Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

In a massive room atop one of the tallest towers of Arcadios's royal palace a gathering of friends and family. Adellia smiled at having a much larger group of people close to her than she ever thought imaginable. Once upon a time, she only had her mother and her grandfather to interact with. Now she had so many people in her life that filled it with happiness and joy.

Chief among them right now was a beautiful red-headed girl named Rena. She moved into the tower after Lucius was sent to Aedrider and quickly became an important person in her life. Not only was she a very close friend of her daughter, but the young woman ended up marrying her long-lost son, Lucius.

Now, that young woman was carrying the breath of new life within her. Adellia felt her heart swell that the prospect of holding her first grandchild. Would they look like Lucius? Would any part of them look like her?

"Have you heard the recent news out of Aedrider?" A man said as he entered the room, slowly putting down a shield and leaning it against the wall next to the door. The man in question was Derrik, Natali's father.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Derrik was a good friend of Adellia ever since their entire family moved into the tower with her. He was a simple man who worked hard to provide for his family in any way he could. He was also an exceptionally doting father and adored his dear daughter more than life itself. Mylene and him had tried for a few years for another child, but were never graced with another during that time.

Rena breathed apprehensively before asking, "What have you heard? I don't get out to the markets much these days, let alone descending the tower."

Rena gently rubbed her belly which had grown in size to accommodate the young life within her. It had been a little over five months since Lucius left which meant she did not have much longer to go. He promised to return to her before the birth and she held on to that hope to this day.

"Well news is a little hard to come by," Derrik sighed, realizing his mistake. However, now that Rena had a vested interest, he had to keep going. "The border is still locked down, so not a lot of information is flowing. Rumor has it the country has been plagued by a number of small calamities lately.

"For starters, a town was wiped off the map. Then a major river flooded, wiping out a large number of soldiers and villages along its edge. Recently there have even been rumors heavy storms and rainfall causing wildfires near forested areas… it's a mess." Derrik sighed once more. "I haven't heard much more than that…"

For a moment he had a guilty look on his face, but when he saw that none of the women in the room looked concerned, it changed to one of confusion. Rena had a smile on her own as she gently rubbed her stomach and began whispering something to herself. Just as he was about to say something, Lyrah interrupted with a giggle.

Adellia glanced with mild concern between Mylene and Rubellia, hoping they knew why it was that her daughter was laughing. Before she could say anything, Lyrah stopped and voiced in a teasing tone, "My, my… to think Rena would become such a doting mother. Natali, do you think you'll be just as sweet when my brother gives you a child?"

Natali's face turned several shades deeper than her pale, white skin was normally. Rena froze for a moment before beginning to laugh. Even Mylene had been used to it at this point and also joined in. Rubellia and Adellia were the only two who sighed. Meanwhile, Derrik's face also turned red in color, though for a slightly different reason.

"I will have no such thing!" He shouted, "No man is going to take away my daughter's purity. Let alone a man who is already married and has a child on the way! He would have to fight me first! I'll take him out and show him that he cannot simply womanize his way through the kingdoms!"

The door to the tower room opened slowly. From behind Derrik's average frame, a massive man with tan skin and black hair stepped forward. He placed his hand firmly on Derrik's shoulder. Kalivas's black ears twitched while his tail flicked in annoyance. The look on the larger man's face was far from kind.

"W-who are you?"

"Kalivas Kane. The father of the 'womanizer' you threatened a moment ago." Kalivas growled.

Adellia rushed forward to placate the warrior's frustration. While everyone else, even Natali, was content to watch Derrik face the wrath of a King Ranker, Adellia was not interested in bloodshed within her home. Prior to this moment, she would always maintain a healthy distance from Kalivas.

They would communicate professionally in front of others and save for a single conversation after the banquet that terminated the Exhibition tournament, they never spoke in private. Though Lyrah had tried to get her to converse with the man who fathered both her and Lucius, Adellia simply did not wish to.

It was not that Kalivas was an unkind man. If anything, during their time together he had genuinely treated her as a true woman. Before him, everyone else aside from Wally treated her with children's gloves. Not Kalivas… no he was the first person that made her feel like a woman instead of a tool.

Despite how much happiness he had brought her during their time together trying to bring a new oracle into the world, she could never reciprocate his feelings. He was a warrior of another country. On top of that, he was their King Ranker. There was no path to happiness toward them. That was why she avoided everything to do with him when she could. It simply was not fair to give the man hope.

The moment Adellia's hands grazed against Kalivas's arm, the man's disposition changed completely. The harshness of his expression immediately softened and the strength of his gaze changed to something much gentler. It had been years since his beautiful golden eyes looked at her in such a warm and inviting way. For a moment, she lost herself within them.

"Adellia…" Kalivas whispered, reaching a hand toward her cheek. His actions snapped her back to reality and she jerked back reflexively before his fingers could reach her skin. Kalivas's expression became melancholic as he smiled weakly at her.

"Leave him be," Adellia said meekly, "You are here for another reason Kalivas. Let us not turn my home into a bloodbath."

Kalivas looked away from her and quickly examined the surroundings. He had been in the tower a number of times in the past and not much had changed since then, save the new residents.

"Home," Kalivas said, "It seems that even without me, you have indeed made this prison more like a home. Congratulations Adellia."

Though his tone was kind and warm, the words themselves felt like a dagger driven directly into Adellia's heart. She ignored some of the sympathetic glances that were cast her direction. One of those that she expected to feel sorry for her was the only person who remained aloof.

Wally was someone who understood her situation best and she figured that he would have been on her side. Though she did not want him to start a fight, part of her hoped he would intervene in some capacity. However, he remained completely ambivalent about the situation.

Kalivas walked calmly over to where Rena was sitting and knelt in front of her. From the small pack on his hip, he produced a small, wooden box. It was well worn and clearly extremely old. He passed it gingerly to Rena, who accepted it graciously with a calm smile on her face.

"Rena," Kalivas said, "My dear daughter-in-law, you are every bit as beautiful as my son said you were. Though we had not been given the opportunity to meet, I feel that I know so much about you."

Rena's eyes opened wide, "Truly?"

Kalivas chuckled, sending a warm sensation through Adellia's heart before it turned into a churning complex feeling in her stomach. "Yes, though he did not have much to say about much else, any conversation about the woman he fought for would have him going for what felt like hours. I must say I know the feeling.

"As for the box, it is a memento passed down through the Kane family. Upon his birth, it would have passed to Lucius, however, he was unable to receive it. Instead, I pass it to you so that you may grant it to my grandchild. You may open it if you wish, but Kane tradition has it remain sealed until after the child's birth."

"I shall keep it sealed until then, father. May I call you that?"

Adellia thought for a moment she saw moisture forming within Kalivas's eyes. It was a moment of weakness that only she noticed. Were she not as familiar with his mannerisms as she was, she might have missed it. The look quickly disappeared and was replaced with a warm smile. Kalivas gingerly stood and embraced Rena, placing his hand gently upon her head.

"You certainly may. I understand you do not have the greatest example of one, so I will endeavor to do what I can for you, Lucius, this grandchild… and any others that may join us in the future." Kalivas chuckled while shooting a frustrated glance at Derrik, who winced.