Marcus stared at his broken mother, the jade ring pulsing with otherworldly energy as Elder Chen's teachings echoed in his mind. The tactical brilliance that had earned him the title "God of War" began calculating his next moves like pieces on a cosmic chessboard.
Sophia Chen, he thought, his divine consciousness analyzing every angle. The woman I sacrificed three years of my life to protect. Time to remind her what happens when mortals betray a deity.
"Marcus, son," Isabella whispered, her blind eyes filled with worry, "I can feel your anger. It's like... like standing near a volcano about to erupt."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm going to fix everything. Starting with—"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The violent pounding on their front door made the entire house shake. Isabella's frail body trembled as she gripped her wheelchair's armrests.
"Oh no, not again," she whimpered. "Marcus, quick! Hide in your room. They can't know you're back yet."
"Who are they, Mom?"
"Brutus and his collection crew. They come every week for the Blackwood family's money. Please, just hide!"
The front door exploded inward as three massive thugs stormed into the living room. The leader was a mountain of scarred flesh with arms like tree trunks and a face that looked like it had been used as a punching bag for decades.
"Well, well, well," Brutus sneered, his voice like gravel in a cement mixer. "If it isn't the blind beggar woman. Where's our money, Isabella?"
"I... I have what I could gather," Isabella stammered, reaching for a small cloth bag with shaking hands. "It's not much, but—"
"Not much?" Brutus snatched the bag and dumped its contents on the floor. Crumpled bills and loose change scattered across the rotting wood. "Thirty-seven dollars and sixty-three cents? Are you mocking the Blackwood family, you pathetic old hag?"
"Please, it's all I have. The neighbors helped me collect—"
"Neighbors?" one of Brutus's men laughed cruelly. "Even the charity cases are embarrassed by your family's disgrace."
Brutus kicked the wheelchair, sending Isabella sprawling onto the floor. "The Blackwoods want their two million dollars, not pocket change from some blind cripple."
Enough, Marcus thought, divine fury building like a nuclear reactor reaching critical mass.
Marcus emerged from the shadows with the fluid grace of an ancient deity stepping into the mortal realm. His presence filled the room with an oppressive weight that made the air itself seem to thicken.
"Mother," Marcus said, his voice carrying supernatural authority, "please return to your seat. I'll handle these mortals who dare defile our home."
Brutus and his men turned, their faces shifting from confusion to recognition to mocking laughter.
"Holy shit!" Brutus cackled. "Look what the prison system spat back out. If it isn't Marcus Kane, the legendary lover boy who threw away his life for a two-timing whore."
"Watch your tongue when speaking of matters beyond your comprehension," Marcus warned, helping Isabella back into her wheelchair.
"Beyond my comprehension?" Brutus slapped his knee. "Boy, I comprehend plenty. I comprehend that your precious Sophia Chen is marrying into the Blackwood family next month. Yeah, that's right—she's going to be Mrs. Victor Blackwood, the same man whose face you rearranged."
The jade ring blazed with heat as Marcus felt his divine nature stirring.
"Ain't that the sweetest irony?" another thug chimed in. "The dumb bastard goes to prison defending her honor, and she ends up spreading her legs for his enemy anyway."
"She's probably thinking about Victor every night," Brutus continued, "wondering how much better a real man feels compared to some pathetic convict who couldn't even protect his own family."
They speak of sacred matters with the ignorance of insects, Marcus thought, ancient power coursing through his meridians.
"Here's what's going to happen," Marcus said, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow filled every corner of the room. "You three are going to kneel before my mother and apologize for your disrespect. Then you'll leave and never return."
The thugs exchanged glances before erupting in laughter.
"This prison boy thinks he's tough!" Brutus wheezed. "Three years getting passed around like a party favor, and he comes home thinking he's some kind of badass!"
"Maybe we should teach him some manners," the largest thug suggested, cracking his knuckles.
"Boy," Brutus stepped forward, his massive fist cocked back, "let me show you what happens to delusional little bitches who—"
Marcus moved with celestial speed that defied mortal perception. His leg swept upward in a divine arc, connecting with Brutus's solar plexus with the force of a collapsing star. The massive thug flew backward through the air, crashing through the front door and landing in the overgrown yard twenty feet away.
"Impossible," one of the remaining thugs gasped.
"He's not human," the other whispered.
They rushed Marcus together, throwing wild punches that moved like molasses compared to his enhanced perception. Marcus's hands became instruments of divine judgment, each strike calculated with mathematical precision. He caught the first thug's fist, twisted his wrist with an audible crack, then drove his palm into the man's chest. The thug collapsed, gasping for air that wouldn't come.
The final attacker swung a metal pipe at Marcus's head. The God of War caught it mid-swing, crushed it to powder in his grip, then placed two fingers against the man's forehead. The thug's eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the floor, unconscious but breathing.
I could have killed them all without breaking a sweat, Marcus mused, but revealing my true divine nature would raise too many questions.
Brutus stumbled back through the destroyed doorway, blood streaming from his mouth, his eyes wide with terror.
"What... what the fuck are you?" he stammered.
"I am justice returning to balance the scales," Marcus replied calmly. "Now apologize to my mother for your disrespect."
"I... I'm sorry, Mrs. Kane," Brutus whispered, his voice cracking. "We didn't mean no disrespect."
"Take your men and leave," Marcus commanded. "Tell your employers that the Kane family is under new management."
Brutus helped his groaning companions to their feet, casting fearful glances at Marcus. "This ain't over, Kane. The Blackwoods won't stand for this."
"The Blackwoods are welcome to test themselves against me," Marcus said with a smile that made Brutus's blood freeze. "I've been looking forward to our reunion."