Third Act: Birth of a Reaper
Once Marcus had finished crafting his wooden scythe, he began practicing the drills his father had taught him.
Each drill focused on highlighting the most prominent aspects of the scythe, which were slashing and spinning. These two facets were essential and enhanced the combat prowess of scythe wielders.
Along with these drills, numerous stretching exercises were included because his father had also stressed heavily upon flexibility when one wielded a scythe.
Due to this, there was nothing Nekros had to instruct him on, and so he only waited for the boy to finish his drills and exercises.
Once Marcus had finished his final stretch, Nekros began to instruct Marcus.
"It's good that your father has already imprinted the basics of the scythe into your mind. You have a strong foundation and it will help with what is to come next," Nekros stated in a slightly appreciative tone.
Marcus didn't flinch like he normally would at the mention of his father and instead only focused on absorbing as much knowledge from Nekros as possible.
"With that being said, have you ever wondered why it is a mage like yourself would ever need to wield a scythe?"
Marcus was puzzled by the sudden question. He'd never questioned why he used the scythe or why his father taught him to use it.
"Right now you're probably questioning why it is you wield the scythe correct?"
The sentence Nekros had spoken was phrased like a question but sounded more like a statement and Marcus was surprised by his master's foresight.
"Heh... Have you ever thought about using another weapon, say a sword, bow, axe, or even a spear?"
Marcus thought about the question before responding, but he could only draw blanks. Why hadn't he ever picked up another weapon?
Thinking about it now, the scythe wasn't even meant for combat.
Originally, he'd heard from his father that the scythe's roots were ingrained in agriculture, unlike the sword, axe, spear, and bow. So, why hadn't Marcus used one of those weapons instead.
Nekros only waited as Marcus sank deeper into his thoughts, until he recalled a certain event.
He remembered when he was younger that he had asked his mother to train him one day instead of his father. The only reason he did such a thing was to avoid his father's strict training regimen and all his father could do was laugh at him.
He didn't find out until he started training with his mother, why it was his father had laughed at him. His mother, Belladonna was a far stricter teacher than his father was, and he regretted his choice ever since then.
His mother wielded a rapier, and when Marcus tried to learn to use the weapon, he failed miserably. Compared to the scythe, he had no talent for the rapier and his mother constantly reminded him of this fact. At the time he was saddened and angry by this, but now he realized she was merely trying to educate him on his strengths and weaknesses.
If Marcus was going to give up on the scythe, which he had talent in, then he'd have to put double the amount of effort into any other weapon he chose to wield.
Once Marcus finished explaining this experience to Nekros, his master chuckled.
"Yes.. well omens naturally have an affinity for the scythe due to my sister and I both being scythe wielders."
Marcus was confused by this and encouraged his master to elaborate.
To this his master sighed.
"There is a far more prolonged explanation for why this is, but for now, I will give you a more concise version.
"The short version is this, essentially those, that share an elemental affinity with a god, also share that god's weapon affinity. As such, all shadow and darkness wielders possess a certain affinity for the scythe."
Marcus felt enlightened, while at the same time more questions arose in his head.
Didn't this clearly mean that Nekros and Nyx both wielded scythes?
Did other gods and denizens of Terra possess a similar relationship like Nyx, Nekros, and all the other omen out there?
What about what his father said about them being descendants of wraiths?
How did they fit into all this?
Marcus's mind was moving so fast, he didn't know what question to ask first, but before he could even utter a word, Nekros cut him off.
"Stop. Don't think about meaningless things right now. Focus."
Marcus controlled his curiosity and refocused on the task in front of him, which was to learn the mage art known as [Spectral Scythe].
"Good, now I want you to hold your scythe in front of you with both of your hands and close your eyes."
Marcus did as he was instructed and held the scythe in front of him with his arms extended forward. He also closed his eyes, which were still hidden beneath the blindfold.
"Now, run your hands along the snath of the scythe until you reach the heel."
Marcus ran his hands along the length of his scythe, as he felt the crisp feeling of wood that the scythe was made from, up until he reached the heel where his wooden blade extended.
"Now, picture the image of the scythe in your mind until you can create a near perfect replica as the one in your hand. Do not rush, as doing so will only skew the end result."
Marcus listened to his master as he spent approximately twenty minutes feeling every piece of his scythe. From the two grips that were in the middle and bottom of the scythe, to the heel and toe where the blade was, Marcus engraved each piece in his mind in perfect detail.
Once this was done, Nekros instructed Marcus to drop his scythe and recall his darkest times. Whether they be when he lost his family or to seeking revenge on those who had wronged him.
Marcus recalled them all as he immersed himself in what felt to him like a sea of negativity. If he could describe how he felt in one word, it would be... vengeful.
As this was happening, orbs of black mana shrouded Marcus's figure as he again took the shape of an all-black-mannequin.
Marcus couldn't say he understood what was happening this very moment, but in the next, his body moved on its own.
His hands closed together as if he was forming a prayer, but instead of remaining closed, they slowly opened and a small purple glow emitted from the center between his hands.
Marcus extended his hands and as he did so, the purple glow stretched with them. A thin cylindrical shaft started to come into focus and once it reached far enough past Marcus's wingspan a perfect curve took shape at the end of the shaft, and the visage of a scythe was formed.
It emitted a mystical yet ghostly aura. If one were to view it from a far, it would be described as both beautiful and captivating. Up close however, one would feel a murderous and bleak ambience being emitted from the scythe-shaped apparition.
When Marcus held onto it however, he didn't feel any of these emotions. Not because he didn't share the same thoughts about the weapon, but because he couldn't.
Once the scythe had manifested completely, Marcus held onto it with both his hands and a black stem took root within the snath of the 'scythe'.
He didn't get to appreciate the weapon for long because only seconds after he had laid hands on it, his master's barked an order out to him.
"DROP THE SCYTHE NOW!"
Marcus wasn't sure why his master had shouted those words so forcefully, but he was unwilling to find out. As soon as he heard them, he removed his hands from the scythe and the beautifully dangerous apparition vanished instantly.
Once it had vanished, Marcus started to feel extremely lethargic and collapsed on the spot.
Perhaps due to his curiosity, Marcus barely managed to pull up his Terra before his eyelids closed.
What he caught a glimpse of made him smirk ever so slightly.
"...Hah... I did it..."
Those were the final words Marcus uttered before his eyelids grew too heavy, and he collapsed on the ground on his back.
Meanwhile, a small blue screen was beginning to disappear along with Marcus's consciousness. It read as such...
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Str = 31
Mag = 20
Dex = 20
Spd = 25
Def = 16
Res = 20
Lck = 0
Health = 525/525
Class = Unavailable
Rank: Elementary
Mage Arts: [Darkness Manifestation] [Spectral Scythe]
Constitution: Eclipsing Phantasm
Elemental Affinity: Darkness
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