Skyler’s Father

A white light was the first thing Malcom saw when he woke up. His mouth felt dry, and then suddenly, an intense pain hit his body.

It took a moment for him to get used to the pain before he sat down trying to get some air. He eventually realized that he was in an office.

"Did I make it?" He wondered in doubt when a small laugh caught his attention. A nurse looked at him softly as she walked slowly towards him.

"Yes, you almost died in the process, but yes, you both arrived. Your friend is being treated at this moment," she assured with a small smile.

When he heard that, he felt relieved. A smile crossed Malcom's face as he listened from the office door.

"There is no pride in what you did! That smile is out of place!"

Looking up, he saw a lady he had never seen accompanied by two gentlemen. Malcom only knew one of them.

Maximo, the leader of the Virtues, as usual, looked at him with hatred in his eyes.

"If my daughter dies dirty Marked… you can also consider yourself dead!" The woman continued as her eyes looked at him with unmasked anger.

Malcom stared at the woman's face who spoke to him, and it was full of hatred which he knew very well. It was contempt that in this world only a Marked received.

Everyone could hate, even sometimes they do so with their own mistakes. Yet, only the Marked receive that look of contempt.

It was as if their life was already a waste, a mistake, and now only a burden in the world. Now that burden makes people hate them for existing, for having to fix it.

People act as if they seemed to have forgotten no one ever asked to be a Marked.

"Excuse me, you can't be here..." the nurse said with a tone full of worry when she noticed Maximo's eyes fixing on hers.

The Virtue took his sister by her arm, and he said as he stared at Malcom, "Cecilia, remain calm. This young man is not worth your manners."

When he said that, he walked two more steps to face Malcom, who fearlessly held his gaze against the Virtue.

"It is becoming a bad habit for you to get my attention, young man," Maximo coldly said.

When Malcom heard Maximo, he chuckled tauntingly, "I don't give a shit about your attention!" He said with arrogance.

Virtue squeezed his staff tightly. He seemed to want to unleash a shower of lashes on the young man but thankfully remembered his position.

Maximo turned his back on him and began to walk.

Cecilia accompanied him, and they both left the room, allowing the nurse to sign in relief.

The only one who stayed behind was Armand, who waited for them to come out.

"Are you okay, boy?" Armand asked, his voice laced with genuine concern.

Malcom looked into the man's eyes. He was completely different from the other two. The man expressed a warmer aura, and his words reflected genuine concern.

He relaxed. Malcom could still feel his body aching, but it was not so bad.

"I've never been better," Malcom responded truthfully.

"I suppose you have no idea who I am or who that lady was," Armand had a small smile on his face when he said that.

Malcom looked at the man's attempt to ease the tension. He would not have allowed it in other circumstances. After all, this person in front of him was still a complete stranger to him.

However, he was tired and didn't feel like keeping his guard up.

"I do not have the slightest idea," Malcom replied with a chuckle.

"We are Skyler's parents… My name is Armand Sonfild," he said.

The man then got closer to Malcom, offering him a hand.

Malcom doubted a second, but the man up to this point had been very nice. There was no reason to be rude, so he shook his hand, and he said, "I guess Skyler got her manners from you."

"Yes," Armand nodded before he grinned, "That is one of my great achievements. It was not easy, I can tell you that."

This time Malcom gave an honest smile.

Armand continued, "But still, you can't expect her to be otherwise. She had no idea where her daughter was all day, and she appears half-dead on the road with a never-before-seen wound on her abdomen. These have been two quite stressful days ..."

At that moment, Malcom realized, and his gaze instinctively ran to the nurse, who nodded to confirm his guess.

Malcom then recalled everything that had happened to the point where he lost consciousness.

He could not have any other memory of what happened. Still, two days was a tremendous time, his injuries had been terrible, but Skyler could be much worse.

"Was I unconscious for two days?"

The nurse put her hands to her chest, clasping them in shame as she tried to explain.

"You came to the brink of death," the nurse said seriously, "A level of intoxication so severe that they had to perform the procedures without the use of special potions due to your condition. It was very difficult. You almost died."

Malcom felt the news strongly. He remembered how he felt before fainting and what the nurse said began to make a little more sense.

And then he remembered Skyler.

"What about Skyler? You said she was still in treatment," Malcom could not help but worry.

"And it's true," Armand intervened. He released a heavy sign before speaking tiredly, "She is still in treatment. It has been incredibly difficult, but they have already managed to cleanse her body. However, she is not entirely out of danger yet."

"What the hell?!" Malcom blurted out in surprise, "In two days, they still haven't put her out of danger?"

Malcolm could not believe the news. The wound, although strange, had not been so deep how it was possible that something like that could cause so much havoc on the body of a person as powerful as Skyler.

"The poison that the creature injected was highly toxic and very, very unusual. Few cases in history have presented it, and the last one was centuries ago ... but fortunately, she will be fine."

"The Guardian of the Sun…" Malcom muttered as he remembered the creature.

The man nodded. He stared at Malcom seriously before speaking, "You defeated a Guardian of the Sun while being a Marked…."

Malcom suddenly looked up towards the other man. The word Marked was all it took to put him on the defensive.

Everyone had always used that word to determine what he could not do, show him why he was a defective person, and remind him that he was weak and did not belong anywhere.

He really hated when other people used that word.

"You will tell me that it's impossible?" Malcom asked with frustration while looking at Armand.

Armand shook his head, "I watched your fight against my daughter, and you are quite skilled. But you must admit that it is incredible. Not even mages, while using their entire magic, would achieve that."

When Malcom heard those words, his hand went to his head, and he felt his hair, he then looked at the nurse and said, "My things…."

The girl pointed to a small inn where all of Malcom's belongings were.

The young man took a deep breath to look once more at Armand and asked, "You're not angry?"

"Of course I am!" Armand replied, his voice higher than earlier, "My daughter is in danger. But I won't blame you for the decisions she makes."

Malcom watched as the man's gaze softened when he began to say, "And on the other hand, you risked your life to an immeasurable point to save her. I also did not come here to discriminate against you. I came to thank you, Malcom."

Those words made a strong echo in Malcom's chest, and he felt a warmth that he had rarely felt. He looked at that man in a different way.

This person was one of those few people who kept hope alive in Malcom's heart.

"I understand why she defends you the way she does, sir..." Malcom said with a friendlier voice.

"Call me Armand, and don't worry, all these medical expenses are on my part. Now try to rest. Next Monday, you have a fight!"

Malcom nodded with a small smile before he layed back down on the bed.

The smiling nurse approached him and said, "Would you like something to eat?"

Malcom nodded once more when he heard Armand's voice at the door before leaving, saying, "Malcom. How confident are you of winning the next fight?"

Malcom chuckled and said instead, "You shouldn't bet, sir!"

"Armand!" The man corrected him with a laugh before adding, "And how do you think I made my fortune? Betting is my greatest skill, especially if I know the result. So hunter…?"

Armand left his words hanging. He was really looking at Malcom with anticipation.

"There is no way for me to lose that match... Armand."

The man smiled and jokingly said, "What do you say, Malcom? Should I bet all my fortune?"

"No!" Malcom refused immediately, sitting again. He would have grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him hard to make sure that his comment was not serious at all.

"It's okay. But you'd better win, or Skyler will be left with no place to live," And with those words, he walked away.

The nurse watched him go before her gaze shifted towards Malcom. "Do you think there is any way for that guy to run out of money?" She asked.

"Perhaps," Malcom released a heavy sigh, "if he buys the world, he will lose half!"

Both of them smiled at the comment, and then the nurse pondered for a moment, "The world is very cheap for him!"