Malrik's silence was a mystery to those around him. He understood everything spoken to him, his mind sharp and quick, but he never uttered a single word. He was not mute, not in the traditional sense. The court mage, Master Eldred, after a thorough examination, had discovered the truth: Malrik suffered from a rare curse called Throatrax.
Throatrax was an ancient affliction, rumored to be a punishment from the Old Ones. It manifested as an invisible band of constriction around the throat, preventing the victim from speaking or making any vocalizations. The curse was not painful, but it was absolute. Malrik could force air through his lungs, he could even shape his mouth and tongue, but no sound would emerge.
This curse further contributed to Malrik's isolation. His inability to speak made him seem even more alien and unsettling to those around him. Elian and the other nobles found it particularly disturbing, his silent presence a constant reminder of his 'otherness'.
"It's like dealing with a ghost," Elian once complained to his father, his voice filled with disgust. "He just stares, his eyes burning with some unholy fire. It's enough to make your skin crawl."
The servants, already wary of Malrik, were even more so now. They whispered about him behind his back, their voices hushed and fearful.
"He's cursed, I tell you," one maidservant, Agnes, confided to Mara, her eyes wide with superstition. "Touched by the dark ones. That's why he can't speak. It's a punishment."
Mara, ever the kinder soul, though still tinged with fear, would try to offer a more sympathetic view, though even she was troubled. "Hush, Agnes," she'd say. "He can't help it. It's a cruel fate for a child."
Malrik, of course, heard it all. The whispers, the insults, the fearful speculations. And though he showed no outward reaction, his mind seethed with a cold fury.
They think I am a monster, he thought, his inner voice a harsh whisper in the silence of his mind. They look at me with disgust and fear. My own father, my own step-siblings... they would cast me out if they could.
His inability to speak became a constant reminder of his helplessness, a symbol of his vulnerability in a world that valued strength and power. But it also became a shield, a mask behind which he could hide his true thoughts and intentions.
Let them underestimate me, he thought. Let them believe I am nothing more than a silent freak. They will learn, in time, how wrong they are.
His mind became his sanctuary, a place where he could plot and plan, where his thoughts were his only weapons. He spent hours in the library, devouring ancient texts, his eyes scanning the pages, his mind absorbing knowledge like a sponge. He learned of forgotten magic, of forbidden rituals, of powerful artifacts that could bend the world to his will.
I will not be a victim, he vowed to himself, his inner voice hardening with each passing day. I will not be defined by this curse, by their hatred. I will rise above them all. I will make them pay for their contempt.
His thoughts often turned to his past life, to Elias Vane, the betrayed commander. He remembered the fire, the pain, the betrayal. And he remembered the faces of those who had condemned him, their eyes filled with malice and satisfaction.
They thought they had destroyed me, he thought, his mind echoing with the thirst for revenge. They thought they had silenced me forever. But I am here. I have been given a second chance. And I will not waste it.
He began to formulate a plan, a long and intricate scheme that would take years to unfold. He would bide his time, he would learn their secrets, he would exploit their weaknesses. And when the moment was right, he would unleash his full power upon them, and they would tremble before him.
Duke Gareth, he thought, his inner voice dripping with venom, Lord Elian, Lady Seraphina... all of you who have scorned me, who have treated me like a you will learn to fear my name. You will beg for my mercy. And I will show you none.
His silence became his weapon, his curse his strength. He would use their contempt against them, their underestimation of him as a tool to achieve his ultimate goal: revenge.