Startled, Marcus jumped to his feet. The book came loose from his bony hands and fell to the floor with a thud. He was so bewildered he didn't even know what to think. After a couple of seconds, he sat back down on the couch and remained for a long time doing nothing. Just staring at the message in front of his empty eye sockets as he thought about what he should do.
'What the f**k is this guy up to?' Was the first thing Marcus asked himself. Although the Monarch of the Eternal Garden had communicated with him many times through the system, this was the first time the entity had done something like this. This was not a decision he could take lightly.
In the past few months since he had learned of its existence, Marcus had come to have a slight understanding of the Monarch's personality. To the entity, he was nothing more than mere entertainment. Something to kill its boredom or pass the time. There was no way the Monarch would give him a gift for no reason.
