Malakai's life after that had been difficult. While Othric valued his direct descendants, he also didn't believe in spoon feeding. Malakai had to survive basically all on his own in a clan filled with bloodthirsty warriors.

When he failed to evolve at 12, it got worse. Othric had hoped that Malakai would have even a shred of his father's talent, and when he failed to evolve, it was not something that Othric could accept.

He sent Malakai on missions that made him come into contact with the darkness creatures, hoping for him to awaken somehow.

But after two years, it had been failure upon failure. And now, it would seem as though Othric had given up.

Because the next mission was one that was sure to end his life.

Darke clenched his fists.

'It's a pity.'

His figure blurred, disappearing from the balcony.

…

Pain.

This was all Malakai could feel.

It surged through every single inch of his body, throbbing with such intensity that his sight appeared blurry.

Yet, Malakai's footsteps were calm, measured. His legs were straight, echoing faintly as he walked through the hallway to his room, leaving trails of blood in his wake.

His crimson eyes were bloodshot, and in his mind, the verses of the Sanguine Creed resounded, fueling him.

His eyes reflected one emotion, determination. He would never stop. He would never show weakness.

Malakai held in the overwhelming pain and made his way to his room, shutting the door closed.

His gaze locked onto the tray filled with Devil's Fruit beside his bed. He took a step forward, then his eyes widened.

'My legs…'

They trembled violently before giving out beneath him, sending his body crashing to the floor with a loud thud.

Malakai groaned, large, throbbing veins bulging across his face and neck as he fought back the searing pain.

Gritting his teeth, he stretched a trembling hand toward the tray, his body dragging forward inch by inch.

But his vision blurred, the room tilting and spinning as a crushing wave of dizziness slammed into him.

'Come on…' His mind screamed in desperation, his gaze locked onto the tray, willing his body to move.

But his body was at its last ropes. The dizziness intensified before his vision went black, his outstretched hand falling. The green light on his lifeguard started to change, turning orange before teetering on red.

However, before it could touch the ground, the door to his room opened, a blur of motion, and suddenly Malakai felt it. Somehow, a Devil's Fruit had appeared in his hand.

His falling hand abruptly stopped, and Malakai gritted his teeth, mustering every single fiber of his power, bringing the fruit to his mouth and taking large, desperate bites.

A surge of energy flowed through him, and Malakai felt an intense amount of relief, as though the overwhelming pain was being washed away.

He took more desperate bites, and as he finished the fruit, another landed in his hand, though he didn't know when. He finished that too.

After wolfing down multiple, he could feel that he was out of the woods. A wave of fatigue hit him, and his eyes caught the faint sight of his maid, Nyx, staring down at him before he entered dreamland.

Nyx gazed at Malakai silently for a while, her expression unreadable. After a few seconds, she lifted him up tenderly, cleaning his wounds and body. She laid him on the bed and covered him with a sheet.

Staring at him for a few seconds, Nyx left the room and stood in front of his door with a cold gaze, unmoving.

…

The nightmare came once again. And this time, it felt more intense.

Malakai woke up with his entire body sore and filled with pain. The sunlight pouring through the open window made it clear that it was the next day.

He cleaned the wet streaks trailing down his cheeks and stood up shakily from the bed.

'Shit.' He could feel pain everywhere.

Malakai moved to the full-body mirror in one corner of the room.

'Someone helped me.'

His clothes had somehow disappeared, and he was only wearing briefs. Because of this, he could see the wounds that littered his body.

Somehow, most were still open and oozing blood.

'Even at death's door, my body still refuses to store Vita.'

If Malakai's body had been normal, the amount of Vita he got yesterday would have been enough to heal and close all his wounds. But his body couldn't store Vita long enough to achieve that result.

He walked to the side, sitting down on his bed. He wolfed down more pieces of the Devil's Fruit, fast-tracking his healing process.

It took some time, but eventually, his wounds closed up. However, many scars still remained, some on his arms, with the majority on his torso.

'It's getting hard keeping track of the scars.'

After healing, Malakai's thoughts drifted to last night and the obvious help he had gotten.

'Nyx.'

There was no way he would not recognize the face of a maid who had been with him for years.

Just as Malakai pondered the matter, he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Nyx stepped in, her head bowed in respect.

"9th Vein."

Malakai's placid gaze stared at her for a few seconds before he spoke.

"You helped me last night?"

Nyx's bow lowered. Though she said nothing, Malakai understood what she meant.

He nodded. "Thank you."

His words sounded genuine, yet they were devoid of any warmth.

In response, Nyx's hands clenched tightly, an action that Malakai instantly noticed.

"What is it?"

His gaze sharpened, finally taking note of the dark red envelope in her hands.

Nyx hesitated, but her gaze hardened as she stretched out the envelope to Malakai.

"From the Blood Sovereign, 9th Vein."

Malakai's gaze darkened. 'So soon?' he thought.

There were usually weeks before he received another mission.

He collected the envelope. Opening it, he unfolded the letter and read.

It took just a few seconds, but Malakai had to read the words again and again to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

When he confirmed, his gaze and hands trembled as he lowered the letter slowly.

"He's sending me to the pits…"

Malakai muttered in disbelief, staring into empty air as he backed off and took a seat on his bed.