Circa 2500 BCE – Egypt
Marcus wandered the ancient world for centuries, watching civilizations rise and fall, always a fleeting shadow in the background. By the time Egypt was building its monumental pyramids, Marcus had already seen the rise of many empires. But Egypt was different. This was a land of grandeur, a kingdom that worshipped its gods with such fervor that it seemed impossible to separate the divine from the mortal.
In Cairo, Marcus found himself in the court of Pharaoh Khufu, the ruler responsible for the building of the Great Pyramid. It was there that he made his first significant appearance. He was not a king, nor a warrior, but he had something even more important: the gift of knowledge. The Pharaoh was struggling with the logistics of such an enormous construction project.
"Your Majesty," Marcus said as he approached the Pharaoh, his voice smooth and confident, "I have a suggestion. Instead of trying to move the stones by brute force, what if you could roll them? Use logs to slide them across the ground."
At first, Khufu and his advisors dismissed him as just another fool. But Marcus's idea was so simple and yet so brilliant that it quickly became the method that the workers used to move the massive blocks. Soon, the Great Pyramid began to take shape faster than anyone had predicted.
The Pharaoh, amazed by Marcus's wisdom, offered him a place in his court. But Marcus declined, knowing that his true purpose was not to remain in one place but to continue moving through time, preventing the catastrophes that would shape history.