After handing the murderer over to Gordon, Marcus accepted an invitation from Alfred and headed to Wayne Manor.
Young Bruce couldn't fully bear the weight of what had happened, and as someone who had helped Bruce get revenge, Marcus was good emotional support, potentially helping Bruce recover from his grief.
Marcus readily agreed to such an invitation. After all, if he could stay in a luxurious manor, why would he choose a hotel?
It had to be said that Bruce's superpower was indeed money. His family's estate was among the most impressive Marcus had ever seen. The grounds alone could pass for a park.
And the house itself was like something from another era—a castle, really.
The manor gave him a feeling reminiscent of a legendary vampire castle—Gothic architecture, perfect for a bat.
Looking at Bruce being led by Alfred, Marcus thought to himself:
"Why does this place look more and more like a vampire's lair?"
If he didn't already know what this child would become in the future, he'd almost think Bruce's family were vampires themselves.
After returning home, Bruce's sadness returned. He kept reliving what had happened, recalling his parents collapsing in pools of blood.
"The death of Thomas and Martha was a devastating blow to him."
Looking at Bruce sitting on his bed, touching a family photo, Alfred gently closed the door and spoke quietly to Marcus beside him.
The Wayne couple's deaths were not just a personal tragedy for the family but would affect the operations of Wayne Enterprises as well.
"He seems very smart. I believe it won't take long for him to move past his grief," Marcus said.
He thought of Tony. After Howard and his wife died, the guy had been silent for a long time and never visited the farm again.
"Don't worry, he'll pull through. But you should consider moving their personal belongings to other rooms so he's not constantly reminded of them."
Bruce was just a ten-year-old child. Providing him with a warm, less painful environment could help him process his grief faster.
Alfred considered this thoughtfully. He felt Marcus's suggestion had merit. Putting away Thomas and Martha's things and storing them in an empty room might indeed help Master Bruce heal.
...
After living in Wayne Manor for a while, Marcus divided his time between wandering the grounds and reading books from the Wayne family collection.
Except for attending the Waynes' funeral, he hadn't left the manor.
But he hadn't been idle. He'd been searching the manor thoroughly. Unfortunately, he hadn't found anything with special powers anywhere on the estate.
Although antiques filled the manor, they were just ordinary objects with no significance to him.
One day, while he was reading about Gotham's history, Bruce suddenly ran over to him.
"I want to learn how to fight from you!"
He'd been thinking a lot these past few days. His parents were gone and could never be brought back. But maybe he could carry on their legacy and make Gotham better.
At least he could work toward a Gotham without robberies and murders, where residents could live without constant fear.
But he was still a child. Even if he spoke up at board meetings, those directors wouldn't listen to him.
So he planned to train first, to make himself stronger. At the very least, if he faced danger again, he wouldn't be helpless as he'd been when the criminal killed his parents.
"Learn? From me?"
Putting down the history book, Marcus raised his eyebrows and looked at Bruce's thin frame.
"You've got a bean sprout body. You should focus on building strength first!"
While he didn't mind teaching Bruce fighting skills, the boy's body was too weak. It wouldn't be easy for him to master combat techniques in his current condition.
Hearing Marcus's answer, Bruce lowered his head in disappointment.
"But I can teach you how to throw darts!"
The technique of throwing was a skill, and physical strength only affected the impact of the projectile.
"Really?"
Bruce looked up at Marcus with renewed joy. He still remembered how deadly Marcus's throwing knives had been.
"Of course." Marcus balanced a kunai on his finger, spinning it in circles. He nodded with a smile. "But you'll need to ask Alfred to prepare a proper set for you first."
His kunai were too large for Bruce. If the boy practiced with them, he'd likely hurt himself.
Bruce ran out excitedly, presumably to ask Alfred to get him some darts.
After Bruce left, Marcus returned to the Gotham history book, finding some interesting details.
"This Court of Owls is quite clever, hiding in the shadows while secretly controlling Gotham."
Although Gotham appeared to be in the grip of crime families, the real controllers were the Wayne family and the Court of Owls with their vast industrial holdings. The Wayne family and the Court of Owls were like the light and darkness of Gotham, each with a firm grip on the city.
"I think I'll go out for a walk tonight."
He'd already read all the maps and histories of Gotham, and his understanding of the Court of Owls had deepened.
He wanted to see if he could find traces of these "little birds." He twirled the kunai on his fingertips and flipped through the pages documenting Gotham's history, examining the significant events of the city's past.
As night fell, Marcus said goodbye to Alfred and left Wayne Manor.
"Alfred, what is Marcus going to do?" Bruce stood by the window, watching Marcus's retreating figure.
"I'm afraid I don't know, Master Bruce," Alfred shook his head. "Perhaps Mr. Marcus has urgent business to attend to. He hasn't left the manor in quite some time, after all."
After leaving the estate, Marcus walked straight toward the center of Gotham. His body gradually disappeared as he walked, transforming into a ball of energy that soared through Gotham's night sky.
Materializing on a skyscraper rooftop, Marcus surveyed the Gotham nightscape below, searching for owls moving through the city.
"It seems the birds haven't made a move yet!" He couldn't detect any owl presence.
When he thought about it, it made sense. If the talons of the Court of Owls operated too frequently, their existence wouldn't be relegated to just a nursery rhyme meant to frighten children.
Despite this realization, Marcus still planned to look around. What if he stumbled upon these owl talons somewhere else?
Moving between Gotham's skyscrapers, he witnessed many things hidden in the city's darkness.
In this sin-filled city, fighting, drug use, and robbery were commonplace—the norm, rather than the exception. Everyone seemed to have grown accustomed to this reality.
"Huh? Are there actually philanthropists in Gotham?"
Standing on a rooftop, Marcus spotted a few people distributing sandwiches to young homeless kids below. He was intrigued, having not expected to find such charity in Gotham.
Sure enough, these adults had ulterior motives. A woman pulled out a long needle from her collar and, while the homeless youths were busy eating, injected each of them.
The young people collapsed almost instantly.
"I knew there couldn't be real philanthropists in Gotham, but isn't that drug effect a bit extreme?"
It was the first time he'd seen a drug that could knock people out without even giving them time to react.
"Hey, isn't that the little thief?"
Spotting Selina among the crowd, Marcus smiled and jumped down from the roof.
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Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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