Marcus felt dejected and powerless as he went home. His mother had already gone to work. He sat down at the table and closed his eyes, contemplating his own situation. His heart told him to register with the army, fulfilling his mother's wish and protecting Remus. His brain told him to stay away from the army, pursue a career in administration, and rise to a position where he could bring meaningful change.
"So what do I do…?"
Marcus let out a sigh and opened his eyes again.
Suddenly he froze. There, in front of his eyes was a strange little card. It bore his name together with some strange words he didn't understand. Café? Never heard of it.
Marcus took a deep breath. He had always been great at keeping his composure. Although the appearance of this card was strange, perhaps he was too deep in thoughts and had thus overlooked it. It might be something his mother left behind.
Alright, he couldn't even believe this explanation himself. Where would his mother get such a weird object from?
Could someone else have placed this thing here? But between his mother leaving and him returning there couldn't have been much time. Marcus subtly glanced around the room. There were no signs of anyone else coming in.
Unable to figure it out Marcus placed his attention back on the object. He carefully reached his hand out and touched the card with a single finger. Nothing happened. He took the card into his hand and played around with it, immediately realising that it was made from an unknown material. Smooth, foldable, but also sturdy. He couldn't tear it apart.
Marcus shivered faintly as the card gave him an eerie feeling. Its sudden, inexplicable appearance and its strange material made Marcus inexplicably think of the witches in the north. There have always been tales of their scary magic. They were the only ones Marcus could think of who could cause such a strange object to suddenly appear. But would they have any reason to do so? Why would they target him? Could it be a curse cast on the soldiers' families? Should he inform others?
"Stop!"
Marcus forcefully reigned in his thoughts. He placed the card back on the table and took a deep breath. It was better not to make a hasty decision. Since this card appeared in their home, Marcus would inquire with his mother about it later. He put the matter at the back of his head and tried to go about the day. However, with everything happening these past few days even Marcus found it difficult to remain unaffected.
Evening arrived slowly. Marcus, having continued his efforts to form connections, came home rather early. He prepared some food for him and his mother. As he placed the food on the table the strange card was still lying there quietly. Marcus did his best to ignore it until his mother came home from work. The small family sat on the table and Livia began to talk about the day's happenings.
As his mother continued to talk, Marcus gradually frowned. Didn't she notice the elephant in the room? Why would she ignore the strange card? Was he overthinking it? Perhaps his mother knew where the card came from and expected Marcus to know as well?
Marcus grew increasingly confused and was unable to hold back after a while. When his mother made a pause he pointed at the table, asking carefully:
"Mom… don't you want to talk about this?"
"Hm? What?"
"Well, this. This strange card."
Livia frowned faintly. Her gaze wandered between her son and the table, unable to comprehend what he was talking about. Seeing her like this Marcus felt increasingly uncomfortable. A chill ran down his spine.
"Mother, you can see this thing lying here on the table… don't you?"
"What are you talking about? Marcus, are you feeling unwell?"
"Eh… forget it."
Marcus was hit with a suffocating feeling as he fell silent. He forcefully took a few deep breaths to suppress the turmoil engulfing his body. Livia stared at her son worriedly thinking that the stress might have taken a toll on him. She placed some more of the food on her son's table and even poured him a little bit of Iulius's treasured wine.
Watching his mother's actions Marcus felt a warmth rising in his heart and the previous chaotic emotions were slowly subdued.
"Thank you, mom. I'm fine."
Livia glanced at her son. Seeing that he looked much better already except for a slightly pale face she let out a sigh of relief. She caressed his hair before sitting down again. The meal continued quietly. After eating his fill Marcus excused himself and directly went to bed. He didn't touch the card at all. Perhaps after waking up the next day, it might have disappeared.
However, Marcus's thoughts were only wishful thinking. As he approached the table the next day the card was still there, having not moved the tiniest bit throughout the night. Marcus frowned and came to a decision. He approached the table and put the card into his pockets before his mother could see him. After a short breakfast everyone went their ways.
Marcus left the house and followed the street until he reached Tevora, the majestic river running through the city. It was flanked by solid stone walls on both sides and could be crossed on multiple gorgeous bridges. A nice road decorated with lush trees invited pedestrians to stroll along the river.
Unfortunately, Marcus wasn't here to enjoy the scenery. He approached the river, retrieved the strange card from his pocket, and threw it in without hesitation. A deep breath later the young man felt as if a huge burden had fallen from his shoulders.
After getting rid of the card Marcus went on with his life. For the next few days nothing extraordinary happened and Marcus was still torn between two options. But a week after learning about the death of his father there was another day of sadness. Today the newly enlisted recruits would leave. They were about to enter a military camp for basic training before being sent to the north in a few months.
When Marcus heard this from Remus he gritted his teeth. Usually, the duration of the basic training was a whole year. But now it had been reduced to a few months. And yet the recruits remained eager, feeling honoured that they had the opportunity to enter battle earlier. Was there really no one questioning this?
Again, Marcus had this feeling of powerlessness as he said farewell to his best friend and watched the young recruits leave through the city gate. He wanted to do something… anything to protect his friend.
Marcus balled his fists but suddenly he froze. He lowered his head and stared at his palm. There, an inconspicuous, strange card had unknowingly appeared.
"What?!"
Marcus's sudden shout drew strange gazes from the people around him, who were seeing off their loved ones. Marcus smiled wryly and closed his hand again, hiding the card. He waited together with the others until the new recruits were out of sight, but his thoughts were spinning wildly.
As the crowd dispersed Marcus left as well but he didn't go home directly. He found a secluded spot and sat down on some small wall. Opening his hand he stared at the strange card. Suddenly he threw it away again. He balled his fist and opened it a few times, but the card didn't return. However, it was still within his view so perhaps this had an effect?
Marcus switched spots and repeated the experiment. However, no matter how much he moved his hand, opening and closing his fist, the card didn't return.
"What could it be? Is it about range?"
Murmuring to himself Marcus decisively stood up and left. After a short walk he had already returned home. His eyes involuntarily fell on the table. It was empty! Marcus ought to feel relieved but for some strange reason there was a hint of disappointment in his mind.
"Whatever…"
Putting all those stray thoughts aside Marcus went to his room and laid down on the bed. It was finally time to come to a decision. Army or administration? Scenes circled through his mind. His father the soldier, his mother's eyes, his mentor's words, his father's death, Remus's departure.
His rational brain clearly told Marcus to pursue a career in administration but… he didn't want to lose his friend! However, even if he went to the army could he protect Remus? Of course not. The profound feeling of powerlessness ran through Marcus's body again.
"AHH!"
Marcus couldn't help but let out a shout of frustration. He balled his fists. And… there was it. This feeling again. Shocked, Marcus stared at his fist and realised that the strange card had returned. He froze in place as a new conjecture formed in his mind.
"Is it… because of my emotions?"
Marcus didn't think this idea was too absurd. If this card was a product of witchcraft everything would be possible. However, why would it follow him? Why would witches target him? How should he react?
Marcus observed the card, staring at the address written on it.
"Should I… go there?"