Vignole

4,025 years since initial death
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Marco stared at his glistened reflection in the knife.

He obtained it from the kitchen, and he ensured nobody could see him. After a few calm breaths, he lifted the knife and gently placed its tip against his forehead. He gritted his teeth and braced for the pain as he penetrated his skin as slow as he could.

Careful not to accidentally kill himself, he carved a small hole on his head. Finally, he dropped the knife and groaned. He examined himself in a nearby mirror and thought it looked convincing enough. Then, he limped to the barricaded bedroom door and knocked.

He slouched against it with one hand clenched around his waist. Blood colored his figure. He could hear them behind the door, but no one opened it.

"Kara, Livia," his voice cracked from the pain he endured, "the soldiers are gone. Please, let me explain."

Something shuffled behind the door. It opened to a crack, and he came face-to-face with his wife wielding a knife of her own.

"What did you do?" She asked quietly.

"I protected us."

When the door turned to close shut again, he stopped it and focused on opening it fully. Livia protested, but he wanted his voice to be heard. Desperation to set things right would force them to listen to him at any cost. He swung it open and stepped inside. His eyes met with Kara's in the back.

"Step outside, Kara." He didn't want her to listen, she should have never gotten involved.

"No, I want to know everything." Her refusal only strengthened the beat of his heart. It was on the verge of erupting. He needed cooperation and calmness, and this wasn't helping.

"This is non-negotiable. I won't ask again, your mother and I need to talk alone."

She stepped towards him and stood beside Livia. Her left hand met with her mother's, and it rested over the knife's handle. "I deserve to know what's happening! We almost died today, and I had to protect mom!"

His instincts boiled over and he snatched her arm with a hardened grip. He tugged her out the room just as she swung her knife in defense. Though he caught the blade, she cut the palm of his hand. This caused a sudden response and he pummeled her against the door. She collapsed to the floor, and he shut the door behind her.

He tossed the knife away, but Livia's screams lashed his ears. The moment her hand reached out towards him, he grasped her collar. His teeth gritted as her constant shouting only worsened his headache. Her weak attempts at stopping him were useless as he led her to the back of the room and slammed her against the wall.

"Stop screaming Livia!" He was aware of what he had done to her and Kara, but the pounding in his head persisted. He needed it to be quiet. "We are safe, do you hear me?"

"You just struck our girl! How could you do this to your own flesh and blood?!" She wouldn't stop raising her voice. Meanwhile, she continued to push him away but to no avail. "Get away from me!"

He ignored her. "Just listen to me! These men were sent here by Cesare Borgia. He'll kill all of us if you don't do as I'm telling you. I just need you to stay calm!"

A heart-pounding impact slammed against the door. It startled Marco, and he let go of Livia to take a step back. Then, another powerful thud hit the door, and he readied himself. He turned his head to look for the knife, but his timing couldn't have been worse. The door finally came crashing down, and he barely flinched when his own staff penetrated his stomach.

He shared a second with Kara, her narrow and hateful eyes covered in tears. She pulled the staff back as Livia ran to her side. Marco collapsed again, only this time, he had no more strength left. They said or yelled something at him, and his senses muffled their words.

His consciousness faded slowly, but he fought to stay awake for just a moment more. He reached for his inner coat pocket and felt the envelope. Though he tried to hand it to them, his arm fell from exhaustion. His eyes barely made out Livia kneel in front of him and take the letter from his dying hand.

He stared into nothingness and waited to die. It should have happened already. Any attempt at rejecting death failed as he could no longer move. His breath slowed so much that he thought it halted. But he was still alive. His eyes wouldn't close, and it gave him the perfect view to see feline paws stop right in front of him.

"Let me die." Marco whispered so quietly, he didn't know if he actually spoke it or not.

He had never seen a lion smile before. But Set looked somewhat amused. Its eyes narrowed and its jaw formed a grin. "Why should I?"

"I command you." Despite being on the verge of death, Marco's voice strengthened. "You're my slave."

The lion's stupid smirk never left its face. He tried to upset it so it may kill him, but it wouldn't budge. Marco tried again. "You have no problem stabbing me, but helping me is where you draw the line? I should have killed you when I had the chance."

Set just stood there. It didn't move nor show any interest in helping him. It just knew how to anger him. It mocked his threats, it wanted him to lash out further.

Marco slammed his fist to the floor, his arm trembled as his legs uncurled themselves to gain a footing. More of his inner strength returned to him. Some of his wounds stopped bleeding, and the pain gradually softened. "I've loathed you since the day of your creation. All I've ever wanted was to rid you from my life because you are nothing but a vile and worthless abomination. I thought maybe we could get along, but I see now that you don't deserve any form of compassion."

He leaned himself against a nearby cabinet and stood on his legs again. His rage boiled to heights he had long since concealed, but his wrath couldn't hold it any longer. "After I kill the Borgia, I'll personally execute you myself. I'll decapitate your disgusting head and stomp on it. I'll make sure that the only remaining remnants of your brain are reduced to nothing but a smear underneath my boots!"

Set's smile grew wider, and its head rose higher. He stared into its eyes and caught his breath. Just as he pondered what the lion would say or do in response, the unthinkable happened. Set turned itself transparent and disappeared, forcing his eyes to now look at what was behind it all this time.

Kara's horrified expression stared back at him. Livia held her daughter close, her face showed a mixture of fear, shock and disgust.

The reality of the situation finally struck him hard. Did Kara think he was talking to her? His anger diminished immediately, and he stumbled forward. His family however quickly took action and slammed the bedroom door shut. He tried to force it open, but they trapped him inside.

"Kara!" No matter how hard he pulled the knob, he was too weak to open it. The lion only partially healed him, he was still injured. "Kara please! I didn't mean it, I didn't mean any of it!"

It was impossible to explain the truth to her. Nothing he could say would change anything. He sat and slouched against the door, tears slowly formed as he came to accept his fate. He waited until he heard footsteps lead away from him.

His hands slowly turned the knob once more, and the door creaked. Within his blurred vision, his family rushed around the house. They gathered items back and forth, seeming ready to leave. Marco's letter sat on a wooden table in the center, small patches of blood stained its corners.

When he could stand again, he dragged one of the Borgia outdoors and his lips remained sealed. His ears drowned out the insults flung his way and the screams of loved ones who now despised him. He continued his work to grow his corpse pile.

Hours passed and the sky darkened. Marco sat on the grass, waiting as crickets provided a subtle ambience. He rested in front of a raging fire he started, burning away the remnants of the Borgia. Beside him was a wagon loaded with belongings. Two horses stood by from their nearby stable.

They had everything, and they would keep it all in Florence. But as much as Marco wanted that future, he knew better. The beautiful life at the heart of the Renaissance wasn't for him. It belonged to those who deserve it, and what he did ensured he never finds that comfort in his life.

When the wagon had its fill, Marco didn't know if he'd have a chance to say goodbye. But when Livia stood in front of him, he looked into her swollen eyes.

"Will you say nothing?" She asked.

"Does it even matter?" He responded, his mind tried to cling onto hope that perhaps he could travel to Florence with them and be forgiven. "Will it change anything?"

"I want to know if our marriage was a lie."

He didn't have an answer. His head lowered, and he saw Kara in the corner of his eye. Was there anything he could say to fix this? But the longer he thought about it, the less ideas came to mind.

Livia continued. "I've never seen you speak in such an ill manner towards anyone, let alone your own daughter. You hit her and threaten to kill her, and you'd lay your hands on me when you led those men into our home."

"What?" Marco stood up, confusion overtook him. "How could you say that? I never led anyone-"

"You lied about everything, Marco." Her voice softened. "I sent letters to the artists you met in Fiorenza wishing them well. Da Vinci hadn't seen you in years, and Botticelli doesn't even know who you are! Now I see you were at war picking fights with the most powerful man in Europe. What did you think was going to happen?"

Though his lie was revealed, he attempted to save his skin. "I was with Leonardo when he painted the Lisa woman's portr-"

"Enough Marco!" Livia couldn't face him any longer and she turned to walk away. He stayed quiet, though his eyes now looked towards Kara.

Kara had Rio in her hands, but she tossed it by his feet and tried to leave. Rather than sadness, she conveyed anger. It reminded him of himself. The flames beside them further provided her a vibrant orange hue that highlighted her inner wrath. Before she could depart however, he picked up his staff and called her name. She stopped and looked behind, and Marco reached out with Rio.

"Take it, please." He tried to find the right words to explain. If this was the last time he could ever speak to her again, he wanted to make it count. "I've carried this staff for as long as I can remember, and I want to pass it onto you, Kara."

He placed his other hand over his forehead and felt the incision he made previously. "When that bolt struck me in the head, I thought I died. But I lived, and I have this scar now to prove it. The reason I'm still alive is because I was given a chance to set things right, and that is what I will do. You may loathe me, and I'm sorry for what I've put you through. But you stood up for your mother, and I saw from the remnants of this battle that you fought back against the intruders. I'm proud of you, and with this staff, you can keep your family safe."

A warm embrace surrounded his heart when Kara grabbed his staff. His words were working. "I want you to take care of Livia until I set things right. However long I may be gone for, everything I'll do will be for us. But no matter what, I promise you that I will return. I won't allow this dark day to ruin all the years I've spent raising you, and once everything is restored, I will return to be a good father again. I swear on it."

She continued to glare at him until her eyes lowered to look at Rio. There looked to be a hint of hesitation in her movement, and she stared back at him. Then, she threw the staff in the raging fire.

Rio landed atop the flames, and Marco collapsed to his knees. He gasped quietly and watched in utter distress as the wooden staff shriveled and darkened, only to burn away into nothingness.

Kara swiftly turned and departed, never to look back. As he witnessed Rio's death, his family rode the wagon away to the harbor during the night.

Marco placed his head against the grass and cried. He had no more chances. But when he looked up again, the damned lion watched him, its face still showcasing a despicable smile.

The unstoppable surge of anger that pumped through his veins wasted no time in strengthening his figure. Marco stood and screamed one word as loud as his lungs would allow him. "Why?!"

Set said nothing, and Marco fought back the urge to strangle the animal. "You're supposed to help me, that's why I summon you! Who's side are you on?!"

"You never have summoned me." Set finally responded and its smile disappeared. It narrowed its head closer to him. "I come as I please, and I do as I please."

That explained why Set appeared now as he never ordered it to. But it brought forth another question. "Have you any idea what you did? You desecrated my only chance of redemption and turned my own family against me, and for what?"

"I did no such thing. Regardless of my presence, the outcome would have been the same."

"And what of my daughter? I was talking to you and you directed my words against her." 

"You should have stopped talking."

"No, you made me do it. You are the embodiment of wrath itself, this was exactly what you wanted. You'll find any way to manipulate me into doing your biddings at the cost of everything I've ever loved."

Set turned its head away and smiled again. After a brief pause, it looked back at him, now with a bold expression. "Was I responsible for what happened to Aisha, I wonder? Perhaps not, you seem to have experience in breaking apart families." 

Marco froze. He tried to think of anything he could say in return, but nothing came to mind. He was dumbstruck, and he hated feeling this way. So helpless and guilty. 

"Everything you have done in your immortal life has been your own doing, Maalik. You are responsible for your own actions. I only lend my aid when I deem it necessary."

"For as long as I've known you, you've always haunted me. You've always stood and watched as I ravaged across this world. What is your purpose? Why stalk over me and let madness rule supreme?"

"I observe you for beings far outside the limitations of your mind. I am their eyes, and when the day finally comes, the judges will hold you accountable for every deed you've committed since your birth."

Judges? That was new. Marco tried to make sense of this information, but it only worsened his aching. This was all too much for him to handle, and he looked away in anger. The stress overwhelmed him. Now that he thought it over, he should have expected it. Of course there would be some form of judgement at the end of all this.

But before he could ask what any of it meant, Set already spoke again. "They know what you've done to everyone you have ever known. And they've seen what you've done now to your family. The woman was right to say this was all your fault. I have personally found this whole ordeal so amusing."

That had finally done it. Set formed another smile, and Marco glared back. "Amusing? After everything I had done, do you really think this is amusing? You think I deserve this?!"

As he was about to scream again, a sudden jolt in his chest stopped him. He couldn't speak, and his hands clenched his heart. His legs weakened and he fell paralyzed. Just before his heart attack could kill him, his blurry vision made out the lion whispering in his ears.

"Yes."

Finally, his consciousness faded and Marco died yet again.

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Historical Notes:

Florence was under control by the powerful House of Medici. The Medici were a political dynasty that produced four popes and two queens of France. They claimed to have funded the inventions of the piano and opera. Additionally, they were patrons of several artists, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Galileo. The Medici family lasted until the majority of the members died and the family was disbanded in 1737.

In 1402, the city of Florence was destined to fall after a brutal siege by the northern city of Milan. With Florence's army defeated and its defenses toppled, the city was entirely doomed. However, Milan's ruler unexpectedly died from a fever, halting the siege and ending the war between Milan and Florence as his city became fractured by his death.

By this time in 1507, Leonardo da Vinci was in Florence. He had started work on a painting named "Saint John the Baptist". It is widely recognized as his final painting. Additionally, Leonardo had also aided Cesare Borgia by sketching military designs and maps of territories and cities for the Borgia.

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