Marcus rushed through the scorching, humid, night air of the Expansa coast. He had only just arrived at Marcil, but he was sprinting through the village in a panic. Contrary to what most would expect, the villagers did not grow concerned at his panicked sprint but only grinned instead. 

"Run Marcus! Stella will never let you live it down if you miss the birth of your own son!" A passing villager shouted at him. The man had sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and an absolutely shit-eating grin. 

The prospective father stumbled but did not pause to speak, instead only running faster. He couldn't afford to waste his breath at a time like this! He would be cuffing that bastard over the head for distracting him later, though. Alexander deserved a good smack on any given day anyway, the bastard. Marcus wouldn't trade him for the world, but he wouldn't tell anyone else that. It was his secret to keep, and a firmly kept one at that. No one knew he was sure, not even his wife. 

Stella, if she wasn't currently in agonizing pain from, you know, birthing a child, would have laughed at that assertion. 

A few minutes after running into Alex, Marcus burst through the Village's ramshackle Healer's Hut. Not that they could actually afford a healer, they were stupidly expensive. Instead, they just had a medicine woman who acted as a midwife. She did know her stuff, though. Marcus was sure she had helped bring more people into the world than anyone else he knew, other midwives included. Aurelia was an angel of a woman, and after this, he was sure his respect would only grow. 

"Marc you dolt, the door has a handle! Open it like a normal man, or not at all!" Said angel of a woman shouted at him with the countenance of a Daemon. Marcus was almost sure he could see the telltale red eyes of one, too. 

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"Yes ma'am!" He said, slowing down to a normal, if very hurried, walk. 

He stumbled through the curtain into the surgical/birthing area and was met with a fierce glare from his wife and the sounds of an already swaddled infant crying. 

"You're late." His beautiful, amazing, totally-not-about-to-kill-him wife said. 

He scratched his head a bit before his eyes landed on the infant in her arms. The moment their eyes met, Marcus knew he would fall on his sword for this child. He would give up his merchant company, he would do anything. 

The child, his child, had deep orange eyes, bordering on brown, and slightly tanned skin. He and his wife were pale, especially for this area, so this confused him greatly... Until he saw the splotch of ink on the back of his child's hand. It was spotty, but he could almost make out a... Flame?

Flame. Tanned skin. Orange eyes. He knew that meant something. But it couldn't be. There was simply no way. 

But the evidence was looking him in the face, the evidence being the cutest little guy he had ever seen in his life.

"Oh my god, he's a Magus." Marcus whispered, eyes wide. 

Stella looked shocked, but after a moment began laughing. A deep, unbelieving laugh. Marcus couldn't help but join her. 

They had a Magus in their family. 

They had a Magus in their family!

"Our son is a Magus!" Marcus was tempted to pick up his wife and start dancing with her, only the knowledge that doing so would be monumentally stupid stopped him. That didn't stop him from giving them both a deep loving hug, though. 

Stella looked at him lovingly with a big goofy smile on her face and gently passed him their son. Marcus was once more struck with just how much he loved this little bundle of joy. He couldn't help the wide smile that spread across his face when he looked at him. His son. His son! What a wonderful sentence. 

"I just know you're going to do great things, little guy." Marcus whispered to his son. His son! 

He knew he wasn't going to get over that any time soon. His son! Hah!