Adrian remained standing in front of him, his chest rising and falling heavily.
Blood covered his face and body, while his fist remained raised for a few moments.
Malkar slowly lifted a hand to his face, ran his fingers along the corner of his mouth, and looked at the blood coating them.
He stared at it in silence before raising his eyes toward Adrian.
After a few moments, the corner of his mouth lifted into another small, calm smile.
“I did it…” Adrian said in an exhausted voice.
“Now release my brother.”
Malkar continued staring at him before calmly replying, “Fine.
I’ll keep my promise.”
He grabbed Philip and released him.
The boy landed on his feet for a moment before raising his head toward Adrian and running toward him with all the strength he had left.
Adrian’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly.
He quickly dropped to his knees and opened his arms, a different light appearing in his eyes as he watched Philip come closer, one step at a time.
But Malkar remained standing behind Philip.
“I promised you I would let him go…” he said in a completely calm voice.
“But I never promised I would let him live.”
He slowly raised two fingers.
Suddenly, thin white threads emerged from beneath Philip’s feet.
They shot upward, wrapped around his body, and quickly tightened around his neck.
Philip’s steps stopped instantly.
His eyes widened until the whites showed around them.
His mouth opened as he struggled for air.
He quickly raised his small hands and grabbed the threads, desperately trying to pull them away from his neck as panic spread across his face.
Adrian’s expression changed instantly.
His eyes widened, his smile disappeared, and his mouth opened without a sound escaping for a moment.
Then his brows drew sharply together as he stared at Philip.
Adrian charged toward him.
Philip raised his eyes toward Adrian, tears gathering in them as his lips struggled to form a word.
“Adrian…”
Adrian increased his speed and reached out toward him.
He was only a few steps away now.
His expression had completely changed.
His eyes were wide, his jaw was clenched, and his trembling lips parted as he stretched his hand toward Philip, desperately trying to reach him before anything else happened.
But the white threads tightened around Philip’s neck.
His eyes widened even further, and his arms slowly began losing their strength.
He tried to raise them again, but his fingers could no longer hold onto the threads.
“No…”
The word escaped Adrian’s lips weakly.
Then he screamed with all his strength.
“Philip!”
He stretched his hand toward him with everything he had left, but his fingers couldn’t reach.
Just as he was about to grab him, Philip’s arms went limp and fell to his sides.
The light in his eyes disappeared.
Adrian stopped where he stood.
His hand remained stretched out in front of him, his eyes fixed on his brother’s face.
He didn’t move for several seconds.
Then his lips slowly trembled. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
His brows lowered, and his eyes widened further as he stared at Philip, as if waiting for him to move again.
“Philip…?”
There was no answer.
Adrian slowly lowered his hand.
His face began losing all expression before his lips started trembling violently, his features finally breaking under the weight of what had happened.
He dropped to his knees and grabbed his brother’s body with both hands.
“Philip…”
His name escaped Adrian’s lips in a broken voice, while his eyes remained wide open and tears streamed down his face without him even noticing.
Adrian stayed kneeling in front of Philip, staring at his motionless face as his hands continued to hold his small body.
His head slowly lowered, and in that moment, an old image flashed before his eyes.
Philip was running after him through the house, laughing and calling his name.
Another memory followed, showing the two of them sitting together while a bright smile covered Philip’s small face.
More memories rushed through his mind—the feeling of Philip’s tiny hand holding his, his voice calling for him, his laughter, and all the moments when Philip would hide behind him whenever he was afraid.
Then came the memory of the night of the attack, when his father had told him to protect his mother and Philip.
He remembered hiding his little brother under the bed before running to help his mother.
Then another memory appeared.
Philip was looking at him with complete trust in his eyes.
“You’ll protect me, right?”
In that memory, Adrian smiled and placed his hand on his little brother’s head.
“Of course…
I’ll protect you no matter what.”
Adrian returned to the present, his eyes trembling as he stared at Philip’s face.
He slowly reached out and held his brother’s head before pulling him tightly against his chest.
Tears poured from his eyes as he closed them, his voice coming out weak and broken.
“I promised you…”
He tightened his arms around Philip, lowering his head until his forehead rested against his brother’s hair.
“I promised I would protect you…”
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he struggled to speak.
“But I failed…
I’m sorry, Philip.”
Adrian remained standing in front of Philip’s body without moving, his eyes fixed on his little brother’s face.
Several seconds passed without a sound.
His head slowly lowered, and a strand of blue hair fell across his eyes, but he didn’t bother moving it.
He simply remained there in the silence that had filled the room.
Then the air around him suddenly shifted.
Adrian’s hair whipped violently through the air as the wind began circling around him.
The edges of his clothes fluttered wildly, yet his body remained completely still.
Strands of his blue hair rose around his face as cracks slowly spread across the ground beneath his feet.
Small stones lifted into the air before falling back down.
Adrian slowly raised his head.
His eyes were completely different now.
The pain that had filled them moments ago was gone.
The tears were gone as well.
In their place was a cold calmness that made his gaze far more frightening.
His brows lowered slightly, his jaw tightened, and his eyes remained locked on Malkar without a single blink.
His expression had become terrifyingly calm.
His eyes remained fixed on Adrian for several moments.
Adrian took a single step forward.
The wind stopped for a moment before suddenly exploding around him, sending the nearby bodies flying backward.
Dust filled the room, and small pieces of stone were lifted from the ground and scattered through the air.
Yet Adrian remained standing in the middle of the chaos without moving, his hair whipping behind him as that same harsh calm remained on his face.
He slowly raised his hand and looked at his fingers.
His hand was trembling slightly, but not from fear.
Adrian clenched his fist tightly and raised his eyes toward Malkar again.
“You didn’t just kill my brother…”
He paused for a moment.
His voice dropped even lower, and his eyes became sharper.
“You killed the last person I promised I would protect.”
Malkar raised his chin slightly, and a small smile began forming on his face again.
But before he had much time to understand what was happening, Adrian charged toward him at incredible speed and drove his fist straight at his face.
Malkar raised his arm at the last moment and blocked the attack, but the force of the impact pushed him one step backward.
Adrian didn’t stop.
He spun his body and drove a kick toward Malkar’s side, but Malkar bent slightly, allowing the kick to pass over him.
He then grabbed Adrian’s leg and yanked him forward before striking him with his fist and sending him flying across the room.
Adrian hit the ground, but immediately pushed himself back up and charged again.
There was no hesitation on his face.
His brows were lowered as his fists moved without stopping.
He drove one punch into Malkar’s chest, then another toward his face, but Malkar blocked both with ease and caught Adrian’s arm on the third.
Adrian’s body twisted with the motion.
In the next instant, Malkar drove his knee into Adrian’s stomach, then grabbed him by his clothes and hurled him across the room.
Adrian crashed into the floor, but his body didn’t stay there.
He pushed himself up and charged again before the dust had even settled around him.
He appeared in front of Malkar and unleashed a series of rapid punches.
Every time Malkar tried to block one, Adrian changed the direction of his fist and attacked from another angle.
For the first time, Malkar was forced to retreat several steps.
Then he caught one of Adrian’s fists and stopped his assault completely.
Malkar smiled as he looked at him before twisting his arm and violently pushing Adrian backward.
Adrian charged again.
This time, Malkar grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
Adrian’s feet dangled in the air as both hands grabbed Malkar’s arm, desperately trying to pry it away.
His jaw tightened as he glared at him.
Adrian tightened his grip around Malkar’s arm.
The next moment, black energy exploded around his body.
The force was enough to drive Malkar’s hand back, releasing Adrian’s neck.
Adrian landed on the ground, then immediately launched himself forward and drove a powerful kick into Malkar’s chest.
Malkar was forced several meters backward.
Adrian planted his feet firmly in front of him, ready to attack again.
The dark fantasy journey has officially hit the point of no return, and Adrian’s absolute wrath is about to unfold!
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