Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

"Jen. What are you doing here?" Lucius looked at the woman with wide eyes.

The last thing he expected was to see the adventuring party he spent so much time with out here. They weren't Marked Ones, so why were they here? Did they volunteer for the war? Rena had mentioned something about coming out here, but where was she?

"Hey kid," Jen said in the same teasing tone he had gotten used to over their time questing together. It was rather comforting… "I heard you've been up to a lot out here. You're strong."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you spend every day of your life fighting for it." He shot back. He found himself realizing he had missed these back and forths.

"Hiya kid, how you been?" Paul asked. He broke his normally silent demeanor and flashed him a soft smile.

Lucius was happy they were here, but why? He could not hold it in any longer. "Why are you here?"

Jen shrugged her shoulders, "We got an offer from Rena's father… Richard I think his name was? Anyway, him and his brother Andre reached out to us for a job to come and take care of you."

Lucius' heart skipped a beat, but not out of attraction, love, or excitement. Something about her phrasing startled him. He knew Richard very well. Andre was Thomas' father. Neither of them would want to 'take care of him' in any other capacity than…

"Lord Petra was very unhappy you know." Jen continued. "That whole thing with Rena? Man… I didn't know a face could get as red as their family's hair color! It was quite a sight!"

Her laughter made his hair stand on end and he found himself slowly reaching towards the weapon on his hip. When his fingers grazed the scabbard, he remembered that it was a gift from these very same people.

"Why are…"

"On top of that you have upset some very powerful people… I mean I knew you were ruthless Lucius, but damn kid! Do you know how many of your own allies you killed with that Thunder Magic Spell?"

His and Rena's mentor seemed to be taunting him a way that was different than he was used to. What was once a lighthearted series of jabs became something more nefarious. It was almost impossible to believe that she was who he though she was, but he recognized her scent, her mannerisms. Paul and Lethen were the same as well. These people were the friends he once knew.

Yet they felt like imposters. They felt like someone he had never met before. Lucius felt something inside him begin to crack as his small world, became smaller. They were never his friends… were they?

"Jen…" Lucius felt his hands shaking.

"I think Laris said it was in the couple hundreds… almost a thousand maybe? I can't quite remember, but man! Talk about overkill. You really took advantage of the battlefield conditions to pull that one off. Honestly surprised me."

The hesitation he felt from touching the scabbard vanished and he slowly pulled the machete free from it. Mia was eyeing him closely, her hands already held two daggers. She was too close to him to back off and use her preferred weapon of the bow.

Her mark was also glowing, which meant she used it to ensure he could not hear her preparing her weapons. Renton and Marie were looking at everyone. They were very clearly confused, which meant they had no idea any of this was happening.

"Careful Lucius. You are surrounded you know." Jen warned.

Lethen had his sword and shield at the ready with a look showing he was prepared to kill. Paul had his bow with an arrow prepared and leveled at his head. Mia had gotten into a ready position. Only Jen did not have a weapon in her hand.

"W-w-wait!" Marie stuttered. "Surely we can talk about this…""

"Yeah, we don't have to come to blows you know!" Renton agreed.

"Quiet." Jen commanded in a deadly tone. She waved her left hand towards the warrior and mage. A small light flashed from the back of her hand, and the two individuals' eyes rolled into the backs of their heads as they crumpled to the ground.

"Jen…" Lucius mumbled.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, kid. You see…" Jen said with a cool smile as she showed the back of her left hand. "I'm a Marked One too."

Sure enough, there was a symbol that looked to be tattooed on the back of her left hand. It was something he had never seen before. After all the time they spent together, Lucius was sure he would have remembered seeing that.

"You see, Lucius. I possess the Mark of the Mind." Jen explained. "I can make people see things I want them to see. Hear things I want them to hear… forget things I want them to forget. The minds of man, elf, and beast are my playthings."

"Is that so?" The boy growled.

"Yes! Exciting isn't it… however, since I'm in a sharing mood, I will reveal one more thing." Jen offered.

Her hand reached into a small pocket on her breast. In it was a strange golden oval with a series of multicolored crystals inlaid within it. At the center of the object was a singular, clear gem. It would almost be invisible were it not for the reflection of the light.

Currently, the multi-colored crystals around the clear one were glowing, but with a simple brush of her fingertips, they darkened. Jen's very visage seemed to quiver and fade. Where the proud human warrior once stood, was a beautiful elf with black hair and amber colored eyes. She was striking, but despite her change in appearance, it was still Jen. There was no way to hide that fact.

"You know, I really do like you Lucius. I even made sure your mark was hidden after you registered it. That took a loft effort. You should thank me… though it seems my efforts to shield you from scrutiny were undone by your own stupidity." Jen said with a sigh.

"Why…how…"

"That Andre fellow… he was very interested in Rena, so we were hired to tag along and see how things were. We were supposed to kill her, but we took a liking to the two of you. Honestly we were on the verge of canceling the contract before the war started. What a shame that was. We could have kept adventuring… maybe even brought you into the business… you'd be good at it, you know."

Lucius treated her to the most threatening glare he could muster. Mana seemed to pour off of him in amounts that would shock even Kalivas.

"Yeah, Yeah… Oh! Allow me to reintroduce myself. The woman you once knew as Jen was simply the product of a wonderful item from Aedrider. Nice to meet you Lucius… I am Shiyani, and I will be your downfall."

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