The Cheat Seed

Chapter 29

Marcus stood slowly, his head dropping low, eyes fixed on the ground. Then without warning, he snapped his head back, a laugh erupting from deep within his chest. He covered his mouth with his right hand while his left clutched at his stomach, his entire body shaking with uncontrollable mirth.

His parents exchanged alarmed glances. Their son was laughing like a maniac after learning he would battle the King's son—the same prince who had tormented him throughout his academy years.

The laughter gradually subsided. Marcus lowered his head, hair falling over his eyes, one hand still partially covering his face.

"Dad, don't worry about me," he said, his voice suddenly calm. "It's better you warn the king."

Albert's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why's that, son?"

"Eh? You ask why?" A chuckle escaped Marcus's lips. "Hehe."

With deliberate slowness, he interlocked his fingers and cracked his knuckles. The sound echoed through the hall with unnatural volume, as if amplified by some unseen force. The atmosphere shifted—a cold, predatory aura emanating from Marcus that sent a chill racing down Albert's spine.

"Because..." Marcus's lips curled into something between a smile and a snarl. "His son ain't gonna walk after the fight."

"But—" Albert started to protest, then clamped his mouth shut when he caught sight of his son's face.

Marcus was smirking, his eyes their normal calm green. But the atmosphere surrounding him was anything but normal. It was menacing, heavy with the promise of violence.

A full minute of silence stretched between them. Neither looked at each other directly. From another room, Evy's and Iris's laughter echoed as they played, blissfully unaware of the tension that had descended upon their father and brother.

Albert shifted uncomfortably, then remembered something he'd heard from his friend Aaron Vagner, Dave's father.

"Ah, Marcus," he said, eager to change the subject.

"Hm?" Marcus blinked, the menacing aura dispersing as quickly as it had appeared.

"I heard from Aaron that there's going to be an alumni meet tomorrow at your acade... Previous academy."

"Oh..." Marcus seemed unimpressed by this information.

"Do you have any plans tomorrow? If there's nothing, you could visit your friends."

"Huh? Friends?" Marcus frowned. "I have only one friend and that's..."

His eyes widened suddenly as realization struck. "DAVE! Dad, how's Dave doing?"

The question burst from him, filled with genuine interest and concern.

Albert smiled, pleased by his son's reaction. "Ah, Dave. He's doing very well. As he awakened a Legendary Seed, he was soon taken under the wing of Mage Earth, so there's nothing to worry about. He has been performing excellently at his academy—the Unreal Revoker Academy." Albert's voice swelled with pride for the boy who had been like a second son to him. "And... he is ranked the third strongest Revoker on the table."

Albert glanced down, a smile playing on his lips. He expected his son to be flustered or surprised by this news—surely Marcus would be impressed by his friend's accomplishments. When he looked up, however, his smile faded into a pout.

Far from being surprised, Marcus was grinning broadly, staring at the framed family photo hanging on the wall.

"Expected of him," Marcus said with unmistakable pride. "I'm surprised he isn't second already." His grin widened as he turned to face his father. "I suppose it's him, Gabriel's brother, who's second?"

Albert's mouth opened and closed without producing sound. "...No comments..." he finally managed.

"Haha!" Marcus laughed, the sound genuine and warm this time.

---

Later that night, after the clock chimed eleven, Marcus retreated to his bedroom. He slid beneath the covers of his old bed, which now seemed comically small for his transformed physique. Despite this discomfort, he found himself drifting into the most relaxed sleep he'd experienced in what felt like millennia.

In their shared room, Evy and Iris slept peacefully, tiny arms wrapped around each other. Their innocent faces glowed in the soft moonlight filtering through the curtains.

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, Albert sat on the edge of the bed, a Magic Earpiece (ME) pressed against his ear.

"Hello, Aaron? It's me, Albert."

"Ah, hello Albert?" Aaron's voice came through clearly, despite the late hour. "What's happening? Finally decided to shift to my villa, eh? Trust me, this place is awesome, we have this coolba—"

"No, Aaron. Listen to me, man," Albert cut off his friend's enthusiastic sales pitch. "I just needed to tell you some good news."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Aaron replied. "Ahah, good news? This late at night?" Another pause. "Whatever, go on, shoot, man."

"I'm really sorry for waking you up, by the way," Albert apologized, "but what I'm going to say would disturb your sleep anyway... and probably your son's too."

"Huh?" Aaron's voice sharpened with interest. "Enough with the suspense, man. Tell me the good news already!"

Albert could hear his friend's excitement building—the slight change in pitch betraying his mounting curiosity.

"Okay..." Albert took a deep breath, savoring the moment. "So the thing is... he's back."

"Huh? Who's back?" Aaron asked. On the other end of the line, he sat up straighter, the edge of his bed creaking beneath him. His wife stirred beside him, awakened by her husband's raised voice.

Albert's voice wavered with emotion as he delivered the news he'd waited two years to share. "Him, Aaron! My diamond, your son's one and only childhood bestie... MARCUS G ORNO!"