“So, what’s your name?” the young man asked.“Malachi,” he replied, his head still looking down.The young man noticed his nervousness and chuckled. “My name is Jett Welles. This here is Sansum. He is 6 years old. What about you? How old are you?”“I am 8 years old.”“Hoo, just a few years and you’ll be an adult like me.” Jett smiled and ruffled on Malachi’s head as if he was his little brother. “Do you like hunting?” Sansum asked.“Hunting?”“Hunting animals,” Sansum continued. “Jett is teaching me how to hunt animals so we can feed ourselves, but most importantly, so we can feed others. Everyone else already knows how to hunt except me.”“That’s because you’re the youngest,” Jett said. “You’ll learn sooner or later.”“Yeah, but everyone is making fun of me, especially because of my thin body.”“You’ll get over it. I am as thin as you. Besides, if you can hunt, you can eat more and get big. Oh, look, we have arrived.”Nestled deep within the heart of a dense and ancient forest, the
“You want something she has?” Seraphina asked.“You will understand later.” Malachi smiled. Seraphina was very confused. It had been more than 2 weeks since she accompanied Malachi, but she still did not understand him.‘If he could just say his plan.’ Seraphina sighed.Malachi finished his last cookies and stood up before entering a room. The room looked like an apothecary chamber for creating medicines. There, he saw old Lady Morwen began to put silver rings on each of her fingers. Beside her, an array of iridescent crystals and ancient texts glowed softly, attesting to the powerful magic that coursed through her veins. With a flick of her fingers, she summoned a delicate mortar made from the enchanted bark of the Glimmering Oak, a tree said to capture starlight and infuse it into its wood. Lady Morwen's mortar was paired with a pestle crafted from the heart of the Amberstone Mountain, known for its ability to amplify the essence of the herbs it ground. As she gathered the Moonli
Malachi grabbed all the herbs and plants he could find in her room and then stuffed them inside his pocket.“You said those herbs are of no use to you,” Seraphina commented. “And when are you going to kill that old lady?”“These herbs will help me in that.”Malachi tidied the room, making it look like no one had touched anything. “You stay here and keep a lookout. I am going out for a few minutes.”He ran out of the house immediately which confused Seraphina. “I can’t really understand him,” She complained. Seraphina obeyed the order and stayed in the room. A few minutes later, old Lady Morwen entered the room. This time, she looked even younger with all of her wrinkles almost gone. It was as if time reversed by 30 years. Her skin became brighter and healthier. Even though one could still see that she was an old woman, many men wouldn’t mind marrying her in her current state.“Perhaps it’s true that this old lady absorbed the life force of the young people here,” Seraphina said out
Lyra stood atop a hill overlooking a village nestled in the valleys below. Her silver hair seemed to shimmer like moonlight as her robes danced with the wind.“I heard the scream from that village.”“Is it possible that Malachi is there?”“I don’t know. We have to check.”They descended the hill and arrived at the village, but what they saw shocked them to their core. Right on the streets, corpses lay, some without limbs, some without heads. A few of the corpses had massive holes in their chests. Worst of all, almost all of them seemed to be children.“What a nightmarish sight.”Lyra felt a churn in her stomach as she witnessed such a scene. A few seconds later, she couldn't help but run to a corner and vomit.Kael, the dwarf, approached and patted her back, though his hand barely reached due to Lyra's tall elf stature.Aria slowly walked through the street, examining the corpses of children. “How can a boy that young be this cruel?”Finn Hallowbrook, a human scholar, knelt by one of
The sky was bright and clear as Malachi traversed the forest. Rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the forest floor with patches of golden warmth.“From what I remember, the capital city should be in the north. But entering it will be difficult. The capital has strict inspections. A child entering the city by himself is very suspicious.”Seraphina comically looked up and tapped her finger on her lower lip as she thought. “I am sure we can do something about that.”As he walked, the sound of creaking wheels and the rhythmic clatter of hooves reached his ears. Through the dense foliage, he caught sight of a merchant’s wagon making its way along the forest path. Drawn by a pair of sturdy Glimmerhoofs, the wagon carried an assortment of goods, their colorful packages hinting at the wonders they held within.Malachi’s inquisitive gaze met the merchant's, a man with a sly smile and a gleam in his eyes. He brought the wagon to a halt, his practiced charm evident as he addre
“It will take a few days before we can find your parents,” Lucius said. “Why don’t we find a nice place to stay.”Malachi agreed while he thought of a place and time when to kill Lucius. Killing him now would bring Malachi a lot of trouble since there were a lot of people and guards here.He would need a place with fewer people to eliminate this man. Malachi also had the choice to escape and run away, but there was a chance that Lucius would hunt him down.The carriage began to move to the southern part of the capital city. There were fewer people here, and the buildings weren’t as grand. Most of them were worn down, and quite dirty.The people here also wore dirty clothes with torn gloves. Malachi saw some people sleeping on the floor with a rag.After a few minutes, they arrived in front of a weathered building.Malachi read the wooden sign, the words barely readable. “The Shadow’s Haven.”Its exterior was a mishmash of ramshackle wooden planks and patched-up brickwork, hinting at d
Malachi clicked his tongue and made his stygian blade vanish. “Come in.”The door opened, and Miss Lorna entered with a tray of stews. Her expression was one of disgust as she put the tray on the table.Lucius was half-conscious on the sofa, and Lorna acted as if she did not see anything wrong. Suddenly, to Malachi’s surprise, Lorna dipped her hand into the steaming hot stew, and when she showed her hand, a mark appeared on her inner wrist.“The Umbral Brand.”“Show me yours,” Lorna said.Malachi took off his clothes and showed his back. His left shoulder blade lit up in red before a black Umbral Brand appeared.“At first, I thought you managed to get that mark by accident, but after seeing this, you really are an assassin.”“I got it by killing a member of the syndicate. That means I can become a member.”“You can, but that doesn’t mean you will. You will need to pass some tests and prove your loyalty.”“I’m ready.” A blade appeared in his hand and stabbed Lucius’ neck almost instant
“Before I can bring you to our education and training facilities, I will have to wrap you so no one can see us leaving the city.”“What do you mean?” Malachi was genuinely confused. Although he heard a lot of things about the Shadow Syndicate, he didn’t really know the details. Especially because the syndicate became less significant and threatening when he was at his peak strength.A few minutes later…Malachi was completely wrapped from head to toe with some kind of black sticky rope. He was unable to move, unable to see, and unable to hear. There were magical runes on the rope that completely blocked his senses, even his magic was restricted.‘However, I can destroy this rope anytime I want, so that’s good to know.’Seraphina phased inside the rope and landed on his ear. Her form became smaller so she could fit inside. “I didn’t think that you would agree to be tied up like this. You trust this man too much. And we haven’t known his name yet.”Malachi wanted to reply, but his mouth