Future plans

The world was shocked, ecstatic and confused at Markus' revelation. Him being Marcellus' son was not something anyone expected but the revelation was welcomed by everyone. 

Magnus was the son everyone knew about but Markus was not.

Marcellus was considered an angel by countless and anyone with Marcellus' blood was no less than a royal to them. 

The man who single-handedly raised the world's economy —reduced poverty by an amount that couldn't previously be even imagined. And formed a world where people of every race and even species could cohabit. 

Markus' previous display of bravery, strength and goodwill gave the people hope that he was just like his father. 

While they knew of Marcellus as an ordinary human, Markus was a mutant who helped them not through money but by his strength and courage. 

A few were suspicious of his identity. However, with the arrival of Magnus, all of those doubts were cleared. 

"Why did you hide yourself for so long?" 

This question arose with the revelation of his identity. 

"Markus was born with a special gift, a power that is unrivalled by many. And father didn't want people to exploit his strengths or prevent him from living a normal lifestyle, like every kid. So, he sent Markus away to enjoy his childhood. And made him promise to help others when he was old enough to understand the potential of his ability and the consequences any of his actions might have."

And with that answer, Magnus managed to quench the curiosities of some. Not everyone was satisfied and Markus knew this. However, it was not long ago that Jester almost killed millions and that fear and confusion bought Markus time to slowly and steadily make the people believe in his identity. 

Although, the world seemed to be at peace for the time being. 

The underworld was burning. 

Under Markus' orders and Selene's supervision, all the moles and rats of the underworld were hunted down. 

Jester managed to unite over ninety percent of the underworld and the remaining ten percent seemed to oppose him due to his slight gentlish ways. 

Jester during his glory days warned the underworld that the Elder was not as relaxed and laid back as he was. The Elder was a ruthless being that wouldn't mind killing his own children if they dared betray him. 

And the Underworld witnessed his wrath on this day. 

The ones that tried to harm the balance were slaughtered and the rest of the underworld stayed quiet. They knew this day would come as the underworld was already prospering with organized crimes. 

They had no real reason to rebel against the Elder. The Elder ensured that they weren't caught at the expense of restricting a few crimes that he didn't like, like rape and child abduction. 

Shifting the power from Marcellus to Markus has always been Markus' plan. As a mutant, he could explain his longevity which was not possible for Marcellus. This also allowed him to walk freely as a mutant in the streets with minimal hate. 

"Plans sidetracked, they were delayed and weren't exactly as I thought they would go. But the major phase of the plan was a success." Markus smiled. "Finally."

…

…

It had been hours since Jester's defeat and Markus left Magnus to take care of the press.

He wanted to take a break but he couldn't. Last days have been hectic however there was a battle approaching. Things were moving too fast and if he hadn't been preparing for so long, he would have broken down long ago.

'Kang is a monster. He may not be physically that strong but his ability to see and walk through time makes him deadly.' 

Markus lazed on his couch, coming up with ways to get rid of the Conqueror. He could kill Kang but he needed to minimize the casualties.

'And Blackheart is an added issue… Not to mention his father… who I hope is not a part of this.'

If Loki was the god of trickery, Mephisto was the devil of trickery… He played tricks on a scale that was much worse than Loki could even comprehend. 

'The worst scenario is if all these events collide and to prevent that, I will need intel from the TVA.' 

"You seem worried." Selene's soft voice brought Markus back to reality. 

"Ah, Selene." Markus relaxed. "Just thinking of our next move."

"Next move?" Selene enquired. "About the Underworld?"

Markus shook his head, making Selene walk closer to him. "No. That is already being taken care of, the round table is capable of handling this situation."

"So, what is bugging you?" 

"Hmm…" Markus chuckled. "How exactly do I phrase this?"

Seeing Markus' tired look, Selene sighed. "First of all, you need rest. Your body might not need it, but your mind does. And with all those powers you possess, I don't want you nuking the world in your sleep depravity."

Markus chuckled. "It's not that." He straightened his back. "Do you remember that I once told you we might need to fight a serious war?"

"Aha?"

Markus sat straight and put on a serious face. "It is closer than we expected." 

Selene's face went stern at his words. She knew Markus warned them about threats in the future that were not going to be easy to deal with. 

"Can we win?" 

"We can." Markus immediately answered. "But it will be quite dangerous and won't be without losing a few of our soldiers."

'Once this is over, I will have to re-seal Blackheart and gather the other infinity gems.' Markus sighed. 'And… I need to figure out dad's riddle.'

"How is Amara?" Markus asked. "Been a while since I last visited her."

"She is doing good and it would be great if you could go and teach her a few things about management. It's better to learn from the best." 

Selene's words made Markus chuckle once again.

"I will try to be there. But currently there is somewhere that I need to go."

"Oh, and where is it?"

Markus winked. "Xavier's."

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[[A/N: Currently in Luxembourg, won't be posting for a while.]]