Maric got really peeved at that babysitting comment. "You realize I am older then you right? I would be babysitting you. Well, not sure about Cedric, his file is surprisingly well classified, but yeah. Anyways, you know, all I did was try to be nice, and this is the thanks I got! Jeesh!"
Artemis looked at him with a look of half disbelief, half confused. Did you not just...uhg, nevermind "Seriously Maric, just let it go. What would your family think..."
By the time Artemis had said those words, it was already too late. It radiated so strongly, everyone could feel it nearby. Feelings of sadness, anger, and regret. Artemis knew she shouldn't have brought that up. Maric was many things. Some of those deserved a slap on the wrist. But the last thing one should ever bring up was his family. Maric's negative emotions were so strong, even non-mana users could sense something was wrong. He glared right at Artemis, with a cold look. "What? I think you were about to say something, damnit!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to drudge up those memories" she mentioned, as Maric got up and started to leave. "That was uncalled for".
"Fuck yes it was uncalled for" he swore in a disgruntled voice, his entire mood having shifted. Artemis looked towards the two of them.
"Sorry about that, Maric deserves to be scolded every so often, but bringing up his family, at least like that, wasn't something anyone should do. You see, his Unique trait was actually something else before, but he was suffering from this rare affliction that was believed to have been put on him as a baby. Mana poisoning. His family tried to use a dangerous spell to cure him, and as a result, it killed both of his adoptive parents and his sister. They brought him into their family, and then they sacrificed themselves so he would live. I think the real reason he is like...well, him, is cause he lives with the guilt of it every day, because in his mind, he thinks he murdered them".
"Anyways, with that over, let me explain. When we finally begin the operation, it may be important to spread out among different paths to collect as much information as possible, but you should all stay in one general area. You shouldn't risk getting split up, because there are dangers beyond the Gateway you can't even imagine. Avoid pitch black caves, ice caverns, volcanic areas, and anything that either looks extremely threatening...or nowhere near threatening....as much as you can without impeding progress. Anyways, we won't force anyone to go, but you can invite anyone you like as long as they have the experience for it. Though, Damion is a recommendation mostly because of his ability to control nature. You run into hostile plantlife, and he may be your only lifeline".
With that, Artemis left....hoping she had not set Maric over the edge again. On occasion, Maric had episodes, where after he was reminded of his family, he wouldn't be seen for weeks, or once months. It affected him that badly. Still, what did always bother Artemis...is that he always seemed to hold something back.
(Time skip to Morning)
Maric woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. it was early in the morning, but he had someone he had to visit early in the morning. He got dressed, opened his door, and made his way to the door across the hall. As he opened it, a woman who appeared to be incredibly old was lying in bed. "Oneechan?"
"Hello, Mari-Chan. How are you doing today? And please, don't reply by asking me how I am doing, little brother" the 50+ year old woman told Maric. This woman was Maric's sister, and they were born only a few years apart. The reason for the suffixes was a little inside joke they had together. Something special that was for between the two of them.
"Fine. Yesterday, I got closer to my goal. Of entering the Lab 51 Gateway, and making it towards the Star Fragment that resides within. Our goal is finally within reach, Oneechan".
"You really should stop calling me that" she mentioned with a bit of laughter. "But I am so glad. After everything thats happened, we are close to our goal. But, what of the others? What if they try to stop you?"
Maric gave her a cold stare that was uncharacteristic for him. "If anyone tries to stop me when I am so close, I will slaughter them. Nothing will stand in my way".
"I just hope you find happiness, once you can finally be yourself Mari-Chan. You were always the unique one of us all, after all, so you can find a way. After all, Frozen State....as well as the Sword of Judgement...are still affecting your personality. And Frozen State isn't even your real Unique trait".
Maric picked up a picture of their parents. "It will be over soon, and all the damage done will be wiped clean".
"Do your best, Mari-Chan".
"Always, Oneechan".
After making sure she had plenty of food and water, Maric went out to do his job. Granted, any job he did do was only a cover, so he could obtain his true prize. A Star Fragment. It was so filled with mana, it would be just what he needed to save people. But he couldn't let the other Gatewatcher's get it. No, they would want to lock it up and use it for themselves. Maric could not allow that, ever, to happen. He had to be the one to use it, no one else.
He would no longer let anyone else die because of him. No more.
No more!
Suddenly, he was alerted to an active Gateway. It was opening way too close to home for his liking, as well. What was even more strange is that Gateway activity in this area was rare at best. So, he went to investigate. As he turned the corner, he came face to face with a Gateway, only something was off about it. It was open, yet also closed. Suddenly, a dark impulse emerged from it, and presented itself in front of Maric. What happened next took place in the span of miliseconds. The shadowy figure plunged a shadowblade at Maric, which he just barely deflected with Zu-Zu before directing it down, and kicking the figure in the face. It was pushed back, but then Maric saw it. Black flame. Maric then put up a barrier around himself, before the black flame launched at him.
After all that happened, Maric did not dare make the first move. After all, his magic was great for defense. He had good offensive magic too, but between Infinity Counter, Null Zone, and Condensed Space, his defense was through the roof. However, Maric did not anticipate the sheer speed of his ene....
"Hold on, where did he go?!" Maric asked as he realized the entity was gone. Furthermore, the Gateway closed on its own. "Oh, you have got to be....what the hell? Who is that guy?! Well, its too close to home for me, and all the evidence is gone, so no point in reporting it".
Maric did a quick sensor sweep for the pressence before, but nothing was around. It just vanished. How the hell could it vanish?
As he made his way through the city, he had a cloak spell around him and was jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He could just fly, using his Spatial Manipulation magic, but this had a bit more thrill to it. He looked back at Central HQ. About all the secrets that lay within. And about the Vault of Relics, a place where they held all acquired magical items they deemed too powerful to risk being out in the open. He considered the possibility a Star Fragment could already be in there....it might reveal he was up to something with the others, but it was a risk that he had to take.
Suddenly, he felt her presence behind him, and stopped. "Oneechan, why are you here? You should be resting, with your weakened state. I have too many things to look into to find out, and with us being so close, we shouldn't take risks now".
"Don't worry, I am not asking you to train right now. Besides, we both know who would win anyways" she said with a smile. "There is one thing. Just now, did I sense...."
"Listen, it was some sort of fluke or something. It was open for less then a minute. Something did get through, but it disappeared too. Just, please rest".
"Okay, but be safe Mari-Chan".
And suddenly, she had disappeared completely. Maric let loose a tear, before heading towards the Vault. She was another reminder of his own situation. A reminder about how he was responsible for their parents deaths. How he murdered them. How they died so he could live.
It burned him up inside. Still, he dropped it once he got to the vault...only to see the door was wide open, and investigators were already there. He quickly flew in to examine the situation. There were a bunch of guards in the vault. Some of them tried to stop Maric, but he just outright ignored them, examining the crime scene. He then showed them his ID. "So, what was stolen?"
"Oh, sorry sir. It looks like just a few things. Some highly magically infused piece of wood, a crypt containing a specter, and a Star Fragment piece" the guard told him. Maric cringed at that. He had been so close to getting his Star Fragment Piece, and it was stolen? He managed to suppress his rage. Which was a good thing, because Loki appeared behind him.
"We suspect the terrorists are involved with this" Loki mentioned. "They stole something from Eastern HQ, and now here? But why are you here?"
Because I want a damn Star Fragment, no matter what gets in my way I will deal with it ruthlessly and relentlessly. "Saw a commotion while passing by. Got curious. This situation is getting worse",
"I hear you met with Artemis yesterday".
Don't tell me he had me and/or Artemis followed as well. "Stop snooping and focus Loki" Maric told him as he put a hand onhis dagger. So help me, if you even know about my sister being here, I will hut you right here and now. "Did the security cameras or Crystal Guardians record anything?"
"Just this figure, but it doesn't match any of the terrorist's build profiles" Loki told him. "Which likely means they have more members".
"More members? Shit" Maric mentioned. "Guess that means we have to hurry up operations..."
And more importantly, I have to retrieve that Star Fragment... Maric thought to himself. He decided to start investigating leads by heading to Alleytown. But first....
He went up to a female guard. "Hey, when does your shift end? Maybe we can go out sometime, cause whatever time that is, I will make it good".
He was still Maric, after all.
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Zane walked through the halls of the library, yawning. A perk of living inside an abandoned library? No one to wake you up, and no noisy neighbors. He had reconfigured several rooms recently, to be more spacious. He went around in just some PJs and slippers to the main library. To think, all of this was just left alone for years, all these books. Well, to be fair, Zane now owned the building, even if the means he used to get the deed were not quite fair. Still, it was the way he preferred things. Honestly, given the state of things, it was better for him here then in a foster family or a group home.
As he entered a makeshift living room, he turned on the TV as he put up his feet on a footrest. He checked the diviners next to him, which he had setup as a slightly more accurate weather forecast...only slightly though. As he listened to the news, there was a report of strange large footprints heading towards the sewers. Given the size of the footprints, many believe it to be a prank, though some believe it to be a T-Rex. Still, no witnesses have come fort to confirm this.
"Wait, wait, hold on. How the hell did not a single security camera get a visual on the T-Rex? What the fuck, is this T-Rex supernatural or something?"
After all, mana has in fact existed for more then twenty years...
"Wait, could it be.....naaah, that would just be silly...right?" he asked Aurell, who spoke to him through the Phoenix Mark.
"Well, it would be strange...but not impossible".
"A T-Rex with mana? That would be interesting, especially if it really does have a cloak ability. Maybe it can also summon magical armor, too" Zane mentioned. "Anyways, we only have part of this day till Rose returns. I hope she comes for me first, I will take pleasure in crushing her",
"Didn't she totally crush you and four others last time?" Aurell asked.
"Shush. It will be different this time".
Zane looked around the room, and looked around at some of the books. It was shocking, just how many of these books were disguised as normal books, when in fact they contained magical research, terminology, species logs of what has been seen coming through the Gateway, and power ratings of notable power levels. He even found one of a Legendary Gatewatcher, known as Liza the Holy Knight. She disappeared quite some time ago, but some say her Holy and Knight based magic was incredibly strong, especially against those with dark intentions, but still strong against anyone in general. No one knows why she disappeared, but they say it was because of a treacherous fiend.
There were other legends too, those about temples that appeared and disappeared, some about parallel dimensions and time fragments, a few about the possibility of hybridization of races, and one about considering the possibilities legends such as Pandora's Box and Excalibur are actually true. It was a lot of information, and Zane was soaking up all of it. With all that said and done, he went to the kitchen and made himself breakfast.
Today, he would not lose. At least, not so easily.