This lead to Marcus's isolated-imprisonment and likewise current predicament. He was deprived of basic human necessities like food and water and was left to starve and be beaten. This lasted for an unknown amount of time due to Marcus being tortured endlessly with hardly any rest in between beatings. And when he finally thought it was all over and breathed his last, he was forced to wake back up to an even more tortuous and insufferable pain once again.
Pain had been the only constant in Marcus's last three years of life and he hated it. He'd known pain was a necessary part of growth due to his father's teachings, but this was ridiculous. What thirteen year old was ever subject to such copious amounts of pain.
It was unfair.
Why did his family have to be attacked?
Why was he the only one captured and tortured for days on end?
Why did he have to suffer through such torture while Gavin escaped?
Why was he the only one subject to so much pain and misery?
Why was no one else suffering with him?
'WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!'
At some point in Marcus's questioning, he'd started to lose his mind. His questions and thought process underwent a drastic change.
'Why should I be the only one to suffer? Shouldn't everyone else feel this way too?'
To Marcus, this all made perfect sense. If he was going to suffer then so should everyone else.
'It's only fair, right?'
Marcus's thoughts continued to grow darker and darker to the point he started blaming his sister for leaving him. He blamed his father and mother for not protecting him. He blamed Gavin for betraying him and he blamed the world for making him be the only one to suffer.
Marcus's thought process was being corrupted and his thoughts became skewed.
At some point, the pain became inconsequential. It still hurt but it gradually just turned into dull throbs around his body. All he could feel now was anger and resentment.
That's when he heard a voice in his head. A voice he was all too familiar with.
"Hm...good enough," the voice said.
Right after the voice stopped talking, Marcus stood up.
His skin color was still pale but it attained a slight sheen to it. His eyes ,which were originally silver, were now pitch black and the only color that could be seem in them was the white of his sclera. His clothes were also gone now and he stood there naked.
He still had caked vomit that came from his mouth and reached down to his torso, and the numerous lash marks around his body had become permanent scars.
He also remained slightly malnourished but had enough strength now to at least move around.
Then an all too familiar screen popped up to greet Marcus.
"ERROR! ERROR! Anomaly detected!"
The screen started blinking red suddenly and Marcus's face scrunched up due to the voice of the system known as Terra. It was no longer sonorous and smooth but instead loud and grating to the ears.
Marcus was pissed off at the system. Where had it been when he needed it. Why had it decided to show up now and assault his eardrums.
It should be noted that the system was only an amalgamation of numbers and information to help the user understand the powers they wielded, no more and no less. Marcus was just angry and needed something to take it out on.
Just when he closed it to stop the cacophony of sounds blazing in his ears, the voice spoke.
"Pathetic fool."
Marcus closed the system but stopped to listen to the voice. He wasn't at all happy about what the voice had said to him but before he got a chance to speak, the voice continued.
"Do you not remember the lessons your father taught you; that control of one's emotions is necessary to wield such power. You've been bestowed a power none of my other children possess and all you can think about is blaming others for your own misfortune."
The voice let out a long drawn out breath.
By this point, Marcus was livid. Who was this voice to say it knew anything about Marcus's life and how could it sit here and lecture Marcus after all the pain and misery he'd been through.
The voice heaved a sigh.
Marcus once again tried to speak.
"FUC-"
"Silence."
Only one word was spoken. That one word forced Marcus to remain silent. He tried to speak but was unable to do so. As a result, he stared at no direction in particular and glared at the direction he thought the voice was in. He may not have known where the voice came from but judging by previous events he knew the voice could at least see him.
"Do you believe yourself the only one to have suffered? To be the only creature to ever endure hardships, " the voice scoffed after this. " Sure, you've experienced pain that few others can never hope to endure, but allowing that pain to rule over you is nothing but pure folly."
Marcus had no choice but to listen to the voice's words due to being unable to speak but he was fuming on the inside. He wanted nothing more than to curse the voice that had made him listen to its rambling.
The voice knew this of course but he hardly cared. Marcus had clearly been sheltered for too long and as a result felt the world owed him something. A thought process like that was only going to get you killed and the voice didn't waste one of its few remaining blessing just for him to die. So, he took another approach and decided to ask Marcus a question.
"Tell me boy, do you intend to allow those who have wronged you to go on about their lives as if nothing happened?
That question struck a chord with Marcus and temporarily knocked him out of his indignant state.
The voice realized he had achieved his goal in refocusing Marcus, so he pressed forward.
"Do you intend to let those who attacked your family go on about their lives as if nothing happened? And speaking of your family, you aren't even certain if they are dead or alive. Do you really have the time to sit here and cry like a petulant child that's been deprived of his toy?"
Marcus was once again angered by the voice talking down to him as if he were a child but he knew deep down that it was right. Marcus hadn't done anything but get angry and complain like a child after all. He'd been reacting to all the events that had been happening so far instead of being proactive and trying to prevent said events in the first place.
This frustrated him to no end. He knew that being prepared was much better than not but in the context of attaining power, he had no clue where to start. He had done basic training with his father that allowed his body to remain in an optimal state, but beyond that he had no clue as to how to progress with mana or 'Terra'. He was lost and this just made him angrier.
The voice just studied Marcus from wherever it was. It watched as Marcus went through his thought process and when it looked as though he was lost, it spoke to him.
"I can provide you the power you seek to accomplish your goals. Hell I already have, all you need is a bit of guidance and who better than I to provide it."
Marcus's face went from contemplative to surprised.
If the voice hadn't gotten Marcus's attention before, he most definitely had it now and the voice new it. After all, it wasn't very hard to read a child's facial expressions because they always gave themselves away with it.
"Good, you've finally calmed down and started to listen. Now boy, are you ready to sign a contract with me."
Marcus grew confused at the mention of a contract. What did such a thing have to do with him and why was the voice suddenly bringing it up now. He may have experienced pain and seen a part of the ugly side of the world but he still was a naïve little child to the voice.
The voice let out another drawn out breath. It seemed it'd be doing this a lot when it came to this child.
"First things first, I need to teach you one of the most important lessons you'll ever learn in this world."
The voice paused as Marcus waited for it to speak again.
"Nothing in this world is free."