The One and Only, Marcus Caine

Back to the city

"Somebody stop that man!" A terrified voice cried out at the train station.

On the platform where several people congregated, none had the balls to do anything except panic while trying to protect themselves.

Of course, all except one person.

Marcus, a white haired boy with a slender physique, carrying a backpack while wearing a simple attire consisting of a colored shirt worn over a black t-shirt and a pair of white pants and shoes to match, watched the spectacle with a complicated expression.

'Is this what the city is like?' he couldn't help but wonder as he watched a man, draped in black and covering his face with a mask, rush toward him with a bloodied knife in his hand and two security guards chasing after him.

The man moved swiftly, his steps so light that none could keep up with him but the young man could see everything clearly.

But of course, no-one knew this and instead, thought that he was scared shitless to the point of being unable to move.

"Get out of the way!" One of the security guards intoned loudly.

'Should I do something?' Marcus pondered.

Before he could make a decision, however, the cloaked man drew close, intent on stabbing him.

Instinctively, Marcus reacted.

Reaching out with one hand, he grabbed the knife but surprisingly it didn't cut him.

The cloaked man's eyes flickered in surprise as he sensed a familiar energy from the young man.

Before he could react, however, a slender palm came into view before a stinging pain struck his cheek.

"Ugh." The man spun around after receiving a slap from Marcus before crumpling helplessly on the ground.

'So weak?' Marcus blinked in confusion before glancing at his palm. 'Did I put too much strength into the strike?'

Recalling the words of his grandfather that warned him of the dangers of the city, Marcus couldn't help but wonder if he had been wrong.

As quickly as the thought came, however, he shook his head to discard it.

'No, no, Grandpa can never be wrong.'

After getting his facts straight, Marcus watched as the two security guards, initially stunned by how he easily dispatched the knife guy, regained themselves before rushing in to restrain the masked man, of course, it wasn't like their actions held any meaning since the man in question was already unconscious but then again… better safe than sorry.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Marcus tried to walk away, but a piercing wail coming from somewhere on the platform caught his attention.

Curious to find out what was happening, Marcus waltzed over.

He soon arrived at a place where several people encircled two youths.

One was a young woman kneeling on the railings with tears in her eyes and blood on her cheek and palms while the other was a young man with his head on the woman's lap, wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants.

Currently, the man had a terrible cut in his torso with black blood constantly leaking out of it.

The area beneath him was already dyed with the black blood which oozed with a pungent smell.

Marcus furrowed his brows at the sight.

Around the duo, the people displayed a range of emotions with their expressions, ranging from worry to sadness.

Just then, an authoritative voice was heard. "Out of the way!"

Repeated a few times for added measure, the crowd soon parted to reveal a medic carrying a first aid kit.

"What are your names?" The medic remarked as he knelt down before the unmoving body of the young man..

"Lucy." The girl replied amidst tears before adding. "And this is my boyfriend, Ethan."

"Alright, Lucy. You are going to have to help me here."

"Okay."

Quickly opening up his first aid kit to retrieve a few medical tools, he addressed the young lady. "Help me remove his hoodie."

"Okay." Nodding imperceptibly, the young lady, still in tears, managed to remove the man's hoodie, revealing a toned body underneath.

A terrible stab wound could be seen on his stomach prompting Marcus to connect the man's state with the knife guy from earlier.

'No wonder his knife stung a little.' he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the medic got to work as he tried to dress the wound.

After disinfecting and cleaning it up, he quickly bandaged it.

At this point, the young man's condition still continued to deteriorate with black lines appearing on his terribly pale skin.

"What's going on?... Why is he getting worse?" The girl asked in a state of panic.

Confused by the situation, the medic remarked. "This is more serious than I thought. We have to take him to the hospital. I already called an ambulance."

"But…"

"Uhmm, excuse me." At that moment, a boyish voice was heard, cutting the woman off.

Quickly, attention was thrown in the direction of the one who spoke.

Coughing awkwardly at the unwarranted attention, Marcus remarked. "I hope you don't mind but I have something to say."

"What is it?... If it's not important, buzz off, I have a patient to tend to." The medic replied in annoyance.

"I understand…I think. But I feel I should let you know that if he isn't treated within the next 3 minutes, he will die."

"What!" The young lady exclaimed at the shocking piece of news.

The medic, on the other hand, sneered at Marcus. "What the hell do you know?... I already dressed his wounds so he is in no danger of bleeding out."

"That would be the case if it were just a normal cut, but then, it's not. I mean, look at his pale skin and the black lines on his body. It's clear to see that he's been poisoned which means sealing up the injury won't save his life."

A few gasps erupted as the people present seemed agreeable with his words.

However, the medic remained skeptical as he shot back. "So what do you think of yourself?... You watched a few documentaries and you consider yourself some sort of medical detective?... Alright, tell me, what poison is currently affecting the young master?"

"Oh come on, even a toddler can guess that it's the Nine Yin poison," Marcus said but was met with abrupt silence as everyone present stared at him like a fool.

"... Wait, no one has heard about the Nine Yin poison?" Marcus asked just to be sure but the awkward silence that lingered was enough to let him understand the situation.

"... Well this is awkward."

"Do you think this is a joke?... To make fun of people when they are at their lowest points?... What kind of person are you?" Lucy berated Marcus as tears streamed down her cheeks.

At the same time, the medic scoffed in disdain as he turned away from Marcus to pull out a phone to dial a number.

The reactions of the crowd were no different as varying expressions of disgust were levied at Marcus.

Scratching his cheek, Marcus wondered if this would be the right time to take his leave.

However, his grandfather's words echoed in his head

'If you can, always endeavor to help those in need. I taught you everything you know for that very purpose.'

Grumbling a little, Marcus knew he couldn't leave just like that.

If Ethan ended up dying, even if he wasn't close to him, the thought that he could have done something but didn't would surely cause him to be unable to meditate in the future.

An important aspect of a martial artist was meditation for being unable to meditate made it difficult for a person to become one with nature and the elements.

So, even though it would draw insults from those present, Marcus decided to act.

Taking a single step forward, he arrived before the young man before anyone could react.

Lucy turned wide-eyed as she found Marcus already kneeling beside her.

"What are you…"

"Hold your breath, this is gonna hurt," Marcus remarked, completely cutting her off before raising his right hand.

Ensuring his fingers were straight, Marcus manifested a formless energy from within his dantian before reaching for the bandaged wound on Ethan's torso.

His palm easily cut through the bandage, allowing Marcus to put his hand into Ethan's stomach.

Taken aback by what just happened, several shocked gasps escaped the lips of those present.

"Are you crazy!... What the hell do you think you are doing?" The medic cried out in shock.

Throwing him a side eye, Marcus replied. "Saving a life."

The next moment, he exhaled hot air from his mouth after which his body turned hot, so hot that it seemed like he was suffering from a high fever.

"To deal with Nine Yin poison, one has to use the opposing force of Yang to burn away the coldness," Marcus said in a casual manner at which point a sizzling sound was heard from Ethan's body.

Unsure of what to do, Lucy and, in extension, the medic stood there while watching Marcus work.

After almost a minute had passed, the sizzling soon stopped, with the black lines on Ethan's body disappearing like a lie.

"Well, that should do it." Marcus intoned as he stopped the healing process before slowly removing his palm from Ethan's body and then running his palm over the injury to seal it.

At the same time, his complexion returned and a moment later, he gasped for air.

Opening his eyes slowly, he blinked a few times to get accustomed to the lighting before glancing at Lucy.

"Ethan…" Lucy muttered as tears welled up in her eyes again.

Stunned by the sight, the medic stuttered. "How… how did you do that?... How's this possible?"

"Martial arts." Marcus smiled, as though proud of his achievement.

His first day in the city and he'd already saved a life.

Just how cool was that?

Disoriented for a while, Ethan soon regained himself as he addressed Lucy in a loving tone.. "You saved me."

"Ehmm, no." Marcus quickly cut in, almost like he didn't want anyone else taking the credit for his work.

Then without waiting for a response, he shamelessly remarked. "I did and no need to thank me, I was only doing my job."

"... Who are you?"

"Me?... I'm Marcus Caine, Crown Prince and heir to the throne of Zion." Marcus replied with a wide grin.