Content Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence, physical harm, and distressing themes. Reader discretion is advised.
MALACHAI
Darkness. A void so deep it felt like it had swallowed me whole. There was nothing, not even pain, just an endless abyss stretching in every direction. But then, like a distant echo, something shattered through the silence….a voice.
A whisper.
"Malachai…"
I blinked. My vision was blurry, the world shifting in and out of focus as my body screamed from every nerve ending. My limbs were lead, my muscles stiff, my breath shallow. I tried to move, but pain clamped onto me like a vice, dragging me back into stillness.
Where the hell was I?
The ceiling loomed above, a dull, gray expanse cracked in places. The room smelled of antiseptic, of damp concrete and something metallic. A hospital? No. Hospitals didn't feel this empty, this cold. Each breath I took echoed, like I was trapped in a vast space with nothing to fill it.
Then I heard it again.
A soft, shaky whisper. "Malachai… please…"
Ezra.
My head snapped toward the sound, a fresh wave of pain ripping through my skull. The lights were dim, but even in the shadows, I could make out his shape. He was slumped over in a chair, his hands tied behind his back, his chest rising and falling unevenly. His knees…
Blood.
It pooled beneath him, dripping from his legs, staining the floor crimson.
"Ezra!" My voice came out broken, hoarse. I struggled to move, but my body refused. Stitches pulled at my skin, holding together wounds I didn't remember getting. My shoulder throbbed, and my ribs felt like they were held together by nothing but sheer will.
A slow, deliberate chuckle filled the room, that made my blood boil.
Lucius.
The overhead lights flickered to life, washing the room in a sickly glow. And there he was, standing just a few feet away, dressed in all black, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. He looked amused, as if watching a sick joke play out before him.
"Finally awake, are we?" His voice was smooth, controlled, like a blade slicing through silk.
I gritted my teeth, forcing my body to sit upright. "What the hell is this?" I spat, my voice raw with anger and panic.
Lucius didn't answer. He just turned his gaze back to Ezra, tilting his head slightly, like he was observing a particularly interesting experiment. "Tell me, Ezra…" he murmured, his tone almost playful. "Why was Malachai in your room three nights ago?"
Ezra didn't respond. He was breathing hard, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. His lips were cracked, his skin pale from blood loss. But he said nothing.
Lucius sighed, shaking his head like a disappointed parent. "I don't like secrets, Ezra. You know that."
I tried again to move, my muscles screaming in protest. "Lucius!!…."
And then I saw it. The hammer in his hand.
Cold dread flooded my veins.
Lucius smiled at me. "I was hoping he'd be more cooperative, but Ezra always was stubborn."
Before I could process what was happening, he lifted the hammer and brought it down.
Crack.
Ezra's scream shattered the air.
A sound so raw, so agonized, it ripped through my soul like a knife.
His body jerked violently, his tied hands straining against the ropes. His head snapped back, his throat exposed as another strangled cry tore from his lips. His knee….God, his knee….
The hammer was buried in it.
"NO!" I roared, my voice breaking. I tried to get up, to lunge, but my body collapsed under its own weight. I was useless. Helpless. A fucking corpse watching the only thing that mattered to me suffer.
Lucius twisted the hammer slightly, making Ezra choke out a guttural sob. "I'll ask you one last time," he said, his voice almost gentle. "Why was Malachai in your room?"
Ezra lifted his head, his entire body shaking. His lips quivered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes, those defiant, beautiful eyes…..held nothing but hatred.
He spat at Lucius.
Lucius stilled.
And then he smiled.
The next moment, he wrenched the hammer free. Another scream ripped through Ezra's throat as his body convulsed. Blood gushed from the open wound, soaking his pants, dripping onto the floor like rain.
I thought I'd seen horror before. Thought I'd lived through pain, through nightmares.
Nothing compared to this.
I was burning. My own skin felt like it was peeling away. My mind was screaming, my chest constricting with something I couldn't name.
Lucius turned to me, his smile widening. "It must be painful to watch," he mused, as if discussing the weather. "To be so weak, so utterly powerless."
He leaned in, lowering his voice. "You care about him, don't you?"
My breathing was ragged, my nails digging into my palms. I wanted to kill him. Tear him apart with my bare hands.
Lucius straightened, letting out a mock sigh. "Such a shame."
Then he raised the hammer again.
"STOP!" My voice was pure desperation. "I'll…" My throat closed up. What could I say? What could I do?
Lucius tilted his head, pretending to consider my plea. Then, without a word, he brought the hammer down on Ezra's other knee.
Ezra didn't scream this time. His body just trembled violently before going still, his head dropping forward.
Something inside me shattered.
I couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.
Lucius let the hammer slip from his fingers, the metal clanging loudly against the floor. He wiped his hands as if he'd just finished a mundane chore, then turned to the guards near the door. "Take him back to his room. Get someone to clean him up before he bleeds out."
The guards moved, untying Ezra and hoisting his limp body up. He was still breathing…barely, but unconscious.
As they carried him away, Lucius turned back to me. "I hope this serves as a reminder, Malachai," he said smoothly. "Weakness is not tolerated."
I couldn't move. Couldn't look away.
The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the silence.
Weak.
I was weak.
And because of it, Ezra had suffered.