Hiraeth {Book 3 in The Emerald of Annihilation trilogy}

(23). Inception

Marcus stood on the 24th floor of the Klass industries building. His hands clasped behind his back. He gazed out over the busy city that buzzed with life. Life. A word Marcus despised. Life meant freedom. Freedom meant independence. When there is independence there is no need for a leader.

Marcus liked the word death better. Less independence. More control. He smirked. The fresh air coming in from the slightly ajar window granted him a pleasurable breeze. But death was not always needed for complete control. 

Then what would be the point? A king cannot rule over a fallen kingdom. A soldier cannot win the battle if there is no-one to fight. Marcus knew that lesson well. He turned around at the sound of footsteps in his office. 

A short, yet thin woman paced into the room. A stack of signed papers in her arms. 'The new intern.' He guessed. The way she nearly tripped over her own feet and the overwhelming aroma of nervousness gave it away.

"Mr. Houston. The documents you requested." She wavered, setting the stack of papers on his desk. "Miss Kendall," Marcus stroke towards her. His long strides intimidating the young woman. She hurriedly turned her attention to straightening them, attempting to avoid all and any eye contact. 

"Yes, sir?" She responded, her voice cracking. Marcus firmly slammed his palm onto the stack she was organizing so unnecessarily. "Do you believe in a better cause?" He asked. She looked up. It was the first time she had made eye contact with the Marcus Houston. 

Contrary to what rumours she had heard of the 'evil curse he puts on you with his eyes.' or the 'hypnotizing glare', he had the calmest, most relaxed gaze. She stared into his eyes curiously. "I-I beg your pardon, sir?" 

Marus smiled a kind smile. A smile that looked straight through her. A smile that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. He looked at her as if he knew every secret she ever had. But there was something in his eyes that seemed troubled. Scarred for life in a way. 

"Miss Kendall, if you had say, a best friend, a close friend. So close to the point where you think of them as your own sibling," She held his gaze. "you've gone through life together. Backed each other through every bad situation and good. And you've even saved each other's life multiple times..." She relaxed her shoulders. 

Marcus' voice sparkled with emotion. "what if one day, they abandoned you... Left you in the cruel world on your own. To survive with nothing but your own bare skin...." He broke the eye contact. He blinked once, twice, and turned around to face the window. 

Marcus swallowed hard. the lump in his throat only swelling up more like a balloon. His striking blue eyes glistening with tears he refused to shed. "What if after all those years....you see them again. Would you forgive them?" The young intern mustered up the courage to walk up behind the man and stand next to him. 

She peered out the large window, her arms folding in front of her chest. "Well, that's a tough one." Her brows furrowed with thought as her green eyes followed the multiple vehicles and pedestrians as they carried on their normal daily lives. 

"I think I would forgive them. Not because it's 'the human thing to do' but because I would have trusted the person did it because they thought it was the right thing to do. They did it because they cared. They did it to keep me safe and because it was the best thing for me. They wanted me to have the best chance at life. With or without them." 

She turned her head, looking up at the man who was so well known and feared. His eyes full of lament and guilt. His bottom lip quivered slightly and his breathing was uneven. It was all he could do to keep himself from breaking down in tears.