Just then, the figure turned, a ruthless smile spreading across a face Adrian knew all too well, and his breath caught.

"Marcus," Adrian spilled out in shock.

The man before him was both familiar and alien. Marcus's features were sharper, his once-kind eyes now gleaming with malice. His armor was etched with runes that glowed faintly, and the aura of power surrounding him was suffocating.

"Adrian," Marcus said in a smooth and taunting voice.

Adrian stared at the man standing before him, disbelief and a tangle of emotions swirling in his chest. The face was familiar, yet twisted by years of malice and pain.

The Marcus he had once known, the friend who had stood by his side, was gone—replaced by this imposing figure shrouded in darkness.

"Marcus," Adrian said, his voice barely more than a whisper as he stared in shock..

Marcus's lips curled into a cruel smile, his eyes glinting with malice. "King Adrian," he taunted. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Adrian's heart raced as he took a step forward, his chains sparking faintly against the suppression magic. "What are you doing here? How are you alive?" His voice rose as confusion gave way to anger. "I thought you died… died trying to protect me."

Marcus chuckled, a deep, bitter sound that echoed through the grand chamber.

He stepped closer, his runed armor glinting ominously in the dim light. "Oh, I've been alive, Adrian. All this time. Watching. Waiting. While you lived your charmed life with your beauties," he sneered, his eyes flicking disdainfully toward the goddesses, "I was planning my revenge."

"Revenge?" Adrian repeated, his voice sharpening. "Revenge for what? Against who? Me? I trusted you, Marcus. Took you as my friend, as my brother—as my family."

Marcus's smile faded, his expression hardening into one of cold fury. "Family?" he spat in a low and venomous voice. "You think you understand the pain of losing everything? Let me enlighten you, Adrian. Your father—your precious kingdom—destroyed my home. My people. My family. Everything I loved, gone in an instant. Burned to ash by the hand of Meridia."

Adrian flinched, his mind racing back to the stories of his father's conquests. "That was war," he said, though his voice wavered. "And my father is dead. You can't hold me accountable for his actions."

"War?" Marcus barked out a humorless laugh. "You call the slaughter of innocents war? There was no honor in what he did. He came to my kingdom not to conquer but to annihilate. To erase us from history."

Adrian stared, his throat tightening. He had heard tales of his father's ruthlessness, but they had always been shrouded in the justifications of war and victory. "Marcus, I—"

"And then," Marcus interrupted, his tone turning icy, "when I finally came to claim justice, to face the man who had taken everything from me, he was already dead. A hero's death, no less. And there you were, his golden son, sitting on the throne, carrying the weight of his sins with none of the consequences."

Adrian clenched his fists, his fiery chains sparking again despite the suppression. "You could have come to me," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. "We could have made things right. Together."

"Made things right?" Marcus sneered. "Do you hear yourself? The sin of the father, they say, shall be visited on his son… and his grandson and great grandson, even down to the fifth generation. Your father took everything from me. Your family took everything from me. And now, I will return the favour."

The room seemed to grow colder as Marcus's words hung in the air. Adrian's mind churned with conflicting emotions—guilt, anger, betrayal. "You were like a brother to me," he said, his voice quieter now. "I didn't know. I swear to you, Marcus, I didn't know."

Marcus's expression softened for a fleeting moment, but it quickly hardened again. "Ignorance doesn't absolve you, Adrian. You've inherited the sins of your father, and now you'll pay for them."

The goddesses, who had been silent up until now, stepped forward, their expressions a mixture of anger and defiance.

Hera's voice was cold and commanding as she addressed Marcus. "You speak of justice, but all I see is a man consumed by vengeance. Do you think your actions will bring back what you've lost?"

Marcus's gaze shifted to her, his lip curling. "And what would you know of loss, goddess? You, who stand beside this man who represents everything I despise."

Lilith rolled her eyes, her crimson whip sparking faintly. "Oh, please. Spare us the sob story. If you're going to monologue, at least make it entertaining."

Marcus's eyes narrowed, his aura darkening as his voice dropped. "Tell me. What's the difference between what I'm doing and what he's doing?"

No response.

"He's taking his revenge for his fallen kingdom. I am doing the same. You'll all learn soon enough. This isn't a fight you can win. The Shadow Court is more than an army—it's an inevitability. And you're already trapped within its grasp."

Medea stepped forward, her black flames flickering menacingly. "We've heard plenty of threats today. If you're so powerful, why haven't you killed us already?"

Marcus smirked confidently. "Because I want Adrian to watch. I want him to see everything he loves burn, just as I did. And then, when there's nothing left but ashes, I'll end him."

Adrian's fiery chains surged with renewed intensity, defying the suppression magic. "You think you've already won," he said in a low and dangerous voice. "But you've underestimated us before, Marcus. Don't make that mistake again."

Marcus laughed, the sound reverberating through the chamber. "You still don't get it, do you? This isn't about you winning or losing. It's about me fulfilling a promise—to myself, to my people. And you? You're just the first step."

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension as the two former friends glared at each other, their shared past hanging heavily between them.

Finally, Marcus turned away, his voice echoing as he gave a command. "Take them to the lower chambers. Let them see what awaits them."

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