Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

A few weeks had passed since the incident at the academy and a lot of things have happened since then. One of the more morbid things was the academy had installed a bronze memorial with a list of all the fallen students and staff at the entrance to the campus.

Several smiths and artisans in the city chipped in to offer supplies and time to make sure the display was ready as soon as possible. After that, many of the city's finest stonemasons worked around the clock to repair the walls themselves which had been destroyed by Lord Kane.

When everything looked to be back to normal physically, classes resumed. A few class periods were a little more empty than they had been prior. The final total of deceased put the student loss at about nine percent. The final total loss for staff was a little under a third.

It turned out more people were still on work studies than they originally thought and after news of the attack spread, all those out on their assignments returned to the school as soon as they were able. Even though the numbers were lower than they had feared, the loss of life was still tragic.

Briene Lindtforth spent several of the days she had off speaking with Thomas von Petra in her estate in the capital. His father and uncle allowed him to attend these meetings alone since he was going to be the new head of House Petra upon graduation from the academy.

Briene was aware that her family was negotiating with Thomas from a weakened position, but since she was so far from succession, it mattered little to her. For Briene, there was a much more important factor in trying to marry into the Petra family. That was the proximity to Lucius Kane that it gave her.

Though Rena Kane was technically disinherited from her family prior to her marriage into House Kane, she was still a close relative to the current head and the next. This proximity to her and Lucius would give her the advantages she needed when monitoring the marked noble.

Negotiations went well and they would likely be wed shortly after he takes ownership over House Petra. Currently though, Briene's mind was focused on something else. She was on her way to the Grand Cathedral to speak with a close friend of her father and a mentor to her.

"Ah! Lady Lindtforth, welcome back." One of the nuns greeted her with a smile. "Here to see Father Urd again?"

"Of course, might he be present to speak with me?"

"For his beloved niece I am sure that he will make time." The old woman finished with a smile before disappearing into a hallway.

Briene stood in the main hall of the cathedral and admired the beautiful stonework. Just as the gods were not given names, they were also not given faces. Instead, the art decorating the space was that of previous Archbishops and images that evoke happiness and warmth.

Several beautiful murals of fields of green bathing in warm, golden light were painted across different walls. She felt a comforting warmth being surrounded by the walls of her faith.

"Briene! My darling niece, how are you?" The voice of her uncle Urd called out to her from behind.

Briene quickly rushed over to him and gave him a strong hug. "Uncle! I'm well. I don't know if you have heard, but I am engaged now to the heir of House Petra!"

"So big now! To think you used to be small enough for me to change your diapers. Come! Join me in my study and let's chat over some tea." The man offered with a smile.

The nun smiled at the two a bowed gently as they passed by her and went to Father Urd's study. Once the two were inside, Urd quickly sat down behind his desk while Briene locked the door behind her.

"Tell me, what have you learned." Urd's voice was no longer warm and inviting as it was earlier, but it did not surprise Briene. Rather she had come to expect this rapid switch in behavior.

"Lucius Kane's… wife…. Is pregnant. I confirmed it myself with healing magic." She explained. "During the battle, the smell of blood and smoke seemed to overwhelm his sense of smell. He also used this horrible skill from his mark that turned bodies into rotten muck…

She went on to describe in great detail the aspects of Lucius's "Abyss Break" as he had said. When she uttered those words Urd shuddered as if he recognized them.

"You are certain he said 'Abyss Break'? Absolutely sure?" He questioned.

"Yes, I heard it plainly. Though I was healing his wife at Lord Thomas's behest, I paid very close attention to Lucius for any openings… that was when I heard him use that phrase. The moment he used it, his left hand glowed and a ring appeared out of nowhere…"

"A ring you say? What did it look like?"

"I don't know… it had a black gem on it."

Urd pondered her words for a moment before he collected a few loose bits of notes and some dust-covered books from the upper parts of the shelves behind him.

"What do you know of the other realms… the ones that man does not reside in?" he asked.

"There is Celestia, where the gods are… and…"

"The Abyss." Urd finished. "The Abyss is the home of the remnants of demon kind. Those who were not killed and did not hide, were sealed in a realm known as the Abyss. It is a place of endless darkness and nightmares. It is the exact opposite of Celestia.

"Within the Abyss resides the worst of mankind's sins. As well as the horrors of our past. Put simply, you can think of it as a prison in our universe for all that is considered evil. There are some born that can tap into this plane and access its power."

Urd sighed before continuing. "These Abyssal marks are gateways to that accursed place… and I believe that Lucius Kane's mark possesses quite a powerful gateway."

"Truly?" Briene whispered. "Such an evil thing is allowed to exist… how…"

"Where there is darkness, there is also light." Urd said with a smile before opening one of the books. "There are artifacts from the times of demons that possess fractions of the power of the gods. We call these Fragments of Celestia… sometimes they appear to great men and women who use them to help humanity thrive… but many are lost to time."

"Why are you telling me this…" Briene began.

She watched in amazement as her uncle slowly unclasped the necklace he carried on him at all times. From what her father had shared, Urd carried a necklace passed to him through their family for generations.

Once he had fully unhooked it, he placed it into Briene's hand. "This is yours. It is one of the fragments I spoke of. Carry it with you so it might protect you from the whispers of the Abyss… if you ever meet someone who makes it glow… no matter who they may be, what their background… trust them."

"That sounds…" Your next chapter awaits on empire

"I know." Urd whispered. "Thank you for the information Briene. Congratulations on your engagement and whatever you do, keep an eye out for that monster and his spawn."