Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

The warm evening air gently fluttered Lucius's hair. It was looking a little shaggier than normal lately and he found himself getting slightly annoyed by it. However, he had yet to do anything without the approval of Kalliope who threatened to stab him if he 'ruined his beautiful hair', or something like that.

He agreed to not touch it without her around even if it had started to bother him. Thoughts of the rambunctious wolf threatened to pull the corners of his lips into a smile, but he held it down in order to focus on the task at hand.

Rumors of the strange guardian of the city's lord had been circulating as of late. Due to the locals' fascination with the person, it was impossible to tell what was truth and what was simply a result of exaggeration. There were only a few facts that were known for certain.

One of the main characteristics of this person was that they were a man. He was also bald and dressed in strange robes unknown to most cultures. This significantly decreased the possibilities of his origins to only a handful of places and none of those places were areas of the world that Lucius knew all that much about.

This was why he had taken to patrolling the city at night, using his enhanced hearing to listen to idle chatter amongst the guard patrols in areas separate from those he controlled. So far no one had questioned the strange series of events within the post he conquered, but they also minimized interactions with other posts outside of necessary communications. This would help them prevent any accidental slip ups in their charade.

"I heard Lord Varris is thrown another party."

A series of voices caught Lucius's attention from a nearby street. He had inched closer to the lord's estate with every night of scouting, so this patrol was a newer one to him.

"Yeah, I heard that weird guy is going to be showing up again. He freaks me out. I know he's an elf, but something about him just doesn't feel right."

"I know what you mean. He's not blind, but he never opens his eyes, and his sword just feels unnatural."

Satisfied, Lucius left the area and pushed further into the city. The guards began to move onto other topics of no import to him, so there was little to glean from sticking around.

A handful of streets away, another set of eyes followed his movements. He had run into this person before, but always chose to ignore her. It couldn't be helped that the dragon-blood followed him around. After all, he was a stranger to their city who suddenly swooped in and demanded cooperation from her leader.

Though he had made his post available to the resistance for smuggling and resupply purposes, she still refused to trust him. Nearly every night she followed him from a distance and tracked every movement. Of course, he knew she was there from the very first night and though he could have hidden from her, he chose not to.

It would only have served to increase her suspicions of him. Besides, she was easier to track than him. If someone caught on to his escapades, then she would be an excellent distraction.

'Still, being monitored constantly is getting tiring.' He thought to himself. A new idea brought a small smile to his face as he watched the woman duck behind a chimney stack just as his gaze started to pass over her position.

Lucius leaped into the air before his physical form dispersed into darkness after muttering the words "[Abyss Break: Phantom Movement]"
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Sheza's glowing eyes widened. One moment her target was there and the next he vanished as if he never existed. She stepped out from her cover behind the brickwork to scan the rooftops. If he used some sort of skill to do that, she was sure that he would reappear at any moment.

After a few moments of nothing happening she released an annoyed sigh. Somehow the bastard had escaped her. A strange sensation washed over the back of her neck. As she turned around, the sensation moved to the front and a black mist materialized before her. Stepping from inside it was the form of Wulf who had his hand wrapped tightly around her throat.

Sheza grunted in pain from the force of her back being slammed into the chimney. Her feet dangled helplessly in the air while she gripped his wrist and pulled herself upward enough to keep breathing.

"How…" she squeaked.

The faceless mask stared at her silently. The dark pupils in the small slits reflecting only a scant amount of moonlight. Looking directly at Wulf, and doing so this closely, triggered a massive headache. No matter how she struggled, Sheza could not turn away from his face.

She expected to feel an intense pressure of mana weighing down on her. Rumors about the man said that he would terrify those close to him by overwhelming their senses with his strength. More terrifying than that though, was what Wulf was doing now.

Sheza detected absolutely nothing. Were it not for the fact he had her pinned by the neck, it felt as though Wulf was not there at all. No mana or presence leaked out of him at all, as if existence itself rejected him.

"Have you had your fun following me, little dragon?"

The force of his grip tightened and she felt small cracks forming along the small scales that peppered her skin. The nails on his fingers began to elongate and press into her flesh, threatening to cut her open. Whoever Wulf was, he was at least part beastman like her.

"Come now, you've been tailing me every night for a while. Surely you have something to say, girl."

The way he spat the last word was full of disrespect. Sheza could feel her blood beginning to boil from being treated like a child. He clearly did not see her as a threat.

Every word of her response was forced and separated by exaggerated gasps, "I cannot be sure you won't hurt Kestis."

The defiance in her eyes, despite her obvious fear struck a small chord within Lucius. There was a passion for Kestis that reminded him of how he felt for Kalliope and Rena.

"Hmm. I see." He growled. "If I could guarantee Kestis's win in this rebellion, what would you be willing to sacrifice?"

The dragon-blood's response was simple. The fierce gaze in her eyes told Lucius everything he needed to know.