Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Chapter 191: Angel of Death

Jade watched as Lucius downed the rest of his drink and walked outside of the inn. The rest of the patrons followed him silently, no one daring to speak a single word. When everyone finally got outside, Lucius looked around for a moment before walking to a relatively sparse spot of land where a few paths were interconnected.

The pissed-off gentleman from earlier was the closest one behind Lucius as he led everyone to this spot, but a number of people from the crowd joined them. All of them had looks of hatred on their faces and all of that energy was directed right at the black-haired man.

"Why don't you tell everyone here what you've done." The angry man shouted.

"My men here remember, but the rest of the village doesn't know who you are. Do your friends? How about we share?" he continued while Lucius watched him.

"All of you have heard about the Angel of Death, right? Four years ago he descended on the battlefield and used a grand spell that took hundreds of lives. Over a thousand men and women died that day on our side… the Angel's spell was directly responsible for more over half of that number… maybe even more.

"He overlooked the battlefield; a black-haired boy with glowing eyes. We were overwhelmed and losing ground against Alorek. A single entity appeared, looking like the savior we needed in that moment. Our Angel sent to save our sorry hides… but instead all he brought was death. Death to Alorek and death to the Union forces.

"This boy… I saw him back in Watcher's Retreat before the battle. I recognized him as one of our own. We launched the offensive to get you past enemy lines… but that sacrifice wasn't enough for you was it? You needed more so you took them; all those lives, you took them with your own hands." The man ranted.

His story was followed by a series of jeers and shouts from the crowd. More individuals walked out of the gathered people to join the angry man in his confrontation against Lucius.

Jade looked towards Lucius, her eyes almost pleading for him to deny the allegations levied against him. Yet, he remained silent. Worse still, his face contorted into a twisted smile.

"What of it?" He answered. His tone chilled the crowd to the bone. Several people, including Jade, shivered.

"They died because they were weak. You were failing to fulfill your mission alone, so I helped you achieve your goal. Thanks to the sacrifices made, I was able to complete my mission. Without them the war might still be ongoing." Lucius continued before he finished. "You're welcome."

"Is that all you have to say for yourself, you monster?!" The crowd shouted. "You should die for what you've done."

Lucius's eyes glowed and Jade felt the building of a tremendous amount of pressure. She looked to her brother for reassurance, but saw that sweat poured off of his brow. Rena and Natali also had expression similar to Desmond's. Jade felt her knees begin to quake and saw as most of the villagers gathered were also shaking.

"You are more than welcome to claim my head." Lucius shouted out gleefully. "I welcome your challenge. But you should know the cost of such actions."

The buildup of mana continued and the sky above rapidly darkened until it almost looked like night. Thunder rumbled above as a storm seemed to settle over the village. Cracks of lightning shot across the clouds and a few struck the land outside the village. A gust of air whipped around Lucius and the cloak he wore, which was now black, fluttered furiously.

"The death of your cohorts was by my hand. The fall of Alorek was by my hand. If you move against me, I will not stop you. However, know that that if you do, Spire Hollow will also cease to exist by my hand." Lucius shouted above the roar of the wind. "Take your vengeance if you must, but know the innocents in the village will share in the cost of your actions."

Slowly, but surely the former soldiers backed away, unwilling to face the being in front of them who appeared to be a force of nature. Jade could not blame them for backing off, there was no way she could face something like that.

"One more thing." Lucius continued to a symphony of lightning strikes. "We are staying in town tonight. I prefer that I not be bothered. It would be a shame for any mistakes to happen."

The last sentence was emphasized by a loud roll of thunder as the clouds above dissipated, letting the evening sun shine through. All the villagers quickly left the area and vanished into their respective homes and back to the inn.

"Lucius." Desmond called out. "Is it true what they said?"

"It is."

"They were to be your allies. Did you not care they were caught up in your spell against Alorek?" Desmond questioned.

"Against Alorek? No, the spell was against everyone, Desmond." Lucius answered. He then looked at Natali and Jade before continuing. "This is the man I am. The man that Rena married. Make your decisions wisely if you still wish to interact with me.

Stay tuned with M V L

That goes for Desmond as well as you two. I assure you this will not be the last time something like this or far worse happens."

With that final warning, Lucius returned to the inn with Rena on his arm. The look of concern she had was replaced with a look of content. Natali's expression also returned to normal and she continued to follow right behind the other two as if nothing had happened.

"It seems those two are locked into their decision." Desmond mused. "What shall we do sister?"

"I think we spend longer feeling things out. Though I would say, your interest in him does not seem to be one of respect or idolization. Does what kind of man he is matter if he can still get you what you want?" Jade answered.

"I suppose not. You make an excellent point."

Jade nodded along with her brother and they both returned to the inn.