Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Two dozen men and women in both armor and fancy outfits bickered with one another around a long, rectangular table. At the head of the table was an empty seat, though that empty seat was flanked by two guards.

Everyone in the room fell into silence as the person that chair was waiting for arrived. As he approached his place everyone stood out of respect.

The man was King Aleksander of Arcadios. Also present at the table were the other leaders of the Five Kings Union as well as their greatest generals. The topic of discussion today was regarding troop movements.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Aleksander." A seductive voice cooed. It came from Lady Voltara al Famyn.

Richard was not a fan of her, seeing her as a dishonorable seductress who slept and stabbed her way to the top. Though he held that opinion of most of the nobility of the Wisteria Concord.

"Yes, I have. I hear the vanguard forces at Watcher's Retreat are faring poorly?" Aleksander stated.

"That is correct, my liege." Richard interrupted.

It was rude to interject into the conversation, but as one of the highest-ranking nobles in the kingdom, and the general overseeing the forces installed at Watcher's Retreat, he wanted to get the meeting moving quickly. Besides, he had information to share.

"Richard, you have information for us I take it? Normally, while blunt, you do not act so rashly without cause." Lady al Famyn said with a sly smile.

"I received a letter recently from Commander Laris detailing a recent skirmish." He said, ignoring Voltara's gaze.

"Well come, spit it out. What information do you have for us?" The king of Docia demanded. His name was Martin Docia and he was known for being impatient…as well as his ugly, rat-like face.

"In a recent battle, our forces suffered massive casualties numbering just under two thousand after all losses were tallied. In that same battle, Alorek was assumed to have lost almost twice that number."

"That is good news, is it not?" King Aleksander asked.

Richard shook his head. "Normally, yes. However, the cause for concern is that it is estimated that just about a third of those losses, were the cause of a single person."

"A single soldier wiped out that many Alorek warriors? That is good news!" King Docia shouted out with a massive grin.

"No. It is not." Richard countered. He knew the look on his face was rather grim. "That individual is assumed to be responsible for about a third of all losses. Both allied and enemy."

The room erupted in gasps and shouts. To think that a single person was responsible for so many deaths, let alone friend and foe alike. They could not comprehend the ability to do something like that.

"How? How was one individual able to do that?" Lady al Famyn nervously asked.

"Luck and timing mostly. But we should not discount their power."

Richard went on to explain the details that Laris had included for him. The other generals and leaders of the Union listened with rapt attention, as though they hung on his every word.

Many of those in attendance had dark expressions of fear, anxiety, and general concern. Though the person was not inherently powerful alone, the situation in which they were able to amplify their magic due to the circumstances of the battlefield was concerning.

"What is the identity of this individual?" Aleksander asked in an icy tone.

Richard sighed and looked over to his brother, Thomas' father, Andre von Petra. Andre had a sly smile on his face and gestured for him to continue. Richard nodded in understanding.

"It was a Marked One from my domain. He was formerly employed by my house as the bodyguard to my daughter, Rena." He said to a room filled with quiet. "He possesses the Forsaken Arts, Thunder Magic, and has an Unknown, Lethal-Grade mark."

"This boy was in the service of your house? Yet you do not know his mark?" King Docia questioned.

"Correct. I spoke with the Adventurer's Guild and it was allegedly reported to them that he had discovered his mark's abilities. However, the receptionist who tested him, as well as those present during his testing, all report having no memory of his abilities." Richard answered honestly.

It was true. While Rena and the boy were running around the countryside doing quests, he kept tabs on them through contacts in the guild. He found out that Lucius registered his mark, but for some reason everyone involved either disappeared, or forgot that it happened in the first place.

"What is the boy's name?"

"Lucius. He was the adoptive son of the former captain of my guard and a maid of my household. When he left for battle, he was last recorded as a Novice Rank. However, he is likely stronger than that now. Also…"

"Also what, Richard?" Aleksander pressed.

"He can use Mana Manipulation. He was educated along with my daughter by Lord Carmichael."

Some of the faces in the room turned even darker. People with the ability to use Mana Manipulation were rare, and dangerous. What made them even more dangerous is they might eventually break into Channeling, which opened the possibility of silent casting of magic.

"Well, what do you have planned to deal with this?" King Docia demanded. His statement was met with a few hearty shouts of agreement.

"I have hired a special assassin, with the help of Andre. He and Thomas have had dealings with this individual a few times in the past, for reasons I will pretend to not know." He informed them.

"Will it work?"

"Yes, the assassin and their group on their way to the battlefield now. Currently Lucius is behind enemy lines disrupting their supply lines. So, for the moment, he is relatively harmless."

There were some murmurs of agreement and nodding heads from the other members. Finally, King Aleksander spoke. "Thank you for the report, Richard. We appreciate your cooperation, and your expediency in solving the matter. For that, as well as to not disgrace you further than your daughter already has. Your punishment provided by the gods is sufficient."

The king's statement inspired a few chuckles from some of those who disliked him, but that did not bother Richard. He knew that it would get out no matter what. Andre would have seen to that. On top of that, he has been made aware of Rena's antics at the Academy.

At this point there was little to do. So he simply bowed his head. "Thank you for your mercy, my liege."

Aleksander nodded. "Now, onto troop movements."