Circa 1700 CE – The Age of Reason
By the time the Enlightenment began in Europe, Marcus was no longer just a figure of myth. The intellectual movement was in full swing, and the world was beginning to question long-held beliefs. Philosophers like Voltaire, John Locke, and Immanuel Kant were challenging the very nature of human existence, and Marcus was there, quietly watching as minds began to awaken.
He sat in coffeehouses with intellectuals, discussing reason, liberty, and the nature of humanity. He spent hours with Voltaire, debating the concepts of God and morality. With John Locke, he discussed the idea of government and the rights of men. And with Immanuel Kant, he explored the complexities of knowledge and perception.
"It's curious," Marcus mused during one conversation with Kant, "how much of the world we experience is filtered through our senses, and how little we understand of what lies beyond them."
Kant, who had spent his life contemplating the nature of reality, looked at Marcus with suspicion. "And what do you know of it? You speak as though you see beyond it."
Marcus smiled. "I've had many lifetimes to learn."
But again, as he had done so many times before, Marcus vanished into the world, leaving only the legacy of his words to shape the future.