Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

Chapter 149: Kalmira’s Nightmare [2]

They soon arrived at their destination.

The chamber was enveloped in darkness. Stepping past the threshold, Soren felt a shift in the environment. The air was heavy, frigid, and carried an unsettling stillness that seemed to swallow sound entirely. The only feature visible in the vast void was a big tree anchored at the very center of the space. Its massive, twisted roots spread out across the floor, and its pale, leafless branches stretched high into the gloom like grasping fingers.

Soren immediately focused his mind, stretching his heightened senses outward to scan the environment. Yet, no matter how hard he concentrated, he detected nothing. The chamber felt completely empty, as if they were standing in an abandoned wasteland.

’Wait...’

A sudden realization struck him, sending a cold shiver down his spine. The fact that he couldn’t perceive a single trace of the beast despite his enhanced perception spoke volumes. Malakor was a creature capable of deploying a full-scale domain, a definitive hallmark of an S-rank magic beast. An entity of that caliber possessed power that could easily surpass the President and Director Elenaria combined.

It felt surreal to stand in the dark and contemplate that reality.

A calamity capable of leveling the city was breathing somewhere in this very room, choosing to submit to this confinement and trading its freedom just to protect its kin.

’Human...’

’!’ Soren stiffened as a deep alien voice echoed directly inside his head, bypassing his physical ears entirely. Alarm flared through him, and his eyes darted frantically across the shadows, searching for any sign of movement, but the pitch-black chamber remained perfectly still.

He glanced sideways at President Marron and Elenaria. Neither of them showed any reaction. They simply continued looking toward the center of the room, completely oblivious to the intrusion.

’...Do you want... power?’

The voice repeated, closer this time, vibrating against the very walls of his mind.

’Not good.’

"..."

Soren opened his mouth to alert the others, but his throat tightened and no sound came out. Before he could even process the situation, the figures of President Marron and Elenaria vanished into thin air. The faint light died instantly, plunging him into absolute darkness.

’!’ His blood ran cold but he he forced himself to take a deep breath, anchoring his focus. Panic would only make him vulnerable. Glancing around the void, he realized physical movement was useless here, so he focused his intent and spoke directly within his thoughts.

’Mr. Malakor, why are you doing this?’

A silence stretched through the dark before the reply finally came.

’...Interesting.’

The voice echoed with a trace of amusement, seemingly surprised by his lack of panic.

’....’ Soren frowned, confusion mixing with his apprehension. He kept his guard up, carefully recalling the President’s advice about maintaining respect and showing no fear.

’Forget that and answer my question,’ the voice cut through his internal deliberation as if reading his thoughts like an open book.

’...’ Soren’s mind raced, analyzing the bizarre sequence of events.

The sudden disappearance of his companions and the total isolation pointed to one conclusion: he was under an illusion or some type of mental attack.

Fortunately, his high mental defenses kept his thoughts completely clear, preventing the psychic pressure from overwhelming his focus.

’...Why do you ask?’ He countered, pushing past his confusion.

He waited for a moment, but the darkness offered no reply. Sensing that the entity was testing his resolve, Soren let out a quiet mental sigh and decided to answer honestly.

’Yes, I want power,’ he stated, his thoughts carrying a firm, unyielding certainty. ’Because, like you, I have someone I need to protect.’

’...’

The suffocating darkness seemed to freeze at his words. For a long, tense moment, the entity didn’t speak, but the crushing weight in the air subtly shifted, losing its hostile edge.

’To protect...’

The phantom panther’s voice echoed again, the initial amusement replaced by a low, thoughtful resonance that vibrated through Soren’s consciousness.

’A human driven by the instinct to guard his own. A rare sentiment among your kind, who usually seek power only out of greed or vanity.’

Before Soren could reply, a pair of glowing, violet eyes ignited in the pitch black directly in front of him. They were large, slitted, and positioned high above his head, staring down with predatory intensity. Yet, Soren forced himself to meet the gaze directly, keeping his posture straight and his mind clear of fear.

’...Very well,’ Malakor spoke, the voice carrying a sense of approval. ’Keep that conviction close, human. Let us see if your actions can match the weight of your resolve.’

As the final word faded, the oppressive darkness shattered like brittle glass.

Light flooded back into Soren’s vision. He stumbled forward half a step, his boots tapping against the floor. The vast chamber returned to normal, and the single, massive tree stood peacefully at the center, its twisted roots unchanged.

"Mr. Soren? Is everything alright?"

Elenaria’s voice broke the silence from his right. Soren looked over, realizing that both she and President Marron were standing exactly where they had been a moment ago. They were looking at him with mild curiosity, completely unaware that he had just been pulled into a psychic isolation. To them, barely a second had passed.

"I am fine, Director," Soren managed to say, his voice finally working again, though his throat felt slightly dry.

"Good," Marron said, stepping forward toward the giant tree. "Because our host is finally deciding to show himself."

Soren followed the President’s gaze toward the center of the room. The shadows beneath the pale branches began to warp and ripple, coalescing into a majestic, towering feline form covered in sleek, midnight-black fur that seemed to absorb the ambient light.

Malakor, Kalmira’s Nightmare, had arrived.

Soren watched as it stepped forward, its paws moving with an eerie, weightless grace that left no sound. It lowered its large head slightly in a controlled, dignified gesture.

"Welcome, President Marron, Director Elenaria," Malakor spoke with a deep, resonant voice that echoed clearly through the vast chamber. "I appreciate you taking the time to visit my sanctuary."

"It is always an honor, Malakor," Marron replied, offering a respectful nod in return.

Elenaria stepped forward, her eyes scanning the sleek form of the beast before she spoke. "I heard you requested to meet this young human personally, so we brought him here. Can you tell us what caught your attention?"

Malakor turned his massive head, its glowing violet eyes locking onto Soren with intense focus.

"I... want to bond with him."