There had been several times when Merlin tried to kill him, and twice, Malrik had retaliated and killed Merlin instead. Yet every time, not long after, Merlin would reappear before him as if nothing had happened. That was when Malrik realized Merlin possessed a strange, unnerving ability—he simply couldn't die. The Enchanter Clan was a nest of scheming and backstabbing, and Malrik had long grown tired of that poisonous atmosphere. To make things worse, his mother openly favored Merlin and had gone out of her way to protect him. Disheartened and disgusted, Malrik eventually left for the outer realms. … Emma read Malrik's reply on her lightcore screen, frowning deeper the longer she looked at it. "What do you think? Is he telling the truth, or just making excuses? What if this brother of his doesn't even exist?" She didn't know much about Malrik at all, and she couldn't tell whether he was being sincere or just putting on an act. "I'll have someone look into it," Lucien said, then glanced at her. "Emma, until we find out the truth, it's better you don't let Malrik get close to you. Whenever Silas and I can't be around, continue to let Marcus guard you." Emma thought it over and nodded. "That's probably for the best. Until we know for sure, I'll keep my distance from him." She powered off the lightcore and went to feed the little pink fish Aria had given her. This morning, she'd asked Silas to feed them, but because of what happened with Malrik, he hadn't been able to get to it. When Emma reached the fish tank, she saw that one of the lively little fish from last night was now lying weakly at the bottom, barely moving. "Corvin, bring me a net." She crouched beside the tank, watching the tiny creature twitch its tail feebly, refusing to eat a single bite of food. It looked sick. Worried it might infect the others, she scooped it out. Corvin peered at the half-dead pink fish and poked it with a finger. "Emma, this fish looks just like Marcus—half dead but still hanging on." The fish was really dying, though, unlike Marcus, who always seemed half-dead yet refused to die. Emma placed the fish in a separate container and told Corvin to change the water for the others. "What do we do with this one?" Corvin asked. "Even if it's alone, it doesn't look like it's going to make it." Emma added a few drops of medicine into the container. "Let's wait a day. If it doesn't survive, we'll just let the turtles in the artificial lake have it." It's such a pretty shade of pink. It'd be a shame to feed it to the turtles, she thought, then decided to take out one of Silas' leaves and dropped it into the water. "Whether you live or die now, it's up to fate." With that, she set the container beside the tank and went upstairs to train. Watching her leave, Corvin remembered the tricks Silas had taught him and hurried back to his room to prepare. He already knew what Malrik had done. The thought of kneeling beside that b*stard this morning made him want to slap himself. Does Emma think I'm also stupid and no longer want me? No, I have to show her how great I am—make her like me again! … On the warship, Malrik waited and waited, but no reply came from Emma. The longer the silence stretched, the more anxious he became. What if Ms. Tibarn really dissolved our match because of that d*mned Merlin? No, she can't dump me… she can't! He sent her text after text. 'Ms. Tibarn, are you angry with me? 'Ms. Tibarn, please believe me—I'm nothing like that b*stard Merlin! 'Ms. Tibarn, please, don't dump me. I beg you.' One second… Two… A minute… Ten… Half an hour later, still no reply. Malrik thought the sky had fallen onto him. "Pass down the order—accelerate. We must reach Central Planet within three days." … After finishing her training and absorbing the beast core, Emma stepped out of the training room—only to find a light-blue cat sprawled across her bed. The cat was wearing a maid's uniform for males, though it was hardly a decent one. What needed to be covered wasn't covered at all."Corvin?" Emma walked over and crouched beside the bed, staring at the feline. "Why are you dressed like that? And why did you turn back into your original form again?" Did he drain his ability again? In an instant, the cat transformed into a handsome young man with beast ears and a tail. The revealing uniform clung to all the wrong places and left nothing to the imagination. Emma looked him over, instinctively wanting to avert her eyes, but Corvin was faster—he cupped her face in his hands, gaze earnest and slightly trembling. "Emma, do I look good like this? Do you like it?" "I do," Emma said, reaching out to stroke his fluffy tail.