Bab 37: A Terrible News
Malcom woke up early the next morning. He felt so much better than before. He could already breathe without difficulty, and the numbness in his hands, as well as its shaking, had ceased a lot.
He got dressed and left the room. He was so ready to go home.
The nurse was looking at him, smiling, and asked, "How are we feeling today Malcom?"
"Excellent, thanks to you!" Malcom replied, a bit happier than he intended.
"And don't forget that when you win the tournament!" The nurse winked at him, "By the way, there is someone who wants to see you in the waiting room."
Malcom nodded before he went to the waiting room. He was supposed to walk in, but a tall young man in a military uniform and black hair in a ponytail stopped him.
"You are Malcom, aren't you?"
Malcom didn't feel the slightest air of hostility from the other man, but his presence was intimidating.
The young Marked nodded expressionlessly.
"My sister wants to see you," the other replied after nodding.
Malcom got curious, "And who is your―"
"Skyler," the man interrupted before turning around to start walking.
Malcom followed him out of pure instinct. That gave off the vibe of someone who commanded a lot of respect, and it was very difficult to ignore.
They both advanced down a long corridor until they reached Skyler's room.
Malcom saw Armand smile at him.
On a bed next to him, Skyler ate her breakfast. "Malcom!" Skyler said without hiding her enthusiasm when she saw him.
A wave of relief ran through Malcom's body as he saw her smile at him.
The pressure he had felt on his chest since the moment she had left his sight finally lightened.
"Thank you, Albert!" Skyler said to the other man.
Albert nodded and leaned against a wall next to his father. Both the father and son were not showing any sign of planning to leave the room anytime soon.
Malcom carefully walked towards the girl. The Marked was not used to this situation. Also, the guilt of looking at her in that state fell on him, and because of all this, his mind was confused.
"How do you feel?" Malcom asked with concern.
"Great! not every day that a Guardian of the Sun and a dragon tries to kill me on the same day. And you?" The girl said with humor and sarcasm.
"Sorry, Skyler!" Malcom said.
Just as he said that Skyler's father screamed, "Yes. Pay Albert!"
Malcom, in confusion, turned to see him as he watched as Skyler's brother took money out of his pocket and put it in Armand's hand.
The situation completely confused him. Malcom could not help but look at everyone from point to point, trying to understand what was happening.
"Don't play dumb, Sky! You are going to pay too!"
Malcom looked at Skyler's father for an explanation.
Albert snorted, "What's up, dude? After that fight against her, I thought you'd have more balls!"
"What are you talking about?" Malcom asked, completely lost.
"He's just a bad loser," Armand said, smiling. "Don't pay attention to him. It is the right thing to apologize!"
And with those words, he hugged his son and said, "Come on, son, and it's time for you to buy us two coffees. Let's leave them alone."
Before Malcom could speak another word, they both had already left the room.
Malcom was still confused. He then looked at Skyler in doubt.
"We bet on what you would do. Whether to apologize or be all rude as always. Dad said you'd apologize, and obviously, he won," she explained after chuckling.
"But what the hell..." Malcom said, smiling, turning to see the bedroom door, and then once again to Skyler as he said, "Your dad is a very funny guy."
"He is!" Skyler agreed before laughing, "My brother too, and they both thank you for saving me."
"I put you in danger in the first place..." Malcom released a heavy sigh. He was really feeling melancholic.
"No!" Skyler said seriously. "You didn't! I chose to do this. I wanted to experience it, and I got it. You are not going to take that away from me. This is not your responsibility."
"But―"
Skyler interrupting him immediately said, "But nothing, Malcom! You do this all the time, and even you were taken by surprise, and it was something unexpected. We survived, that's all. Stop feeling sorry for yourself."
"Your mom doesn't think the same..." Malcom shook his head and then pointed out another fact, "Neither does your uncle."
The young woman released a heavy sigh before speaking awkwardly, "Yeah, I imagine it, but my mom doesn't know anything about responsibility and my uncle. Well, my uncle said that I won our fight."
"Yes," Malcom said this time much more calmly, "He is not the most reliable type regarding his judgment."
"Exactly!" Skyler nodded.
They both looked at each other, and a smile spread across Skyler's face before her eyes filled with tears.
"I was terrified!! I thought I was going to die, and I believed that because of me, we were both going to die!" Skyler said honestly. The real thing was so different. She almost lost her life on her first attempt at a real-life battle.
"You said it, Sky!" Malcom said, placing his hand on the young woman's cheek, "It's not anyone's fault, we survived, and we made progress."
At that moment, a tense silence filled the room just before Skyler said, "Not all of us survive… The merchant!"
Malcom stiffened as he remembered the atrocious scream and the smell of burning flesh.
He removed his hand from Skyler's face as he said, "We could not do anything."
"You were going to kill him, right?" She asked, looking directly at Malcom with tears still in her eyes.
Malcom looked in another direction as the anger that this guy caused him revived inside him. He said, "I do not know…."
Skyler stared at him and saw the same anger that he had shown towards the merchant.
"You were going to do it, and the dragon took your chance," Skyler said after holding his hand.
Malcom felt Skyler's gaze on his chest and her warm hand. He breathed hard before speaking tensely, "He was going to let you die..."
At that moment, the Marked felt how Skyler put his hands back on her face.
"I know, and I know that is frustrating. I thank you, but if that trip brought us closer, I would ask you to promise me something," she softly said, but with unmasked seriousness.
He looked at her and felt the warmth of her face as she continued, "Promise me you'll fight it. Next time... Just hit the wretch. Knock him out! But don't stain your hands, please!"
Malcom looked at the clear eyes of the young woman looking at his, and with a smile, he could not help but ask, "Next time?"
The young woman widened her eyes and answered, "Apart from the incident where we almost died, this was hilarious! It was really fun."
Malcom laughed, and his back finally relaxed. The both of them talked for a long time, chatted, and laughed for a good half hour.
"When can you get out of here?" He asked.
"Two days more. Just in time for my fight," Skyler assured with a small smile.
"And do you think you can win without your uncle?" Malcom asked curiously, smiling back at her.
Skyler scowled playfully, "The question is, can I even lose with him around? Right, Mr. Marked?"
Malcom looked at the young woman with a smile, and it was the first time that word did not irritate him.
"By the way, there is your cloak. You can take it!" The girl added with a bright smile.
"You know what?" Malcom answered as he walked towards it, "I never liked this stupid thing. Keep it!"
The girl's eyes widened, and she said, "Wow! Mabel is going to hate you for that."
"Yes…" Malcom said. He paused for a moment, then looked at Skyler. He then added, "It's a double win!"
And at that moment, the atmosphere changed when Skyler's mother entered the room. Malcom saw her, and his mood took a turn.
The woman looked at him with such hatred that he could feel it in the atmosphere. Armand and Albert entered behind her the latter with an even darker expression.
"Get out of here, Marked," Cecilia said with all the disdain that she was capable of.
"Don't call him that!" Skyler exploded before she winced in pain due to her sudden outburst. "His name is Malcom!"
The woman looked at him with disdain and, smilingly, said, "It doesn't matter in the tiniest to me what his name is! He is an undesirable lowlife, and he's leaving right now!"
Skyler's jaw dropped at her mother's word, and it was Armand who said in a strong tone.
"Cecilia, behave!"
Cecilia was surprised and looked at Armand with a mixture of surprise and frustration.
Malcom had his hands tightly clasped at his sides. He was trying his very best to not hurt Cecilia.
He then felt Albert's arm resting on his shoulder.
"Let's go, man! Someone wants to talk to you," Albert said with an unreadable expression.
And with those words, they both left the room.
Once outside, Malcom removed Albert's arm from his shoulder. When he looked in front of him, he saw Ben, who was waiting for him.
He immediately greeted his friend with a brotherly hug. Just as he did, Ben began to cry.
"Dude, relax. I'm fine!" Malcom assured with a smile.
Ben walked away and, with a terrified expression, suddenly said, "You don't know!"
Malcom looked at the concerned face of his friend and, looking into his eyes, asked with worry, "I don't know what?"
"It's Nora, Malcom! In The Rider's concert, someone attacked them. They took her. Nora was kidnapped!"
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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