Chapter 8 Cute Little Smile

Words : 881 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Well, that wasn't a nice way of saying thank you, was it? Malik chuckled, knowing better than to say his thoughts out loud. "You can relax, kid; I'm risking my life by saving you." The boy rubbed his eyes and leaned forward, looking around in confusion. "W-Where are we?" Joining the wall beside him, Malik leaned back and simply answered: "The Zawaya district, a den of bastards." The boy offered no reaction to those words, showing that he had no idea where the hell he was because if he knew, he would've long since begun to panic. "You don't belong here... You and your sister's clothes are too fancy. How the fuck did you end up here? Where are your guards? And what are your parents even thinking?" Stunned by the barrage of questions, the boy clammed up and looked down. "...I... I-I... I—" Malik tapped his shoulder, saving the boy from his self-induced stroke. "It's fine; don't worry about it. You don't need to answer." The boy looked at him with a fearful gaze. "R-Really?" "Yes, really, now wake your sister up; we have to get to shelter before sundown." "Okay!" Malik stood up and limped to his stick while the boy shook his sister like an alcoholic before a coin pusher in an arcade. The poor girl woke up in a daze, flinching slightly as her brother spoke: "Sis! Wake up! A kind man is helping us; please wake up before he changes his mind." He was right to worry, but the "man" they were dealing with wasn't going to abandon them. Malik wasn't one to leave something half-complete; he saved their lives, and that made him responsible for them. *** {Outside The Projection} Shame wasn't enough to cover it. Everyone who believed he would leave them behind, or at least supported that decision, had their heads lowered like the boy of a few seconds earlier. Not only because the two had turned out to be of the Al-Sayf family, with the younger of the two now standing alongside them, but also because a boy hundreds of years younger than them had chosen a harder path. One that they, in all their respective might and intellect, were too afraid to take. Or perhaps it would be accurate to call it risk-averse, as even the bravest of them, who stood in the front to fight Shaytan's Sultan, picked the safer option. It was logical; it should've been the right thing to do, but still, they were embarrassed, having lost face. Some of them that picked neither thought that Malik would've just helped them out and dipped, perhaps coming in contact again later when terms were more favorable. "Hey, look at that~! You're already on it." Chicken looked down, only now realizing what he had just done. "I-I am! Hehehe, I did it!" Malik's smile widened, and he ruffled the boy's hair. "Well done, kid, now let's go..." The girl looked at their interactions with a bewildered gaze, and as the two walked further in, her lips slowly formed a cute little smile, her tears drying up. *** {Outside The Projection} To everyone spectating, those three already began looking like a sweet orphaned family, one that tried their best even when the times were hard, even when death was knocking on their door. It was unexpected and surprisingly beautiful. None of them could have guessed that his memories would show such things. Those who expected just death and slaughter felt revolted almost. They couldn't believe it, their emotions all over the place. Neither could Huda. That smile made her cringe. She hated it so much. And she wasn't the only one. Safira stared at the projection with eyes filled with envy. 'He could treat people like that?... Then what about me? I was his only disciple... he should've been nicer to me.' Her jealousy was hidden, but those who noticed her look of hostility towards Huda would've easily picked up on it. Fortunately for her, no one did, as they were all fighting their own inner battles, grappling with what they were seeing. "Everyone, don't forget! We're watching the Villain's memories!" The "hero's" voice boomed through the king's hall, snapping everyone's attention upward. In the blink of an eye, he'd flown up to the ceiling, hovering like some kind of smug bird. "He's ended clans, kingdoms, villages, and entire family lineages! He deserves no empathy!" Arms spread wide, he spun around slowly, making sure every last person was looking at him. "Don't be shaken!" What he was doing was crystal clear; there wasn't a more obvious way of spelling it out. Zafar planned to control the crowd early to gain favor in their hearts while also painting everything as black and white. Usually, such an attempt would've been laughed at, but as they weren't in the best of mental states, many thousands in the hall nodded at his words. Seeing his plan working, Zafar smiled in delight, though only for a moment, as a man's entrance had ruined his parade: "Lady Roya, we have urgent news!"

Chapter 8 Cute Little Smile

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