Marcus…
Shortly after he and Selene embraced each other, while many of the people in the audience were continuing to exit the arena, and Artemis gawked at them in furious astonishment, he spotted a strangely familiar man waiting patiently to speak with them.
He had pale skin, wore a winged circlet atop his head, and traditional Greek robes with a staff adorned with two entwined serpents.
Marcus blinked as he recognized him immediately, “H-Hermes…?”
The God of Messengers smiled faintly as he tilted his head and said, “Ah, well met. Yes it is I. I’m pleasantly surprised to know that there are still Terrans that remember the old gods.”
Hermes then turned to look at Artemis, who still seemed agitated at the sight of her daughter being held in Marcus’s arms, and said, “Hello there dear sister.”
Hearing this, Selene stuttered as she asked, “S-Sister? You two are-”
“Brother and sister, yes,” Artemis quickly answered as she stood up suddenly with an awkward expression on her face
“Same father, different mothers. I am the son of Maia, she is the daughter of Leto,” Hermes elaborated.
“How many siblings do you have mother?” Selene asked, and Artemis stiffened up at the question.
“That’s irrelevant-”
“Hundreds,” Marcus answered.
Selene tried to say something but the words were caught in her throat as she was too stunned to speak, and so he looked at Hermes and asked, “To what do I owe the honor of meeting you today Hermes?”
The god nodded his head in response to being addressed with respect and answered, “I’m here to collect you for a meeting with the three above who have been watching your battles with interest. Kronos and Odin especially want to speak with you personally Marcus.”
This can’t be good…
“Right now?”
Hermes nodded, “Right now, and they would prefer to speak with you alone.”
Hearing this, even Artemis seemed bothered by that as her expression changed from frustration to mild concern for him.
“Alright then…,” Marcus answered as he let go of Selene and walked over to Hermes.
Before the two of them were whisked away, Marcus turned around and said, “I guess I’ll see you again in a moment.”
Then, in a flash of light, they vanished from the arena and appeared in an unfamiliar building in an unfamiliar land.
As Marcus turned his head to look around, he suddenly felt a sense of vertigo as his spatial awareness expanded beyond the edge of the realm they were in and collapsed in on itself.
Trying to sense how far the area expanded to, after fighting in an infinite plane, confused his senses.
It was like being spun around really fast and trying to stay standing.
“Are you alright?” Hermes asked him.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. This place just feels a little small compared to the battlefield I was in,” he replied.
Hermes nodded before saying, “I see...but to a being like you, I would imagine that everything would feel small compared to your strength. Are you just now taking notice of how insignificant the world around you is?”
Hearing that question, worded in the manner in which it was, took him off guard.
“I don’t want to think about that,” he answered hesitantly.
“Of course,” Hermes nodded respectfully as he walked down a hall with Marcus following behind him.
The two of them then reached two massive doors as the Messenger God said, “Kronos, Odin, and Ra are behind these doors. They will see you now.”
As if on cue, the doors opened and Marcus walked through them. Upon entering, he was welcomed with the sight of three building sized thrones occupied with equally large figures seated within them.
Kronos, Odin, and Ra sat within these thrones and met his eyes, but upon looking at him, all three of them seemed to go pale and shrunk in size to that of the average person.
Puzzled, Marcus thought, What was the point of enlarging themselves if they were just going to shrink later?
But as he thought about it more, he realized that gods typically want to be revered and respected, to be looked up to, even literally.
Yet when approached by someone like himself, maybe they were thinking themselves too arrogant to force him to look up.
Whatever...it didn’t matter to him.
“So...might I ask why you brought me here to speak about?” he asked in Ancient Greek.
Odin and Ra looked at Kronos expectantly to talk to him, of which the latter seemed nervous to do so.
The titan then stood up from his throne and approached him as he said, “We have been closely observing your battles since the very start, yet we weren’t absolutely certain of your identity until very recently.”
“Are you referring to my being the ‘God of Wrath’?” Marcus asked, to which Kronos flinched at the name but nodded.
“Indeed…I wanted to advise you of your future-” Kronos attempted to say but Marcus cut him off with a wave of his hand.
“I don’t want to know what my future holds. To something like me, the concepts of past, present, and future are irrelevant aren’t they? No matter what you try to say to me about the future, events could always change with the slightest action, correct?”
Kronos stared at him with a puzzled expression on his face as if he wasn’t expecting to hear him say such a thing, which in turn had Marcus concerned as well.
“Hold on… If you are the Titan of Time, and you should have dominion over time, why do you seem so confused? Can you not see the future in which I exist within it?”
Kronos blinked as if shocked to see that Marcus had guessed correctly and chuckled nervously as he replied, “Your deductive reasoning is rather terrifying, but yes. As a sixth dimensional being, your presence within the future is rather dubious, but even so...there are still fixed points in time in which you are involved with. I cannot see you in the future, but rather the effects you leave behind.”
“Alright…”
After taking in a deep breath, Kronos asked, “Do you know the reason why you are able to absorb the magic of others.”
Admittedly, he had been curious as to why he had that power while others could not seem to replicate it.
“The cause of your ability to absorb other’s spiritual energy into yourself is from a special mark, the Mark of The Conqueror. It is one of three marks made by the progenitor of creation, Lucifer. As for the other two, they go by the names ‘The Mark of Oblivion’ and ‘The Mark of The Forsaken’. The latter mark acts similarly to a curse, erasing any trace of spiritual energy within the bearer and even preventing any energy from flowing within the body at all. The one who wields this mark cannot use magic or wield spiritual energy in combat. However, in exchange for sacrificing such power, creation itself imprints itself upon that same person and falls under their absolute control. It is impossible to know where the bearer of the Forsaken could be due to its very nature.”
Curious, Marcus asked, “What about the other mark?”
Hearing that, Kronos flinched and looked around nervously before answering, “The Mark of Oblivion rests in the hands of the Primordial God of Humanity. He alone commands that power.”
Marcus’s blood ran cold as he heard that name and asked, “Who is it?! Who is the God of Humanity?!”
Kronos shook his head as he refused to answer as he said, “You will meet him soon. Ask him about the nature of these marks and...ask him about The Final Era.”
Marcus went silent for a while before asking, “Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you are ‘The End’ just as you said during your battle against that woman Moyako. It is important that you are aware of the nature of what leads to that…,” Kronos said cryptically, to which Marcus could not seem to make any sense of his words.
He then turned around and sat in his throne, eager to end his conversation as quickly as possible, but just as Marcus started to feel that he was unwelcome there and was about to leave, he heard Odin speak to Kronos.
“Ah! Right...I nearly forgot…the three of us would like to provide an...offering to you as a reward for your tremendous performance during the contest. It is not often that we gift such talented warriors, but when we do, we often gift them with a weapon or armor of their choosing. Does such a thing come to mind?” Kronos asked.
Are they serious…? They are giving me an offering…? Why? Are they seriously this scared of me that they would give me an offering to get on my good side?
Whatever then…
As he thought about the weapons he already had, from his revolver Seventh Sinner, to Light Taker, and Zeus’s Master Bolt…he didn’t feel in the need for another weapon.
Yet as his eyes laid upon Odin and drifted down to the hammer dangling from his waist, his heart skipped a beat in excitement.
Oh I definitely got to have THAT! Thalia will freak out when she sees me carrying that hammer.
He reached out his arm and pointed at the hammer dangling from Odin’s waist and said, “I want Mjolnir.”
Odin’s eyes widened at the mention of the hammer’s name and his hand quickly reached for it but he hesitated to grab it as his fingers floated above the handle.
Ra and Kronos glared at Odin expectantly as their expressions urged him to quickly surrender it to Marcus.
Reluctantly, Odin took hold of Mjolnir’s handle and took it from its holster and held it in front of him before looking at Kronos and speaking to him in Norse.
Kronos then nodded and met Marcus’s eyes before saying, “To be able to wield Mjolnir, one has to undergo a trial first.”
Well shit…I’m definitely not a worthy person then…I guess I’m out of luck.
“To be able to wield Mjolnir, one must prove they can bear the weight of their kingdom. The hammer will take on the weight of the dominion that the user holds reign over. To a child, the hammer would way less than a feather, but to someone like you…it may seem impossible to lift. You bear two kingdoms upon your name. If you can bear the weight of your kingdoms, you can take the hammer with you and you will earn a mark to ease the burden after proving yourself,” Kronos elaborated.
Marcus blinked in surprise as he thought to himself, Well that’s new...wait, they said two kingdoms?
Before he could think about it further, Odin tossed Mjolnir into the air and it dropped in front of Marcus, cracking the marble flooring.
Upon looking at Mjolnir right in front of him, he swallowed to try and quell his excitement at seeing such a legendary weapon being offered to him.
All he had to do to claim ownership of it was to prove he could bear the weight of it.
He knew for certain that without magic, he wouldn’t be able to make it budge, so he released some of his limiters and compressed the spiritual energy flowing within his body. He then looked up at the three gods who were watching this play out.
With the strength rippling through his body, he knelt down and wrapped his hand around the handle in the hammer.
His fingers only touched the handle for a moment before images began to flash through his mind.
Marcus’s memories of how he fought and killed the gangs and crime families when he conquered New York flooded his eyes.
The sight of the lives he took, both the guilty and the innocent, appeared before him and he recoiled.
He looked at the three gods as if to ask them if it was some kind of sick joke but decided to say nothing as he stared down at the hammer.
When they said ‘bear the weight of our kingdoms’, did they mean that literally, metaphorically, or both…?
He shook his head to try and push that thought from the forefront of his mind as he quickly wrapped both hands around the handle and new images began to flood his mind.
Not only did he see the memories of his conquest of New York, but other images started to take priority over them. Events and battles that he should have no memory of appeared, specifically in regards to the Kingdom of Forrosa. He saw the memories of soldiers who had fought in various wars for the Forrosan kingdom, using his power in battle, across its vast ten thousand year history.
All the pain, all the bloodshed, all the misery that came with it...but also, all the great achievements of the people who built the kingdom from the ground up. It was not just blood, death, and cruelty he saw, but also the greatness that they had achieved using his strength.
Seeing that gave him the strength to hold onto the handle for a little bit longer.
For some strange reason, he felt a sense of pride in what he saw as his grip tightened around Mjolnir. He held firm onto the handle as he watched Forrosa’s long history play out in his mind.
Only after the images of the kingdom’s history ceased did he decide to lift the hammer.
It didn’t take much for him to raise the hammer off the ground as all he had to do was release more of his power to increase his physical strength, yet even so, it felt like he was carrying more than what he calculated the weight of a kingdom or country to weigh. It felt more like he was lifting the weight of an entire planet.
Yet eventually, Marcus’s strength won out as he raised Mjolnir high above his head with only one hand and presented it before the three gods in front of him.
In a firm voice, he said, “I claim Mjolnir as my own!”
Odin nodded as he snapped his fingers and a mark appeared on the back of Marcus’s right hand with the design of a hammer and a lightning bolt running through it.
Odin said a few more words before vanishing in a burst of raven feathers and Ra followed soon after with a ray of sunlight.
Kronos then said, “Odin said that he wishes you the best and to treat that hammer with respect.”
Marcus nodded his thanks and left just as Kronos vanished as well.
He was a little disturbed by the conversation that had taken place but tried to put it out of his mind.
The next time he saw Ruvick, he would ask him about it.
After being brought back to Selene by Hermes, who promptly left with a polite smile, she noticed the hammer at Marcus’s side and asked, “What’s that about?”
“I’ll tell you later. Why don’t we head home-,” he tried to say but was interrupted by Azazel’s voice as he approached the two of them.
“Might I have a word with you as well, if you don’t mind?” he asked.
Marcus was slightly annoyed, but given that this was Azazel talking, he decided to let it go and said, “Sure. What’s going on?”
Azazel then looked at Selene and said, “I think it would be rather rude to exclude you from this particular conversation...would you like to join us?”
Selene paused before turning to look at Marcus and he nodded.
“Of course,” she said.
A brief moment passed as they found themselves back in the diner that Marcus has frequented during his conversations with Ruvick, but neither did he or Gomori appear to speak with them.
“So...what is this about?” Marcus asked.
Azazel paused as he seemed to be in deep thought of how to approach the conversation before he said, “I am certain that you remember our conversation surrounding your identity within Forrosa, correct?”
“In regards to keeping up appearances of being a dignitary?”
“Yes, just the same.”
“Then yes, I remember. What about it?”
Azazel appeared restless as he brought his hands onto the table and threaded his fingers together before saying, “I would like to discuss your current living situation.”
Marcus seemed confused but said nothing to allow him to elaborate.
“As the God of Wrath, you are the most important figure of Forrosa’s history. You are…the founding entity of Forrosa’s entire culture and sovereignty. For you to finally appear in this world, yet live within Duranell’s borders…I must admit that I am not very satisfied with the idea, nor is King Razel Aldia,” Azazel said plainly.
Marcus nodded as he could understand the sentiment and saw where he was going with this.
“I humbly invite you to move your residence into the city of Alken, and to live among your people. I ask that you embrace Forrosa as your true home and take your rightful place among the people,” Azazel said as he bowed his head to him.
Selene, however, seemed lost for words as she was only now started to grasp the weight of what Marcus truly was.
Sure, she knew he was the God of Wrath, but she must not have put the pieces together that he was the patron god of an entire kingdom.
She took a shuddered breath and said, “I am way out of my depth with this…”
Marcus looked at Selene for a moment, seeing how distressed she was, before looking at Azazel and asked, “Can you give me a moment to think this over?”
Azazel nodded and stood up from his seat before walking away.
Once he was out of view, Marcus returned his attention to Selene and asked, “Hey, are you alright?”
Selene let out a deep breath as she said, “I…I don’t know. I was feeling all excited to finally hear you say you want to move on from your old life and make a new one with me that...I didn’t even think about my own life here. I’ve been taking so much time away from the brotherhood to spend more time with you that I’ve forgotten about all my responsibilities. If you move to Forrosa, then…I don’t know what to do about this kind of relationship.”
Marcus then reached out and took hold of her shoulders gently as he turned her towards him and asked, “If you think your responsibilities to the brotherhood are too much for you to handle, then why not leave it and come with me?”
She raised her head suddenly as she met his eyes and stuttered, “W-What? You think I should leave? I-I can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“W-Well…I’ve been with the brotherhood for so long…,” she tried to say.
“Who cares, you don’t owe them anything, do you? You should be able to go where ever you want. You are not beholden to them.”
“But Dean…he took me in when I was a little girl and helped give me a home…,” she tried to say, but even those words started to fail her as her eyes lowered.
“Selene, look me in the eyes for a moment.”
She did as he asked.
“When I first came to your home, I saw someone that was miserable and alone, burdened by a job she hated and living in isolation. That doesn’t sound much like a home to me. But after spending time in my home, I’ve seen your eyes light up, and your face vibrant with happiness. Would you really be satisfied in living the rest of your life in that tiny apartment, working a job with too much responsibility for one person shoved onto you by an uptight jackass? Or...would you rather leave all of that behind and come with me to Alken?”
She looked like she wanted to agree with him but she averted her eyes form him for a moment as she said, “E-Even if I wanted to go…the king would never allow me to leave the kingdom.”
Hearing that, Marcus laughed as he said, “I’d like to see him try to stop you. Who gives a shit what that guy thinks. You are a god. You could go, do, see whatever you want. Forget about him and come with me to Alken.”
Hearing that, Selene looked up at him once again and asked, “Can I really come with you?”
He locked eyes with her and smiled as he said, “Where ever in the universe I happen to end up in, I want you to be there at my side, always. You will always be welcome in my home Selene.”
Hearing that, she looked down once more, but this time she did so with a smile as she asked, “Then lets go. Take me away to Alken.”