The Untold Legend Chapter 1, a claymore fanfic

I do not own Claymore, nor the characters or anything associated with the animation, manga and trademark. Skyhawk Marcus and Vladimir Koslov are my own creations, but the rest of the Claymore franchise goes to Norihiro Yagi.

Claymore: The Untold Legend

By Christopher R. Pulliam

Co Author: Justin Coombs

Editor: Anonymous

Prologue

Chapter One: The Beginning

Claymores, the one race of ultra-powerful hybrid warriors who could destroy the Yoma; a sickness that took over the human mind and advancing to the body, thus creating the ultimate predator. The Yoma's only food source was humans, who were helpless when confronted by these monsters. An organization was formed to respond to the threat of the Yoma. This organization, at first, only trained normal humans to fight the infection, but it soon became clear that they weren't nearly enough, not even close. So, they took the blood and flesh of Yoma and surgically applied it to a select few of young boys and girls. These first of many Claymores, whom the humans named later after they first laid eyes upon their saviors, became the foundation of a resistance against these horrific beasts. Among these first Claymores were two boys, who were taken from their home at the tender ages of two and three. The youngest, Marcus, and the eldest, Koslov, would be known as the first Claymores and the most powerful ever created. This is their story…

Two young and beautiful women sat atop a small grassy hill, bathed in explicit sun light. Along with these two women were two young boys, barely able to walk, who sat in each of the women's laps. They laughed and squealed as they played with their mothers' hair, which they didn't seem to mind and spoke aimlessly amongst themselves.

"Karen, your son has grown since we've last visited. I can tell he's going to be a bear of a man someday," one of the women said admirably.

"I could say the same thing about your son as well, Alyssa,' Karen started,' but I don't think as big Vladimir here, yet still big none the less." Karen laughed and Alyssa joined in soon after.

"Here that, Marcus, your aunt is making fun of you!" Alyssa said in a small voice, to which Marcus responded.

"Stop it." he said with a pout.

"Ha-ha, he's so cute!" Karen ruffled her sister's sons' hair and he giggled, all the while Vladimir sat and minded his own business. "Well, we'd best get back, before the men become worried." Karen arched an eyebrow and picked up her son and held him to her hip.

"Agreed, Sis." Alyssa threw her son over her shoulders to give him a piggy back ride.

A week had passed since that peaceful day on the hill. The men and women went out for most of the day, while Karen's house keeper took care of the children. They played for most of their time alone, but soon became tired and needed rest, so the maid put them to bed just after noon to nap. The house keeper was cleaning the living room when she heard a strange noise come from just outside the living room window. The house was located some distance away from town, so they rarely had visitors.

She went to the door casually and silently turned the nob. When she swung the door open it squeaked lightly and that's when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She looked down shakily and saw a disfigured hand protruding from her belly. She couldn't scream out due to how much pain she felt, especially when she felt fingers digging at her insides. She then looked up and saw the most horrific face she had ever laid eyes upon. It was contorted, with razor sharp teeth in its maw and eyes as cold as ice and they held a hunger unimaginable. She knew then she was going to die.

The monster pulled its hand out and with it her hot innards. She collapsed in the doorway and the beast feasted upon her with light snarls and grunts. Ignoring the distant screams of the town, where his brethren slaughtered and mutilated its residents.

When the monster had enough of the half eaten woman it then proceeded to the stairs that lead to the room where the boys were sleeping. It quietly stalked up the stairs, hanging its head low so as to not bump it into the ceiling. When it arrived at the door it took a breath and opened the door slowly and went inside. There it saw what it was looking for; the sleeping children. But when he took a tentative step forward something crashed through the roof. Standing there in the light dust was a woman holding a large sword, the tip pointing at the creatures' throat. The boys awoke with a start and screamed at the beast in the doorway.

"Out of my way human!" it snarled, prepared to fight.

"Not in a million years, beast." the woman said calmly and the beast charged at her with blinding speed. A human wasn't nearly as fast as a Yoma, but even so the woman managed to cut one of the creatures' legs out from under it at the last second. The monster went crashing into the dresser on the other side of the room, spraying splinters all over. The warrior didn't let it breathe and with one short fluid movement she chopped its head off. By this point the two youngsters were cowering in the bed crying and holding each other. "It's okay now, you're safe…" the woman cooed and tried to comfort them, but they didn't budge. So, she took off her helmet and gestured to them that she was human. "See, I'm human, just like you." they instantly went to her and hugged her legs, bawling audibly. She got to her knees and hugged them tightly.

"Where's mommy?" Vladimir asked when she guided them out of the back door of the house.

"She's gone, no one was alive when we arrived, but it'll be okay because I'm here and I will care for you." she felt a tear leak down her cheek as she had to tell this boy that his mother was dead. She led them to her company of warriors and had her second in command take the boys to her tent to eat and rest if they wanted. She checked on the rescue party, but they had reported there were no survivors, so she said to pack up and be prepared to leave in ten minutes.

The children were solemn as they ate cheese and bread animatedly, not seeming to enjoy the food while staring off into space. The woman casted her eyes down in sympathy and began to think of how she would take care of these two, but she just thought to herself that she would do her best to be a motherly figure to them as much as possible, before the Organization took them from her, which they would surely do.

So as the month rolled on by, the boys began to open up to the woman and began to consider her a motherly presence in their lives. She would tell them stories of her past missions, which was odd to be telling a two and three year old, but she thought they already saw what she fought against every day, so she thought what the hell. However, in the back of her mind she kept thinking what her superiors would do with them, which with every passing day they became closer to her answer. Still, she never stopped spending her full time with the two, while her warriors under her command went about their everyday duties.

When the group arrived at the Organizations' headquarters the guards at the main gates halted them and took the boys away. The woman that took them in couldn't do anything to stop them, but stand and watch as the children hollered and cried for her to save them. She hated her superiors, the inner circle, for this and vowed to never let them take anything from her again. Still, as she watched the boys be dragged inside the dark and wet corridor that would take them to the main hall, she couldn't help but think that the Organization was going to do something terrible to them.

"Come, we have another mission to get to." she said to her warriors and left without looking back, because she knew if she looked back she wouldn't be able to leave. Little did she know that she would see Marcus and Vladimir again, but as two completely altered human beings. This was only the beginning.

Chapter Two: Training

Twelve years had passed since that day when Marcus and Vladimir were separated from their caretaker. Since then they had been through quite a bit, and all of it was hell from the start. When they were confronted by the council they were immediately treated like meat. Nothing more than their play things to do with what they wanted. Apparently, the Organization had been planning to create a new kind of soldier to fight the Yoma epidemic. The boys at the time didn't realize what they meant, but a few days after that meeting they quickly found out.

Men and women in black and grey strapped them down on cold stone tables. Marcus and Koslov had no idea what was going on, because they were very tired and dizzy all of a sudden. Koslov was the first to go unconscious and Marcus soon followed, but before he closed his eyes he saw one of the men take a knife in his hands and placed the tip at Marcus's chest. He then blacked out, not entirely understanding what had happened.

When they came to, they awoke in a dank, dark chamber with the only visible opening covered in steel bars. The opening allowed a view into the beyond, which held hundreds more of chambers like theirs. Marcus shivered under the sheets of his plain bed and crawled to his feet, looking for his friend. He was stopped short when he felt something odd in his chest. He looked down and saw a ragged scar stretching from the top of his sternum to his lower belly. He choked back a cry of terror and dropped to the ground on his knees. What did they do to him? Did they do the same thing to Vladimir as well? They had to; because he remembered that his friend was there with him on a cold table beside his own. Marcus and Koslov would soon find out what they did to them, because they were the first of their species, and needed to train for what they were made for.

When Marcus turned the age of fourteen and Koslov fifteen, they had already been through hundreds of surgeries like the first. It became routine to them and soon didn't fight back when they came for them. They knew for a while now what had the Organization put inside them; the flesh and blood of the Yoma. Their superiors said to them that since they were the first experiments they had to inject small amounts of the Yoma virus at regular intervals, so as to not risk a meltdown or make them go completely mad. Marcus and Koslov, after the initial pain at first, had decided that they liked what their Yoma powers gave them. They attained supernatural strength and speed and many other abilities normal humans would never be able to use, or even dream of for that matter.

They trained everyday under four different teachers. The first teacher taught them the ways of the blade, which Marcus really enjoyed. Their second was strength and conditioning, which to Marcus's speculation Koslov loved over anything else, because he was brute of the two, whereas Marcus was the fastest. Their third was a meditation instructor, which would soon teach them to be patient and calm during a confrontation. Marcus had an easy time going into a deep meditation for hours on end, where Koslov, who relied on brute strength and naturally more ill-tempered could only meditate a few minutes at best. Their last instructor taught them the anatomy of the Yoma, which neither was too crazy about, but knew it was vital to their training.

Koslov and Marcus also knew that their Yoma sides slowed their aging process, which they reported to the council, who recorded it down for future reference.

One night, when Marcus and Koslov were chatting aimlessly in their cell, they heard a shuffling of footsteps below. Marcus looked out through the bars of their cell and saw a guard leading two boys of around seven years old. One was tall and lanky with long silver hair and held an expression as if he was above the world. The other was short, stocky with short brown hair and to Marcus's observation held a cool air about himself as if he had no thoughts of what was on his mind; perhaps just going through the motions. The tall one seemed to notice their presence above him and looked up to see Marcus and Koslov looking down at them. The tall boy smiled coldly and laughed at them and turned around to follow the guard.

"Looks like we've got ourselves fresh meat, brother." Koslov sneered, sitting down on his bed.

"Yah, sucks for them, just try and play nice, Koslov. I don't feel like having to explain what happened if you do something stupid." Marcus warned.

"Oh come on, you know me, I always play nice!" Koslov laughed evilly and Marcus rolled his eyes at his too angry of a friend. "So, what do you think about all this?" Koslov asked for the millionth time. Usually when he asks such questions it was with the sole purpose of attempting to get a rise out of his younger counter part; but this time he was serious, which was very rare.

"Like I said before, I don't give a shit, because I would be wasting my time if I did. Why are you asking again?"

"Today I was summoned to the council. They told me I was going to be the first to graduate from the training and placed out there for my first assignment. So, I'm not going to be here for much longer, a few years at most. I was just seeing if you'll do okay without me is all." Marcus looked at Koslov surprised at his friends' touching speech.

"Do you know how long till I graduate?"

"They didn't tell me when, but they said they wanted to keep you here for a while longer. Something to do with further evaluation."

"Well, to answer your concerns; I'll probably will close myself from the rest of these ingrates when you leave, emotionally I mean, until the day I get out of here. I'll just bide my time until the time is right to get involved again." Marcus casted his eyes down at the floor solemnly.

"Just like the Marcus I know,' Koslov stood and took his friend into his arms, 'No need to worry, brother, we still have a couple years together." he let go of Marcus and laid back down on his bed.

"Not enough time, but it is what it is." Marcus laid down to get some much needed rest, however sleep did not come easily for the young man, for he was still in shock at his brothers' affection towards him. Other than what just happened a few moments before, Marcus could count two other occurrences that Koslov had shown that much love to Marcus. Closing his weary eyes, Marcus smiled lightly at his brother, and he held this expression as his waking nightmares took hold of him.

The next day, Marcus and Koslov had a free day to do whatever they wanted, which had never happened before, because most of the guards and everyone else were busy directing new recruits. Marcus was amazed at how many boys and girls there were of varying age groups. Some were barely five while some of the older ones were around twelve and thirteen. He guessed that the trial runs and experimenting were over and it was time to create a full-fledged army.

Hundreds were soon placed in their respective cells; boys with the boys and girls with the girls. The only cell that was untouched was Marcus's and Koslov's, not that it bothered them much; they liked their personal space and all that. Still, they wondered why the Organization didn't just start right away with implanting the Yoma virus in these new recruits. Marcus didn't ponder too much on it though, because he knew the answer would reveal itself in time. All had he to do was mind his business and not get into any unneeded attention.

As the days went by, nothing changed with Marcus's and Koslov's training schedule, only the guards and teachers were more strict and kept them separated from the new recruits. Once in a while, Marcus would be walking by and would see a group of fifty to sixty recruits standing at attention, holding wooden staffs as an instructor demonstrated a technique. These kinds of classes became regular around the Organization, but it never disrupted Koslov's and Marcus's training. Meals would be served to them through their door as multiple single file lines of recruits went into the dining hall to eat. All of this separation and exclusion was beginning to nag Marcus, but Koslov didn't care one way or another. Even so, Marcus couldn't do anything about it.

On Koslov's nineteenth birthday he was taken in the middle of the night to receive his final surgery. His superiors told him this surgery would give him the rest of the virus he would attain, which would cease his aging process all together. He would stay the age of nineteen forever, just as long he's not killed though. The surgeons were going to give him a sedative to lessen the pain, but Koslov raised his hand. "I want to feel this one without the pain killers; I want to savor this memory." he said calmly and they continued on without giving him the sedative. He had to admit, though, that it was really painful, but kept in his head that after this he would receive his emblem, uniform and armor, and his sword. That alone gave him the fuel to continue without wincing in pain.

When all was finished about six hours later, his body began to heal instantly. The long, wide gash in his chest and abdomen healed within seconds, while the surgeons observed and wrote notes to report to their boss. Koslov was taken to the main council chamber, where the councilmen stood in ceremonial robes. Koslov was guided to stand in front of them to receive his inauguration.

"Vladimir Koslov, the first warrior of the first class, we hereby congratulate you on passing your training. Before we allow you to receive your rank and uniform you must swear an oath, do you understand?" The head of the council announced.

"I understand, sir," Koslov confirmed.

"Now, repeat after me; I, Vladimir Koslov, swear an oath…"

"I, Vladimir Koslov, swear an oath…"

"To protect this land from the threat I was trained to face…"

"To not question the orders given to me…"

"And I will not take a human life, intentionally or not…"

"I recognize that if I do take human life, it is punishable by death…"

"This I swear to the Organization…"

"I swear," the head of the council finished.

"I swear," Koslov took a deep breath and waited for the next step.

"Here I have your garments with your emblem emblazoned into the chest. You may change over their behind that screen." Koslov took the garments from him and went behind the screen to change. The garments were black with red detail and they were very tight fitting, showing every rippling muscle of his massive body. He then stepped out from behind the screen and the head of the council gestured for Koslov to stand before him once again.

"Now that you have your uniform, you will now receive your armor." two of the guards standing on either side of him carried a set of black shoulder and chest plates. They seemed heavy, but when they donned the armor on his shoulders they didn't weigh anything. Next was a stomach plate that offered more protection to his abdomen. Then they strapped a back sheathe to his upper back, which could hold two swords if need be. The two guards lifted his arms and strapped a gauntlet to each; the gauntlets had spikes on the knuckles, for additional melee damage. They then placed two greaves at his feet. One of them took the boots and unbuckled the sides of each, so he could easily slip his feet into them. They were very comfortable due to the wool inside them. Lastly, they placed two armor plates to his thighs, which had additional compartments to store small things if he needed to. Over all, he looked like a lumbering death machine, and he liked that a lot.

"And finally, here is the weapon you will wield. It is made from a special kind of steel that's indestructible and will never lose its edge, so there is no need to sharpen it after each mission." One of the guards brought him a massive two handed blade, called a Claymore. He knew how to use one of these, because his swordsman teacher had taught him and Marcus how to wield one made of iron instead of the real thing he now grasped in his hands. It was light and his Yoma side made it seemed like a feather. He twirled the blade swiftly and sheathed it across his back.

"Now you are the first of your kind, and you will pave a path for your brothers and sisters to follow. Your first assignment is in a small town to the west of here. When you get there they will offer you the payment, but do not take it, for a man in black will retrieve it after you have gone. This is the same man who will give you your assignments and orders in the future."

"Yes, sir," Koslov saluted and left the chamber.

"So you're leaving huh?" Marcus stepped from the shadows when Koslov exited the council chamber.

"Yah, I have my first mission in a town west of here," Koslov stopped and gazed into his friends' eyes.

"Well, good luck, my brother, and kill some Yoma for me will ya?" Marcus took Koslov in a tight brotherly embrace.

"I will, Marcus, you can count on it. It's time we started to get our revenge on the Yoma for killing our family." Koslov set his jaw defiantly.

"I will try to prove to the council that I can manage, so I can get out sooner than later." Marcus promised.

"Alright, farewell my friend." he saluted Marcus and Marcus saluted in return.

"Goodbye." Marcus watched Koslov turn his back and exit the corridor and into the afternoon air. The fact that his friend was gone hadn't really hit him until the doors were slammed shut behind Koslov with a resounding boom. Marcus felt his eyes water and tears began to pour from his emerald irises. Marcus strolled back to his cell like a ghost, a shell without emotion. He had said he would shut down emotionally, and now that he felt cold and empty he realized that he wasn't as strong as he once thought himself to be. He crawled into the darkest corner in his cell and dropped his head between his knees, as he cried like he had when he found out his parents were dead all those years ago.

The weeks went by in a blur and Marcus trained harder than ever. It was at this time that Riful, who would be known as the first female Claymore, and later in the future as a Creature of the Abyss, graduated, which Marcus couldn't bear to watch. He was entirely focused on getting out there and finding his brother. Marcus was tired of all the shit the Organization threw at him. He knew the only reason why they wanted him to stay longer was to keep a close eye one him, but for what reason he didn't know. So, in response to this he trained and pushed himself to the point of exhaustion every day, just to tell them that he would not be crushed on their account.

Then, if things couldn't get any worse, another initiation ceremony was held; Roxanne's and Cassandra's to be precise. It seemed that everyone around him was moving on except him. Why was the Organization holding him back? Do they not see his longing to leave? Do they not see his hard work? Just as he thought; they really didn't care, he didn't want them to, but he wanted them to understand. He decided he would just wait it out and keep up his training, even if the Organization doesn't care for his wellbeing, then he will force them to understand his situation, even if he had to shed his own blood to achieve this.

Marcus's mood changed drastically from being level headed and collected to being impulsive and grumpy. He hardly slept and every time he was taken to receive his regular surgery he would demand more to be put in him. He could feel a defining change in him from all of the Yoma he was forcing inside himself, but it wasn't a good feeling like how Koslov felt. He felt sick to his stomach most of the time and his complexion paled every day.

A new class was formed awhile after Koslov's absence. The class taught recruits tactical and battlefield skills, which was very important in recent days. Marcus requested to take this class and with a little hesitation the council granted his wish, so every morning he'd arrive to a brightly lit chamber filled with twenty sum recruits. He would sit in the back as he listened to the instructor talk about different kinds of defensive battle plans. The woman was highly educated in this kind of stuff, even told stories when she was in command of a thousand soldiers when her city was assaulted by an opposing force of around twenty thousand. It was very impressive to be listening to an obvious ex-General. Marcus never showed how impressed he was though; he still had to detach himself from the others.

During one of these classes, the instructor had everyone form around a large oval table with a scale model of an open battlefield. There were rolling hills, forests and rivers all across the model landscape. On each side of the model were two opposing armies, one red and the other blue. The instructor had each one of the recruits face her in a small game of 'Battle Royale' to which he laughed at, because how ridiculous it sounded. She would take the red soldiers that summed up to be around ten thousand tiny individuals, and the blue had the same quantity. She'd beat every one that stepped up to take her on in a matter of minutes. By the time it was his turn to step up every one had gone and, unlike the others who hesitated before moving their pieces around, Marcus jumped into it right away.

He moved his trebuchets in groups of three; there were thirty in all, atop small hills, to create a wider target zone, and thus making it difficult for her to destroy his artillery. He then put seventy soldiers and archers around each piece of artillery to protect them from enemy Calvary or foot soldiers. For his main force he put his Calvary in an arrow formation, for maximum penetration to the enemy lines. Behind the Calvary he made a slow advancing shield wall of around thirty men deep. Behind the shield soldiers he placed swordsman in groups of twenty in random spots so enemy archers would have a hard time picking them off. Marcus kept his spearmen and archers back behind a hundred strong ballistae line; in case the enemy breaks through the advance force. In the middle of the advance force he had placed a soldier with a battle horn held up to his mouth. He would use that to signal for his archers and spearmen to move up when the time was right. When he was finished with setting up his force all eyes were on him including the instructor. He ignored them a moment longer to admire his creativity; that's all it was to battle strategy-creativity.

"Are you ready now, Marcus? We've been waiting for a half hour now." the instructor scolded.

"Impatience will only lead to defeat, that is the first rule of being a swords master." he said.

"Are you disrespecting me, recruit?"

"You know, I have been here for sixteen years. I am not a recruit and if anything I am your superior, human." he stared blankly at her.

"Human? You speak as if you're not one."

"Maybe I should explain then,' he turned to the group of recruits and pointed at girl of around seventeen,' you, do you know why you are here?"

"To be trained to fight the Yoma epidemic." she said humbly.

"And do you know how you'll be able to accomplish that?"

"The Organization will implant the flesh and blood of Yoma into our bodies, doesn't everyone know this?" she was confused by these series of questions.

"And do you know when they will you give that?" this was the question he wanted answered for a while now, now it was up to this girl to give it to him.

"When we get close to our inauguration." she shrugged.

"What are you going on about, Marcus?" his instructor asked.

"This." was all he said and ripped off his shirt with ease. The group of recruits, including the instructor, gasped when they saw his ragged scar in the middle of his chest and down to his belly. "This is how they will inject the Yoma virus into you, but unlike you, I undergo this surgery every other day. They give me a little bit at a time, but lately I have been forcing them to give me more than usual." He stared anyone down who even attempted to look him in the eyes, but the girl he had been talking to wasn't deterred and went up to him, all the while staring him in the eyes. She then put her hand on his scar and traced the rigid bump of it with her forefinger.

"Does it hurt whenever you do it?"

"Yes, but now it's easier to withstand, and after they have finished the cut heals faster and faster every time, because of the extra Yoma they put into me." he said quietly.

"Why do you force them to put all that in you?"

"To prove to them I can take and do anything my friend could do. You don't know him, but he's the first to graduate from the training." Marcus gently brushed her hand away and looked to his instructor, pointing at the table. "You've lost by the way." he smiled cockily.

"How so?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, even if you do manage to break through my advance force with your obvious defensive opposition layout, which was weakened by my trebuchets, then this guy,' he pulled the model trumpeter from the center of his army and displayed it to the crowd,' would've set off a signal to my spear men, archers, ballistae and the forces protecting my catapults. Even if you wiped out my advance force, which would've at least taken out half of your army, my spearmen would charge at full; drawing your forces closer to my ballistae and archers. When your soldiers would be in range they would release hell upon your forces; allowing my spearmen to finish the job, with my soldiers protecting the artillery there for back up if needed. The result; complete annihilation of every single soldier you have, leaving me to take your kings' crown and assassinate his lordship if I chose to." his instructor looked at him dumbfounded.

"I'm impressed; a mixture of brute force, originality, deception, cleverness, and speed. I have never seen anything like this, never in my whole life." she walked up to him and shook his hand firmly.

"Thank you, ma'am, I was only doing what I thought would've been the best course of action." he said modestly.

"I see, alright class is dismissed!" she announced and the recruits shuffled out of the door, except for Marcus and the girl he was talking to earlier. They waited until the instructor left before speaking.

"What's your name, girl?" he asked sitting down.

"Hysteria." she said emptily.

"Hysteria, powerful name, a name fit for a queen…for a great warrior."

"A queen hardly, a warrior possibly. So, you've been here since, like, you were two years old?"

"Yes," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"How many surgeries have you gone through since you arrived?" she asked respectively.

"Let's see…I have been here for sixteen years and there are three hundred and sixty five days in a year, so divide that by two and you get one hundred eighty two and a half. Multiply that by sixteen and that would be…two thousand nine hundred and twenty, but subtract four from that, because I didn't get my first surgery until my fourth day here, so I've had two thousand nine hundred and sixteen surgeries total, and I am receiving another tomorrow." he pondered heavily for a few moments after his calculation, checking to see if he was right, which he was.

"My goddesses, why does someone have to go through such torture?" she thought out loud, not intending for him to hear.

"Because it's the wish of the council, but even if they didn't order any of this I would've chose to do it anyway, because I refuse to be weak again." he casted his eyes down in deep sadness.

"Why would you have chosen to live that way, though?" she asked, but he stood to leave.

"I'll see you later, Hysteria, and a fair warning; don't get close to anyone, because if you do the Organization will take them away from you." with that he left her to ponder on his final words to her.

For the coming months, Marcus kept to himself and focused on his training. He began a new kind of training for himself; training that would help him discover the extent of his power. He'd go into a large chamber late at night, with the council's permission of course, and unleash his Yoma powers, to which the council called Yoki. He would push himself in small increments, such as releasing his power to ten percent of its full force, changing his eye color to a glowing liquid emerald. The sudden rush of power gave him a boost in his already supernatural speed, allowing him to move so quickly he'd leave an after image of himself, which would be later known as the "Phantom". Soon, he would be forever known as the fastest Claymore ever created. After he had mastered this much power he went up to twelve percent, which was very hard for him to control, so he only went up that high for a few minutes on end before relaxing his power. He didn't know it at the time, but he would be so powerful that even his fellow warriors couldn't stand against him, except for Koslov, who was in the same position as Marcus.

Marcus was still an emotionless shell, but the days were a little easier to cope with now that he began to talk to Hysteria on a daily basis. She eventually convinced him to join her when the recruits formed in the dining hall. Marcus sat with her and talked and she soon introduced him to a few of her comrades; Rosemary and Teresa. Marcus, with Hysteria's insistence, engaged her friends in conversation every day. Rosemary was distant and condescending to Marcus. Teresa just stared at him and asked a few questions here and there, still, she mostly kept to herself.

Marcus gradually came out of his empty shell, but right when he thought he could smile again, the three he chatted with everyday were suddenly gone. They most likely graduated from the program and he was happy for them to be able to see the world, but he was only reminded of his loneliness. It seemed once again he was left alone. He swore to himself with conviction he would never become attached to anyone again, because the Organization would only keep taking them away over and over.