Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

"Do you know why Grandpa hasn\'t told Lucius yet?" Lyrah asked, looking up from a romance novel she was reading. The cover had a strange title that made Natali wonder how little Lyrah truly cared about how people viewed her.

"Interesting book." A voice called out. It was a deep, masculine voice that nearly made Natali melt into a puddle right then.

She turned and saw Lucius walking into the training room with his shirt bundled under his arm and a towel hanging around his neck. He swapped out his normal weapon for a wooden one of the same shape and size from his storage ring.

Practical training allowed for the use of standard armaments under most circumstances now that they were all seniors, but it seemed Lucius was trying to be considerate of the other students.

Natali had a hard time looking at the young man, however, which was why she paid so much attention to his weapon. With Lucius shirtless, she could see his toned body and an old scar along his neck and upper chest. Rena had informed her of the event that caused the injury, but it was still shocking to see. It wasn\'t that it was unattractive… rather, it made him more desirable.

Lyrah finally answered Lucius\'s question after smirking at Natali for staring at the man. "Yes, it is quite popular among the ladies. \'Dragonfire & Desire.\' Perhaps a quick read might spice up your nights with Rena? Oh, wait. I\'ve heard that it\'s not needed; forgive me, dear brother."

Over the last several days, Lyrah and Lucius have interacted a lot. At first, when she called him \'dear brother,\' he would react extremely negatively, almost to the point of physically recoiling. However, Rena had several conversations with him and told him how close she was with the rambunctious girl and her maid.

After many conversations and a lot of Lyrah not giving up on her… well, personality, Lucius finally relented to allow her to call him \'dear brother.\' Quite frankly, Natali was surprised he gave in so easily, but Lyrah said something about Rena being Lucius\'s weakness.

Apparently, whatever she wanted from him, she would get. According to the young Oracle, they had been like that all their childhood, too. This truly made Natali jealous of her redheaded friend.

"You know. The main heroine of this series just so happens to be one of many wives. Have you ever thought of having more than one wife, dear brother?" Lyrah continued.

"It is a common practice in Eroa and among many beastman clans there," Lucius responded.

"Ah, so you have thought about it?"

"You\'ve met Kalliope, right? The girl practically breathes down my neck whenever she\'s not busy with something else. Hard not to think about it when she asks every day, you know?" Lucius said with a sigh.

By this point, Lucius had leaned against the wall closest to the door while facing them for conversation. This was the first time he had attended the practical class because of other \'issues\' he reported needing to take care of. Whenever one of these issues arose, Grandpa Wally provided him with an excuse.

It was not long after Lyrah asked her last question that other members of the class poured in. Among them were many nobles like Thomas and his gaggle of goons, as well as more honorable people like Desmond Adler. Desmond had attended every practical class since he joined the academy and had asked Lyrah for Lucius\'s whereabouts a number of times.

It seemed as though the nobleman was interested in Lucius for one reason or another. She was present when they interacted for a little while several days ago when Lucius and Wally dueled, but beyond that, they had not spoken much in front of others.

"Alright, class." A grizzled man with many scars walked into the room. He was the practical weapons instructor. "Pair up. Except you, Lord Kane. I would prefer not to file death reports today."

Lucius nodded and began to walk towards a set of free weights on the opposite side of the room. As he left the wall, a number of people gasped, watching him walk away. Natali was confused at first, but she understood immediately as he passed her. His back was covered in burn marks and scars from extremely deep wounds. She was impressed he lived through whatever caused it.

"And that…" Lyrah said, "is why I said it was better for the few people who knew. Someone tried very hard to make sure he was dead."

Determined, Natali walked up to Lucius and whispered, "Spar with me."

"Hmm?" he raised an eyebrow, then gave her an appraising look. "Fine."

"Are you going to hold back?" she asked curiously.

"No."

"Is it because you think I\'m strong?"

"Hmm, not really. It\'s more like holding back would inhibit your growth as a warrior." He answered truthfully.

Like Lucius, Natali was often told she was not allowed to spar with the other students. They could not keep up with her rapid attacks in concert with her mark. As she was training to protect Lyrah, she was allowed to train with all aspects of her fighting capability at her disposal. For a while, at the beginning of her time at the academy, people only refused to spar with her.

Over time, her training alone became a requirement instead of a hapenstance.

"Fine, but if you kill each other, I\'m not responsible. Everyone else, clear the ring. We are getting Lord Kane versus Natali. Everyone, take a look."