(Malakor's POV)
Silence was a luxury.
Malakor had always valued it.
The chamber beneath the Veil was carved from ancient black stone, older than kingdoms, older than the Academy itself. Runes burned along the circular walls like patient stars, pulsing faintly with magic that had been written long before Mary—or even Malakor—had been born.
The air here did not move.
Time did not flow.
It lingered.
Perfect.
Malakor stood at the center of the chamber with his hands clasped loosely behind his back, watching the young man chained to the chair across from him.
Marvin.
The boy who broke time.
The boy who rewound the world ninety-nine times.
Malakor tilted his head slightly.
Fascinating creature.
Most people thought the real miracle was Mary surviving the loops.
They were wrong.
The real miracle—
was this boy.
Ninety-nine times he had watched her die.
Ninety-nine times he had chosen to rewind the universe and endure the consequences.
The pain.
The fractures.
The slow erosion of his own lifespan.
Malakor almost admired that.
Almost.
But admiration was not the same thing as mercy.
Across the room Marvin shifted slightly in the chair, still groggy from waking. The chains binding his wrists hummed softly with suppressing magic, feeding off his energy to keep him weak.
Malakor studied him.
"You are unusual," he said calmly.
Marvin blinked once.
"…that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me since the kidnapping."
Malakor ignored the sarcasm.
"Ninety-nine loops."
His voice echoed slightly in the chamber.
"Do you understand how extraordinary that is?"
Marvin leaned his head back against the chair.
"You'd be surprised what people do when someone they love keeps dying."
Malakor's expression didn't change.
But something flickered in his eyes.
"Yes."
He knew exactly what that felt like.
Malakor began walking slowly around the chamber.
His boots echoed against the stone.
"You believe you understand what is happening," he continued quietly.
"You think this is a kidnapping."
Marvin shrugged weakly.
"Looks like one."
Malakor stopped beside the glowing runes.
"No."
"This is a correction."
Marvin frowned slightly.
"…that sounds worse."
Malakor turned back toward him.
"You see Mary as something precious."
Marvin snorted.
"Understatement of the century."
Malakor's gaze sharpened.
"But you misunderstand why."
The chamber grew quieter.
The runes dimmed slightly.
Malakor walked closer to Marvin now, studying him the way a scholar might examine a rare artifact.
"She was never meant to survive the Spire."
The words fell calmly.
Matter-of-fact.
Marvin's eyes sharpened.
Malakor continued.
"The prince was designed to end her."
"His trial."
"His cruelty."
"His obsession."
Every detail had been written into the board.
Calculated.
Precise.
Malakor's voice lowered slightly.
"But she refused."
He stopped directly in front of Marvin.
"She adapted."
"She evolved."
"She learned."
"And each time she died…"
His lips curved faintly.
"…she became stronger."
Marvin's stomach tightened.
"You're saying you wanted her to die."
Malakor smiled.
"No."
"I needed her to learn how."
The chamber fell silent.
Marvin stared at him.
"…you're insane."
Malakor laughed softly.
"Perhaps."
He turned and began pacing slowly again.
"But insanity and genius have always shared a border."
The runes along the floor ignited brighter.
"You see Mary as a victim."
Malakor's voice echoed through the chamber.
"A girl caught in a cruel game."
He shook his head slowly.
"She is not the victim."
"She is the result."
Marvin's brow furrowed.
"Result of what?"
Malakor stopped.
And for the first time—
his voice carried something deeper.
Something almost… reverent.
"Of love."
Marvin blinked.
"…what?"
Malakor turned toward him fully now.
"Mary is the greatest creation this realm will ever produce."
His voice had changed.
Not cruel.
Not mocking.
Something else entirely.
"She is power."
"She is resilience."
"She is the only being who has ever stood against fate and won."
The chamber trembled faintly as his magic stirred.
"I have watched kingdoms fall."
"I have watched gods fade."
"But Mary…"
His eyes gleamed faintly.
"…Mary breaks destiny itself."
Marvin stared at him.
"You sound like a fan."
Malakor smiled faintly.
"No."
His voice softened slightly.
"I sound like a man who understands her."
Silence filled the chamber again.
Then Marvin said slowly:
"…you're in love with her."
The words hung in the air.
Malakor didn't deny it.
Instead—
he chuckled quietly.
"Love."
Such a fragile word.
"Love is what weak men call it."
He stepped closer again.
"I call it recognition."
Marvin frowned.
Malakor's eyes burned faintly now.
"She is the only person who has ever truly challenged me."
"She is the only mind that moves the board the way I do."
"She is the only force in this world capable of reshaping it."
His voice lowered.
"And that…"
"…is beautiful."
Marvin stared at him.
"…this is the creepiest villain speech I've ever heard."
Malakor laughed.
"You misunderstand again."
He leaned slightly closer.
"I don't want to destroy Mary."
Marvin narrowed his eyes.
"Then why the hell are you doing all this?"
Malakor's smile returned.
"Because she is still unfinished."
The runes on the floor pulsed brighter.
"The prince failed."
"He hesitated."
"Family weakened him."
Malakor's expression darkened slightly.
"So the board had to change."
Marvin's chest tightened.
"What board."
Malakor gestured toward the glowing runes around the room.
"The next one."
His voice echoed quietly.
"Round one hundred and one."
Marvin went still.
Malakor studied him carefully.
"You see…"
His smile returned.
"I don't want Mary to lose."
The chamber vibrated faintly with power.
"I want her to become unstoppable."
His eyes gleamed with something dangerously close to admiration.
"And to do that…"
He glanced down at the chains around Marvin's wrists.
"…she has to learn what it feels like to lose something she cannot rewind."
Marvin's stomach dropped.
Malakor turned away slowly.
"And that," he said softly—
"…is where you come in."
Across the chamber the faint violet thread around Marvin's wrist pulsed again.
Malakor noticed it.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…interesting."
The connection.
Mary was already reaching for him.
Malakor smiled slowly.
"Good."
Because the truth was—
this wasn't a trap for Mary.
This was a test.
And if she passed it…
Malakor's smile widened slightly.
…she would become the most dangerous being the world had ever seen.
Exactly the way he always intended.