Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Snow watched as the hand seemed to vanish into the same particles that hovered above her head. Slowly those particles also disappeared, along with the strange haze in the environment. The mana pouring off the crystal began to vanish and she could no longer see it, though she could still feel it.

Behind her, she could hear the sounds of a crowd cheering and a few men clinking glasses together. The cheers were muted because of the room she was in that separated the crowd from Itorin's office. Snow glanced around quickly and saw that Itorin was not in the room, but a few high-class individuals were sitting near the windows at the front of the room, looking out over the battlefield.

It was unclear how she moved from the arena to this space, but even more strange was the sudden appearance of hundreds of people who were not there a few seconds ago…

Suddenly, the command she was given echoed in her head again. Snow shook her head clear of the excess thoughts and moved to take out a bundle of gray crystals. Since the control crystal emitted a wave of mana at a near constant to control all the equipment and slave crystals attached to it, the explosive crystals she brought with her would slowly be powered by the ambient mana until it exploded.

Quickly, she placed several explosive crystals at strategic points around the back of the room and the master crystal itself. The mana from the master crystal had already started to power the others, bringing a grim, but satisfied look to her beautiful face.

'Vanish…'

"[Shadow Walk]" The strange command phrase slipped from her mouth without her control. Once again, the people and the noise of the world vanished. Once again, she was surrounded by silence, the strange haze, and untouchable dust.

*****Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Itorin looked proudly down at the battle below him. The clashing of blades and the flashes of spells drew out a primal satisfaction from the core of his being. The destructive power of warriors fighting for survival was a sight that he had loved his entire life.

Ever since he was a child and he witnessed the grandeur of Lady Tenia fighting against a massive beast terrorizing the capital almost two centuries ago, Itorin had been obsessed with power. Nothing to this day has been able to rival the beauty of the destruction that the Lady of the Mountain left in her wake.

Watching her stride through the crowded streets while gently dodging between panicked civilians, then leaping into battle with such force and grace that it might rival the gods in power and beauty. Lady Tenia danced around the beast with the grace of a butterfly dancing through the air. Unlike the gentle insect, she left behind a trail of destruction in her wake.

Rumors had circled the continent about a strange boy with power beyond his means. He had allegedly ended the war between Alorek and the human nations and their ally of Eroa. It seemed like fiction, but he investigated these rumors nonetheless.

When his men returned from the city of Alvora, the site of Titan's wanton destruction, they brought with them crystals that had recorded images and moving memories of what they saw. For the first time since Tenia last descended the peaks of their sacred mountain, something had moved Itorin's heart.

After that, Titan's legend grew. At the Exhibition Tournament in Arcadios, he was observed shattering a barrier strong enough to withstand a King Ranker's attack. Then he single-handedly prevented a strange uprising. Again, he continued by exhibiting his speed and power at Varris after capturing his ally.

Itorin knew he had to have the man known as Titan, the man known as Lucius Kane. He needed to make this untamable beast his own and bring him to heel. With something like Lucius Kane under his control, Itorin would never feel bored again. He could have his destruction whenever and wherever he needed it.

That was why he ignored such an obvious trap. Rumors abounded, claiming Voltara al Famyn was intrigued by the boy. When that sly bitch was interested in something, she would never willingly let it go. However, with the potential of finally having the infamous person in his grasp, Itorin ignored his suspicions.

After watching the man fight the three Intermediate Rankers, it was clear they stood no chance. The fact that he did not even use Channeling to beat them made it clear he was holding back. So instead of continuing the fight as intended, he changed it up and added in two Advance Rankers.

The potential was there plain as day. Anyone with eyes could see that one day, this young man would be a destructive force to be reckoned with. Under the right circumstances, he already was. It impressed and astounded the audience that he put up an even fight with the two Advance Rankers, even while still held back.

Sure, he used his Channeling, but he did not have a true weapon, nor could he use his mark. So, Itorin decided to up the ante again. He threw Lucius a weapon and added in a third combatant. It was clear that with a proper weapon, instead of the scraps he picked up, the young man would destroy his opponents.

As expected, when Kalliope entered the fray, Lucius was pushed back. He seemed almost helpless against three Advance Rankers. The stress of the fight was getting to him. Somehow he was able to awaken his mark and avoid the backlash of the dozens of enchanted pieces on his body.

Instead of being fearful or angry, the blood in Itorin's body boiled from excitement. Lucius was still losing and being pushed back, but he held on. He persevered through the pain…

Just as Kalliope and Hetha bore down on him, instead of looking dejected, Lucius instead glanced up. Itorin almost felt as if the man's eyes were focused directly on him. However, they were not. He was waiting for something.

Before he could figure out what, a large explosion echoed behind him. The source was his office, where some of his more important clients were. More importantly, though, it was also the location of the crystal that kept all their prisoners in check.

He glanced back down at the arena once more and saw the decapitated body of Hetha fall to the ground. Lucius smiled triumphantly at the wolf-girl before grasping her hand and letting her help him to his feet. They quickly vanished from the arena, easily barging through the gates now that the barrier no longer protected them.

Itorin should have been annoyed. He should have been furious. Everything he ever worked for was threatening to burn down around him.

"Won't that be so exciting to watch?" He muttered to himself while laughing maniacally.