Evolution of the Ruined Heir

'Join my faction,'

Malakai walked down the hill where his manor was situated, his thoughts churning.

Seconds ago, the second pulse of the sanguine clan, Marissa, had just asked him to join her faction.

Without so much as thinking, Malakai had blurted out a 'no'. But as he walked through the forest surrounding his manor, even he couldn't help but reflect on his actions.

'I acted on emotions.' Malakai admitted.

He had been betrayed on numerous occasions by those who were supposed to show him love. After his parent's death, Malakai had to learn the hard way how life in the clan worked.

The second pulse offer had brought out those memories which instantly closed off his heart and he refused her offer without even thinking about it.

'Hmm.' Valentine's voice suddenly sounded in his mind. 'Well when you think about it, are you really going to take that risk?'

Malakai fell silent. Considering Marissa's personality, she respected and valued the strong, which was why she loved surrounding her self with powerful and talented people.

In the brief times he had seen her, Malakai didn't think he had ever seen anyone below the synergy stage of evolution, and this was including her guards and maids.

If there had been, then it was because said person had the potential for more in the future.

'She might have simply seen my potential and wanted to recruit me,' Malakai thought calmly. Given her personality, it reflected her actions. However… 'there are too many unknowns,'

Valentine spoke up, "Exactly. Being under the banner of a pulse would give you more standing in the clan and smoothen a lot of issues, but… it has its downsides too. You'll be dragged deeper into political plays. Every attack directed towards the second pulse would reach you, and the other pulses would probably see you as more of a threat."

Malakai slowly nodded. Once again, he found himself a bit surprised at how insightful Valentine could be.

"Why can't you always be like this?" Malakai said bluntly. "You're useful this way."

Valentine scoffed. "Damn, what do you even mean?"

Malakai didn't hesitate and spoke his mind. "You always act like a spineless idiot when things go bad. It's distracting."

His blunt tone left Valentine speechless, but Malakai wasn't done.

"One of these days, you'll get us killed because you're distracting me."

Valentine coughed awkwardly as Malakai called him out.

"You're made purely of vita," Malakai continued, voice cold. "You can't die because you're tethered to life essence. Always remember that. You're going to need to change. If we're going to be together like this, you need to stop cowering, or we'll end up dead for real."

Valentine fell completely silent, unable to respond.

"Keep my words in mind," Malakai said.

He didn't wait for a reply. He quickened his pace, sprinting through the forest.

Despite appearing alone, Malakai could feel the piercing stare of Nyx trailing behind him. It was her silent way of reminding him that he wasn't alone.

The training grounds were located in the south of crimson hold, and that was exactly where Malakai headed.

He avoided the pathway that led to other veins manors and Minutes later, he broke through the forest's edge, stepping onto a small cliff.

He paused, peering down below, where a sprawling expanse stretched across the land, littered with blackened buildings of varying sizes enclosed in a large and thick wall.

'I'm early.'

It was still about 15 minutes before 5am, but Malakai didn't mind the earliness.

'I might need to be tested before I'm grouped.'

From what he remembered from his time training as an unevolved, the youths were grouped into three different types, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. And this held for each of the different disciplines they took.

But Malakai only knew about the disciplines f the unevolved. The evolved was still an unfamiliar territory.

Regardless, Malakai was sure he would need to be tested to determine which category he would join.

'I'll find out there,' Malakai thought calmly.

He descended the cliff from the side, reaching the large expanse. Approaching the wall, he passed numerous small buildings scattered just outside it.

Aside from the training grounds, the south of Crimson Hold also housed members of the clan who chose to live there. Some lived outside the wall and were mainly tasked with protecting the training grounds to earn their keep.

With how vast Crimson Hold was, there was always a chance of darkness creatures appearing at any given moment.

Although the Blood Knights would be notified the instant it happened, there was still a need to keep the clan's youths well protected.

The area was mostly deserted due to how early it was, but Malakai could already feel multiple gazes locking onto him as he neared the wall.

He ignored them.

Soon enough, he reached the wall itself.

There was no large gate, only a small door built into one section. Carriages and beasts weren't permitted entry into the training grounds. Only youths and specific members of the clan.

Malakai approached the door and turned toward a small panel beside it, blinking red.

He placed his lifeguard against it. It flashed green, and the door slid open.

As Malakai stepped inside, he was met with the sight of the numerous buildings he had glimpsed from atop the cliff. But unlike the outside, the inside was already bustling with movement.

'The other youths,' Malakai thought, noting the young figures roaming about, all between the ages of seven and eleven.

'Looks like I'm not the first to get here.'

In a competitive clan like the Sanguine, Malakai should have known that arriving fifteen minutes early wasn't enough to be first.

Still, he didn't dwell on it. He started making his way through the training grounds.

Though they were young, because of the nature of the Sanguine, many parents had made it a point to introduce their children early into its politics, and into the brutal survival mindset of the clan.