Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

There was no way he was going to let these emotions show, especially when everyone else around him seemed perfectly at ease. He was starting to wonder why he was the only one reacting this way, when he finally realized that Kalivas was doing this on purpose.

The warrior had sensed their approached and was forcing this aura onto Lucius, likely as sort of intimidation tactic or test. This was proven when they finally came within visual range of a large, muscular man with black, cat ears and a black tail standing in front of a huge, metal gate.

There was no doubt that this being was Kalivas. The moment they stopped and finally began to greet him, the pressure vanished and he lunged at Lucius.

Just in the nick of time, he was able to draw his machete against what appeared to be a large battleaxe that the warrior seemed to be wielding with only one hand, despite it being a two-handed weapon.

It was all that Lucius could do to keep the strikes off him, yet every impact sent shockwaves deep into his bones threatening to rattle him apart.

"[Tempestas: Lightning Charge], [Forsaken Arts: Sandveil]"

The sand their battle kicked into the air began to surround Kalivas\'s face, attempting to choke him out or at least slow him down. Simultaneously, the Lightning Charge amplified Lucius\' speed. He forced the mana to circulate through his whole body, which decreased the speed gain, but allowed him to strengthen his entire self.

"Not bad, try harder." Kalivas laughed out. "[Flamma: Flame Cloak]"

Heat washed over Lucius so intensely he felt as though he had stepped into a blazing inferno. Fire momentarily covered his opponent\'s entire body, turning all the sand from Sand Veil into glass, making it clatter to the ground, no longer affected by the mana.

"What\'s your next move?" Kalivas roared. There was a strange surge of power emanating from his feet as he became faster. Then his already overwhelming strikes began becoming harder to handle.

"Guah!" Lucius spat out a glob of blood as a fist landed into his abdomen.

The strike sent him flying backwards, but instead of knocking the wind out of him, it energized him. Rage enveloped his mind and a darkness seemed to take over his world. Color drained from his surroundings and everything became shades of gray.

He should be despairing, quaking in fear at facing such an overwhelming opponent. In front of him was an obstacle he could not hope to overcome, and yet even Lucius could tell that Kalivas was still holding back, toying with him.

The thought that he was being played with, that his efforts were nothing but a game to someone else… that is what enraged him, what quelled all other emotions… if only he had more power.

\'Now this is interesting… you\'re not quite there, but you are oh so close… here, a taste of what\'s to come.\'

A familiar raspy voice echoed in his mind. From behind it he could almost make out the voice of Luz, but it sounded so distant compared to Grimm, as if it was fading somehow…

The mark on his hand glowed with a deep purple light, completely different from all times before. Even Kalivas seemed intrigued by what was happening, and it made him back off out of caution and curiosity.

The purple light spread to Lucius\' wrist and began to cause a searing, burning pain. He screamed from the intense pain which was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was as if the burning sensation reached into the depths of his soul.

When the light faded and the sensation stopped, the mark on his left hand had grown. What once looked like a symbol depicting a valley, gained new markings that swirled around his hand and wrapped around his wrist.

Though the world around him was now simply shades of gray, his target, Kalivas, the strongest warrior in Eroa was crystal clear. Lucius could see every vein in the man\'s body, witnessed every muscle twitch and jump of his eyes. Everything else lost importance as his sole focus rested on this one, overwhelming opponent.

"[Abyss Break: Demon Sword]"

Tendrils of darkness swirled around his feet, wrapping themselves around his body and enveloping his sword. It grew in length and took on a serrated edge.

"[Forsaken Arts: Mutilation]"

The lightning still dancing around his body from the Lightning Charge became red. The darkness and shadows dancing about his blade also took on a slightly reddish hue.

"Oh now this is interesting… you can use Mana Manipulation on both the Arts and Magic simultaneously… no… it\'s not that, it\'s more like Channeling in nature… you are so close to a breakthrough boy… come at me with everything!"

Reason left Lucius long ago. Currently his body was running on pure instinct. There was no longer any thought to his action, only the desire for the utter annihilation of the man before him. Nothing else existed at this moment.

In an explosion of force that cracked the very ground, Lucius jumped into the air. He came down with a two-handed, overhead strike. Kalivas ran to the right and dodged the hit, forcing the attack into the dirt.

Without a moment\'s break, Lucius followed his opponent and was on top of him. The speed at which he changed direction with such little loss of momentum brought a smile to his enemy\'s face.

"Good! More, show me more, boy!" Kalivas shouted as he brought his axe down from above.

Lucius met the attack with an explosion of mana as he focused his lightning to create a small barrier that deflected the strike. He countered by swinging his machete at Kalivas\' leg in the opening that was created, but the veteran warrior was too quick for that and managed to catch the swing with his bare hands.

The dark energy whirling around Lucius\' blade began to eat away at Kalivas\' flesh, which surprised him and made his eyes widen. It seemed it had been a while since someone injured him, though it was by his own mistake.

"Mmm. I\'ve seen enough. You fight like an animal, but I can work with that… [Axe Arts: Heavy Slam]"

Kalivas swung the flat of his axe into Lucius\' side sending him flying hundreds of feet like bolt from a ballista. Pain became the totality of Lucius\' existence for a moment as he came to a sudden stop, finding himself buried an inch into the stone walls of Fort Sella.

His group of comrades stood staring at him as he managed to pull himself free and fall to the ground. It took every ounce of his remaining strength and willpower to lift his torso off the ground so he could wretch without drowning in his own vomit.

His entire body was drained as his Arts, Magic, and his mark all ceased working. While he waited there, Kalivas approached him.

"Excellent potential, as I expected. I knew I could expect great things from you. It is nice to finally meet you, especially after I was informed of your death." Kalivas was laughing, though Lucius found little about the situation amusing.

When the laughter died down, Kalivas leaned in to him. "I\'m going to train you, boy and while we do that, we have a lot to discuss. Just the two of us."