"Mmhmm."
Marcus woke up to a night sky brimming with stars. He got up worried that his father had left him for falling asleep. It wouldn't be the first time he'd done such a thing and disguised it as 'training'. Luckily when he looked to his right he saw his father sitting down beside a tree with his eyes closed.
"Hm. You're awake now huh?"
Liam opened his eyes and got up from beside the tree to pull his son up.
Taking his father's hand, Marcus noticed that he looked extremely exhausted. His skin was slightly paler than normal and when he grabbed his hand, they were drenched in sweat. His hands weren't the only thing drenched in sweat either because he also noticed his father's black shirt had sweat stains all along the front, back, and under his arms.
Deciding to inquire about his father's state first and ask about the 'vision' later he opened his mouth to ask his father a question.
"Dad what-"
But before Marcus could finish speaking, a voice rang out in his head.
"Hello child and welcome to Terra."
Marcus was alarmed at first by the voice in his head and looked to his father to see if he could hear the voice as well.
His father raised a hand and spoke.
"Just let the voice finish son. Don't worry, it'll finish up soon."
"Initializing status for... 'Marcus Crow'."
The next second a blue screen wove into existence in front of Marcus.
------------------
Str = 20
Mag = 5
Dex = 15
Spd = 20
Def = 10
Res = 5
Lck = 0
Health = 200/200
Class = Unavailable
Rank: Novice
Mage Arts: None
Elemental Affinity: Shadows
------------------
"Woah."
Marcus was mesmerized by the blue screen that appeared out of thin air. He looked to his father to see if he could see the screen as well.
To this, his father only shook his head.
"I can't see your little status screen unless you allow me to," Liam answered his son's questioning face. " To share your screen, just think about it and the person you wish to share it with."
Marcus followed his father's instructions and the screened appeared in front of Liam as well.
"Hm... not bad but not anything special either."
Marcus normally would have been despondent about his father's remark but he was too excited at the moment to really care what his father thought.
Then it hit Marcus. Had his mom, sister and father had access to this 'Terra system' all along?
"Dad do you, mom, and Alicia also have a uh... 'Terra system'?"
Liam looked to his son.
"Yes, we all have access to Terra and you were the last one to gain access," Liam replied. "Also just call it Terra."
"Okay."
Marcus was a little disappointed he gained access to Terra later than Alicia but didn't think too much about it. After all, he was sure his stats were way better than hers.
Speaking of stats, Marcus started to wonder about his parents' stats as well. More importantly, his father's stats.
"Dad can you show-"
Marcus was abruptly interrupted by his and his father's rings turning a bright red color.
Marcus didn't know what this meant so he looked to his father for an explanation but what he saw left him feeling anxious and fearful.
His father's face went cold. His eyes and hair color went back to the jet black color they normally were and it made him look demonic. The exhaustion immediately left his body and was instead replaced by a silently brewing rage.
The tension in the air was palpable. His father did not speak, and he did not put on a disgusted expression like earlier. Instead he just stood there silently, menacingly.
In the next moment, Liam looked toward his son and spoke only two words. Those two words being the only thing he seemed capable of saying in his state of unyielding rage.
"We're leaving."
The words weren't forceful or authoritative. Nor were they loud and full of anger or disgust. Instead, they contained a biting cold to them that left no room for argument or resistance.
Marcus didn't even reply to his father. Choosing instead to just follow his lead and only speak if spoken to.
In the next moment, Liam's hand rose in the air and all shadows in the surrounding forest coalesced to create a giant bird. The bird was pitch black from head to toe and it's eyes were completely devoid of life and only stared out into space.
It was a disturbing sight to see such a creature stare back at you. It possessed no emotions or will of its own. Just a lifeless husk created to do its masters bidding, and a husk that took little to no effort to create on his father's part. It made Marcus wonder if there were others who could do the same. Create puppets from thin air and use them to do their bidding. The thought made Marcus slightly unnerved.
After summoning the bird, which seemed to resemble a Crow, Marcus's father closed his eyes. Once his eyes were closed, grey and black orbs of mana started to levitate around him and soon enough he was covered in the orbs and a fearsome armor took the their place.
The armor suited Liam perfectly. It resembled that of a knight's armor, except the armor was pitch-black. It gave Marcus's father the image of a death knight whose only purpose was to reap the lives of his enemies.
Along the torso portion of the armor were small-gold engravings that took the shape of miniature scythes. The armor that covered his father's arms had gold rings embedded along the side that swung around occasionally but for some reason didn't make a sound. The armor that covered his legs and feet had similar rings along the calf area and the boots had a rather sharp point at the end.
Marcus had never seen his father's armor before and was quite taken aback by how fearsome he looked.
It was different from what he was used to.
Marcus's image of his father had always remained that of a father who doted on his daughter, a father who at times could be strict but also fair, and a man who loved his family wholeheartedly.
However, the man before him resembled none of those things. To Marcus, the man before him looked like the devil. Though he wore no helmet and allowed Marcus to see his face, the face he saw could only be described as malevolent.
The man before him had his father's face but he could not recognize him as such.