Mark Of The Obsidian Lord

"The names Mark." The investigator, Mark, snapped Roman out of his thoughts. Roman couldn't help but think over what happened to him this night. The pain, the suffering… despite it all, Roman was naturally gravitated towards his first taste of magic.

Not to say Roman was happy about today.

'God. What's wrong with me… Rae must be so worried…' Roman was inwardly in turmoil. Conflicted by his wonder and imagination. He felt filthy for being interested in the dark magic used on him. But at the same time, he felt like the magic called for him.

The cold touch of frostbite still assaulting his chest would likely be a constant reminder of his ignorance.

"The names Roman." Roman stretched out a weak hand, slightly shivering from the cold.

Mark frowned and quickly went to start a fire.

"Take off your shirt. I'm going to examine your tattoo." Roman complied, quickly huddling around the soon to-be fire.

Mark stopped what he was doing, dropping a log as he quickly rushed towards Roman's chest.

"My god… this… you've been marked!" Roman was startled by Marks sudden enthusiasm.

"I presume that's a bad thing?" Roman was scared but tried not to show it. He hoped that he could remove the mark but who knows what it could mean for his future. Would he be able to work? What about Rae? Could he still interact with his sister?

"Hmm. Not sure! Wait here." Mark quickly started the fire before rushing out. After a couple minutes Mark came back, holding a toolbox.

Roman noticed many medical instruments, a scalpel, tweezers, bone saws. All of it scared Roman even more.

"Stay still." Mark put on black leather gloves and began to touch the black skull imprinted on his chest. The skull was hovering over Roman's heart and seemed to be alive. Anyone with the ability to feel magic would feel the cold aura it gave out.

Mark first began to measure the skull with a tool Roman had never seen before.

"It's marvellous! It gives off a truly chilling aura! Does it hurt?" Mark was still enthusiastic as ever. A sparkle was in his eyes as he examined Roman's greatest failure. It was as if Mark was a boy in a candy shop.

The mark was cold to the touch. It gave off a feeling of dread to anyone who could see it. Still, Mark was a scholar and for him, this was a dream come true.

"It's freezing cold. It doesn't hurt when you touch it. I just feel like I'm freezing around the mark." Roman was still afraid. Slightly shaking and breathing heavily. When Mark noticed Roman's terror he calmed himself.

'Pull it together Mark! This is a boy!' Mark coughed into his hand before continuing. He poked and prodded around the skull, trying to discover its secrets. Mark even cut a small piece of skin off where the skull was.

Quickly, the skin healed, bringing the Black Skull with it.

Eventually Mark was finished. He quickly buried his head in his notes and gave Roman some warm soup. The soup did nothing to stunt the cold feeling of dread he felt permeating his stomach, but was still a welcomed meal.

Mark seemingly wrote a hundred words every mouthful of soup Roman ate.

Roman finally had time to examine marks room. He had a small bookcase filled with various books. Roman couldn't read them as he had never learned to read more than a basic level.

But he could feel them… various tomes of magic. Despite Mark not having any ability to cast magic, he was still a scholar.

Roman examined his surroundings time and time again but always found himself being attracted to the magic tomes.

Eventually, Mark was done.

With loud thud of Marks book closing, Roman quickly hid his envy of Mark's Tome collection.

Mark left and when he came back, the lead inquisitor from before was in tow. Mark's look was ghastly.

The Lead Inquisitor and Mark sat down with Roman to discuss his findings.

"He's been marked by an outer god. It's a weaker one, likely a last ditch effort by some eldritch being." The lead inquisitors eyes went wide in shock. An outer god? How long has it been since one was seen…

"Can we rid the boy of the mark?" The inquisitor quickly regained his composure, unlike Roman who was a sweaty mess.

Outer gods were supposed to be more vile than the demons themselves!

"I'm afraid not without killing him. But, the good news is the mark seemingly hasn't taken full effect. Usually, a mark like this would be placed before a sacrifice or possession, but luckily for Roman here, that didn't happen. Sorry kid, but your gonna have to live with the cold." Mark looked truly sorry for Roman. For a kid to go through such an ordeal…

The lead inquisitor had a questioning look on his face.

"And what if your wrong?" Mark froze, like a deer caught in the headlights.

'This was a question I didn't want to answer.' Roman was also on edge.

"The boy will have to die. If not, he would become the vessel for a calamity that would require the full attention of the Empire." Roman's heart dropped. As unlikely as it could be, isn't there still a chance he could be taken?

'You idiot! Why didn't you back away?!' Roman was yelling at himself in his mind. None of this would've happened if he hadn't been so curious!

Roman's heart was beating. But soon, the cold embrace of the black skull calmed him down.

'Relax, relax. Your fine. Just make sure they don't find out.' Mark and the Lead Inquisitor looked to Roman.

"It's alright kid. It looks to me like that mark won't cause you any trouble besides the cold." Mark tried his best to cheer Roman up. The lead inquisitor however had a menacing glare on his face.

"In three days I'll be back. Try to run, and we'll catch you just like we caught those cultist." Imperial Code stated that without a warrant, a minor can't be held by an Inquisitor unless he or she has committed a crime.

The inquisitor walked towards the door and lightly closed it before going towards his allies, leaving a baffled Mark and horrified Roman all alone.