He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew the cost.
He raised his right leg and stepped onto the first stair.
Every gaze narrowed more, and the air grew tense.
Malakai lifted his body and placed his left leg on the second step.
But just as he was about to move again, his entire body froze.
He didn't stop because he wanted to, he stopped because he couldn't move.
The instant both his feet landed on the first step, he had felt it.
A weight, so crushing, so absolute, it locked down his entire body as though an entire mountain had been placed upon his shoulders.
Every muscle screamed. Every bone creaked. Moving even an inch felt like dragging the mountain with him.
Scoffs instantly echoed around the hall.
All that bravado, only to freeze on the first step?
Many of the Veins sneered in disdain, their gazes filled with mockery. But not even a second passed before their eyes sharpened.
Because Malakai's body, though frozen, began to tremble.
And then his right leg twitched… rising slowly. Shakily.
It trembled like a broken lever forced to move under immense pressure. But it was still rising.
Their sneers turned silent, and their eyes moved up to his face, and what they saw made their hearts freeze.
Thick, red veins had bulged across his skin, pulsing violently. His eyes had turned a deep, unnatural crimson.
His teeth were clenched, jaw locked tight as his entire body sucked in Vita at a monstrous rate, far beyond what any Genesis rank should ever achieve. Especially not one who had just evolved.
His left leg followed, slamming onto the next step.
It was pure agony. His bones groaned, vibrating under the pressure. His muscles stretched to their limits. His blood felt like it was boiling, screaming in his veins.
But his steps didn't stop.
Step by step, Malakai climbed.
Each time his foot dropped, a wave of disbelief rippled across the hall. The earlier whispers turned to silence. They couldn't decide which was more shocking:
That the discarded waste of the Sanguine was withstanding the Sovereign's aura…
Or that he was attracting that much Vita.
Regardless, the moment came.
The final step echoed beneath his foot and Malakai stood at the top.