Hello all newcomers, and those who have already been reading my stories, to a new one that I have been thinking about for a couple of months. This story is going to be different, and a breath of fresh and unique air for me. This story will be darker and won't be focused on humour all that much. I'll do my best to bring the quality of my writing up as much as I can, and I am glad I have had the practice with my other stories to do so.

Small tiny summary, as I stated in the actual summary, this is sort of a 'What If?' kind of story. But with a lot of fanfiction thrown into the mix. As far as I know, the only information we do have on Marcus Black is that he was Mercury's dad, who was an assassin who trained him and whom he killed the day Cinder came to pick him up, and that his semblance was stealing or locking away other peoples semblances. So that is basically all I have to go off of from the cannon. So you know what that means! Character and world building time!

Again...

Destiny Fated Black

Chapter 1

An exhausted man, white of hair, staggered his way through the ruined remains of what once was one of the most active rooms in the Beacon tower. He uses a railing for support, for a stab wound in his hip prevents him from moving any faster because of the pain. His breathing is ragged and laboured. His eyes, already black, seemed even darker as he looked around the room. Bodies. Dead bodies. Students and staff members alike littered the floor. Sighing, he shook his head and kept moving. A man of his profession couldn't allow his heart to care for those he knows nothing of, he would be driven mad if he did.

He stopped when he spotted a screen of one of the computers still operational against all odds, the cursor of the mouse idle in position over a browser unknown to him. Chuckling, a blood stained smile tore through his lips as he made his way toward the monitor.

The relaxing sensation of taking a seat after everything that has happened that day was euphoric. The pain in his legs and muscles faded somewhat, and he felt like he could fall asleep right then and there. He couldn't. There was still one more thing left to do.

Using skills taught to him by a certain organization, he reached both his hands forward and began typing away at the computer. A black admin screen came up, and after a few more commands he managed to get a video recording with the somehow still stable camera viewing him in the rectangular window in the middle of the screen. He saw himself, a man with a thousand wounds smiling a bloody smile as he looked into the camera.

"My name is Marcus Black," The white haired man in the video began. Now that he could see himself he could see how his red and black sleeveless shirt was torn and burned in places, his gloved hands in a similar condition. The only things that were in one piece were his pants and boots, also a black color. "I don't really know why I've decided to do this, especially after everything that's happened, I guess I never stopped being… well, me."

"I got a story to tell, why? Because, well, why not?" Marcus laughed. "Take this as a sort of… explanation. Motives for why I am partly responsible for all this shit going down and whatnot. Why I killed the people I did… I'm not a good person, never have been and probably never will be. But hey, by the end of this story," He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees after wiping blood off of his face.

"You just might understand me."

Now, this all started the day I killed my son...

It felt so long ago, but in reality it was a little over two years ago. Marcus Black ran a hand through his snow white hair, while the other reached for a glass full of his favorite booze. After downing the entire glass in one go, he scratched at the stubble growing on his cheeks, and sighed as he looked at the bartender with a waiting expression on his face.

To the public eye, the dark skinned man serving him drinks may have just been as they saw. A simple bartender, trying to make a living. But Marcus knew that couldn't be farther from the truth, it was a cover for the everyday person to get lost in. "You have another request Black." The informant told him. "This one is different from your other missions."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "I don't like different. You know that. Different means I need to expect things I didn't expect before. Things that could mean the difference between a successful and a failed mission."

"As I am more than aware of." The bartender replied, his name tag said 'Brett' on it, but not even Marcus knew what the man's true name may have been. Not that he cared for it anyway, as long as he did his job, and he did his, their relationship would remain mutually beneficial. Neither trusted the other however, and Marcus knew that if it came down to it, Brett would betray him, just like he would him. Somehow, that made meeting with Brett all the more exciting. "You are the best of the hitmen we have to hire on this continent of Vale, but our list of associates grows smaller with each passing year. Some are captured, killed, or desert our organization. But this particular mission of yours could not only mean a hefty paycheck, but also gain us the reputation we are so desperately in need of."

"Hmph." Marcus tutted, leaning his head on one of his hands. He didn't use to be the best hitman available in Vale. But the one before him who was deemed to be better than him now laid underneath the ground after a hit was placed on his head. The look in his eyes as Marcus dug a small blade into his chest was half as satisfying as it was relieving for him. His family was well known among this secret organization of assassins, his bloodline traced all the way back to the beginning of this organization, back even before the Great War. The Black's were always assassins, no matter what. It was a sort of tradition for them. Each time a new Black was born by any means, and be it male or female, white hair or silver hair, they were always assassins. What made them so deadly to even the modern Huntsman was their semblance that would be passed down as long as Black genes flowed through the blood of ones veins. Even if one was born with something different, the next generation always had a chance of inheriting it. A semblance that can steal away other semblances. So many people relied on their aura and semblances to see them through to the end of whatever fight they may be in, but suddenly being without it made them vulnerable. Killable. It was why Marcus was a wanted man, he was a Hunter killer. "You know I couldn't give less of a shit on rep, all I care about is the reward."

"Which is why this is perfect for you." Brett replied, smirking slyly.

"Oh boy, this should be good."

"Indeed it will be, but it is also high risk. Which was why you were specifically chosen and requested by our most recent customer." Brett said.

"Name?" Marcus asked, drinking another glass of booze just as he requested a few moments ago.

"The woman would only go by the name Fall, says that she will reveal her full name when she comes to pick you up from your home-"

Marcus cut him off by slamming his hand against the bar. Brett flinched and stepped back, the guards of the bar inching their hands toward their weapons. Marcus seethed with anger, and he looked into Brett's eyes with a burning hatred. "You told them where I live!?" He asked, temper flaring. "What kind of idiot are you? And you better have a good answer, because I am really not in the mood anymore."

"You never are, Black. However, now is the time to stay calm." Brett said in a calm quiet voice. "You know as well as I do that I do not do anything unless told too. These orders came from The Alpha himself."

Marcus only got angrier, he hated any mention of that man. The boss of this whole thing never did show himself to anyone, only appearing through words and calls, and even then his face has never been seen. Smart, Marcus figured. It would have been a security breach for the face of the one running this whole show to be able to be known by face or name. The only name he did have was 'The Alpha'. Which was a stupid nickname, in Marcus' opinion. He was the see it to believe it kind of guy, and he wouldn't believe that this guy was the best until he saw it for himself.

He hated him, and he would have loved to put an end to him himself. Marcus once tried to desert the organization, for a woman he'd married of course. But after giving birth to his son she was killed. Sudden postpartum illness, they called it. Bullshit, Marcus called it. He found himself roped back into it, and now he had to train the next generation of Black assassins. To train a son who hated him, who thought that he was the one to kill his mother. It never mattered that he tried to deny it time and time again. Mercury hated his guts. Just like Marcus hated his father before him.

"Damn it." Marcus said, resigning himself to submission. He was surrounded here, he may be the best assassin and a Hunter killer, but even he had limits when there were a dozen other hitmen and hit-women sitting around him. Even he didn't like those odds where he could be overwhelmed so easily. They were nothing like the White Fang, they wouldn't go in one by one and get shocked at how he was killing them with ease. They would attack from every direction and kill him within seconds if he didn't somehow get his back to a wall, and even then his chances would be slim.

His analysis of his surroundings may have just saved his life. Because as he unclenched his fist and pressed his boots back into the ground, the metallic clang of his bionic legs echoed around the bar for an instant of a second, everyone else relaxed and went back to their casual conversations, and those who didn't know what was going on also relaxed. Sheep, they were. Marcus thought.

"When is she coming?" Marcus asked, his voice flat and robotic.

Brett relaxed as he took a step toward the bar. The splintered wood on the counter top was obnoxious for him to have to pay to repair, but he knew asking Marcus to fork him over some lien would only lead to his head rolling along the ground. He was no fighter, he was simply a broker, and a passer of information. He knew a lot however, so much important information on every kingdom, it was what made him just as dangerous as any assassin. With a push of a button, he could ruin lives, and everyone who cared enough to look into him knew that.

"Tonight," Brett said.

"So soon?" Marcus asked. "This is on very short notice, if this mission I'm supposed to go on is so important, why was I only made aware of it the day she is coming to pick me up?"

"The Alpha's orders, Black." That same excuse nearly convinced Marcus to give in to his desires and kill him right there. "I am afraid I do not have such information, only that you should head home now, and prepare to travel. What I do know is that this mission partakes in Vale, which is some distance away from where we are now."

Marcus only lived a few miles away from this bar. A modest house on top of a hill, something he built with his wife Olivia. If only she could live to see what it looked like now… He shook his head, burning away the memory from his immediate thoughts.

Vale… he's been there before, used to live there in fact. Decent memories and decent people, it was part of his training forced upon him by his own father, Mason Black. It definitely made him stronger, strong enough to kill him since his father wasn't blessed with the ability to steal semblances like he was, being silver haired like his own son.

"Fine then," He said, standing up and throwing a coin on the table. A Black coin. "Use that to pay for the drinks, I'll be back for my change later."

"As you will Mister Black." Brett said, bowing his head toward him. He only ever called him 'Mister Black' in the beginning and end of every conversation. Never during. "I will await your return, whenever it may be."

"Depends on what happens, it may happen sooner or later." Marcus shrugged as he started walking out of the bar, reaching into his pocket to bring out a metal container of cigarettes. Clicking it open and sucking out one for him to smoke. "For now though, see ya."

Marcus walked through the woods on a beaten path he has grown used to taking. It was a shortcut only known to him and his son in order to get to their home. Well, it was known to one more person… But that was a long time ago. That was a past long buried. His white hair was so bright in the midday sun, it amused him thinking of the people who once thought he might have been the bastard of a Schnee, since they are known for their snow white hair. He might have been able to pass as one of them if he puts on some icy blue colored contacts on his eyes. As he was now, if he tried to pretend to be a Schnee he would stick out like a sore thumb with those black eyes of his. So dark you could hardly see the pupil in them. His son had similar colored eyes, if only a little lighter with more of a dark grey color rather than black.

The walk was a short one, one that seemed to get shorter every time he took it. He saw his house through the clearing and the dirt hardened path that lead up to it. The dark brown wooden house sat on its hill like something out of some happy little fairy tale. Hmph, there was no happy ending when it came to a member of the Black family.

Moving past the few final trees he was met with a gush of wind that blew his white hair out and about. Emotionlessly, he stepped onto the dirt path and started making his way up the hill toward his home, where his son would be waiting for their next training session. It would be their final one before he either took him with him to Vale for this mission, or left him to fend for himself like his father did to him when he was Mercury's age now. He wasn't his father though, he swore that he would never be after…

"Mercury!" Marcus called out for his son as he unlocked the door to their home. "Get over here, got something to tell you before we train." He said absentmindedly as he pushed open the door, only to turn around and start walking around the house itself to the back. The backyard of his home was their personal training ground, he flattened out the landscape long ago, and put all sorts of obstacles and even a weapon rack where several different kinds of weapons were hung up on. Even though just like himself, Mercury preferred to fight by kicking and general hand to hand combat, it was always good to know how to work your way around a blade or any other kind of weapon. Marcus himself was good at hand to hand, good enough to beat Hunters anyway, but he was even more lethal with a knife or dagger. Which was why he always kept two or three hidden around his clothing just in case he was disarmed or caught off guard.

"Here." He heard Mercury tell him as he walked out of the house, he still had bandages around his legs, reminding Marcus of the operation he did on his son to give him the bionic legs that he has now. It was something his father did to him, and as much as he hated his father he couldn't deny how much stronger they made his kicks the more he used them. So, he gave them to Mercury as well, to make him stronger. He was seventeen years old, and was more lethal than even he was when he was that age a long time ago. That fact gave him a strange sense of pride as he looked over one shoulder to acknowledge him.

"Your old man's going to be going out on another run to the grocery store." Marcus said as he went down to one knee to look at the rack of dulled weapons he was aiming to train with today.

"Yeah?" Mercury asked, walked behind him. Marcus disregarded this, his son may have hated him, but he wouldn't try anything stupid as long as he was locked away from his semblance.

"Yeah," Marcus confirmed, running a few fingers through the stubble on his face as he thought on which weapon to choose from. "And you're coming with me."

"Really…?" His son asked, and he could sense him raising an eyebrow behind him.

"Yeah," Marcus chuckled, realizing that this was the third time either of them had said 'yeah'. Like Father like Son as they say. "Do good enough and I might even give you back your semblance." He said, adopting a more serious tone as he stood back up from the ground. Then crossed a thumb across the edge of the blade to see if it was dull, it was still sharp, if he pressed down hard enough without using his aura he could cut his skin, but wouldn't do much against aura. He could use his fist and do more damage than this thing. Perfect. At the lack of the sound of Mercury's response, Marcus looked over the weapon rack again, narrowing his eyes when he saw that a blunt weapon was missing. "Say, where's the-"

Stars invaded his vision as something hard crashed against the side of his skull. His aura was too little too late in defending him from the damage, and so he took the full brunt of it. His son was strong too, so he went soaring off of his feet and off into the distance a few meters before smashing into the ground, bouncing once before coming to a sliding stop. Black dots still in his sight, Marcus coughed and rubbed his temple to try and rid himself of the pain. Doing a poor job of it.

"Three years!" He heard Mercury scream at him, voice full of so much hatred it made him feel nauseous. "I've been waiting for this for three years!" He heard Mercury take steps toward him, the metal soles in his shoes digging into the dirt with each step. "Ever since you stole my semblance, and even longer before that!"

"M-Mercury-" Marcus spat up spit as his son kicked him in the chest, but this time his aura kicked in and protected him from the damage, but didn't save him from slamming into the side of the house. As his son stomped his way toward him again, he reached a hand to the back of his head, and his hand came back red. He was caught off guard, and he was now rocked and disoriented. Mercury planned this, he was finally going to try and kill him, just like Marcus killed his father before him, just like his own father killed his. It was a long cycle of son's killing their fathers and/or mothers, a cycle that was about to repeat itself once again here. With a son looking at his father with very clear murderous intent.

Growling in his anger, Marcus shot back up to his feet and dodged to the left, Mercury's metal leg crashed through the outer wall of their house, getting stuck momentarily long enough for Marcus to reel his hand back and smash it against Mercury's nose. No amount of aura can protect an attack directed toward that specific part of the face. Marcus would know.

"Stop this madness Mercury!" Marcus demanded angrily as his son pushed himself up from the ground, rubbing a hand across his face to feel up the damage done to it. "I didn't kill your mother, believe it or not I loved her! We are not doing this right now, stay down!"

One of his eyes flinched closes and a shock of pain shot through his skull and his brain. The damage done to his head was more extensive than he previously thought. He nearly fell down to one knee just because of the pain. Just what the hell did Mercury hit him with!? He dragged a hand through his white hair, now stained with red near the back. Once more it came back bloody. His eyes felt heavier as his vision blurred.

"All this time telling me not to ever let my guard down," Mercury laughed, standing back up with a cocky smirk of his face inherited from his father. "And you fall for the easiest trick in the book, I didn't even have to distract you." Gesturing to a splintered wooden club, Marcus followed his gesture and saw just what was smashed against his head. It was the blunt weapon he was looking for, the only one of those weapons that was dangerous enough to actually injure somebody if used correctly. "You wanted me to get strong, I got strong." His son spat in his face. He only just realized he was that close when he sensed an attack coming his way.

Marcus' aura slammed in automatically and not a second sooner, he felt a knee push up into his groin, a dirty trick but one he used plenty of times to give him an eke over some of his targets. A trick he'd taught Mercury to use against an opponent he knew was better than he was. Though he may have been much more dangerous and lethal than his son, fighting with a concussion and blurred vision could give anyone the advantage against him, and they both knew that. This time when his son struck him, he felt himself get pushed up against the wall of their home. Where a forearm was being pushed into his neck, and he was forced to stare into the dark eyes of his son as he tried to strangle him to death. Marcus fell back on his training and slammed down with both fists to each elbow of Mercury, forcing them to bend and weaken their grip, then he pried one off of him and kicked him away. However, when he tried to follow through with the attack another stab of pain shot through his mind, staggering him long enough for Mercury to kick a leg toward him, a projectile firing out of the built in mechanism within his leg. The pants he was wearing were torn as the attack fired itself, and Marcus found himself looking up at the ceiling of the home he built with his own two hands with rubble from the walls scattered around him. Stars danced in his vision as he himself up on his elbows, watching with blurred vision as his son stepped through the hole he had just made, the sun going down behind him in a red-orange sky.

"You said that you took my semblance away from me because I was weak," Mercury said. "Because I was using it as a crutch, that you would give it back once I proved that I was strong enough. Well? Am I strong enough now for you?"

Marcus chuckled, and smiled despite the pain in his head. "Hell no," He said between laughs. "If you didn't catch me off guard like that, this fight would already be over." He pointed out, pushing himself up from the floor and cracking his neck as he stood up. "You're still weak Merky, even if you kill me now, your semblance will never return to you."

Mercury sneered at the nickname his father gave him years ago, and growled as he realized he really was never going to get his semblance back. He might have been able to before if he went on whatever mission Marcus was going to take him on, but now there was little to no chance. "Whatever," Mercury said, spitting to the side. "I'll just take your place after I kill you, just like you always wanted me too."

"Idiot." Marcus hissed. "If I was able to get what I wanted, we wouldn't even be here anymore, and your mother would still be alive." He admitted quietly. Memories flashed through his mind for a moment, the memory of being in Mercury's place once before many years ago. The cycle was continuing… However, not if he had anything to say about it. "I'm warning you now Mercury, stop this, or else I'll be forced to put you down."

Wind blew through the house, ruffling both white and silver hair as father and son stood against each other, each of them bleeding from some kind of wound or another. Marcus from his aching head, and Mercury from his nose. Both were trained assassins, yet only one of them had the experience in the matter. Marcus may be old in his early forties, physically looking half that, but he was stronger and faster than Mercury, even if he was dazed as he was. Mercury was skilled and had more stamina, being much younger and in great shape and enhanced with metal legs. He has never killed a person before, but Marcus doubted he'd feel bad about his first kill if it was him. Mercury always hated his father, and Marcus thought himself a fool for not considering the possibility of kinslaying to be something Mercury would be willing to commit. It was something all Blacks were able of. It ran in their in their blood. Marcus himself slayed kin twice just in his lifetime.

"No. I don't think you will." Mercury said, slowly stepping toward him.

Marcus shook his head and sighed. There was no getting through to his son, he was never good at being a father, he never thought he'd ever be meant to be one. It was showing now, because he no longer tried to talk his son down. If he hated him this much, he can try to do something about it.

No more words, Marcus decided. If he needed to beat his son down until he was black and blue all over if that was what it took to shut him up, then he would. So when Mercury jumped up and tried to spin kick him, it was like flicking a switch on for him. Marcus ducked under the kick and drove his elbow up into Mercury's thigh, where he knew there wouldn't be any metal to hurt his own elbow on. His son groaned in pain and fell to the ground, but kept his momentum going until he scrambled into the kitchen. Marcus ran after him, his vision swimming and blurring still, but he was able to keep his senses about him. Being an assassin meant that you needed to use more than just your eyes to keep track of a target, hearing, smell, that strange sense in the back of your mind that warns you whenever someone was watching you, anything and everything.

Which was why when he smelled the scent of propane, Marcus dove for cover behind the dining table. Flipping it over and using it as cover to block most of the explosion from swallowing him whole. When the initial burst of flames stopped, Marcus dared to look up and see the damage that was done to his home.

It was utter chaos on destruction, Marcus thought himself a fool for hoping for any less. He didn't stare for long, because from around the corner he could see his son, aura activated, running through the flames. He crossed his arms into a guard to block the foot that might have caved his chest in if it landed. He skidded across the wooden floor, and then grabbed Mercury's foot, screaming as he spun with him and threw him out the window, shattering it completely.

Pain throbbed in his head once more, one of his eyes was forced closed and he needed to use the wall for support. The air was hot and smoky, his eyes were watering because of it, and his white hair was being singed gray by the black smoke. Once he started coughing he threw himself out the window as well, which only made the pain in his skull even worse once he impacted the hard dirt.

He didn't get any chance to regain his senses as Mercury pounced on him again, sensing his weakness. Marcus looked through one eye as Mercury stomped and kicked at him while he was down. The bones in his forearms felt like they were going to break which each kick that slammed into him, and his snow white aura flared with each attack that landed on him. After the seventh kick, Marcus' guard broke, and he took a kick straight into his stomach, folding him over and sending him sliding against the ground several feet.

It started to rain as Marcus cracked his eyes open again. His home was on fire, his son was trying to kill him, and now it was raining on top of all of that. Anger was what fueled him to force his pained body back up from the ground, which only seemed to anger his murderous son.

"Just stay down and die old man!" Mercury screamed at him.

"RARGH!" Marcus screamed suddenly as he caught Mercury's next kick with just his one gloved hand. Mercury's widened eyes told him that he was not expecting that in the slightest, and with inhuman strength Marcus squeezed down on Mercury's foot and pulled him in for a clothesline.

He fell with his son to the ground, and his bicep felt sore where it slammed against his sons aura. Luckily he hit him in such a way that it stunned him nonetheless. Thinking quickly, he jumped at the opportunity to pounce on his downed son. He was still dazed, concussed, and stars still flew in his vision. Which meant he couldn't fight properly on his feet. He needed to use this opening to his advantage and make sure Mercury didn't get back up from this so quickly.

Mercury opened his eyes to a fist slamming into his cheek. Marcus kept pounding down even as Mercury raised his arms to defend himself, using his grey aura to protect his body the best he could. Marcus knew better however. Striking in the same spot every time would only lead to him tiring himself out and even hurting his own fists against his sons aura. So he attacked in every spot that he could, in the hip, the spots underneath and between the ribs, the neck, temples, anywhere he could get a fist to.

With every punch that he threw however, his head throbbed more and more. The pain got worse and worse as he kept moving, thinking, and reacting to what his son threw at him. It got to the point where he missed a punch and slammed it into the dirt, giving Mercury the chance to trap his arm and kick him off of him. Marcus rolled to the side and quickly pushed himself up to one knee, pressing a hand against the wound in his head to try and dull the pain. It didn't help much.

Mercury was bruised and battered up as he stood back up from the ground, his lips was busted and his eye was bruised and purple. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose alike, and the burning hatred in his eyes didn't change at all.

"Final warning," Marcus said as he clambered back up to his feet. "Don't make me do this Mercury." Hoping against all hope that he would actually back down.

"Shut up!" Mercury screamed, running toward him with a knife in hand. Marcus' eyes went wide as he realized once of his hidden knives were stolen from him, probably sometime during their grappling session Mercury was able to steal it from him. He had another knife in his boot, but reaching down to try and grab it while Mercury was running at him would only make him vulnerable.

He should have died right then and there really, with the throbbing pain in his brain he was barely able to keep his eyes open. However, something changed within him, something shifted. He felt a strength like he was at full stamina, and suddenly Mercury found himself victim of a disarming move that ended in him being thrown over one shoulder, landing on his butt with his arm trapped in one of Marcus'. He coughed and hacked as he tried to pry the arm off from around his neck with his one free arm, but was forced to stop to halt the knife from stabbing into his chest. His aura was tired and spent. The fight was going on long enough, even if it only lasted a few minutes.

"Stop. Fighting." Marcus gritted at him. The blood from his head dripping onto his sons face.

Mercury spat up at him.

Marcus narrowed his eyes, not even bothering to wipe the blood and spit that was spat up into his face. Mercury kept fighting, even with a knife nearly stabbing into his chest. He was biting and clawing to try and get out of this hold that Marcus had him in. He wasn't going to get out, Marcus was making sure of that. Unless Mercury suddenly gained all his aura and strength back he wasn't going to break out of this. He was going to keep fighting with him as long as there was life within his body.

Marcus shut his eyes, and sighed. "The cycle ends here." He whispered.

He felt Mercury struggling in his grasp as he drove the knife into his sons heart. He still fought him for a few seconds, and Marcus forced his eyes open to look into his sons eyes as he died. For the first time in a long time, those eyes weren't full of hatred and anger, but sadness and fear. He didn't want to die, he was just a kid. Yet he died anyway. Marcus felt his sons body go slack in his arms, and he wrenched the knife out of his chest and slid it back into the sheath on his thigh.

He felt almost nothing. Killing was second nature to him, his son had an effect on him, but no tears could be brought forth to fall down his face. Instead, Marcus let Mercury's body fall flat on the ground, still bleeding from a stab wound in his heart. Then looked around to the chaos that was once his home.

His house was on fire, the rain did nothing to put it out. His son laid dead in the wet dirt, and now there was nothing for him here. Just like that, in the span of just a few minutes. Marcus sighed through his nose as he knelt down again to loot his sons pockets for the scroll that he gave him long ago, suspecting something. Mercury wouldn't have just tried this without some sort of motive, more of what he already had anyway. Looking through it, he pressed a few buttons and bypassed the passcode that his son had on it, and looked through his messages. His son had no friends, so the fact that he had two contacts, one labeled "Asshole" for his father, was enough for Marcus to nearly squeeze the scroll hard enough to destroy it.

Hacking into the scroll, he brought up the internal command console. A hidden app only accessible by those who were looking for it, and after typing in a few more commands, he found what he was looking for.

A string of messages between Mercury and the assassins that Marcus worked with, the final message sent to his son was something that angered him to no end.

There was a hit placed on Marcus' head, and it was specifically sent to Mercury. The reward for killing him would have granted his son freedom to do whatever he wanted for the rest of his life. Marcus screamed in anguished and threw the scroll away after destroying it in his hand.

"You assholes…" Marcus seethed. "Now you have given me nothing left to lose…"

Despite his declaration of war, Marcus stood back up and went to sit down on a rock on the side of the dirt path leading to what was left of his burning home. He reached up and felt the wound on his head, which finally stopped bleeding thankfully. The rain washed the blood from his hair, rendering it back to its snow white color.

He sat there for hours. The red-orange sky turned purple and dark blue as the son fell behind the curvature of the planet. Marcus kept sitting on that rock, deep in thought, the body of his dead son a few meters away from him. It was a wonder how no Grimm sniffed out the negative energy radiating from that area. He sat there until two women walked out of the woods, taking the same path he took to get here.

There was a woman with short black hair that only reached down to her chin, wearing a red dress made for battle, she had two swords holstered behind her back. The girl next to her looked the same age as his son was, but with dark skin, red eyes, and mint colored hair. The latter of the two had eyes that widened almost comically as she looked at the destruction that was once his home. Stopping for a moment to take in the sight of the dead boy laying beside him.

The one with the orange eyes placed a hand on her shoulder, and that seemed to calm her. Right away Marcus noted that the green haired girl relied on the older woman some way or another. He let them walk up to him until they were just about ten feet away from him. His black eyes staring at them the whole time.

"Are you Marcus Black?" The one with the red dress asked him.

"That's me." He confirmed darkly. "You that Fall chick?"

"I am. You may call me Cinder."

Marcus huffed. "Telling me your name already?"

"I know yours, it is only fair that you know mine as well." Cinder replied. She was good at talking, Marcus noted. "What happened here?" She asked next.

Marcus gestured to his dead son. "He tried to kill me." He said. "It didn't turn out so well for him."

"Who is he?" The green haired girl asked.

"Now, now Emerald." Cinder shushed her gently. "Let us not pry into this man's personal life, an assassin is bound to have enemies after all, especially one with such a long list of confirmed kills."

"Hmph, he was my son." Marcus said anyway. "You'd find out one way or another, he was my son. Mercury. He tried to kill me, and well… I didn't let him." He explained simply, tapping a finger against his head. "Got me pretty good at the beginning though."

"I see…" Cinder looked unsure all of a sudden. Marcus smirked at her. She hid her shock well, but Marcus was just as good at spotting little signs like that. She obviously never met a man who killed his own son, even for her that must have been something unexpected to hear. "Was the battle difficult?" She asked.

What happened to not prying into this man's personal life? Marcus wanted to ask. "Not hard enough." He said instead. "Kid was weak, ever since I took his semblance away he kept whining about it. Damn kid." Marcus spat to the side.

"So what I was told is true." Cinder smiled. "You have a semblance that can steal other semblances, that will be very helpful." She said, almost in a seductive way. "Very helpful indeed."

"Yup." Marcus shrugged his shoulders. Then stood up from the rock. He was a full head taller than Cinder and this Emerald girl. They had to turn their necks up to look him in the eyes. "But here's the thing, I sorta have nothing else to lose anymore," He gestured to what used to be his home. "So whatever reward you have for me better be worth a lifetime of killing, because I am not in the mood to be strung around anymore."

Leaning on one hip, Cinder's proposal was short and very sweet. "I will guarantee your freedom from this organization." She said.

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Tried that once, didn't go well."

"Believe me when I say this, Marcus Black." Cinder said, taking steps closer to him. Emerald hissed a warning to her to stay back, calling him dangerous. She was right, of course, but what she failed to see what Cinder and Marcus could see was that he was in no condition to fight them both off right now. Cinder knew that, and smartly called him out on his bluff by getting a mere two feet away from him, and reached a hand up to cup his face. It felt warm to the touch. Marcus didn't back away from her. "Come with me, and I promise you. I will make sure that you become a free man, personally if I must."

Marcus smirked. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess it's an offer I can't refuse." He actually couldn't refuse it, because he knew these kinds of people. He might have just been killed on the spot if he refused. He was going to join them anyway however. Getting far away from this place to a massive city like Vale would help him hide away from the other assassins that would without a doubt get the message about the hit on his head.

"However, I got one condition." He said as a thought popped into his head.

Cinder smirked and nodded her head, taking her hand away from his face. "State your condition."

"There's a few people at a certain bar near here, a few people that I don't want to see the sun tomorrow." Marcus' face darkened. "I'm not exactly in the best condition to take them all on by myself, so if you could help me out with that, you can count on my undivided loyalty for whatever it is you need to do."

"Done." Cinder said, extending a hand toward him.

"Cinder! Are you sure about this?" Emerald asked, one hand on her weapon.

"Are you questioning me, child?" Cinder inquired back, her voice stern and deadly serious. Marcus snickered as the green haired girl shook like a leaf and bowed her head in surrender.

"N-no, of course not. You know best."

"That I do." Cinder smiled, and looked back into his black eyes. "And a few lives to gain this mans loyalty is a necessary sacrifice for me to make. You have a deal Marcus Black."

Marcus looked at her hand, and smirked. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. "Indeed you do." He said, taking her hand and shaking it.

Brett just placed the final glass on the shelf, getting ready to close things down. The other assassins in the bar were placing some bets on how long it would take for someone to take down Marcus Black. He sighed, lethal as they were, they lacked in intelligence at times. Even if Marcus' fate was all but decided at this point. It has been several hours since he has given his son Mercury the order to kill his father, and he knew that Marcus wouldn't be expecting it. Even someone as dangerous as he was susceptible to being caught off guard and killed. It was simply a foregone conclusion.

The bell at the top of the door to his bar rang, and a silver haired boy who looked beat up stepped into the shop. Trailed by a woman in a red dress and a girl with green hair.

"Mercury, is it?" Brett greeted. "I am Brett, I trust that our mutual associate has been dealt with-" He cut himself off as blood bubbled up from his throat, he coughed and staggered backward, holding his slashed neck. The last thing he saw was Mercury Black transforming into Marcus Black, who had a bloody knife in his hand.

"Yeah, definitely." Marcus said as Brett died with shocked and fearful eyes. Then turned to the many other assassins in the bar with him. He flourished his knife and settled it in a reverse grip, ready for combat.

"All of them?" Cinder asked, prepared for any answer.

"Don't let any of them escape." Marcus replied angrily.

Cinder smiled.

It was a slaughter, Marcus was better than all of these assassins, even wounded as he was. Cinder looked to be a monster with the way she cut through them as well, even the green haired girl proved to be skilled as she took some of them down herself. All Marcus saw throughout the entire massacre was red, and when he stabbed his knife through the eye of the last remaining assassin, he sighed as if a weight was taken off of his shoulders.

Looking over his shoulder to Cinder and Emerald, he thought to himself that maybe this really wouldn't be that bad.

"So," Marcus said, smiling at them. "What's next?"

And there we have it, a new story to replace An Unlikely Hero. I know the immediate question is going to be when this story gets to the Beacon stuff, and if I had to guess… chapter 5? 4? 6? One of those for sure. There is still a lot of history and stuff like that for me to write out, as well as some pre-Beacon stuff that changes according to Mercury being replaced by Marcus.

Now, for why I decided to do this. Isn't it a little hard to believe that Marcus Black, a trained assassin who must have been pretty dangerous for Cinder herself to go and try to recruit him personally would be killed by his son who didn't even have his semblance? I personally believe that he had to be caught off guard somehow, and even then it was a hard fight for Mercury to win, since we see in that one scene in I think Volume 3, that he was all bloodied up and bruised after the fight. So I kept thinking, What If? And so, this story was born as an idea. Another reason why I started this story is that I actually wrote Marcus Black in another one of my stories, as more of an experiment than anything, and while he was definitely more insane in that story I had fun writing him. So much so that I gave him my own story. Also, I tried something a little different. I started the beginning of this story in one of the last scenes this story will have, so that will leave some suspense for you all. How does it get to that point? How does Marcus end up in Beacon? Why is he hurt? And all that fun stuff.

All in all, I think this story is one that I put the most planning into for a brand new story. So I hope it all turns out well.

Please review and let me know what you think of the story, if you want to follow me on the progress of every chapter of every story, you can follow me on my twitter!

T witter . com (slash) genatools

P a treon . com (slash) Genatools