The dark night creeped up on Mark once again.Deep inside the motel,Mark and Lucia's room was dimly lit, the only sound the gentle hum of the shower running in the background.
Mark sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on the bathroom door as he gathered the courage to reveal the truth to Lucia.
As he waited for Lucia to emerge from the shower, Mark's mind raced with the weight of his discovery. He had to tell her everything - the curse, the mark, the desperate plan he had concocted to free himself from its grasp.
But how could he expect her to understand? The words felt like ash in his mouth, bitter and unpalatable.Mark recalled his research, he remembered how his eyes had devoured the ancient texts, the words blurring together like a madman's scrawl.
His mind had raced with the stark truth: the cursed mark could only be transferred to another person if they killed the bearer of the mark.
This would mean that Mark had to surrender to death's cold embrace. The weight of this knowledge crushed him, suffocating him like a physical force.
Yet,the mark's dark influence was corroding his connection to his powers, his Soul Blade slipping further from his grasp with each passing moment.
With a sense of desperate resolve, Mark rose from the bed as he paced around the room, his movements stiff and labored. He felt like a puppet with severed strings, his limbs jerking in awkward spasms.
The room around him seemed to be spinning like a kaleidoscope of colors blurring together in a mad dance. He stumbled, his vision blurring, as he collapsed onto a nearby chair, the wood creaking in protest.
The shower finally turned off, and the bathroom door creaked open. Lucia stepped out, her hair wrapped in a towel, her skin glowing with a soft, golden light. Mark's heart skipped a beat as she approached him, her eyes sparkling with a gentle concern.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice soft and soothing.
Mark's gaze dropped, his eyes fixed on the mark that seemed to mock him with its presence. He took a deep breath, his hands trembling as he reached for the hem of his shirt.
"Lucia, I need to show you something," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Slowly, he lifted his shirt over his head, revealing the mark that seemed to burn with an otherworldly energy. Lucia's eyes widened as she took in the sight, her face pale.
"What is that?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
Mark's eyes locked onto hers, his gaze pleading for understanding. "It's the mark of Cain," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. "I got it when I killed him to save you."
Lucia's eyes seemed to bore into his soul, her expression a mix of horror and compassion. "What does it mean?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Mark's voice was barely audible. "It means I'm cursed, Lucia. And the only way to get rid of it is for someone else to kill me.
Mark's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on some point beyond Lucia's shoulder. "I can sense them, Lucia. The demons. They're closing in on our location with an unholy presence."
Lucia's heart raced as Mark pulled out his Soul Blade, its dark energy pulsating with a malignant force. "What do you need me to do, Mark?"
Mark's eyes locked onto hers, his gaze intense. "I need you to take my Soul Blade, Lucia. It's the only way to shield you from the demonic horde."
Lucia's eyes widened in fear. "But how? I don't know if I can wield it."
Mark's face was grim. "You don't have a choice, Lucia. You have to try. The Blade will either attune itself to you or reject you. If it attunes itself, it will grant you the power to vanquish our enemies. But if it rejects you..."
Lucia's voice was barely audible. "What happens if it rejects me?"
Mark's eyes were bleak. "You'll either end up dead or have a near death experience.Even if you're accepted, you'll feel a fleeting sense of mortal peril. Your soul will briefly vacate your body, but then you'll be returned.Your mind and body will be infused with the power of the Death Marksman."
Lucia's footsteps echoed through the silence as she approached Mark with a sense of trepidation. Her hand extended, hesitating for a moment, before her fingers wrapped around the hilt of the Soul Blade. The metal felt cool to the touch, its dark energy pulsing with an otherworldly power.
As her grasp tightened, Lucia's eyes locked onto Mark's, searching for a sign, any indication that the blade had acknowledged her presence. But there was nothing. No spark, no glow, no whisper in her mind. She was about to turn to Mark, to confide in him that the blade felt lifeless in her hand, when a strange sensation washed over her.
Lucia's vision blurred, her body began to fade, and she felt herself being pulled out of her physical form. She was floating, her astral body hovering above the room, her hand still clutching the Soul Blade. The world around her was a kaleidoscope of colors, a swirling vortex of energy and light.
And then, in the blink of an eye, she was back. Her body solidified, her senses snapped back into focus, and she felt a surge of power course through her veins like a river of fire. The Soul Blade hummed in her hand, its energy pulsating with an intensity that left her breathless.
The Soul Blade had accepted her, and she had become a part of something greater than herself.She noticed how the world around her seemed to vibrate.
Lucia's eyes widened as she felt the sudden jolt of energy course through her body .It returned her to the real world once more. She looked at Mark, her gaze locking onto his, and saw the hint of a smile on his face.
"You felt it, didn't you?" Mark asked, his voice low and husky.
Lucia nodded, her breath catching in her throat. "I...I felt something," she stammered. "I was in my astral form, and then...and then I was back in my body."
Mark's smile grew wider. "The Soul Blade has accepted you, Lucia. You're now a wielder of its power."
Lucia's eyes dropped to the blade still clutched in her hand, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She could feel the power coursing through her veins, a strange and exhilarating sensation.
"What does this mean?" Lucia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Mark's eyes gleamed with intensity. "It means you're now a part of something bigger than yourself, Lucia. You're a part of the world of the Death Marksman."
Lucia's heart raced as she looked at Mark, her mind reeling with the implications. She knew that her life would never be the same again, that she had been temporarily changed by the power of the Soul Blade.