Novel Full Chapter 353: Fire Of Purity
Chapter 353: Fire Of Purity
***
{Outside The Projection}
“…”
“…”
“…”
…Hm.
How… exactly… were they supposed to react to that?
They’d seen Malik go through Hell before. Hell. Not literally, but close enough.
They saw him Fall over and over… fail over and over… die over and over… crawl over and over, his body shattered… just to save his family, to rewrite the tragedy…
Only to find them dead.
Only to find his little brother with a sliced neck. Only to have his little sister taken away.
Only to witness a flower’s final bloom.
Only to accept a father’s sacrifice.
Only to make a sacrifice of his own.
They saw him repeat that crawl… again… and again… and again.
Indeed, they watched him kill himself… hundreds of thousands of times just to absorb an Aether core. Watched him do it over and over to kill a Roc. Watched him do it way more times… to save his flower.
Then again… even more… to save his new family. Only for Rehan to die. Only for his Layla to leave him.
Then again… to become a Jinn.
Then again… in a war.
A war that he won.
A war where winning meant standing alone in a wedding hall… surrounded by the dead.
Then again. And again. And again.
Just to survive a second. A “pop.”
Malik had gone through Hell.
They’d seen it.
But now…?
Just… what had he gone through in there?
In that trial.
What could possibly have broken him?
Millions and millions of years were never an issue for Malik. Not before.
So what really happened? …They didn’t dare imagine. Didn’t dare even guess what could’ve made him end up like… that.
Whether it was finally the Corruption taking over, or it was his doubt destroying whatever was left of his insanity, or if it was the deaths of his cohort, a people he’d grown close to in all those unseen years, the one he’d called from the afterlife, a flower made to bloom again, making a certain someone in the hall feel some semblance of relief.
Or, finally, if it was sacrifice… a sacrifice that ensured the continuation of the trial.
Its end.
His victory.
Conquering of {HELL}.
A conquest that forever changed the world.
And those he saved…
Huda.
Layla.
Safira.
Even Azeem…
All of them stared down at the floor.
Beyond ashamed.
Those words…“UNWORTHY.”
It wasn’t just something the Hollow King shouted randomly at the world.
It was for them.
Somewhere deep inside…
Somewhere beyond the Corruption, beyond the madness… A part of the past Malik, maybe even the Malik of now, thought it.
And that hurt.
It hurt deep.
It split them deeper than any sword, any spell, ability, or curse.
Unworthy.
They were unworthy.
They lived their lives… breathing… smiling…
Never knowing.
Never realizing the sacrifices he made.
Never realizing what he carried… what he still carried.
And that realization…
It broke something in them.
Something that could never be fixed.
***
{Inside The Projection}
…Blink.
Malik was back.
Back on the dune.
Back in an unwatchable land.
Back before the True Sultan.
Sitting on the same throne.
But something was… off.
The ’fog’ around ’Him,’ that suffocating, blinding, yellow sandstorm that kept Malik from seeing the full shape of God… it looked thinner.
A little weaker. A little frayed at the edges.
But Malik didn’t comment, didn’t really care.
He just sat there, silently staring as he did.
Meanwhile, the True Sultan leaned back lazily against ’His’ throne, grin as wide as the horizon.
“So…”
’He’ started, voice dripping with amusement.
“How was the… experience? Was it tough? I know it was. Even if they’re weakened from constantly fighting back against my Corruption, those Mithqals were decent. That’s to be expected; they’re your seniors after all~. The Simurghs too; they might’ve been barely alive babies, but they could easily destroy a kingdom or two or ten. Oh, and did you enjoy your request? I hope it was worth more than a redo… Did it relieve your guilt a little? Giving her an actual life? I did tell you that it’d end in the same way… That’s time.”
“…”
Malik said and did nothing.
He only stared at the eyes.
Those Black Eyes.
For a minute.
Ten.
An hour.
Ten hours.
A hundred.
A thousand.
Ten thousand.
A hundred thousand.
A million.
Or was it just a second?
…He couldn’t really tell.
Time didn’t exist here.
Not in front of ’Him.’
And not within Malik.
He had lost that.
“…I’m insane.”
At Malik’s random reveal, the True Sultan burst out laughing.
“INSANE?!”
’He’ slapped his knee, wheezing.
“No, no, buddy… nah. You’re waaaaay past insane.”
’He’ pointed straight at Malik, still laughing, coughing through the grin.
“You might even be crazier than me!”
’He’ wiped a black tear from his void eyes.
“I’ve NEVER, NEVER seen someone hold back that much wantonness for destruction and STILL choose restraint… in a HELL-ranked trial no less!”
A long inhale escaped ’Him’
“…You remember everything now, don’t you? Even your other self. The Hollow King… Nice Title by the way; it made the climax even better. I have to say, I expected your mind to break completely, losing you thought, but it seems ’Their’ plan worked, combining your souls, transcending time, and changing Fam Iblis without anyone realizing a thing, as if it had always been that way.”
The True Sultan shook ’His’ head.
“Kid—no, sorry, not kid. My own blood, you are hands down the BEST replacement I could’ve ever asked for.”
’He’ flicked ’His’ wrist, casually tossing a cloud of golden sand into the air.
“Watching you in there didn’t disappoint me, not even once.”
Malik tilted his head slightly.
“So… what now? Am I Mithqal?”
There was no pride in his voice, just a questioning statement.
“Yep.”
’He’ popped the ’p’ and said nothing more.
Nothing at all.
Malik blinked.
“…That’s it? No struggle with the Blessing? No pain or torture?”
The True Sultan shrugged.
“That’s it. You’ve gone through enough shit that you didn’t even notice. You might think of choosing a Title now—or not; you already have many, and I don’t think any would beat Second Sun.”
’He’ yawned, then lazily waved ’His’ hand again.
“Oh. Also…”
’He’ took a moment.
“I decided to Bless you with something closest to what you requested.”
Malik’s stare remained, eyes hung off the word “closest.”
’He’ chuckled.
“There are rules even for Unique Abilities, you know? Especially when it’s related to Corruption. Still, even though I couldn’t fulfill your exact request, I’ve woven something special… let me just unlock it for you…”
A tiny ember floated into Malik’s vision; white, pure, flickering unnaturally, like it didn’t belong in this world.
“It’s an Ability I always wanted for myself back then, y’know? Never got around to weaving it. But hey, perks of being the boss—I weaved it for you instead.”
The flame sank into Malik’s chest.
It gave him no pain or warmth.
He only felt its weight.
A name seared into his mind.
{Nār Al-Khals.}
The Fire of Purity.