Immortal || ONC 2021-COMPLETE

Chapter 2

Marcus groaned as he pushed himself up, blood trickling down the side of his face. He'd never been one to instigate fights as a kid, but he had been involved in the occasional scrap with other village kids. Usually, those ended up with everyone involved crying on the ground with nosebleeds. He got up, momentarily unbalanced, then focused on the man in front of him.

Something in his face must've disturbed the man, he hesitated. This gave Marcus enough time to make his move. He had kept some dirt in his hand when he fell. Marcus threw the dirt in the man's good eye, and barreled into the other bigger man, knocking him over. It wasn't much but it distracted them enough for Marcus to grab Gordon by the hand and start running.

He didn't like the feeling of running away from them, but he didn't trust his abilities enough to fight them and protect his brother at the same time. As the two ran, Marcus didn't notice his older brother watching him curiously.

Some time later, the two stopped running and dropped to their hands and knees, trying to catch their breath.

"Do you." Gordon spoke between gasps, "think they" more huffing, "followed us?"

Marcus surveyed their immediate area. He didn't see anything, and couldn't hear any footsteps. "They probably got bored with us." He breathed, hopefully.

Just as soon as he thought they were in the clear, the feeling of cold steel pressing against his skin, told him he was dead wrong.

"Ah," he paused, breath slowing "shit." He looked over at Gordon, whose face was a pale white as he watched his brother.

"Look kid, you should've just given us the money." One eye said. "Because now, we're pissed. And that means you need to die." The blade started pressing into his neck. Blood trickled down his neck and his pulse, just centimetres from the blade, started beating erratically.

"Gordon," he looked at his brother, certain this would be his last chance to say something. "Run."

He grabbed One-eye's wrist, the one holding the sword, he wasn't sure what he was doing but there was a shift in his energy. A sharp electric energy started coursing through his body and sparks flowed from his fingertips.

"What the?" One-eye faltered when he saw the sparks. Marcus stayed there, uncertain of what to do next. Fortunately, One-eye didn't get a chance to act on Marcus's hesitation. A blade came out of nowhere and slid seamlessly through his neck, ending his sleazy existence.

"Ah!" Marcus yelled, startled at the head that rolled by his feet. He looked up to see a man holding a long sword, dripping with blood. The man looked at it in distaste and wiped it with a cloth.

Marcus stayed where he was still confused. Fortunately, Gordon filled in the blanks for him. "It's one of the Patrol Knights! We're saved!"

Marcus stood up to greet the man, legs shaking visibly.

The man chuckled, "Don't worry about that, it's just the adrenaline leaving your body. Hey there, my name's Garrett." He offered Marcus a hand.

Marcus shook it, still in shock. When they let go, he looked at his own hand, remembering what had just happened.

"Thanks for stalling those guys, we've been looking for them for days. They've been causing all kinds of havoc in these parts." Garrett said. Marcus remembered the other man, the bigger one. He looked around and saw another patrol knight tying the man up, he looked relatively unharmed.

"Thank you so much, sir!" Gordon knelt in front of the knight. Patrol knights, although not the most respected knights, were still highly revered. Theirs was a dangerous job. Marcus realized he hasn't paid any sort of respect to the man.

"Oh, uh, right, th-thank you, sir." He stumbled, trying to copy his brother. Garrett stopped him.

"No need for that friend, you did us a favour."

As they talked, one of the patrol knights came by and slathered some cool salve on his neck and head. It soothed the pain and slowed his bleeding.

"So where are you guys headed?" he heard Garrett ask. The medic knight had told Marcus he was in shock and told him to sit down. He stayed there, head in hands listening to the conversation.

"Oh we're going to the capital sir, I've been accepted for training!" Gordon said, obviously proud of himself.

"That's fantastic, good for you." Garrett said, "And him, is he your bodyguard?" he joked.

"That's my younger brother sir, he's going for the advanced testing. He just turned sixteen last week." Gordon said. His voice trailed off as he got lost in his own thoughts for a moment.

Garrett excused himself from Gordon and went up to Marcus. "How're you feeling kid?" he asked, noticing Marcus staring at his hand.

"Huh? Oh, I'm doing alright. Sorry, I'm not really acting myself." He said quietly.

"No worries, you've been through an ordeal," Garrett said. In truth, it wasn't the fight or the near-death experience that had shaken Marcus to his core. It was the surge of power that he had felt. The electrifying feeling bursting through his fingertips. It was unlike anything he had felt before in his life. It was hot as fire, cold as ice, and the most incredible thing he had ever experienced.

Was that...magic?

Garrett sat beside Marcus, he glanced down at Marcus's hand, an uncertain look on his face. He lowered his voice as he spoke. "Listen, Marcus, I don't know you, or your story, but do yourself a favour." He looked at Marcus, a warning in his eyes. What he said next frightened Marcus deeply, "Don't take the magic exam." At that, he stood up and went to instruct his fellow patrol knights on what to do next.

***

The patrol knights decided to escort Marcus and Gordon to the capital since they were already headed that way. Gordon spent his time talking with some of the knights, interested in learning more about their medical department and the advances they've made recently. Marcus stayed silent for the most part, considering the past day. What had Garrett meant when he said that? Was there something wrong with using magic? He had always been taught to believe that someone who could use magic was a rare and beautiful thing. Was there something sinister going on in the capital?

Was that even magic? Marcus had no idea, it was something he had never experienced before. This situation brought his mother's words back to mind. I won't contain your power anymore. Is this what she meant? Was she somehow preventing him from realizing there was more to his existence than a poor, unskilled boy who couldn't even read? Anger rose up at this realization. How could she? And why? His whole life, he's felt like nothing more than a useless burden with no purpose.

He looked up at Garrett, who was leading the group and whistling a merry tune. Resolved, Marcus approached Garrett, question in mind. Before he spoke, Garrett started.

"I'm sure you've heard of the mysterious mages in the kingdom right? These people are known across the land, beloved and cherished." He paused, speaking as if he was simply reciting history. "Mages used to be so common in our lands. In fact, it was rarer to not have magic. But over time, they started dying off, breeding with the magicless and losing their abilities." He took a drink of water from his canteen.

"That's the story anyway. No one really knows what truly happened. In any case, they're rare and very special." He looked at Marcus. "The capital would do just about anything to utilize the wonderful powers of a mage." His last words had a strange tone to them. Another warning?

Marcus frowned, considering this. Garrett offered him a drink, he took it gladly, not realizing how thirsty he was.

"They would do anything huh?" Marcus mused quietly.

Garrett pursed his lips in response and continued on in silence. Marcus looked back down at his hand. Life had suddenly become chaotic and confusing, but based on how Garrett was talking to him one thing was certain. 

He had used magic.