In the midsts of a sunny afternoon, was a fog-thick smoke that covered the part of the mountain, it got so think that you won't even know whether you're about to fall off from the mountain. Marco, ventures from the mess he made until he felt the presence of a Neuron Star.
"Hey Marco, I must say, you sent me quite a bullseye with who I hit."
"Starlight, isn't?"
"Yes, "Bullseye!" You're too accurate from it!"
Re kept walking towards Marco as they communicate.
"I suppose you seek by yourself of what Vlera suffered just now?"
"You mean, I want to get what you did to Vlera as well? Marco! Deep usage of english isn't fitting for those of your type!"
"Isn't? I might say I agree, but you'll have to eat those words once I defeat you."
*ZOOM!*
"To accept the bitter fact is to conclude it using violence... MY TYPE OF PROCEDURE, INDEED!"
*ZOOOM!*
And for their first clash, they sent each other attacks that shook the whole ground from the shockwave.
*DOOM!*
"Ugh, it's just a regular sword and an arm covered with that yellow unknown energy, yet the sonicboom they were creating was of those of a grenade."
As they fought, more cracks were being made, Re noticed it, and out of a sudden, one braincell of her told her not to destroy the whole part of the mountain, Re kicked Marco and he was successfully sent flying high in the air.
...
High in the sky, where Marco was sent.
"Afternoon's wind..."
!
"NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO MESMERIZE THE VIEW MARCO! :D"
To do the opposite to send him in the air, she slammed Marco in which sent him falling in speed.
*PACK!*
"AH!"
Before Re even made the blow, Marco got to shield himself using his arms, because of it, he still got on his conscious state as he fall.
"Look at him, like a wingless bird."
*Zoom!*
And to land in the ground faster than Marco, Re decided to fly downwards in which took her behind Marco in no time.
"Hey Marco, mind if I check your reflexes for a second...?"
"Sure, you ain't even that fast though."
With a sudden reply that she didn't expected, it surprised her to the point that she retreated a distance before she even kicks him at the back.
"Oh, and don't cut an attack in the middle of the procedure, it's ugly to see. Here, why don't I do it to you instead?"
After a fast grab from Marco, he got to pull Re in which he did rotations before he slammed her to the ground.
*BAGGGGG!*
"ACKK!"
*Flap*
"*Sighs* I hate gravity."
Just before they landed in improper position, Marco got to think of an attack in which made Re buried in a shallow pit.
"Now... What's next in your tricks?"
*Grabs*
"I'm not over... Yet!"
Just after she was slammed hard in the ground, she even got to grab Marco's leg and talk.
"Look, you can't even fight in that state."
"Yes, Marco, she can't,
but I can."
ā
1 Hour later...
After the fight was ended by Old Man Tagic by making Marco lost consciousness using a technique, they finally climbed back from the mountain to check for Vlera, after an hour passed by, and Vlera can finally talk.
"Thanks... For healing me, Starlight."
After Old Man Tagic offered her a tea, she gladly took the offer and talked.
"Old Man Tagic, I believe you found out what happened to Marco according to your understandings."
"For predicting such a risky one, you've earned a point, you're correct."
"Please, I need to find it out right away..."
"Hm...? A sudden request?"
"Please, take it as my task as his senior."
"No, I don't think of it like that, I also plan to tell you this later, but since you asked, I guess it would be sooner than I thought."
After the atmosphere have become calm, the Old Man finally talked.
"First, I wanted to ask you... Does Marco have this Alter Ego going on?"
"Alter... Ego? What do you mean?"
"The Other Me, in other terms. Take Starlight as an example, she has her Other Her or Sister named Re and Blu who was a part of her."
"What? Why?"
"If so, then it might be because of his Other Him."
Because of what the Old Man just said, it left Vlera lacking in words of what it feels like to know the truth about the Original Marco.
"... According to our past adventures... Yes. Marco does have his Other Him."
"Oh? And does it make sudden appearances like this time?"
"So far... nothing like this ever happened."
"Really... Alright then, thank you for your answer."
After the Old Man's question, he ended it by standing from his seat, Vlera was confused of this Old Man's acting until he explained his meaning.
"You see, we've just met 3 days ago, I know nothing of your identities until I faced every one of you. By facing a guy such as Marco, I knew he was something by his performance, because of my threat to him, he was driven to the point that he defeated me, but that's not the whole part.
2 days ago, when it reached the 24th hour of your stay here at Mount Nimri, I felt something about Marco. Why did he became so weak all of a sudden? At first, I really think this was because of the real threat that I gave him when we first met, considering the fact, I told you, on the 3rd day, to assault him in his rest. To my surprise though! It worked! Although it resulted for a grave damage to all of us, but it was nothing when I finally solve the puzzle!"
After his long speech, he took moment of rest to calm his old vocal chords and continued.
"Want to know the truth? The thing is... The energy that was owned by the Other Him was being transferred to Marco when he was threatened, and because of a sudden boost of his strength, his body reacted, in which he couldn't control yet."
"Oh... So that means it's like Re when Starlight got into a fight while she was still inside her?"
"Yup."
"I see... Though I wonder... Would it take Marco's consciousness in the future?"
"Absolutely!"
After the Old Man's proud announcement of bad news, it made Vlera looked down in sadness until the Old Man spoke again.
"But it could be stopped from happening."
"Really? How?"
"This was a lesson given to me by my Master, and that is... Rest."
"Rest?"
"Yes. Rest is important if you don't know, one night you'd be exhausted to die but once you take a sleep, you'd be a new human the next day!"
"I know what rest is, but how would that help Marco?"
"This Rest is different from any other Rest. It would need a proper posture in a proper position in a proper place and environment, by giving it to him, it would grant him the ultimate focus he could imagine to get."
"Oh... And when could we do it to him?"
"Right now, in fact."
"Eh?"
...
"Secret Training Ground, hide."
After the Old Man's command, all of the training equipments that once arised have sunk into the ground, after the transformation, it left the area filled with emptiness. They grabbed the tightly sleeping Marco in the middle of the whole area and left him sitting in the ground.
"By resting in his slumber will make him be connected to his body, and by connecting, the possibilities of the reckless Other Him taking him over would decrease."
"Wow, I didn't know this was possible."
"Yes, just don't wake him up."
"You hear that, Starlight?"
"No, I meant it for you too, Vlera."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm asking you to go down from the mountain in a few days."
"Eh?"
"Apologies, but it's to ensure Marco's Rest."
"Oh yeah? And what would we do below? Starve?"
"I don't know, it's your life, it's your choice..."
"Oh yeah...?"
After the Old Man's care-less line, it made Vlera reply with a devious tone.
ā
"At the end, he kicked us from the mountain."
After half an hour of arguement against the Old Man, it only resulted for the Old Man's enragement that made them surrender themselves. From the time being, Vlera and Starlight were walking away from the foot of the mountain.
"Say, Starlight, what do you even want to do the way you look at that map?"
"I don't know, I just want to mesmerize how good this map was made."
"*sighs*"
After more minutes of walking, Starlight began to be bored as well.
"Hey, Vlera."
"What, Starlight?"
"Can you tell me our next ingredient?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, now that you mention it, it was a Dragon's Scale."
"Hm... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I hate to admit it, but yes."
"Look's like we're gonna acquire it ourselves then..."
After saying what's on their mind into words, it matched perfectly that instantly ticked the signal of a new chapter for Vlera's Book.
"Dragon's Scale... We're going after you..."
And after Vlera's bored line of configuration of her new adventure, the next scenes would be made by Her, and Starlight...
ā End of Chapter 16