Marcus stood in the middle of his office at the Citadel, gazing around the room that had been both his sanctuary and his battlefield for so many years. The walls, once adorned with maps, mission reports, and personal mementos, now looked bare and lifeless. Each item he placed in the moving boxes brought back a flood of memories.
As he carefully packed away a framed photo of his first successful mission, a smile tugged at his lips. It had been a simpler time, filled with camaraderie and the thrill of adventure.
He moved on to a stack of reports, each detailing a mission that had left its mark on him. He picked up one with a bloodstained corner, recalling the harrowing encounter with a rogue vampire clan in Evernight. The battle had been fierce, and they had lost good people that night. He had held Kento back from a reckless charge, saving his life but bearing the weight of the lives they couldn't save.
