Eating downstairs after his morning jog and shower, Marc would just appease his boredom by listening to music while he eats alone. However, his boredom quickly ate up all entertainment as he just sighed, realizing that he doesn't have any plans for today.
"Ahhh, if my mom came with me, she'd definitely have plans already," he chuckled, but the chuckle slowed down and progressively turned into painful sighs, followed by a sip of water and the last bite of food.
"I wonder how they're doing now," remembering his teammates from the badminton team, he wondered about their well-being.
As he was about to take out his phone to message them, the sound of an engine revving up, then stopping, caught his attention. He got up and looked out the window to see someone who could help him appease his boredom: Andrei, Marc's older cousin.
"He-!"
Before Andrei could call out for anybody, surprise overcame him, catching a badminton racket of high quality. He looked up and directed his attention towards the figure standing by the front door; Marc Charles.
"Whe-"
"Eros and Mama Luz are out right now."
"Ohhh-.. What abo-"
"They're still sleeping."
"Wha-"
"So we should go play badminton!"
"Bu-"
"PLEASE."
"FINE OKAY-"
...
Arriving at the sports center, Marc and Andrei sat down on the bench in front of a free court. Setting their stuff down and resting for a bit, Marc finally checked his socials and saw missed messages from a close friend, Erita.
"Charlie, how are you doing?"
"How are your cousins?"
"Have you finally settled down?"
She had sent only three messages, as she wasn't the type to spam someone if she was worried. As Andrei went to the other side of the court with his racket and the birdie, Charles finished typing out the last part of his sentence and went to his side as well.
"I'm doing fine, Erita. My cousins are all great, and I've settled down. I'll go play badminton with Andrei now, so I'll talk to you whenever I can."
As Charles got into a defensive position, Andrei got into the stance to serve.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
The game continued with serves, hits, and points being scored back and forth between them. Eventually, Marc displayed an impressive smash that left everyone in awe.
...
BANG!!
Everybody ducked down, including Andrei, as Marc landed. Marc turned red in embarrassment, realizing what he had just done. He quickly grabbed their stuff and pulled Andrei by the arm.
"Let's go!"
"What was tha-?!.."
Before the older cousin could ask, he'd see the birdie completely smashed into a hole in the ground the size of a small bowling ball.
"That was... His smash..?" He thought to himself as he just held onto his racket while being pulled by Charles.
...
The two remained quiet as it started raining, but they had arrived just in time.
"Quickly, come inside!"
Eros shouted from the entrance before running deeper into the house to tell Luzviminda.
"Charles?! Andrei?!"
"Hi Auntie."
"Hi Mama Luz."
They both greeted as they entered the house, almost being caught by the heavy rain.
...
Andrei laid on his stomach in the bedroom while using his phone, as Marc read a book he had bought about different types of philosophy, now in the part about optimistic nihilism.
"..Charles."
"What's up?"
Andrei sat up, turning off his phone and looking to the busy Charles.
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"The smash! I knew you were strong, but not THAT strong!"
"Mhm.. I'm actually not sure. Maybe it's the result of me training the hell out of my body."
"Yeah.. Maybe.."
It stayed quiet for a bit more before Charles closed his book.
"You want me to show you how I workout then?"
"Workout what?"
"Today is legs and abs, but I could still show you the intensity of my training."
"Sure!"
"Let's go then."
As they both got up, they both went downstairs and into the kitchen, where Andrei would see Marc take some pre-workout and take out some water from the fridge.
"Let's start with legs."
"Okay.."
...
While Mama Luz and Eros were eating and talking in the kitchen, Andrei was dumbfounded. Marc fell onto the ground, while Andrei stayed in a state of pure shock.
"What in the.."
500 squats.
250 lunges.
200 stiff leg deadlifts.
400 good mornings.
500 calf raises.
And 375 crunches.
All done in the span of 3 hours.
"What.. The.. Fuck.."
"Andrei, mind helping me get up the stairs-?"
"A- Yeah, I'm coming!"
Andrei said as he helped up Marc, who still had energy and strength to spare, but he decided to keep it for.. Well, walking.
As Marc and Andrei sat on the stairs, Marc finished the bottle of water almost instantly.
"That.. Was.. A.. Lot.."
He said in between breaths.
"I need.. To.. Take a.. Bath.."
"Wait, you need res-"
"A quick.. Bath.. Will help.."
Marc insisted as he started slowly getting up the stairs, using the wall to help balance himself.
"Don't.. Help.. I can.. Do this.."
He said as he finally got up the stairs, grabbing his towel which was on the couch upstairs before going into the bathroom.
Andrei sighed as he checked the time; 9:30. He then went up the stairs to look out the front door, to see that the rain had slowed down.
"We should go now."
He then went to the kitchen to tell Luzviminda and Eros that he's going to leave, before screaming for Aerra to come down.
...
9:55 PM.
Finishing his third bath of the day, the second one being after the badminton incident, he'd just go into the master bedroom to see that Aerra was gone.
"They probably went home.."
He thought with a sad expression, before slowly, yet surely making his way to the bed and laying down on it. Quickly getting bored, Marc just gets up and takes his laptop from atop the dresser before returning to the bed, doing all of that slowly of course.
...
11:30 PM.
As Marc finished the final version of "Incomplete" Chapter 36 and "The Fallen" Chapter 27, he closed his laptop and just left the bedroom, going downstairs to yet again grab some alcohol to drink.
"Oh, they restocked."
Yawning as he said so, grabbing a bottle of gin along with water and a shot glass, before heading back to the terrace upstairs.
...
"Ahh.. Gin is so nasty yet so nostalgic.."
He thought to himself as he looked into the starry sky.
"It's.. Beautiful.."
"It is, Marc. It is."
A woman with black silky hair in a man bun and red eyes was next to him, drinking as well.
"If only it was like this everywhere, huh?.."
Another woman with blond hair and green eyes said, just admiring the stars.
"..Stop tricking me, my head.. You asshole.."
He talked to himself, just for the two girls to look at him. The black-haired one grabbed onto his chin and made him look up towards her.
"What do you mean..?"
"We're real, Marc.."
"No.."
"No.. No, no, no, NO!!"
He shouted, luckily not too loud, as the two girls disappeared.
"Dialys and Lauren.. They aren't real.."
He said as he grabbed onto his head, tearing up.
"Fuck.. I can't.. First Brightest, now them.."
He sighed as he started crying, bringing up his legs onto the bench and balling up.
"Why?.. Just.. Why?.."