Evolution of the Ruined Heir

Chapter 242: Grath’Mekhai

Malakai’s gaze narrowed as the air suddenly turned heavy. He turned towards Grunde and was almost taken aback.

This was the first time he would ever notice this sort of thing from the big guy.

Killing intent.

The sheer killing intent surging out from Grunde made the air still. Malakai didn’t think he had it in him.

“You betrayed Grunde?” Grunde muttered one more time, still sounding disbelieving.

Violent ripples started to form on the lake, and the killing intent reached the girls.

Luna’s eyes widened, shocked that Grunde could ever unleash such killing intent.

“Grunde…” she called out.

But Lina took a cautious step back, gripping her sister tight and preventing her from doing something stupid.

“Stay back. He’s lost his senses, sister!”

Grunde took slow steps toward the two sisters, his gaze looking lost, his body transforming as he grew bigger and bigger while continually muttering the same thing. He seemed like a beast about to erupt.

“But…” Luna bit her lip. It pained her to see Grunde like this. “Just give me a minute to talk to him. I’ll be able to stop him.” She tried to reason.

But Grunde unleashed his aura at that moment, and a weight slammed onto the two.

Lina gritted her teeth as it pressed down against her. Her expression twisted.

“I’m not waiting!” she shouted. “Take him down!”

Bam!

Malakai’s gaze widened at the sudden sound. He turned and found the source. A heavy force had just struck Grunde behind his head, forcing him to the ground.

He instantly activated his vita field, but couldn’t even react as a heavy force impacted the back of his neck.

Malakai felt his world spin before darkness overwhelmed his vision. The last thing he felt was the wetness of the lake’s water before he lost consciousness.

To Malakai, it lasted for a second. The last thing he remembered seeing was darkness, and as his consciousness came back, it was the first thing he saw.

‘My hands are bound.’

Malakai didn’t move, neither did he open his eyes. The first thing he did was feel. He activated his vita field, and the space more than 20 meters around him lit up like a canvas.

‘Only one person… looks like it’s Grunde.’ Malakai could feel the outline of the figure beside him. There was only one person that big.

‘He’s also bound. And unconscious.’

They were both seated on wooden seats, legs and hands bound. Malakai couldn’t feel anything blindfolding his eyes.

He could feel the outline of Grunde, his neck was bent forward as though he had no control. He was unconscious.

Malakai’s thoughts spun quickly as he remembered the last scene. Grunde almost losing control, the enemies…

‘We were knocked out.’ He concluded.

‘And kidnapped.’ He added after a moment. He had told Nyx not to interfere unless his life was in danger, and she obviously hadn’t deemed it so.

‘Now, how do I navigate this?’ he pondered. He couldn’t hear anything, but he could feel the soft sand beneath his bare feet, and the cold wind whipping across his face. They were outdoors.

‘Let’s see where we were taken to first.’

Finally, Malakai peered his eyes open just enough for a glimpse, only to freeze.

He hadn’t been able to hear a single thing since, nor feel anyone within more than 20 meters. He had been expecting a quiet place with only him and Grunde.

But what he saw… was the exact opposite.

“Dur’Vekhai… Ashskin’zhai tak’ka…”

“Sha’huru mek’tol… he wakes.”

“Vek’tra… vek’tra!”

“Ashskin riseh… sha’var zuu!”

It was as though Malakai waking up was some sort of signal. Numerous overlapping whispers reached his ears.

‘Shit.’

This wasn’t what he had been expecting, not even one bit.

Currently, Malakai was in a closed up space, seated in the middle of what could only be called a congregation.

But what truly captured his attention were the figures filling this place.

‘Gor’Mekhai.’ His gaze turned cold.

Some were seated on thrones, others stood like silent sentinels. But there was no mistaking what they were.

They were all mostly humanoid, but he spotted many with beastly features, different skins, fur, scales. Some had beast limbs. Others had only partial changes: a single leg, both arms. There were even antlers jutting out of heads, one even had a tail.

It was as though he’d walked into a twisted costume show.

Suddenly, the space fell silent.

Malakai turned, instantly catching the source.

A woman, the oldest he had probably ever seen, was seated on the largest throne at the far end of the hall. She had raised one hand, and silence followed like instinct.

“Ashskin. You are awake,” she said. Her voice was aged, dry and sagely, matching her appearance.

Malakai’s eyes focused on the massive antlers sprouting from her skull.

They were unlike anything he had ever seen before, towering and cracked, stretching outward with so many branches it was as though a tree had taken root on her head. Aged, but unbowed. Sharp, yet dignified.

They were imposing. And somehow, they made her words carry undeniable weight.

A chorus of hisses broke out from the congregation, and several Gor’Mekhai spat on the ground, hurling out curses in their language, words Malakai didn’t understand.

He watched as the aged woman silenced them again with a simple raise of her hand.

Malakai met her gaze.

Her eyes were pitch black. Depthless. Piercing.

It was as though they had seen everything there was to see.

“I apologize for the rudeness my people have shown you,” she said.

“I am Grath’Mekhai, the head of this Coven. What are you called?”

Malakai had already begun circulating his blood from the moment he opened his eyes. His heart rate was steady. His breath calm.

He observed everything with care, missing nothing.

He didn’t miss that Luna and Lina were standing directly behind Grath’Mekhai.

He didn’t miss the hateful glares being thrown at him from nearly every direction.

And he certainly didn’t miss her choice of words: this coven, not the Gor’Mekhai in general.

‘There are more covens,’ Malakai concluded.