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With his mind set on using the Thrall form to get to Arcanus, Markus decided it would be in his best interest to persuade Kia to come with him. Since he needed to do nothing else for the time being, he opened the tent flap and gazed at the arriving dawn sun. 'Hmph, Mom, if only you could see this now', Markus thought to himself as he remembered how much his mother truly loved watching the sun awaken in the early morning. Markus's mother had been a young, vibrant woman by the name of Sophia who had always been there for her children in their time of need. Sophia was smart, funny, supportive, attractive, and overall a mother who knew her place in the world. Yet, on the same eve that Markus lost his humanity to the Evizil while saving Eon, his mother was slaughtered by a Malar who had come for him and his brother, Felix. Sadly, even though it was not Felix's fault that Sophia died, Markus still holds this belief firmly in his heart.

Quickly removing anymore thoughts of his mother before they turned their attention to his brother, Markus sprinted through the light spring mist that hovered over the ground. Trusting his wolfish instincts to lead him to Kia's tent, it took Markus only minutes to reach his destination. As he stood in front of the flap that led inside his feline's tent, he began to think again about the child she might be carrying, his child. As his mind shifted through his multiple emotions, there was one that began to seed its way into his heart, anger. Anger built around false mistrust, unexplainable circumstances, and actions Kia had no say in, like her heat. Yet, before the anger became cancerous in his heart, he stowed it away until later, where it could be used to fuel the Thrall he was going to become. With no more hesitation, Markus lifted the tent flap only to find that Kia was already dressed in a red silk dress, matching gloves, a pair of the finest dress shoes available, and from what Markus could tell, her small pink panties. As she noticed him come in, Kia turned around to face him and said "How does it look? I want to make sure I'm properly dressed for my first Blood Festival."

Markus just gave a small look of surprise as he said "You've never been to a Blood Festival, not even once?"

"Nope, as I've told you countless times, I was born and raised in a litter in the countryside, there the Blood Moon held no importance to us, so we never bothered to go to the Festival."

"I know, I know, it's just weird hearing someone say they've never seen one before."

At this Kia just gave Markus a small smile and said "Well deal with it, my little Evizil, but how exactly do you plan on getting to the Golden City? We'll miss the whole Festival by the time we arrive."

"Not if I use..."

Now Kia's eyes went wide as she said "You're not thinking of using the Thrall form, are you? While I admit it has its uses, you nearly ripped the fox apart right in front of me, and I don't want those fangs turning on me or anyone else we know."

Markus just looked her in the eyes and said in a calming voice "Don't worry about it Kia, if I can keep it under control, which I'm pretty sure I can, we can make it to the Golden City by sundown, giving us plenty of time to prepare."

"You sure you can't think of anything else?"

"Honestly, no, I can't, and I wouldn't have suggested this unless I did."

"Alright then, I'll agree to it, but if you go crazy on me, I'll beat you back into your lycanthrope form, understood?"

"Yes ma'am, I'll tell the others to pack our things and meet us in the Golden City when they arrive."

"Markus, won't they feel bad that they can't see the Festival?"

"Actually, the Alpha Pack is staying here until the Blood Moon ends, tonight they plan on celebrating in the Ocean Pearl, if you know what I mean."

"Hah, only too well Markus. Alright, just let me know when you're ready and we can leave." With that, Markus quickly left Kia's tent to rally the Alpha Pack. As fast as he could, he told the men to pack up his things, as well as Kia's, and to meet them in the Golden City when they could. In response, the men just gave a large howl, a signal that they all understood their orders. With nothing left, he reentered Kia's tent to damage the final ring of the Guard once more.

As he reentered, Kia just gave a small laugh of surprise, saying "That was fast, but I guess I should step back and let you do your thing." When she was finished talking, she quickly moved to the back of the tent to give Markus the space he needed to work his magic. Closing his eyes, Markus began centering his mind and allowing his hate to consume him. First, the unjust hate he felt about the child seeped in, followed by the remnants of the night his mother was slaughtered by a Malar he believed was sent by his brother; finally followed by the natural loathing he felt towards Felix. As the hate gathered, he felt the second ring break; shifting his body into the Lycan state, then soon after, the third ring broke with a large snapping noise, almost as if it had been a bone that was completely decimated now. With the final ring broken, his body changed once again into the 6'8 behemoth he vividly remembered becoming in the Nexus Stalkers' cave.

As the final phase completed, he opened his large blue eyes, taking in the tent and Kia in all of their glory. To prove to her that he was under control, he knelt down on his left knee, held his hand out and said "My lady, your piggyback ride on a giant Evizil has arrived."

At this, Kia just smiled and said "Well I see you've gained a much more funny personality, not to mention a few extra "bonuses"." As she said that, Markus noticed that she was staring at the large bulge in his expanding pants, and even he had to admit, it was actually quite large considering he wasn't even erect yet. Knowing Kia was ready; Markus stood up, quickly picked up his feline, placed her on his back, and jumped straight through the ceiling of the tent.

As the two were in midair, Kia just looked down and said "Hey, you ruined my tent."

"Oh well, next stop, Arcanus, the Golden City."

True enough, at full speed it took Markus at least ten hours of nonstop running to race through the forests and mountains Illian provided to reach the Golden City. As the large city came into view, Kia just let her jaw hang open as she said "This is the Golden City? It's much prettier than everyone says."

"Once you get inside however, you'll find that the city is much dirtier than the outside, especially its civilians" Markus said with a full head of experience.

As the two finally arrived at the city gates, they were met by two guards donning the Silver Guard armor, and by the look on their pale faces, they didn't expect to see a Thrall come racing up to their gate today. Slowly, the one on Markus's left mumbled out "Si..Sir...what...business do you have i..in the Go..Golden City?"

Markus just snapped back at him with a loud, booming voice "Oh jeez I don't know, it couldn't possibly be the large red moon that will be hovering over our heads, now could it?"

The guard on the right quickly realized that he was speaking about the Blood Moon, so he quickly let out an "Op...Open the Gates, NOW" and soon, the front gates swung open for Markus and Kia.

"Thank you, gentlemen, glad to see you're so cooperative tonight" Markus said with a large smile, revealing his large, wolfish fangs. With a large sense of urgency, Markus made sure Kia was securely placed on his back and sprinted into the Golden City, using his keen nose to find Uren. As the scent of the Alpha Male led Markus and Kia throughout the Housing District, the Church District, and finally, the Pleasure District, a section of Arcanus filled with brothels (whorehouses) and gambling spots, Markus finally found Uren and his guards near the giant fountain that held its position in the very center of the Evizil District. Besides the waterfall, the Evizil District was made up of a large collection of rusty, shoddy houses, dark alleyways, and finally, a large arching bridge that spanned over the large street on which the Blood Festival crossed. As Markus finally spotted Uren, he let Kia down and advanced towards the Alpha Male.

Not knowing that Markus had been able to break the final ring of the Guard, Uren's eyes grew wider than ovals as he saw the massive Thrall come lumbering over towards him. Without realizing that the Thrall had the same white coat Markus did, Uren barked out at him "Stop, beast of the third ring, what makes you think you can come near me?"

Markus snapped back with an obvious tone of anger "Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that I'm the leader of your Alpha Pack and the friend who helped you gain your rank as Alpha Male."

Now Uren snapped back into place and said "Markus, by the Night Mother, what happened to you?"

"It's as you said, I broke the final ring, but now then, let me change into a form you better handle." When he finished, Markus began forcing his body back into the lycanthrope form by releasing thoughts of happiness into his mind. As his body began shrinking into the 5'8 Evizil Uren remembered, Markus's eyes lost their pure blue look, only to be replaced by the dark blue irises that froze all that he looked at in their gaze.

When his transformation was finally complete, Markus knelt down, bowed his head and said "Uren, Alpha Male of the City of the Moon, I hereby place my resignation of the title of Leader of the Alpha Pack."

Uren's jaw dropped slightly as he said "Markus, why? You know damn well you're the best Evizil we have for the job."

"I know that sir, but I have a reason for doing this; I plan on finding the Trinity Prophet."

Now everyone's, including Kia's, jaws dropped. Slowly, Uren said "You believe the Trinity Prophesy will come true now?"

Markus just looked up at him with a gaze that was as solid as stone and said "Now is the time for the evils of Illian to be removed, therefore, I truly believe the Prophet will come."

Uren slowly regained his composure and replied "Alright Markus, I will let you resign, as well as search for the Trinity Prophet, but only if you will do one last thing for the Evizil; play the role of Everin in tonight's Blood Festival."

At this Markus gave a small smile, thinking 'Damn, Kia has got to tell me how she finds this stuff out.' Slowly, to make it believe it was a total surprise to him, Markus forced his eyes to widen as he said "But, sir, I mean, thank you so much, I will gladly play the role of Everin."

"Good, good, now get ready, the Blood Moon will be rising any moment." With nothing left to be said, Markus stood up, and for the first time in two years, he felt free. Finally, he no longer had to worry every mission about his men dying, no longer did he need to engage in battles he never cared for, and finally, now he could spend his life with Kia, as well as his child when the time came. With a spring of relief, Markus rushed towards Kia, picked her up, and gave a great smile, all the while rushing to an open house to get dressed.

Before long, Markus found a small apartment near the bridge spanning the Evizil District. By taking one look inside, Markus saw that this apartment had a single floor decorated with a bed, a dresser next to the bed, a giant wall mirror, a few pictures of the Night Mother, and a small couch fit for two. Markus decided that this apartment was used for honeymoons for people who lived on the poorer side of the spectrum. Once inside, he let Kia down, only to say in pure ecstasy "Oh by the Night Mother, I'm so happy right now I could rehearse the Midnight Bale a hundred times over again."

Slowly, Kia looked up at him and smiled, only replying "I hope you don't, I really don't want to have that poem stuck in my head, for now, just grab the clothes you need in the dresser."

Curious, Markus asked "How do you know where the clothes are? We just got here less than half an hour ago."

"Again, don't ask, just know that I have many friends in the Golden City, and one of them just may have ties to the Blood Festival."

Knowing that he wasn't going to get any more out of Kia than what she said, he gave a large sigh, went over to the dresser and inspected the clothing chosen for him. The clothing consisted of a white shirt, a light blue vest, blue pants, which by their look and feel could expand and retract like his current pants, and finally a pair of black Evizil underwear; the whole outfit was made to look like what Everin normally wore, with a few obvious changes made here and there. Quickly, Markus began throwing his clothes in one pile, then began taking the new clothing off the pile made just for them and began donning them. When he was finished, he placed Vice and Blaze in their sheaths and placed one sword on each leg of the pants. As he looked in the wall mirror nearby, even he had to admit that the overall style fit him perfectly, almost too perfectly in fact. As he was about to ask Kia what she thought about it, suddenly he heard her scream near the apartment window "Markus, the Blood Moon, its here!!"

Quickly, Markus raced over to where she was standing and took a look out the same window she was. True to her words, the Blood Moon was making its ascent to its rightful throne in the sky, and as it did, the sound of a howl coming from a far away distance suddenly rushed through the city. With more excitement than even he anticipated, Markus opened the door and began using his Evizilan speed to rush to the Festival, all the while screaming back to Kia "I'll see you there!!"

Now in a mad dash, Markus began sprinting past civilians down the street, jumping over people he thought were going "too slow", and even resorted to jumping off the walls of buildings to gain more distance. As he made his way, he began thinking 'Why is my body pent up with so much energy today? It can't just be the Blood Moon; no, someone or something is guiding me through this night, question is, who?' Finally, as he finished a jump off of a building wall, Markus finally made it to the large float he was going to be riding during the festival. The float was a large, yellow crescent moon, a symbol normally used to worship Izilan, the Night Mother. In the center of the large moon sat two seats, one for Markus, and the other for the chosen Izilan of the festival. With a final bound, Markus made his way up the float, right next to the seat he was going to be filling tonight. As he was about to sit down, he noticed that his partner seat was already filled by a young Evizil girl with a coat the color of soot, a color that actually matched that of Izilan's coat. As he sat down, Markus just said "Good day, my fair lady, I hope you enjoy the Festival, we've got to put on one hell of a show."

The "Izilan" turned towards him and smiled, replying with "Then a show we will put on, my Everin." The way she phrased her reply almost made Markus ask her about it, she sounded so...intimate, almost as if she really were Izilan and he really was Everin. Right as he was about to ask, the float began moving, signaling the Blood Festival was beginning. For most of the Festival, Markus and the Evizilan girl just waved at the people and even threw a few beads here and there. When the float retraced its way to the large arching bridge, Markus saw the main event; on a nearby building, the Maw appeared and opened. During the Blood Festival, Izilan herself comes to the Golden City by using the Maw, a portal that connects her castle to the rest of Illian. Even as he waited to see the wolf goddess for the first time in his life, something sent a shiver down his spine. As a figure appeared through the Maw, Markus knew why.

Izilan didn't come through the Maw, nor did the real Everin, someone entirely different appeared. For unknown reasons, the shiver that had gone down his spine now sat in his stomach, and instead of a cold feeling, it was a sudden, uncontrollable hatred. This hatred was nothing he had ever felt before, not even when he was thinking about Felix; this burning revulsion was driving him mad. Suddenly, his body was no longer his to control, and soon he leapt from the float to a nearby building, and from there on he began using the nearby buildings as spring boards until he finally landed on the building that the Maw was on. Now that Markus close enough to the Maw, he could see who had come out. The figure had long, blonde hair, bat-like wings that spanned at least six feet, decent sized front fangs, a sword sheathed behind his back, and the same maddened look in his blood red eyes that Markus held. When the figure realized who Markus was, he just smiled and said "Been a long time, Markus Ealar."

Now Markus's eyes grew wide, but soon he calmed himself, only replying "So you're using TrueNames now, Felix Sillen." TrueNames are the pure form of anyone's last name. For you see, every last name is based off of an ancient person, being, plant, animal, ect., and most of the time, TrueNames are only used in summoning spells; but in Markus and Felix's case, the two of them use their TrueNames as a way to annoy each other.

Felix just lifted his blonde hair away from his left eye and said "You really have changed, little brother, but then again, have you changed enough?"

Now, the madness inside Markus grew to unbearable measures, causing him to vent out "You killed Mother you bastard, stop acting so damn normal about it."

"Markus, you want to settle our score? Then enter the Maw and we will see which one of us is truly greater." When he finished, Felix moved back, disappearing into the great abyss of the Maw.

Markus yelled into the gaping portal "Alright, brother, you want a fight, you've got one." With that, Markus jumped head first into the portal. The inside was nothing like he had imagined the Castle of the Ether would look like. The place was a pure grey room, large enough to house at least sixty soldiers, but still gave the feeling of constraint. As he jumped through the Maw, it closed behind him, enclosing the brothers in the room.

Slowly, Felix drew forth a silver longsword from the sheath, all the while saying "Can you stand against the power of silver, or will this match be a short one like always?"

Markus just smiled, pulled forth Vice and Blaze and replied "Somehow I feel this match will be much different than our practice spars." Within moments, Markus began tensing his body, pulling the strings of magic from the large pool he had inside his body. Carefully, he began pulling these strings through his arms into his two shortswords.

When he felt the magic begin nesting itself inside the swords, Markus let out "Shadow...Form!!" Instantly, the two swords shattered into what seemed like a thousand pieces, each piece becoming a dark, burning piece of shrapnel. Moments after the swords exploded, the two hilts began to vibrate, calling back the scattered pieces. Around the two brothers, the shrapnel pieces started floating and moving, almost as if they had become living beings; then, when all of the pieces became airborne, the started flying back to the hilts, slowly remaking the two swords the way they had been. This time, however, both blades were dark black, Blaze now slightly arched the same way Vice did, giving the two swords an even more brotherhood like appearance, and finally, the sharp ends of each blade was streaked with a trail of Dark Fire.

Now smiling, Felix said "Alright, you want to play with the big boys now Markus, then let's...PLAY!!" When he finished, he positioned his longsword into a battle position and charged at Markus with blinding speed. With his Evizilan coordination, Markus raised Blaze just at the right time to completely parry the longsword; giving him the perfect change to use Vice. Knowing what Markus was planning, Felix attempted to jump back just in time, unfortunately for him, Vice was able to strike his leg, causing it to sear and burn with the might of Black Fire. Now maddened with his own pain, Felix charged once again, only this time, he began swiftly moving left, then right, then backwards, and finally, he swung around behind Markus and sliced him straight in the back with the silver longsword.

Cringing as the silver seared his skin, Markus crouched and swung low, hoping to hit Felix in both legs, maybe even cutting them clean off. Sadly, Felix saw this coming and with little effort, jumped clear of the two shortswords, landing right in front of Markus once again. With superb agility, Markus stood back up, and began relentlessly striking at Felix. To Markus's ill fortune however, Felix was able to use his longsword as a giant shield by spinning it in front of him like a windmill. Enraged by his brother's skill, Markus quickly stopped his rampage and quickly swung the two swords in a straight, downward angle, one that would have cut both of Felix's arms in two if they had hit him. Before they could reach their mark however, Vice and Blaze were stopped by the massive silver longsword. As the two brothers were caught in the gridlock, Felix laughed at Markus and said "Markus just give up, you could never beat me at arms, and you never will."

Markus realized his brother's words rang true, but he remembered Felix's one flaw. Standing to meet his gaze, Markus replied "You're right, I could never beat you in arms, but I could in MAGIC!!" With this, he unsummoned the ShadowForm weapons and began drawing a triangle in the air, forming the seal for a class 3 spell. With the seal complete, his spread his arms out, watching as his hands filled with two giant orbs of magic; one as dark as an abyss, and the other that radiated a light stronger than eighteen large candles combined. Now, he brought his arms together, causing the two balls of energy to collide and shoot forth as a massive beam of unstable magic.

When he brought his arms together, Markus yelled out "KISS OF THE DEVIL", the name for the magic attack he made himself. All of this happened in a matter of seconds, giving Felix no time to react, causing him to be caught with the full effect of the spell at point-blank range. As he watched his brother being carried away by the beam of light and dark magic, he raised his left hand and clenched it into a fist, causing the stability of the magics to end, forcing them to explode. As the black smoke that arose from the explosion began concealing the area where Felix would have stood, Markus began wondering 'Did that really do it?' Yet, as the smoke dissipated, he saw an outline of two wings crossed together in front of Felix, shielding him from the full effects of the attack. Even with most of the damage reduced, Felix had never expected his brother to use a move like that, and so with no other choice, he decided to push his brother to his limits.

"Markus, I want you to know something before I end your life; I'm the Malar King, I'm the one who sent those Nexus Stalkers to torture you, and most important of all, I'm the one who killed our beloved mother" Felix said to Markus as he began drawing back his wings.

Now furious, Markus shot back "You fucker, I'll enjoy watching you bleed, now feel the rage of Izilan." When he finished, he used the rage built up inside of him to ram through the second and third rings of the Guard at once, causing his body to overflow with pain, but the pain just brought more rage. Now that his body had adapted to the Thrall form, it only took Markus seconds to change, but he was still as deadly as ever. At speeds that not even Felix could comprehend, Markus raced up to his brother and grabbed him by the throat, then with the strength his new form provided, sent Felix crashing through the ground.

Now out of his mind by the power his younger brother had possessed, Felix began summoning the powers of his secret weapon, causing his body to glow a malicious black. As he soared back into the room, his body was completely covered in yellow runes of the ancient language of the gods, which written were:

Felix just laughed and replied "Brother, you have no idea what kind of power this brings, but you know, you have this ability too, in fact, I'm sure your dear Wolf Goddess will help you bring it out."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the Augment; it is a special enchantment that our father dearest entwined into our souls when we were little."

"Dad? But he left us and Mom years ago, and what do you mean by the Night Mother showing me how to use this "Augment"?"

Felix just laughed and said "If you don't learn how to use your Augment Markus, you're going to die." With that, he advanced on Markus once again, except this time, Markus was ready for him. Quickly, Markus ducked, causing his brother to soar right over him and into the wall, from there, he grabbed Felix and rammed him into the ground, which with a normal person, would shatter their spinal column. With Felix not being normal however, the counter-attack only sent unimaginable amounts of pain through his body, but he was still alive. Slowly, he got up, raced right in front of Markus, and stabbed his arm through the Evizil's chest.

With the ungodly amounts of pain coursing through his veins, Markus snapped. With his left arm, he grabbed his brother's arm, and yanked it out of his chest, causing the pain to increase dramatically, and then subside quietly. Then, using his knee, Markus kicked his brother in the chest, sending him flying into the air. From there, Markus jumped up to meet his brother, and began ripping and tearing at his brother's flesh with his wolfish claws. When he was finished there, he gave Felix a sideward kick, sending him into the nearby wall. At that point, the rage that filled him forced him to go ballistic, allowing his body to move, attack and react at break neck speeds. Quickly, he ran up the wall before his brother fell to the floor, punched him in the gut, and kicked him once more into the open space of the room. From there he continued moving up, then when he thought he had the right amount of distance between him and his brother, jumped off. Now airborne, Markus began making a square in the air in front of him, creating the seal for a class 4 magic attack. Now, in a matter of seconds, he placed his wrists together, pulled his arms back, aimed towards Felix and shouted "FROSTBANE.....SPEEARRS", causing the spell to take affect. Out of nowhere, thousands of giant ice spears came shooting out of the space between Markus's palms, all flying towards his brother. As he heard the sharp spears fly through Felix's body, he felt as if he had finally killed him, only to be disappointed as the Malar slowly rose.

Now, Felix laughed as blood came spewing out of his mouth and said "That's more like it, now, imagine the powers your Augment will give you, in fact, I'll let your "Night Mother" show you how to use it."

Now confused, Markus was about to ask him what he meant when suddenly, a voice crept inside his head saying "Markus, your brother is right, you have an Augment locked away deep inside you"

Now shocked, he only replied back, 'Izilan? Is that you?'

The voice returned saying 'Yes, now, let me help you finish this battle.' With that, Markus suddenly felt a new presence enter his body. The presence brought the warmth of a blazing fire, yet at the same time brought with it the harsh winds of a cold winter night. As he felt the presence fill his body, he began feeling something else inside his soul besides the Guard; the Augment.

Slowly, Izilan returned to his mind saying 'Now Markus, unleash the Weapon, and save our city!!'

Suddenly, Markus felt the Augment twine itself around his soul, bringing forth the powers it held to the surface. Suddenly, Markus felt himself burning, not his body, but his soul, his humanity. The only way to describe it was that this enchantment was utterly devouring who he was, and quite frankly, he hated it. As the Augment worked its enchantment, black runes began appearing on Markus's body that were similar to Felix's only these ones read: You are the One who will save those you love. You are the One who will protect the innocent, even the Damned. You are the One who will mend the Broken. You are the One who will bring order where there is Chaos. Now rise mighty Weapon, and do my Bidding.

With the sudden rush of power filling his body, Markus knew he could kill his brother, but one thing stayed in his mind; Rise mighty Weapon... Instead of attacking his brother in a furious rage, he just knelt on the ground and screamed "WHAT AM I??"

Felix quickly shot back "A weapon Markus, we both are, you have to understand, little brother, WE ARE NOT PEOPLE, just weapons for Gree to play with, and right now, he wants to have some FUN" As he finished, he charged Markus, not realizing that the Augment the Evizil held was far greater than his own. Without even relying on instinct, Markus moved to his right and caught his brother, bringing his charge to a halt. Then, Markus felt Izilan fill his body once again, this time taking control over him. Now, the Night Mother brought forth Vice and aimed it at Felix's chest. Both she and Markus knew that if the sword stabbed him like this, the Dark Fire would eat away at his body from the inside out, killing him no matter how many enchantments his body held. Yet, as his body was about to plunge the sword into Felix, Markus fought for control.

Confused, Izilan entered his mind and said 'Markus, you must let me kill him now; he will become too great of a threat to stop later on.'

Markus shot back at her 'I will not become your weapon, I REFUSE TO BE A MERE WEAAPPOONN!!!' With that, he forced the Wolf Goddess out of his head, giving him full control of his body. Yet, to his surprise, just as he gained control, Markus noticed Felix reached behind him, grabbing the silver longsword on his back. Before Markus could react, Felix pulled the sword out and sliced Markus's right eye, sending the Evizil reeling back.

Felix just laughed and said "Markus, you are a total fool you know that, you can never become a person, you are, and always will be, a weapon, just like I am. Accept it and it will grant you powers you could never begin to imagine..."

Markus, with the vision in his right eye now gone, snapped back "I will never become a weapon, NEVER. But you're right; there is one power I haven't used yet." With that, Markus began casting his final spell before he lost consciousness. In less than a second, he had traced a star in the air, the seal for a class 7 spell, the most powerful, yet dangerous, class besides the Forbidden Three. Like 'Frostbane Spears', he placed his arms together, pulled them back, connected his hands by the wrists, and aimed at Felix.

With his body near death, Felix panicked and ended the magic of the Maw, transporting him back to Bilamarsh, while sending Markus back to Scycrain. With his bones crushed, his lungs failing, his ribs cracked, and blood entering his stomach, Markus wasn't sure how long he had to live. As he lost all thought, Markus began thinking 'If I can't kill you, I hope the fucking plague takes you.'

****

During the time Markus had fought with Felix, Kia had been waiting by the float for him to return. Suddenly as she saw the mighty portal close, she spotted Markus's body on the crescent moon float. Panicked, she quickly climbed up the float, crawled over to Markus's body, and found that he still had a pulse, a small one, but still there. Quickly she yelled out "We need a doctor, NOW!!" In her mind, Kia began praying 'Night Mother, if you truly exist like Markus believes you do, then please let him live. He is the most important thing in my life, and I know he holds some importance to you and Gree.' To answer her prayers, Kia noticed that the young werewolf girl, who had been the "Izilan", was now standing over the two. Slowly, she knelt down, kissed Markus on the forehead, and began emitting a green glow from her hands. Slowly, she placed her hands over Markus's body, and began mending his wounds. Within a few moments, the only wounds that remained were the odd wound that trailed up the right side of his face past his eye, and the burns on his body that oddly resembled runes of the ancient language of gods.

Knowing he was going to live, Kia knelt over him, shielding him from anything that might strike at him again, and began crying. Her tears were not of sadness, they were of hope. Hope that she would have a mate, a child, and a world in which to raise their child; for deep down, Kia had a feeling that Markus was going to be the one that would change the world of Illian forever.