Chapter 16: A Gift Soaked In Blood
"So, what brings you here, Maddox?" the king asked with a smile.
I was taken aback. How did he know who I was? Even though I was shocked, I needed to stay calm. Play my cards right.
"We've come a long way," I said. "But you already knew that... didn't you?"
"Well, of course I did, Maddox," he said. "I've been waiting a long time to meet someone of such worth—someone even Magnus wants more than anything."
"Magnus..." I said, the name dripping with disgust. "Where is he, then?"
"Where he is needed, of course," the king replied.
Kimora and Neptune looked at us, clearly confused.
"So, I'll ask again," King Vermouth continued. "I know you didn't come to my humble abode just for a chat. What is it you want? What made you come here?"
I didn't hesitate.
"The two of them," I said, motioning to Kimora and Neptune. "They need something from you. And I know you already know what it is."
"Ah, Kimora, Kimora," the king said, shaking his head. "I told you what needed to be done to prove your worth. I made it very clear."
The mood shifted instantly. A heavy tension filled the room.
Kimora looked down, her face twisting with disgust. "I can't. I won't do that."
"Then you are of no worth to me," the king said coldly. "And those with no worth... are as good as useless. Walking corpses."
Disgust twisted his expression.
"Do you even understand the value of a Murabasa flower?" he said. "A herb that can heal any wound—physical or mental. A plant that takes ten full years to mature. Its existence is a miracle. It's worth is beyond anything your small mind could ever comprehend... and you expect me to just hand it over?" He laughed loudly. "How dumb."
Neptune's fists clenched, his body shaking with fury.
Kimora gently placed a hand on his chest to calm him.
The king turned back to me, his eyes sharp and predatory. The way he looked at me—it was the same cold, chilling gaze Magnus used to give me at the orphanage. Uneasy. Evil.
"Your value, on the other hand, Maddox, is worth more than a thousand flowers—or any peasant in this kingdom. So... Thank you for making this easy."
The guards we'd seen earlier burst into the room, surrounding the table.
"Which, to no surprise," the king continued, "should make you very aware that you can no longer leave."
He stood, grinning wide.
Miland came trotting in, puffing hard, still chewing on the bone from earlier.
"Magnus sent an order," he said between breaths. "To have them sent to Bountyreach, just as you predicted, my lord."
Guards closed in—too many to take on alone.
"Now it looks like all the pieces are in place, don't they?" King Vermouth muttered to himself. "Ready the horses and supplies. We leave in the morning. Put them in the cells for now."
The Prison Cells Beneath the Castle
The dungeon was cold and dark, filled with hundreds of empty prison cells. We were thrown into one—Melody, Kimora, Neptune, and me.
"You're wondering why we're here with you, right?" Kimora asked.
I nodded silently.
"The king values worth and knowledge above all else. But a close third?" she said, voice bitter. "Punishment. Suffering. It's his law—no one denies him twice. He asked me for something once. I refused. He asked again... I still refused. So now, we're as good as dead."
Her voice lowered.
"If the streets of Malina can't break your spirit—if they can't make you crawl back to him and beg—then death is all that follows."
"I'm so sor—"
"I can't go back," Neptune interrupted. His voice cracked. His face was frozen in shock.
Kimora reached over, gently comforting him. But the look in her eyes—it hit me harder than I expected. It wasn't anger or fear. It was hopelessness. A silent, desperate cry for help.
I didn't know what they'd gone through—but it was a lot.
For a moment, I saw Bethany. Ethan. Ola. Ren.
I saw all of them in Kimora's eyes. Their hands reaching out to me—until they vanished.
When I came back to myself, my hands were holding Kimora's. Her tears flowed freely as she tightened her grip.
That day, I made a promise.
After all the friends I'd lost—I would not lose these people too.
Melody looked at me, and I could tell... she understood.
"Maddox... help us," Kimora whispered.
"Of course I will," I said, leaning forward.
"Melody," I called.
Without hesitation, she stood. The chains on her wrists began to melt away, dripping to the ground like molten steel. Her fists blazed with blue fire. With a single punch, the wall crumbled away, revealing a dark sewer tunnel behind it.
I grabbed Kimora's hand. "Let's go!"
Melody moved like a force of nature, breaking through wall after wall as we ran. We reached a manhole cover. She burst it open, and we climbed up into the streets.
We tore through the city streets, the sounds of chaos erupting behind us—bells ringing, orders shouted, boots pounding stone. The castle was in full uproar.
"Follow me!" Neptune shouted over the noise. "I know a place we can hide!"
We sprinted through twisting alleys and cut across a narrow canal bridge. The night life was quite peaceful. You could tell you were in a peaceful part of town filled with clean streets and sweet air, a rich part of town where people wore silk just to sleep.
Behind one of many huge mansions , we stopped. A large stable stood at the rear of the mansion grounds, half-hidden behind rows of rose bushes and a marble fountain carved like a swan vomiting water.
"Tell me we're not stealing rich people horses right now," Melody said, breathless.
"Borrowing," Neptune corrected. "Temporarily."
The stable was quiet. Too quiet. I peeked inside—ten horses, all sleek and strong, stared at us like they already knew what was coming.
"Pick one that doesn't look like it hates you," I said, slowly approaching a tall, chestnut-colored horse..
"Easy for you to say," Kimora muttered. "They all look like they want blood."
One of the horses neighed loudly, stomping the ground as if to agree.
Melody wasted no time. She jumped onto a jet-black horse, grinning as the horse responded instantly.
"Of course she picks the murder-horse," I mumbled.
We mounted quickly. I grabbed Kimora's hand and helped her up behind me, just as the gates to the estate creaked open in the distance.
"They've found us!" Neptune shouted.
"Ride east!" he shouted
We kicked off and galloped into the night, the sound of hooves smashing onto the ground behind us. Guards running into the street just seconds too late.
For now, we had the lead.
We rode until we reached the outskirts of the city. Then we ditched the horses and continued on foot.
The building ahead looked completely abandoned, which was strange. There weren't any other run-down places in all of New Malina.
"We can stay here for now. No one will come looking," Neptune said.
"Are you sure?" Melody asked, raising a brow. "If I were a guard looking for escaped prisoners, I'd definitely check the one abandoned building in the entire city."
"Not where we're going," Kimora replied.
We stepped inside. The air was stale, thick with dust. Broken tables and shattered glass littered the floor. Books were scattered everywhere, some burnt at the edges like they'd been caught in a fire. A charred staircase led up to a collapsed second floor.
Two chairs sat eerily in the center of the room—each with a dismembered body slumped in it, the dried blood still painting the floor beneath.
"What happened here?" Melody asked, her voice uneasy.
"What didn't happen here?" Kimora replied, her voice cracking just enough to reveal the pain buried underneath.
"Over here!" Neptune called.
He was standing by a large bookshelf. "Help me push," he said, nodding to me.
We pushed together, the old shelf groaning against the floor until it finally slid aside, revealing a narrow staircase descending.
The moment we stepped through, a hidden mechanism clicked, and the bookshelf rolled silently back into place behind us. Everything went dark.
We followed the spiral staircase down, each step creaking under our weight until the darkness opened into a hidden room.
Kimora lit a few lanterns, their glow lighting the space enough for us to see. The room was lined with shelves—books, scrolls, maps. A massive map hung across the far wall, and a desk stood beneath it, home to a sculpture of a woman carved in what looked like ashwood. Strange symbols and runes were scribbled across boards pinned around the space. A few worn sleeping bags lay across the floor, like this place had once been a home—and a refuge.
"How do you know this place?" Melody asked, eyes scanning the room.
"This…" Kimora took a breath. "This used to be our home. But don't pity me," she added quickly, steadying her voice.
"No, please. Tell me what happened," Melody said, stepping closer, her voice softer now.
Kimora hesitated, then began.
"It all started the day I was born.
Eighteen years ago, my father—a researcher of magic—was asked to do something he couldn't... wouldn't do. And ever since that day, we've suffered.
"Veloria wasn't always like this. We didn't have poor districts and rich ones. It was just Veloria. Everyone lived... together. Happy, even.
"My father worked for the king for fifteen years. He met my mother during that time, and not long after, she was pregnant.
"It's all a bit hazy, but I know he lost his job after some argument with the king—just three weeks before we were born. He didn't care, though. We had enough saved for a quiet life. All he ever wanted was to live peacefully, farm some land. But back then, research paid well, so people lined up to join."
She paused.
"My mother hadn't expected twins... but there we were.
"Eight years later, a man started showing up. Every time he left, my father looked more broken. This went on for weeks until, one night, he came home covered in blood and fear.
"'We need to leave,' he told my mother.
"'Was it him again?' she asked. My father just nodded. 'They're not asking anymore,' he said. 'We need to go.'
"A new law had been passed, something that had everyone walking on edge.
"We were supposed to leave that night. He just needed to grab a few last things. But when he came back, he was barely standing—bruised, bleeding. He barricaded the door behind him. 'Honey, your mom and I need to take care of something,' he said.
"I remember my mother—her voice trembling, tears in her eyes—asking him what was happening.
"'I need you to be brave,' he told us.
"Then came the banging. Loud. Angry.
"My father picked us up, carried us to the back of the house, and whispered, 'Stay here until it's safe. And don't make a sound.'
"I was scared, but I trusted him. My mother looked down at us... and her face—I'll never forget it. Like she already knew.
"'I love you, my sweet angels,' she whispered, right before she closed the bookcase over us.
"For hours, we sat in silence... listening to them scream. They didn't give in. They died protecting us."
Kimora's voice broke. Tears streamed down her face.
And then, in a whisper barely louder than the lanterns' flickering flames, she said, "Sometimes I think... if I hadn't been born, maybe my father could've had the life he wanted. Maybe they could've been happy together."
"If we weren't born twins then maybe my parents wouldn't have been killed for protecting us."
Melody's voice was firm. "You're wrong. Your parents sacrificed everything to give you a chance to live. That was their choice, and they wouldn't want you to waste it."
"They gave you both a gift," I said, stepping into the embrace. "The chance to live the life they dreamed of for you. Don't ever question that. Live for them."
Kimora and her brother broke down, their cries filling the quiet of the underground room. It wasn't soft or controlled—it was raw, loud, aching. Years of pain pouring out in a single night.
Eventually, the sobs faded.Kimora and Neptune drifted into sleep, worn out from the weight of it all. We had questions—too many—but now wasn't the time. They needed rest.
So did we.
A lot had happened today. Too much. I could see it in Mel's eyes she knew. Something had happened here. Something bad. And I needed to know what.
Kimora stirred, her body restless as she twisted in her sleep. Mel rushed to her side, gently brushing strands of hair from her face to soothe her.
"I know it's hard," she whispered. "Painful, even. But your parents loved you so much. They left you with the greatest gift anyone could ever give…"
Mel paused, her voice trembling.
"A gift soaked in blood."