Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Lucius woke up earlier than he had ever done before. The morning sun's light had not even risen, yet the boy moved quietly about his home, full of energy and excitement.

After three years of begging and pleading with his father to teach him, today was the day that he would finally learn how to fight with a weapon. He was still too young to earn the right to be taught magic, but the sword could be taught at any time.

Wayne had cautioned his son that while he could teach many weapons, his specialty was with a sword and shield. As such, his Weapon Arts only worked for those items. If Lucius did not possess his natural Compatibilities with swords and shields, then he would never be able to progress further than an average person.

Wayne had other men under his command with different Compatibilities, but whether or not they would help train Lucius was another story. While they respected Wayne as their leader, he could not force them to change how they felt about Marked Ones or half-bloods. Unfortunately, Lucius was both.

Wayne groggily stepped out of his bedroom and proceeded to use the coals still heating the home overnight to boil some water for a quick cup of coffee. He and Rubellia used to work opposite shifts from each other, but since Lucius started going to the manor with them, they no longer needed this exception.

Lucius had also been extremely careful to avoid coming into contact with anyone with red hair. A few times, he almost ran into the girl he saw in the gazebo, but he managed to run away before she found him.

On a handful of occasions, he had almost run into a scary-looking man with red hair as well. His eyes seemed to pierce through anyone he deigned to look upon. Lucius managed to avoid this man every time as well.

Talking with his mother, he learned that the scary man with red hair was the lord of the house. He also learned that while he was allowed on the property, now that it was common knowledge that he was a Marked One, he should never interact with the lord. It seemed to the Lord that he was content to ignore that which he could plead ignorance of.

"Lucius. Come."

Wayne had finished his cup of coffee and dawned a set of hunting gear. Lucius was already dressed in his own hunting clothes and eagerly followed his father outside.

The trees had begun to turn their leaves beautiful shades of oranges and reds, though not many had started to fall upon the ground. The beginning of autumn had started to arrive, which meant that monsters were going to start becoming more active in their territories as food sources became more scarce.

This was exactly what Wayne was waiting for, though, since he needed an example to show his son the dangers of the world. Lucius had witnessed his father's sparring and felt fear at the time, but even Lucius had learned over time that it was nothing compared to what the real world had to offer.

His father told him that at the beginning of Autumn, the parents of the villages around the Petra domain would walk their children into the wilds, leave them, and wait for them to find their way home.

It was a right of passage in the Petra domain, one that ensured only the best warriors would make it. Not every child went through this. However, only those interested in learning Weapon Arts or Magic took this test. This was true for any child who turned nine years old by the day of the ceremony.

Lucius had only turned seven just a few days ago, so he had time, but he knew his father was resolute in getting him started so that he could survive.

"Do you know why I wanted to bring you to the woods?" Wayne asked to break the silence. They had been walking for a few miles by now, and the question broke Lucius out of his own little world.

"So I can know what monsters are like and know what I will face in the test," Lucius answered proudly.

Wayne's face became grim, though Lucius was walking a little behind him and was not able to see his father's expression.

"Something like that."

As they continued walking, the edge of the forest grew closer and closer. Something ominous hung in the air, and the feeling made Lucius's hair stand on end. The back of his neck and all of his arms almost bristled. His pupils darted back and forth and his sense of smell seemed to improve.

Wayne noticed his son's demeanor change and nodded approvingly, "Good. You sense trouble. That will keep you alive. It must be the beastman instinct you were born with."

Lucius looked to his father, who now held out the handle of a weapon for him. Lucius' instincts were in overdrive at the moment, but he slowly began to breathe to try and settle them a little before grabbing the sword from his father. It was more like a dagger to Wayne, but in the hands of a seven-year-old boy, it might as well have been called a sword.

The boy fastened the sheathe to his hips and had his father double-check to ensure it was secure. When Wayne was satisfied with Lucius' equipment, he led them past the tree line and into the forest proper.

Lucius's ears seemed to twitch at every sound. Every branch snapped, every rustling blade of grass, each sound felt like it could be the source of untold horrors. Wayne simply observed the boy, but said nothing to correct his behaviors.

They continued on for a few more hours before they came across a corpse. It was older and had already been swarmed by insects. The mass was black and gray and twice the size of a normal wolf. Yet it still possessed a wolf-shaped face and paws. Its fangs seemed as long as Lucius' weapon.

"Father, what is that?"

"A Dire Wolf. It is a C-Rank threat normally. Rather common in the woods, though rarely this far out. This one is just a pup, so it was probably more like a D or E-Rank threat at its level."

Lucius gulped. He could not believe his father had called this monstrosity a 'pup.' To the boy, this was an insurmountable wall of power. Despite his trepidation, he moved to the other side of the corpse to inspect it.

The belly had several different kinds of wounds in it, and so did the head and neck. Even to Lucius' untrained eyes, he could tell the beast was swarmed by something.

"It's the trial participants. Seems the ones that took down this beast all survived. I don't see any human corpses…and if it's this close to the entrance of the woods, then they likely already made their way out."

Lucius felt fear grip his heart at the possibility of having to fight a monster like this himself in two years. He did not know if he could do it, but he would have to if he wanted to be like his father.

"Come on, Lucius. I have more to show you deeper in the woods."

"Are we not going to train with the sword? And should we be here? What if we run into kids taking the trial?"

Wayne locked eyes with his son. "I'll teach you to use the sword once you learn its purpose. Come on."

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