Falling further and further all he could do was scream, he fell for what felt like hours, when suddenly he saw light quickly approaching him and landed softly within the light.
It took some time for his eyes to adjust to the blinding light when compared to the total darkness of the previous area but when he looked up all he could see was a smiling face about 2 feet away from him.
"Holy fuck! You sneaky bastard!" Marcus shouted purely out of instinct.
The old man who had been smiling began to laugh as he continued staring at Marcus who was still sprawled on the floor.
"You know, out of all the descendants I have watched throughout the millenia, you are probably the most amusing" he said. "Maybe it's fortunate that it all lead to you, it will be so much more entertaining if the holder has an attitude like yours."
"What are you even talking about Santa?" Marcus asked with a confused face.
The fact he called the old man Santa was actually a perfect description, he looked exactly like Santa Claus. From the big round belly and white beard to the red suit, although the suit was more of a formal one than an actual Santa suit.
"Hahaha, see what I mean? Amusing" the old man responded. "Don't worry I'll give you an explanation in a moment, just trying to maintain the mystique a little longer while I get a good look at you."
He continued staring for another minute while Marcus was even more confused about the old man.
"Damnit, I shouldn't have mentioned the mystique. It's less fun when you know I'm trying to be mysterious" the old man said after a sigh.
"Aren't you going to get up? A bit strange that you haven't even tried and just stayed on the floor." This statement shook Marcus out of the daze he had been in since his less than elegant arrival, and he stood up.
"Ok, now I know you're not mentally broken from the entry let's take this to someplace more scenic." The old man pulled out a strage key and unlocked the only door in now noticably empty room.
The door shimmered slightly as it clicked from being unlocked and the old man swung it open. Behind the door Marcus could see a beautiful beach with a small hut sitting at the border before some woodlands.
Stepping through the door after the old man he felt something strange emitting from every grain of sand and every stone he passed. He was unsure what to make of it but continued to follow his guide towards the hut.
"I know, it feels weird at first but you'll get used to it eventually. I'm aware it's you're first time in contact with magic so this must be overwhelming." The old man narrated without even turning to look at the younger one.
"M-magic? What are you talking about? Magic isn't real, it can't be." Marcus finally spoke 'the old man must have been surviving on hallucinogenic cave mushrooms or something, magic is a children's story it can't possibly be real'
Then looking around himself he also wondered how this beach was so far below his hometown with the sun shining openly in the sky. He couldn't help but doubt himself 'Could it be possible?'
The old man finally looked back and snickered to himself at the look of disbelief on Marcus's face.
"Alright let's go inside and sit down shall we?" He said with a smile, enjoying the dramatic scene of the mystified youth in front of him and opening the door to the hut.
Marcus hesitated a little but eventually entered the small hut only to be shocked by what he saw inside, it was an enormous Hall with 5 doors scattered around each side and beautifully decorated with paintings of wonderful scenery from ancient cities and grand battles.
The hall was circular in shape and was decorated like a medieval living area from a castle or something similar, there were tables with chairs around them, a large fireplace and a few sofas arranged with absolute care and a large and ornately beautiful staircase divided the room in half.
"Please take a seat" the old man pointed to a couple of sofas while sitting himself down and pulling a few cups and a teapot out of thin air "tea?"
Marcus accepted a cup and sat down onto the most comfortable surface he had ever touched, letting out an involuntary moan of comfort.
"I'd give the tea a second it's quite hot" the old man advised.
"Now, first things first. My name is not Santa, it would actually be damn near impossible for you to pronounce my name as humanity has evolved since they last had contact with me and no longer have the organ to make certain noises. You can just call me Lucian, I am a member of the species that history has named the 'powers that were' although we knew ourselves by a different name the same problem from my own name is involved there so we'll stick with the one you can say."
Marcus was shocked, everybody knew the 'powers that were' as the most mysterious civilization of the past as very little information has survived the passage of time since they ruled the world.
As someone who didn't pay attention in school Marcus knew even less than he should but he knew they had a very good reason to have been in control of the world so long ago, with their technology and rumoured abilities rivaling gods.
"Judging by the look on your face you have some understanding of us, though I doubt it's much as not much has survived since the fall of my kind all those eons ago and humanity has unearthed even less."
Lucian sighed at the thought of the people he had lost back then.
"What do you want with me? " Marcus decided to ask why he was here.
"Well, around 20 years before my race fell someone broke one of the sacred laws of my race and bred with a human, this human eventually had children of their own and they too had children, on and on this went through the eons each spreading the genetics of my species, but never being true half breeds. However mathematically speaking when you spread enough genes around the world eventually they will meet each other and create something that has happened before.
This leads me to you, you are a true half breed of this genetic line, a half breed with blood of both humanity and the powers. The one prophesied to drive my species to extinction. The one descended from the greatest heretic of the greatest beings to grace the earth. My one true descendent and heir."
"What the fuck?!" Marcus opened his eyes as wide as they would physically open, this was all too much, too fast.
Just yesterday he was making minimum wage putting the bare minimum effort into his work, and now...
"So I'm half god?" He asked dumbfounded, confused about the implications as he had never developed any kinds of powers or anything else that could imply anything of this kind of heritage.
"No, not half god. God's are barely party magicians compared to the might of my race, you have potential to be so much more than a god, even more that the greatest of my race due to you not having the limitations that are bound to us.
But first I need to give you the spark that will enable you to grow, after all the rising is coming and you need to be ready."
Lucian stated this before suddenly appearing before Marcus and touching him on the brow with his index finger causing the youth to black out.