MARKED BY THE ENEMY

Chapter 2: The Escape

MARLOWE.

How? Why was he here?

His midnight black hair had gotten longer, framing his face. Those baby fats were also gone, replaced by strong cheekbones.

"Hello Marlo," he said, his features softening as he offered me a genuinely charming smile.

I just stared at him. It's been four years since we last saw each other. After the burial, I made sure to cut off all ties with everyone from school, so seeing him here made no sense at all.

He took a few steps closer, stopping within arm’s reach. “You look very different from how I imagined.” His red eyes roamed my face in wonder.

I blinked, completely taken aback. I could say the same for him; he was barely recognizable.

“I don't think I changed that much.”

His gaze traveled down my blue dress, lingering longer than I liked on my cleavage. “Trust me. You changed a lot.”

My face warmed, and I quickly shoved him away.

In high school, Hadrian was the only reason I never got bullied. The other kids hated me because of how weak and powerless I was, but Hadrian was different. He protected me; even if half the time, he was the one doing the actual bullying.

I expected him to get furious when I pushed him, but surprisingly, he just brushed it off with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes before turning back to face the brown-haired boy, who nervously waved at me.

“Who is he? And how did you guys even find this place?”

The storage house was always hidden. So how?

Hadrian glanced at him and sighed, "He's not important. Look, it's complicated.” He shook his head. "It-it’ s a long story, and we don't have the time to explain. The point is, we came here as soon as we felt the shift."

My brows furrowed. "Felt the shift? I don't understand. "

He stepped closer, his eyes filling with curiosity as he quietly observed my face. When he found whatever he was looking for in my gaze, he sighed. "You don't know a single thing about it, do you? The ring that belongs to your-" his words trailed off as his eyes lowered to my hands, and he suddenly froze.

Something in his expression shifted when he saw the ring and I stiffened, pulling my hand back.

“What is-”

The words died in my throat as the sharp scent of smoke wafted through the air. Hadrian's face hardened, his eyes flashing with irritation. He turned sharply to scan the area, and I did the same. I couldn't sense anyone beyond the three of us, but an unfamiliar energy charged the atmosphere, making my skin itch.

“Marlo,” his voice dropped low, losing the warmth it had carried moments ago. “There’s something I need to tell you about that ring. It's not-”

The faint rustle of bushes cut his words short and his red eyes glowed brighter, magic pulsing behind them.

“Carmien,” he suddenly called, snapping his head toward the strange boy. They held each other's gaze for a silent moment, communicating with their eyes.

Before I could ask what was going on, Carmien was already moving. He was so fast that it took my brain seconds to catch up.

Something glinted in his grip, and when his eyes locked onto mine they carried something murderous in them, something that made my breath freeze.

I spun, raising my hands to block the incoming attack, but he veered past my shoulder, driving his silver dagger upward.

Only then did I see it. Coming from the left, too quick and silent for my magic to even detect, was a shadowy figure with a scythe aimed at my throat.

Carmien's blade deflected it mid-swing, slashing through the shadow in a clean, swift strike.

My whole body went stiff as goosebumps spread across my skin.

“What the hell was that?” I choked out, but nobody answered. My heart raced, blood rushing to my ears.

Had they been followed? Why the heck was I being attacked all of a sudden? And that thick mass of shadow shaped like a half-floating human? I recalled seeing something like that as a child, and the acrid smell of smoke only solidified my fear. They were using dark magic.

All hope of being at peace here was gone.

“Carmien, take her and go right now.” Hadrian ordered. “This place is no longer safe.”

“Wait-what?” I stumbled backwards, my eyes drifting towards the storage house.

Two dark figures simultaneously emerged from the shadows. One from the corner of the storage house. Another from the cluttered trees. I stared in horror as they stepped forward, revealing black demon masks, and long, curved horns.

The moment they lifted their heads, their red eyes locked onto us, showcasing rows of jagged teeth and fangs.

“Go now!” Hadrian shouted as he moved forward.

Carmien turned towards me, his face contorting in pain as his bones visibly snapped and reshaped. My eyes widened as massive black wings erupted from his back, beating violently against the air.

I covered my face as the sudden gust almost blew me away.

A Nephilim? I thought they were extinct.

At the sight of his huge wings, the masked figures began to advance. They waved their hands and black shadows tore up from the ground, surging forward like a mass of liquid ink.

I grabbed Carmien's arm, my fingers digging into his sleeve as I forced myself to stand my ground. “I’m not going anywhere. I can fight.”

Hadrian glared back at me, his mouth twisting into a snarl. For a split second, I thought he was going to transform into a raging beast, but he just scoffed.

His red eyes glowed again as he summoned a flaming sword and with one heavy swing, he cleaved through the advancing shadows, destroying them instantly.

“Don't be foolish, Marlo. Do you have a death wish?”

His words were as sharp as ever, and it stung. He still saw me as the weak girl he always had to protect, but that was all in the past. I was no longer powerless now. With the ring on my finger, I was sure I could handle a fight against these people.

Before I could draw out my magic, Carmien stepped in from behind and locked his strong arms around my stomach, keeping me caged.

“What are you doing? Let go!” I tried pulling his hands off my body, but he wasn't budging.

“I'm sorry.”

His wings slammed down hard, blasting a dent into the earth. The ground dropped away so fast my stomach went with it.

My grip on his forearms tightened as the air rushed past us, whipping out some loose strands of hair across my face. By the Gods what was happening?! I could taste the bile rising in my throat as my stomach churned, but somehow, even in that situation, I managed to twist myself in his grip so I could look down and see what was going on.

Hadrian's flame sword had gone dark as he backed away. Before him, thick waves of shadows were rising slowly, trying to consume him, but at the last moment, stone spikes shot up from the ground tearing through them.

He looked so out of breath as he lowered his hands, and it made my stomach sink in fear.

“What are you doing? We can't leave him down there!”

Hadrian's form started to get smaller as we scaled higher and higher above ground.

“Carmien, stop! We need to-”

A sharp pressure hit the back of my neck and darkness flooded in.

------------

The first thing I registered was the white ceiling. My head felt cloggy and empty until I blinked, and all the memories came rushing back to me.

I sat up fast and immediately regretted it as the room tilted sideways. I held my head, squinting as the world settled, and the headache dulled for a brief moment.

When everything became clear enough, the giant painting on the wall was the first thing that caught my attention. It was that of a beautiful woman dressed in a black flowing dress. She lay peacefully in a coffin filled with colourful flowers.

My fingers curled tightly around the sheets as I stared at the golden crown that lay on top of her head. It looked like it was withering away into dust, but her bony fingers held onto the good side like a lifeline.

It took a physical effort to look away from the painting.

Everything in the room was foreign. Starting from the single shelf of leather books, the cream-colored walls and the twin beds.

Where the hell was I?

Suddenly, the door opened and Carmien walked inside with a deep frown, looking nothing like the wild Nephilim from before. Now he looked normal with his newly styled hair and…

My eyes scanned the expensive uniform he was wearing, a black and gold military-style uniform with a white armband.

“You’re finally awake.” His low voice snapped me out of my head and I looked up to hold his gaze. He was no longer frowning, his green eyes lighting up. As I continued to watch him silently, thoughts of Hadrian suddenly came to me.

Heat crawled up my neck and I quickly pushed myself up from the bed, swinging my legs down.

"Where's Hadrian? Is he okay?"