Words of Thanks.

Old man Rowan never slept much since his daughter passed away but last night he couldn't close his eyes for even a single second.

Malachi left from his house last night and went to enact their revenge and the old man was slightly nervous.

Over the past two weeks, he'd actually come to look at Malachi like something of a son.

They spent a lot of time together while he was teaching him to use his powers and it was impossible for him not to begin to grow fond of the young man.

His infectious personality made him easily likeable and their shared hatred of the same man gave them something to bond over.

The two weeks were spent teaching Mal how to control his blessing of the night and utilize its power to fit the situation.

Because the night can be anytime that Malachi wishes, his power can be very showy.

Due to that, all of the training had to be conducted when it was already nighttime to negate any questions being aroused.

Mal already knew that he could see anything covered by night, but traveling to anything was an entirely different manner.

Apparently he'd done it when he'd first awakened his powers but he described that as more of a freak accident.

"It took two entire weeks and all he managed to learn was how to teleport without fail." Rowan leaned back into his chair and stared at his farm as he thought of Malachi's frightening potential.

Even he didn't know the limit of Malachi's abilities but he was certain of one thing for sure.

With enough time and training, Malachi could cover the entire planet in an endless night.

While that was a scary thought for some, it would only be that way for those that did not know Malachi personally or share his appreciation for the night.

"Did you wait long?"

Rowan turned his head to see Malachi leaning against a support beam with his standard glasses and a cigarette in his mouth.

He would've looked pretty suave if his shirt and hands were not covered in blood.

"I guess I don't need to ask how it went." Rowan chuckled. "How'd you get all the way back here so fast anyway?"

Malachi knocked the ash off his cigarette before his entire body began to float upwards. "Telekinesis works in more ways than one might think."

Malachi pulled up a seat right next to Rowan and promptly handed him a cigarette and a lighter.

Smoking had become a habit he'd picked up from the old man to ease his stress.

It wasn't like he could destroy his body after all now that he was a blessed so what was the harm?

"You should really stop smoking old man."

"Says the kid who just handed me a cigarette and a lighter."

"You looked like you needed it. Haven't been sleeping have you?"

"I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"That'll be soon if you keep smoking."

The two chuckled at their usual back and forth banter as they entered a period of silence and simply watched the cows graze on the farm.

" I won't ask you for any details but.. did he suffer?" Rowan finally asked after minutes of silence.

"Horribly." was Malachi's only reply.

The old man shed a single tear and offered his daughter a final goodbye.

He felt as if her spirit had finally been avenged.

"Thank you, Malachi."

"No thanks necessary, old man."

Mal didn't feel he deserved thanks.

He didn't feel like his actions were heroic or praiseworthy.

The reality is that he broke into a prison to kidnap an inmate that was already serving a life sentence so that he could murder him for revenge.

Is that something a hero would do?

"Ah, I almost forgot." Rowan took out Malachi's phone from his pocket and handed it to him. "You were blowing up last night."

When Mal looked at the list of missed calls from his sister, he initially panicked.

But when his eyes landed on the most recent message, he calmed down slightly but his fear was now replaced with confusion.

Aubrey : Sorry for calling so much but I'm fine now, come home as soon as you can.

Malachi quickly got up from his seat and said a quick farewell to Rowan before quickly flying home.

"Damn kid.. didn't even clean himself off."

-

Malachi only remembered certain wardrobe issues about halfway to his destination.

At that point he decided to change tactics a bit and instead of walking through the front door he flew onto his balcony.

He was surprised however when upon opening the sliding door, he found his home was currently having guests.

Serana and Sei were here and Aisha and Aubrey as well.

The woman were apparently cooking in the kitchen but upon seeing Malachi enter through the balcony door, they immediately froze.

Malachi could feel the gazes on his bloody shirt and hands and screamed at himself internally.

'That's right.. I'm a monster now.'

He'd never wanted anyone to see him like this, least of all the women whom he was closest to.

A great fear welled up in him that these woman would never see him the same way again.

Suddenly, Aubrey stumbled forward before she ran into her brother and gave him a big hug.

Malachi was completely unprepared for this turn of events.

Shouldn't she be scared or running away?

"H-hey, get off I'm-"

"The best brother ever." Aubrey finished.

He froze at her words and stared at her like she was some kind of odd creature.

Sensing that she wasn't going to let go anytime soon, he sighed before he returned her hug.

Malachi felt footsteps approaching and looked up to see the rest of the girls coming to embrace him as well.

Even Aisha was coming to hug him, causing him to question whether or not he was really dreaming.

He wasn't completely sure why they were acting like this but he had a general idea.

Far from being upset with Sei for spilling the beans, he was actually grateful.

He didn't know he'd need the support of these women as much as he did.

In this moment, there was nothing greater that could've soothed his soul.