Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince-Chapter 357: A Delicate Balance

Lucius escaped from the city of Varris as quickly as he could. The stumbling form he showed to Kestis and his men was more than he could manage in truth, but he held on until he escaped past the walls. Once safely surrounded by his allied forces, Lucius crumpled to the ground, bereft of all energy.

"Lucius!" Desmond shouted.

"Go. Take Snow back to camp. She cannot go anywhere with that broken leg." Lucius waved him off. There was a moment of uncertainty, but ultimately Desmond nodded and carried Snow off in his arms. Lucius laughed at the sight, seeing a deep red covering nearly the entirety of her ears.

Voices called out to him, but his vision faded. Exhaustion, pain, and stress overwhelmed him. Sleep easily claimed his mind. The voices never truly reached him before his consciousness faded and was replaced by a familiar sight. A liminal space between dark and light.

***

"Luz. Grimm."

Lucius looked around. The last time he was present, Grimm’s darkness was growing ever closer to Luz. Encroaching upon the entity’s form and threatening to devour it. Now, Luz’s dimming light once again became almost blinding. Once more the infinite space was divided cleanly between Light and Dark. Luz and Grimm.

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"Welcome Lucius. It has been a while since we last spoke." Luz’s calming voice echoed throughout the space. Lucius looked onto the being. Despite his brightness, Lucius found himself strangely able to gaze upon him without wincing away. Lucius turned his gaze to Grimm.

It was a creature of evil, darkness, deception, and despair. At one time his form brought great fear into Lucius’s heart. He held firmly onto Lucius’s soul, refusing to let go. Threatening to consume it.

"You’ve gotten stronger through this." Luz continued. Though his voice was calm there was a tinge of something else. Defeat? Why?

"I guess. I’ve yet to have a moment’s rest really. The world seems dead set on trying to kill me." Lucius turned his gaze more intensely on the strangely quiet Grimm. "Not just the world either it seems."

"I offer power to defeat these challenges and you decline it." Grimm growled. He tried to advance upon Lucius, but was shoved back by Luz’s light.

With a silent nod of appreciation to Luz, Lucius continued, "I imagine that I will find you less forthcoming with your abilities through my Mark. Angry as you are."

Grimm hissed. "The powers you have used belong to you as much me now. They are imprinted upon your soul. Neither I, nor Luz is truly capable of taking the powers you have earned."

Luz sighed. "He speaks true. What you have belongs to you. We simply provide a bridge between what your soul requests and what it needs to fulfill that demand."

"So why could I not use your sword… sorry, my sword."

"Your connection to the Light is strained. You could use it without it, supplementing it with your own Mana. But what powers a Mark is simply… more. You have yet to master the power behind the Marks. When you do, our connection to you will matter not."

Lucius sighed. What was this other power? He knew what it felt like. Most people did. The more powerful a Mark was, the heavier the air felt, but it was from a different pressure than Mana. Luz was right. It was something more.

"We won’t just give you the answers." Grimm hissed. If he had lips to cover his pointed teeth, Lucius would figure they would be in a pout. Like a child whose toy was taken. "Especially me."

Luz sighed once more. "As much of a child my cohort is, he is right. Some things must be learned on your own. The fragments are things you must find to gain a better understanding. I will not direct you where they are, or what order by which you should consume them but…"

Lucius nodded. The implication hung in the air. If he were to take in additional fragments, creating an imbalance would be a risk to himself and others. No amount of trust could ever be placed into Grimm again. Not that he ever placed any in either of the entities. Though he did not know their intentions at first, it was obvious even from when they first met, they had something in mind for their relationship with him. Now, he at least knew what Grimm wanted. Him.

The darkness seductively curled around his back. Whispers of the promise of power tickled the back of his neck, accompanied by an all too familiar chill. Maybe what Grimm was doing wasn’t so bad…

"Luz. Can you remove this parasitic sensation." Lucius said sharply. The shadows reacted suddenly, withdrawing back into Grimm’s being.

Lucius eyed the eldritch horror with contempt. He still hated Luz just as much. Luz would have him recklessly act as a hero to people who despised him. People who would sooner see him flayed alive and pinned to the walls of their castles. People who gaze at him with disgust and hatred. Luz would have him sacrifice any chance he had at happiness for those people and for the concept as vague as ’the world’, whatever that meant to the being.

"You may regret that." Grimm laughed cruelly. "Don’t worry about that… I will remove the seal I placed. It was for your protection… but since you don’t need that anymore…"

A searing pain flashed through his brain, spreading out from the nape of his neck. His old scars felt like they ripped open once more, leaking a hot fluid that felt like blood. Lucius forced his eyes open that he had sealed in reaction to the pain. The liquid was black, boiling against his body.

"With that, the deed is done. I told you that you would regret this. Go on, Lucius Kane. Play about in this world without the guidance and protection I granted you. Feel the pain I saved you from. Feel the true depths of your rage. Feel despair and sadness. Feel it all." Grimm hissed. Explore more at novelbuddy

***

Lucius opened his eyes, welcomed to the sights of a canvas roof over his head. Beneath him was an uncomfortable cot, loosely covered in a layer of blankets to provide the barest form of comfort. The smell of campfire smoke seeped in through a slightly open flap at the entrance.

Someone stood there, gently staring at him. Her blue eyes shimmered with tears. "Lucius. You’re awake. Finally. I was so worried about you."

He felt something twist in his heart. What was this? She’s crying and it was his fault. Why did that hurt?