The Rune of the Sun (1)

The first seconds that Malcom opened his eyes, everything was fine. His memory was fuzzy, and those seconds were fantastic, free of his Mark and of all the terrible things that had happened to him recently.

It was just too bad that reality did not let him continue dreaming. With just invaluable seconds, reality attacked him.

Nora's face appeared in his mind, and a bitterness he knew very well hit him. He got up and looked at his face in the mirror.

Malcom knew perfectly well what he had to do.

He must find those men who had kidnapped Nora and make them pay.

That was the only thing that was occupying his head the entire time.

'I should put myself together,' Malcom thought to him before sighing heavily. When one of his friends was in danger, he just could not afford to wait.

Aside from Nora, still missing, Malcom was also not confident with the Virtues' ability to protect the other Marks like him.

He knew that the others were not his concern, but he just could not put that out of his head.

Even when he knew that the next day, the Virtues tournament would resume, and he would have to face another opponent.

In other circumstances, he would be thinking about how to face it—making plans to make sure that the chance of him winning was the highest.

Still, the pressure he felt made him ignore that situation.

He knew that the next one to face would not be easy, but that did not worry him. The tournament had now lost its importance in his mind, and he had determined not to lose a battle until he got Nora back.

The victory he had had over Skyler and also the fact of having killed a Guardian of the Sun gave him a sense confidence that he had never felt, and this reassured him about his upcoming fight.

Malcom breathed hard to calm himself and also to prepare for leaving.

When he left the room, Malcom still had a dark expression on his face, and his mother noticed it immediately.

She frowned and looked at Malcom with an unmasked concern.

Magda knew what was happening.

"Are you going to the residence of virtues, son?" She asked while looking at Malcom in utter anguish.

Malcom was startled. He never wanted to make his mother worry. So he smiled as he approached her. He kissed her head with total tranquility as if he was assuring her silently.

"Son, you…"Magda started but also hesitated to continue as she looked at him with worry.

"Don't worry, mom," He said, then went to the exit door, and before leaving, he added with determination, "Mom! I'll catch who did this. They will not escape!"

Malcom calmly withdrew, leaving his mother in anguish that she knew she would not stop feeling.

She knew her son well and knew that nothing she said would keep him out of danger. Magda could only wait and pray to the heavens to always keep him safe.

The Marked young man went out into the street. He could see the surveillance of the place around him. Malcom could not help but shaking his head, as he was really feeling disappointed.

He was wondering how these people expected the kidnappers to attack him if they were so terrible at hiding their presence.

Exasperated, he took a transporter that took him to the dome where the concert had taken place. He was really losing confidence with the people who were supposed to take care of the Marks.

He was still feeling down when he arrived at the concert venue. There he headed to where Albert was.

As he walked toward the soldier, Malcom watched how Albert leisurely took a cup of coffee.

The soldier noticed Malcom immediately. Albert looked at him with a frown before releasing a sigh of exasperation.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. Albert really felt that Malcom was someone who was tiring to deal with, especially when wanting him to follow orders.

"I came to see if I can learn something from this place!" Malcom replied casually as he looked around.

Albert was watching the Marked young man with intensity. He still could not believe that a person with that bearing was a Marked.

He could not help but wonder how strong Malcom would be if he was not a Marked.

'What if his Mark was removed?' Albert suddenly thought and immediately found the idea absurd as it never happened before.

But despite it not happening, Albert also started having this strange notion that it was difficult to see the limitations of the Marks after seeing how he fought with his sister and all the things he had managed to do this past few days.

Since Malcom was already there, Albert had decided to entertain him.

After finishing his coffee, Albert calmly guided him into the dome.

They both saw the remains of the fight, and Malcom, in his mind, imagined how everything was carried out. Seeing the pattern of destruction, he asked, "This Dark Jester, what kind of mage is he?"

Albert stood next to him. He thought for a moment before replying, "It is difficult to know, no one who has faced him has survived, but according to the testimonies of those attending the concert, the man can be a materializer, like you."

Malcom saw the pattern of destruction and imagined how the attacks flew during the confrontation.

The damage to the structures was scattered everywhere, which gave him a different idea.

While looking at Albert, he seriously asked, "Did he attack alone?"

"No, but I know what you think. The mobility of attacks is very wide for a materializer," Albert said instead.

Malcom nodded and looked at Albert with curiosity and silently, waiting for further information.

The soldier took a deep breath before explaining, "I think the same, but the witnesses saw him creating shapes while he fought. I don't know what to tell you. Maybe he has magical treasures, that is another way. The best way to know is to find him."

Malcom nodded calmly. He was completely in agreement with that idea. Finding them would be the best option to be able to know once and for all what was happening.