Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

King Aleksander Verall von Arcadios sat on his throne. Though the presence he exuded was one of power and strength, upon closer inspection, one would see worry lines creasing his brow. They would see the small beads of sweat forming. They would witness the pallid nature of his skin.

From a far enough distance, King Aleksander looked as regal as ever. As such, the messengers delivering him notices from Lucius's escapades in Aedrider were unphased by the impact their words had on the King.

Silence hung in the air while Aleksander processed the information. He had just learned that Lucius's group was attacked, and one of their number was kidnapped. Specifically, it was the Gray Wolf who seemed to be rather close with the young man.

Aleksander was already not enthused by the idea of sending Lucius on a mission to Aedrider. With his destructive tendencies, he was worried about how his behavior might reflect on Arcadios. Even though he was a citizen of Eroa, it was Arcadios who sent him on his way.

To make matters worse, the young man went on a small rampage and almost destroyed an entire inn out of frustration. A future where someone of his rank were to advance shook Aleksander to his core.

At only Intermediate Rank, Lucius could contend with Advance Rankers and some Master Rankers. On top of that, he had an attack that was capable of severely injuring a King Ranker. Though much of the information about that skill, save for its overwhelming power and its name, [Overcharge], was unknown.

It likely had many limitations for him, but it would not be long before those limitations were pointless.

Aleksander waved his hand to dismiss the messenger. The moment they had left the room, he stood and exited the throne room from a side door behind and to the right of the throne itself. This was his private entrance into the room that was saved for his use and the use of his wife.

The only person that was allowed entry besides them was his steward and that was only when accompanied by the King or his Queen.

"What are your thoughts on the matter, your highness?" His steward asked.

"I think we predicted something like this to occur. However, there is nothing we can do for the moment but sit and watch. How are things going with our… guests?"

"The temporary residents in the Oracle's tower seem to be doing adequately. Lord Carmichael has taken it upon himself to occupy the rooms at the base of the tower all on his own. He claims he needed them for research. I should note that it seems that he has used Earth Magic to reform the rooms into a single large one."

Aleksander sighed. "Let the man do as he pleases. We know he would, anyway. Has anyone tried to ascend the tower?"

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"No. Lord Carmichael forbids those who are not currently residing there to pass his ever-watchful gaze. I doubt we need to worry about the church attempting anything."

The King nodded in understanding. The Church of Celestia pushed very hard to get him to agree to Aedrider's request for Lucius' help. They also pushed to ensure that his wife stayed within their borders. At first, when the royal family pressed for information as to the wish for Lady Rena Kane to stay behind, they refused to answer clearly.

Thankfully, their own spies were able to intercept communications among the clergy. The information they collected claimed that the young lady was expecting Lucius' first child.

Once again, the prophecy quoted all those years ago played in his brain. But at what point will they have to stop bowing to the whims of this boy? At what point do they simply say enough is enough, and they put Lucius Kane in his place? At what point does his existence embolden others like him to think they can be the same?

Aleksander understood the sentiment behind the church's actions. Every day that Lucius stays within their borders, the more likely the Marked Ones in their own nation would assume they can achieve something like him. The fact that he is a noble of a different nation would mean nothing to the uneducated masses.

All they recognize is that he was a noble, he was a Marked One, and he was living in Arcadios.

It was an extremely dangerous and ugly precedent to set. The only person in the Union who could help him figure out how to solve this situation as amicably as possible was away from her palace at the moment. Currently, Lady Voltara al Famyn was away on business and it was her niece, Lady Elize al Famyn, currently leading things in the Wisteria Concord.

"Hm. Can they even be trusted anymore?" Aleksander mused allowed.

"Sire?"

"Wisteria Concord. Can they be trusted? Surely you've heard about the historical revelation that Lucius Kane dropped at the academy before leaving? The history behind House Kane. It is said that they gave up rights to the lands that eventually became the Wisteria Concord. if they did not do that, the country as it is today would not exist.

Did they know?" Aleksander questioned.

The more he thought about it, the more he was concerned for the truth. Did the Wisteria Concord still hold loyalty to their founding house? Surely not… surely, they would not… but they could, and they would. Wisteria Concord is well known for its information gathering, after all. Who was to say that they haven't known this entire time and were waiting for the return of House Kane.

Or maybe in learning House Kane still existed, they shifted their loyalty?

"Investigate them. I don't care about the cost. I want our best. I want mercenaries. I want information brokers. I want to know everything about the Wisteria Concord.

We need to know where their loyalty lies." Aleksander ordered.

"As you wish."

"That's it." Aleksander muttered as the steward bowed and ran off to complete his orders. "Prophecy or no, Lucius is done if he took the Wisteria Concord from the Union. If they betrayed us for him, then anything we do is retribution and not betrayal."

The echoing clicks of his footsteps through the hallways began to unsettle him. Aleksander felt as if there were eyes on him. He turned around carefully, but no one was behind him. Aleksander hurried to race through the hallway. As he turned to face the original direction he was headed, he saw a glimpse of long, flowing black hair and the tips of long, elf ears.

"Guards! Guards! Intruder, intruder!" Aleksander shouted while drawing his sword and backing away from where the elf disappeared. Guards ran to his position, but no sign of the elf appeared again. "The castle, turn every stone. Find that elf with long black hair.

Find them, now!"