Marcus

Marcus stormed through the halls of the mansion, slamming doors and breaking the decoration. His face threatened to unleash havoc on anyone who dared to step in his way. He searched for Magenta everywhere until a poor butler told him her location.

Magenta was sunbathing on a chaise lounge chair at one of her courtyards. She was wearing a white beach dress with a discrete floral design, sunglasses, and a wide sunhat. A maid stood by her side, pouring mango juice into her cup.

Marcus rushed toward her and ordered the maid to get lost with a glare. The scared girl ran away, leaving the two of them alone. Magenta lowered her sunglasses to look at him.

"You look awful, Marcus," she said.

"Mind explaining what the hell is the meaning of this?" His voice rumbled throughout the courtyard.

The lady sighed as she sat up. "Persen won, that's it." Her voice was calm.

"That's it?" He clenched his fists. "Ramos' army was obliterated! We had a deal!"

"We did, but Persen's offer was impossible to reject." She took off her sunglasses. "Six million Dentz, plus his protection. We are untouchable now, Marcus. Can you believe it?" Magenta beamed at him.

"Fuck that!" Marcus snapped. "Hundreds of people died, and one innocent girl has been sold like a slave!" His throat knotted with anger. "What have you turned into, Magenta?"

Magenta scowled as she eased herself from her chair. She walked up to Marcus and stung her eyes on his. "I did what I had to do!" she shouted in his face. "Persen is our new governor. We have his protection now, and we are more powerful than ever! I did this for us. Why can't you understand that?"

Marcus stared at her with contempt and shook his head. "Power has blinded you. You're no better than Persen." His voice filled with poison. "I should've left you where I found you."

"What did you say?" She glared at him, lips quivering as her face flushed with fury. "What the fuck do you know, Marcus?" Magenta seized his collar, yanking him toward her face. "Do you know all the shit I had to go through to achieve this? All the disgusting things I had to do? The fuck you know! You ran away when I needed you!"

He pulled her hands off him. "I didn't run away. You drove me away with your insanity. And now I see I was right . . . You're a monster."

Those words pierced Magenta like knives. She slapped him and then began punching him, but Marcus seized her arms and pushed her away from him.

"I'm done with you, fucking coward!" she roared. "Get the fuck outta here! I don't need you anymore! Go!" Her screams attracted the servants, who gathered by the windows and doors. Ronner, who had been watching the scene from above, yelled at them to disappear. In one second, every servant vanished.

"Do you expect me to leave the poor girl alone?" Marcus took one menacing step forward. "I won't allow it!"

Magenta laughed between her clenched teeth. "You're leaving. It is an order you're gonna follow whether you like it or not."

"And what if I don't?"

She lowered her head, tightening her fists. Blood ran between her fingers as she buried her nails into her palms. "If you don't . . . Your girl and that bitch of your ex-wife will suffer the consequences." Magenta lifted her gaze at him, her eyes a green tempest. "Please, don't push me anymore . . . Go, Marcus, disappear from my sight."

The time froze.

Marcus could only hear his heart screaming and kicking in his chest as turmoil built up in his mind. He could not believe that woman was the same one he had once loved.

There was no point in words anymore. Marcus took a deep breath and swallowed the knot in his throat. The anger in his chest had vanished. It was something else, a feeling he couldn't understand, but it tore his soul apart.

Marcus gazed at her for the last time; in search of traces of the young girl he used to know.

There was none.

He nodded, bowed to her, and walked away.

Magenta locked her eyes on the ground, refusing to look at him until his steps faded into the distance. She rubbed her eyes and grabbed a bottle of champagne next to her chair.

"You idiot!" she yelled at Ronner. "Make sure he's gone by tomorrow!"

"Should I hurt him a little?" Ronner asked, smirking at her from a window.

"No . . . " Magenta drank from the bottle and then smashed it against the floor. She stared at her wrists, red bruises spread across her skin, along with the marks of Marcus' fingers.

"Do not dare to hurt him . . . "

*°*°*

The evening glowed orange as the sun faded behind the mountains. Marcus packed his last suitcase in the trunk of his car, an old sedan he had owned for a long time, and stood still contemplating the gloomy horizon.

He had always put his daughter's life first and would do it until the end. However, leaving the little Nephilim behind destroyed his soul.

Footsteps caught his attention.

Marcus widened his eyes at the sight of Remnya, who stared at him from the porch. She had been distant ever since that incident with Brisa, which helped to make his departure easier, but now that she was there with her crimson eyes fixed on him, his heart sank into the abyss.

"So, it was true," Remnya said, walking toward him with both hands in her pockets.

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"I thought you didn't want to see me anymore," Marcus replied, closing the trunk.

"Where are you going?"

He stared vacantly into the garden. "Far from here."

"I see." Remnya curled her lips and paced over to his car in silence, avoiding eye contact. "Dinner will be boring without you."

"I'm sorry, Remnya," he mumbled.

"For what?"

Marcus took a deep breath. "For everything, I guess. Just promise me you will be strong."

She raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you coming back?"

He tightened his lips and remained silent for long seconds. "I want you to know I care about you, and despite the bad things you've heard, I tried to do my best to protect you."

Remnya shot a glare at him. "You always talk about protecting me, yet you never did. You don't protect anyone!" She raised her voice.

Marcus lowered his head. Her words stung like hot needles. "You're right. I suck at protecting people. That's why I'm leaving."

"Mr. Ronner said you were fired because of what you did to Brisa."

Marcus clenched his fists. His lips quivered as hatred invaded his mind. Ronner had forced him to take the blame for it. If he dared to tell Remnya the truth, her daughter would suffer the consequences.

"I'm sorry, Remnya." He looked away to hide his burning eyes.

Remnya fixed her eyes on the ground and let out a deep sigh. "But even if you did that, I will still miss you."

Marcus lifted his gaze, realizing she was holding back her tears. An acute pain oppressed his chest as the thoughts of her dark future tortured his mind. He knelt in front of her and spread his arms.

Remnya hesitated. She clenched her teeth and scowled at Marcus, but finally, she buried her face in his chest. He squeezed her body as she tightened her grasp on him. Her thin arms felt like a press around him. He could tell she was no ordinary girl.

At that moment, Marcus felt he was abandoning her own daughter.

She groaned with anger and glared at him. "You have no idea how much I wished everything Mr. Ronner said was a big lie!"

The silence was Marcus' only answer, a silence crawling through his chest, tearing his insides apart as it tried to escape its cage of slanders.

They remained together until the sun died and the night was born.

When Marcus released her body, he stared at her straight into the eyes. "Be strong, like you've been until now," Marcus whispered as he ruffled her hair.

"I will." She bobbed her head, not a single tear in the eyes of that prideful girl.

Marcus stood up and gifted her his last smile. He got in his car and adjusted his mirror until its reflection showed him Remnya's face.

He gazed at his little Nephilim for the last time and drove away, leaving a trail of silence behind him.

*°*°*

Marcus lifted his gaze at the old inn in front of him and puffed his cigarette. The orange paint of the walls was peeling off, revealing the moisture that ate the concrete. He turned off his phone and cracked it in half before removing its chip and burning it with his lighter. The Lady wouldn’t need to call him anymore.

Throwing his cigarette away, Marcus walked into the inn in search of his last hope. The receptionist glanced at him suspiciously, but a thick bundle of money loosened her mouth, answering all his questions. She nodded and swore to stay silent while Marcus executed his plan.

Room 14 on the second floor was his destination.

Marcus knocked on the door several times in the hope of avoiding forcing his way into the room.

“I already had dinner. Thanks,” a voice said from the inside, and Marcus knew he was in the right place.

“Now,” Marcus whispered in the ear of the women he held at gunpoint in front of the room.

“We have a message for Mr. Adrian Montero,” she said nervously. “Can you please unlock the door so I can confirm your identity?”

Silence.

Marcus knew Adrian had been moving from one place to another for weeks, using taxis and buses to move across the town, and sleeping in cheap inns.

As Adrian peeped through the keyhole, Marcus pushed the receptionist forward and stayed out of sight.

Finally, Montero opened the door, and his tired face turned pale like a ghost.

“Thank you, miss,” Marcus said, releasing the scared girl.

Adrian tried to slam the door on him, but Marcus kicked it open, pushing the young man away. Marcus rushed to lock the door while Adrian raised his fists, ready to defend himself.

“I’m not here to fight,” Marcus stated, taking one step forward.

“If you think you can take me to Magenta, you’re wrong! You’ll have to kill me first!” Adrian shouted as he jumped over his bed and reached for a gun hidden under his pillow.

Marcus darted toward him and smacked his chest, throwing Adrian out of the bed before he could reach his pistol. Marcus rushed to grab the gun, unloaded it, and tossed it on the floor next to Adrian.

“As I said, I’m not here to fight. I’m not your enemy.”

“Bullshit! You hurt Ellyn and tried to kill me! You’re scum!” Adrian crawled toward a knife gleaming on a small wooden table, but Marcus quickly seized his arms, twisting them behind his back.

“Listen to me!” Marcus pinned Adrian down, holding him against the cold floor. “If I wanted to take you to Magenta, I would’ve done so long ago. I wouldn’t be wasting my time trying to reason with you!” Marcus tightened his grip on Adrian, who kept twisting his body. “You can hate me all you want, but I’m honest when I say I have nothing to do with Ellyn’s disappearance!”

Adrian stopped fighting and thought for a moment. “What the hell do you want then?”

“I want to save the Nephilim girl.” Marcus released his arms.

“Why? Since when do you care about others?” Adrian shot daggers of contempt from his eyes.

“Does it matter? I need your help, and you need mine. I know who kidnapped Ellyn.”

Adrian widened his eyes. “Who?”

“Ronner.” Marcus’s expression darkened. “You may think I’m a monster, I don’t care, but know this: Ronner is the one who you should be terrified of.”

“Why would he kidnap Ellyn?”

“He wasn’t happy with our decision of allowing her to live after we . . . “ Marcus tightened his lips.

“So, it was true . . . You killed Orena too.”

“What’s done is done.” Marcus’s voice was ice. “She was scum, and I don’t regret it.”

Adrian gave him a sidelong glance. “And you expect me to trust a murderer like you?”

“Not like you have a choice, anyway. It’s just a matter of time until Ronner finds you and tortures you to death. But with my help, you have a chance to survive and find Ellyn.”

Montero folded his arms and stayed pensive for a while. “What do you want from me, exactly?”

“My hands are tied right now. If I dare to go against Magenta, they will hurt my daughter.” He leaned closer to stare into his eyes. “But you can do something. I’ll provide you with the info you need, and we can find a way to reach the people from Karx.”

“Karx? Why them?”

“Karx hates Ronner and Persen. Those two have betrayed them and caused the death of thousands of their people. They would be happy to destroy those traitors.”

“Why would Karx need our help? Aren’t they powerful enough?”

“Ronner is a hybrid Nephilim, and his abilities are unmatched, plus he has an army backing him up, while Persen is protected by his two sons: Viper and Skado, the dark faction of The Hunters, and his personal army.”

Adrian held his chin. “So, basically, Persen is untouchable.”

“The core of his power resides in his immense fortune and his sons, two powerful hybrids he created and brainwashed into loyal servants.” Marcus paced around the room.

“The Nephilim girl . . . What does he want her for?” Adrian gulped.

Marcus clenched his fists. “He’ll use her for his sick goals, just like he did with others before her. He’ll use her to create powerful hybrids.” Marcus’ voice trembled. “However, Remnya is the first pure Nephilim he has laid his dirty hands on.”

Adrian’s gaze fell to the ground, hesitation on his face. “Alright.“ He sighed and stood up, taking a deep breath. “I’ll help you, not only because I want to save Ellyn, but also because I want to save that girl and the boy.”

“We’re running out of time.” Marcus peeked outside from behind the curtains of a small window. “We better start moving now.”

Adrian grabbed his bag and shoved a few clothes in. “Why are you taking such a risk?”

“I’m tired of watching innocent people die, or used as guinea pigs by them.” Marcus stuck a tiny device on the wall. “I’ve made mistakes. I am a murderer like you said. But if I am to die, at least I’ll go doing the right thing . . . for my family, Remnya, and myself.”

Adrian bobbed his head and tightened his grasp on a picture of Ellyn he carried in his pocket.

The last hope.

*°*°*