Evolution of the Ruined Heir

Malakai's vita field was unlike what many would think.

His vita sense acted in such a way that he could feel the interactions between vita and the world.

Consider vita in the air as an endless scream of green glowing orbs. Each of these orbs floated through the air, free, unbound.

And when they made contact with anything, be it a person or a thing, there would be a discrepancy, a subtle shift, as it disrupted the uniformity.

As someone who could sense the vita in the air, Malakai could feel these discrepancies, he could discern them.

It was far from the regular senses of sight. Malakai couldn't actually see it. He couldn't tell its color, nor could he say if it was laughing or frowning, at least, not yet.

But what he could grasp was its speed, shape, and size, the precise way it affected the vita in the air.

And right now, as Malakai activated his vita field, he saw it. The faint outline of a humanoid figure, right dagger tearing through the air toward his back.

Malakai barely registered the roar of vita through his body over the sharp surge of danger that chilled his spine.

He threw himself to the side before he could even think. The sharp whistle of the blade slicing through air rang past his ear as he twisted, his foot sweeping toward the assailant's side.

But Malakai's gaze narrowed almost instantly. The figure twisted in midair, dodging the kick with ease and countering with a sweeping kick screaming toward his leg.

The shock of his missed strike lasted only a second. Malakai had already read the rhythm, already seen the twitch in muscles. He had seen the attack coming a mile away.

He lifted his one foot and twisted midair. The sweeping kick whooshed beneath him as he finished the spin, his other leg tearing down toward the assailant's head.

Under the silver gleam of moonlight filtering through the trees, Malakai could've sworn he caught a glimpse of two beautiful eyes widening in shock.

The assailant jerked her head back in a desperate dodge, but the kick still grazed her nose, drawing a thin line of crimson.

But this time, Malakai didn't pause.

His foot had barely touched the ground before his other knee surged forward, driving toward her face.

She barely got her arms up in time before the knee slammed into her guard. The sound of cracking bone echoed out, followed by a hiss of pain.

Before she could regain balance, Malakai shot forward, tight steps closing the gap in a blink. His fist slammed into her gut, deep and brutal.

A spray of spittle flew from her mouth, her figure doubling over for a breathless second before the force hurled her backward, sending her rolling across the wide tree branch.

'Was I followed?'

Malakai's thoughts spun as his eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to sense any other presence. When he found none, he shook his head.

'No. Nyx would've said something.'

Nyx was powerful even among the Blooms. If it wasn't a Sovereign trailing them, she would've noticed instantly.

'Then who…?'

He turned his gaze on the figure lying under the moonlight, and his eyes sharpened.

The blow had thrown her into a patch where the moonlight shone clearly, revealing her completely. A female.

Long black hair flowed behind her like silk. She wore two pieces of tight beast skin, one across her chest, the other running from her waist down to her knees.

She was stunning, in every sense. But what caught Malakai's attention was her legs.

Still human, but the skin was mismatched from her tanned upper half. Pale white, covered in countless black spots, like a cheetah. Except… cheetahs didn't exist anymore. At least not the yellow ones.

'A… girl?' Malakai wondered before shaking his head. 'No.'

A Gor'Mekhai.

'I was careless,' he thought, his stance sharpening, guard rising instantly.

He had seen it when they clashed, she had formed three nodes. And still, she'd managed to sneak up on him. Him. As observant as he was.

He'd been too focused on watching Grunde. He'd let his guard drop.

'Nyx must've assumed I would see her,' he realized. Nyx hadn't intervened, which meant she must've judged the threat as minor, so without direct orders, she remained still.

The Gor'Mekhai was recovering now, regaining composure from the flurry of blows. Malakai couldn't read her people's body language well, but the hate burning in her gaze was clear enough.

She was pissed.

"Karushka!" she spat, venom in her tone. She pointed at Malakai. "Sethk'ha moran!"

Malakai's gaze darkened. He didn't care what the hell she was saying, she was making too much damn noise.

'They'll hear.' They weren't too close to the lake, but with how silent the forest was, they might as well have been yelling through a megaphone.

The Gor'Mekhai clearly didn't share that concern. She didn't care at all. She took a step forward and raised her hand, finger locked on him.

"Intruder!" she thundered.

Malakai felt it instantly, the vibrations in the earth.

Grunde was coming.

"Take me back," he said quickly.

His words had barely dropped before he vanished from the branch, fading away from the forest.

Grunde's large figure burst out onto the branch moments later, but he was already gone.

Malakai and Nyx were together, high in the trees, watching the unfolding scene. The Gor'Mekhai that had been with Grunde seemed to be arguing with the one he had fought.

'They're fighting.' It was a heated exchange, and the silence of the night had shattered beneath their shouts.

Malakai turned his gaze toward Grunde. He stood silently at the side, looking lost as the two argued.

"Let's go," he whispered, and they both vanished from the forest, heading back toward base.

Malakai sent a lingering look toward the forest's depth. He had felt the life essence's call, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that he hadn't been able to respond.

If the life essence was reacting, then there had to be something of great significance.

He tore his gaze away the next moment as they emerged from the eerie forest. He couldn't do anything about it, not now anyway.