Marcus would do almost anything requested of him so long as it didn't touch his bottom line, which was now those he cared about. Losing Beatrice was a wake up call to Marcus. Life was a fleeting thing, and truth be told not many knew this better than him. Throughout the years Marcus spent as a slave, he'd seen plenty of people die, and he'd even died himself.
At first, it terrified him to see the atrocities others could commit on one another and he lived in a constant state of fear for awhile. Being isolated in a forest away from everyone else was a huge detriment to Marcus in this regard. He wasn't ready for the horrors of the outside world, but the world didn't care about this and as a result he was thrown directly into the mosh pit.
Luckily, he'd survived and persevered in those three years as a slave. He learned very quickly that it was 'eat or be eaten' and Marcus had no intentions of being eaten. Whether it was befriending Gavin or using others to survive another day, Marcus had done it and came out on top. Because of this, he gradually become accustomed to the cruelty of the world. This caused Marcus to kill off the kind part of himself and embrace his more ruthless side.
Now though, he'd witnessed a woman who, despite him treating her like a nuisance, cared for him regardless of who or what he was, and that changed Marcus more than he'd ever realize. Because of that, he didn't want to hate the few people in the world that actually cared for him. That would mean him breaking the dying woman's dying wish and this was something he couldn't allow.
He still felt somewhat conflicted about his family though due to his unstable emotional state, but he knew it was unfair to be angry with them. Not to mention, he wanted to protect someone else who didn't even share his blood, so how could he promise to protect Beatrice's children if he couldn't even reconcile his emotions with his own family first. It would be utter folly and he knew it.
'I really need to get my emotions under control. I cant let them rule me forever.' Marcus thought to himself.
"You need not worry about me forcing you to kill those you care for boy. What I require of you will involve you having blood on your hands, but that blood will be from our mutual enemies, and I can assure you that your family is not my enemy."
Marcus closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know whether he could trust Nekros, but he was still relieved to hear his words nonetheless. He didn't want to have to kill himself but if the need arose, he would not hesitate. He cherished the life he now held but he also wanted the freedom that came with it.
Marcus went back to staring at the contract's accept option. He knew that after he accepted there would be no turning back and this choice would possibly change his life forever.
'Well its either this or I find another way, but I doubt any other opportunities will be as good as this one.'
With that in mind, Marcus no longer hesitate and clicked 'accept' on the contract's prompt.
Instantly after doing so, he felt something within him change. It felt like something took hold of his very being. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It just felt strange.
It was like a lock of some sort was placed on his very soul. Marcus couldn't confirm this feeling, but it felt like such. He also had an instinctual feeling that trying to interfere with this lock was extremely dangerous. Even the thought of doing so, sent an unconscious shiver down his spine.
Deciding to ignore the feeling, Marcus asked Nekros a question.
"So, what now?"
"Now you train, but first, finish wrapping up your last sentiments with that woman and we will begin once you're finished."
Marcus turned to Beatrice's body. He never forgot about her even throughout the earlier interventions. The woman still had a smile on her face, and despite the state of her body, it seemed that she passed on peacefully. The sun had now risen high enough to shed a bit of light on Marcus and Beatrice's body, and the scene was quite picturesque.
As he stared at the woman, he started to see similarities between herself and his own mother. Beatrice was like a second mother for him. They were both warm and caring and neither would allow any harm to befall their children.
Looking back on it now, his previous thoughts on his family were foolish and unreasonable. He realized then that he really did need training, and not only physical training but mental training as well. He couldn't allow such thoughts to plague his mind if he hoped to accomplish the goals he set for himself.
Eventually, Marcus pulled a shovel from his backpack as he began digging a hole to bury Beatrice's body. He refused to allow those vermin from the swamp a chance to desecrate his 'mother's' body, so he made sure to bury her deep enough so that they wouldn't find it.
After he finished, he pulled out a slightly beaten up purple flower from his bag. The flower was one of the prukade from the shop that Marcus held on to. He placed it on top of her grave as a way of remembering the woman who had treated him just like her own child.
His master hadn't interrupted this process but he felt the need to speak a few words to his disciple. He believed these words would help ground him and possibly help strengthen his mental fortitude.
"Make sure to appreciate and cherish those close to you boy. The power you wield can often make you forget this," Nekros stated. "However, just because the world is a cruel and unforgiving place does not mean that kindness does not exist. After all, you won't meet many others who see you as human. Instead, they will only see another monster, an omen."
Marcus listened to his master words because he knew they were true. After the ring, that hid his true appearance, had fallen off his treatment by the slavers was drastically different. He'd been separated from the main group of slaves and barely kept alive. He was beaten and tortured, and hardly given any food or water. Marcus was lucky enough not to be discovered sooner or he may not have even survived for as long as he had.
Thankfully, he lived long enough to meet someone who never even mentioned him being an omen. It was like the woman hadn't even taken note of his black hair or eyes at all and treated him like any other person.
Beatrice was truly his shining light in the darkness.
Marcus looked on at Beatrice's grave one more time before turning to leave and heading in the opposite direction towards the forest. As he gazed ahead into the wilderness, he couldn't help but wonder what else fate had in store for him now.
***