Marcus Aurelius Caine
1027 Words
"Huh?... Who the hell are you?" Jason, the head of the thugs currently manhandling Vera and Deryl, remarked as he stepped out of the vehicle.
His large muscular physique gave off an imposing aura as he took a step forward, sizing up Marcus with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Ignoring the look he gave, Marcus reiterated. "I said you should let them go."
"Who do you think you are, punk?... You think I'm some dude you can just order around as you wish?... Looking for a beating?"
"... Is it just you or are there others as rude as you in your g**g of silent ninjas?" Marcus couldn't help but ask.
"..." Jason's eyebrows twitched at the unexpected words. "Are you talking to me?"
"... I believe you are the only one to approach me though?"
"f**k you!" Jason charged forward like a bull, closing the gap between himself and Marcus in a few steps before throwing out a blow.
Marcus raised a brow at the surprisingly straightforward attack.
Unlike his comrades, Jason seemed more like a direct fighter.
Which made him easier to deal with.
Wham
A thunderous slap echoed in the alleyway as Jason's face shifted in a certain direction with his body following soon after.
The next moment, he crashed into the wall beside him, his body trembling from the aftershock of the slap he'd received.
Vera, as well as Jason's subordinates, were left speechless at the scene, their gazes alternating between Jason and Marcus.
The sight of a slender guy like Marcus taking on a beast like Jason was enough to leave everyone flustered for a moment.
However, as professionals, the masked men quickly recovered and moved in tandem to suppress Marcus.
Marcus took a deep breath and as he took a step forward, zipped forward like a cheetah.
His steps were light and his movements were graceful as though he were dancing.
The first opponent to enter his vision, he casually blocked their attack before landing a counterattack of his own, leaving them completely out of breath.
In one swift motion, he dispatched him.
Then the next came and suffered a similar fate.
Realizing the situation they were in, the remaining attackers tried to salvage what was left as some attempted to keep Marcus busy while two others rushed to the bus to drive away.
Of course, Marcus quickly understood what they were planning to do.
Moving to grab one of his opponents, he deftly took one of their throwing knives and without hesitation, sent it toward one of the bus tires.
A satisfying pop rang out before the attackers had a chance to drive away, leaving them stranded and unable to escape.
Thus, they rushed to join back into the fight.
Meanwhile, Vera remained conscious, her eyes glued to the scene before her, a look of awe etched on her visage.
What exactly was happening right now?
Marcus, the supposed crazy guy from the mountains, was so adept at fighting?
No, was it even right to call it fighting?
It seemed more like he was dancing to a rhythm with his opponents forced to go with the flow.
Vera gulped instinctively as she recalled a certain memory.
It was a memory that explained what really happened to her car window.
"You…" was all she could muster just as Marcus dispatched the last assailant.
His clothes were without a single crease and his breath was measured, seemingly as though he didn't just fight against terrifying men.
Letting out a sigh, he shifted his attention to the bus and with a steady gait, made his way toward the back where Vera and Deryl were tied up.
Upon getting close enough, he leaned into the back and began to help Vera with her bindings.
Once he was done, he attempted to move to Deryl but was stopped as Vera held his wrist.
"Uhmm…"
"Who are you?"
"... Would you believe me…"
"Tell me."
"... I'm Marcus Aurelius Caine, son of the Emperor and Crown Prince of the throne of Zion."
Each word he spoke was enough to cause Vera's heart to palpitate strongly, her eyes flashing with a strange emotion.
"You…"
"I do hope you treat me no differently than you've done so far."
"...why?"
"Because right now, I'm not the Crown Prince, I'm just Marcus Caine, a man trying to prove himself."
With those words, Marcus released his wrist from Vera's grasp and moved to untie Deryl before waking him up as well.
"Whoa… what happened?" Deryl asked as he opened his eyes, a terrifying headache assaulting his senses.
Marcus flashed a smile as he shamelessly replied. "You were kidn*pped and I saved your life."
"... What?"
***
Two hours later, two police cars came over to arrest Jason and his group with Deryl staying with them to explain what happened.
Meanwhile, Marcus and Vera stood at a corner, watching the proceedings.
Once done, the duo left the scene and after securing their car, drove back to the Martinez mansion.
No surprise that the drive home was awkward as Vera tried her hardest not to stare at Marcus with the latter seemingly in deep thought.
With the silence between them reaching an uncomfortable level, Vera spoke up. "Uhmm, what are you thinking about?"
"Hmm?"
"I asked What's on your mind?"
"Oh." Marcus scratched his head as he replied. "Does this normally happen?"
"What?"
"Rich kids getting into dangerous situations?"
"... Well, uhmm, I don't think I understand."
"You see, when I first arrived, Ethan was attacked by a masked man, then you were attacked, and if we think about it, Deryl was attacked, and you were taken just to complete the job."
"... I thought you wouldn't tell me about what really happened back at the lonely road."
"I didn't want to since you should have already known as your dad is a powerful martial artist and you not knowing about martial arts would mean he didn't want to tell you but you saw me again and using the Forget spell repeatedly can lead to you developing amnesia so I'd rather just leave it be. Whatever happens, it should be fine."
- Writer
