The minutes passed by, and Mark kept watching them with Dan Heng next to him. Mark's casual behavior—the way his body leaned back against the wall as his tired gaze followed every movement—was a stark contrast to Dan Heng's display. He stood straight, unwavering, his eyes darting around in a careful manner. Soon enough, the three had finished fixing something, much to their delight.
Their fun would have gone on for longer, but a stifled yawn from March gave the signal that it's their time to leave for the hotel.
"I'm so sleepy," mumbled March as she rubbed her eyes.
Stelle gave a light chuckle along with Serval, both of them finding March's behavior a tinge funny. Dan Heng headed off to the door, but before he could take a step, Mark placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke to him only, his tone a tinge stern.
"Be wary of the Silvermane Guards, at least for now. Tomorrow morning, all of you should be prepared to run straight to the restricted zone affected by the Fragmentum."
Dan Heng simply looked over his shoulder and gave a light nod, then went for the door. He turned to Serval and spoke in a calm tone.
"Thank you for the hospitality."
She nodded, playfully tapping both Stelle and March on the shoulders.
"No worries, anytime. My workshop is always open for eager learners."
With that, it was just Mark and her again. Silence creeped in on them both as Mark put his thoughts in order. He opened his mouth to speak, but his words failed him for a moment.
"Serval," spoke Mark, a tinge of something akin to nervousness in his voice, yet he masked it well: "I think I'm about to get my head into something pretty big. For now, I only ask of you that you trust me and them... that you trust us..."
She gave him an odd look, trying to piece together the mystery that his words conveyed, like a riddle about his upcoming actions. Her brow raised as she struggled to figure him out.
"Mark... be honest with me... you haven't forgotten your memories, have you?"
He let out a soft sigh and nodded, his back still pressed against the wall.
"Truth is... not fully. While I DO have holes in my memories, they're not completely blank. Truth is, I just know that I need to help them out, since Cocolia is not herself... and she hasn't been so for a long time..."
Her gaze took a sudden shift, one that not even the grandest facade would be able to hide. She did try to not show it, and yet she was pained, angered, and frustrated—just a mesh of emotions that kept twirling and squirming together as if on fire.
"Cocolia... is not herself... what makes you say that?"
His eyes closed as he tried to put his words together.
"Should I tell her that I know about their past as friends? About how they argued at some point and their friendship sort of came to an end? Would it help at all?"
With his heart halfway in turmoil, he spoke out calmly, his words echoing in Serval's mind.
"She's not herself... the Stellaron got to her... ever since she was a teenager, she was slowly being corrupted, her mind chipped at and being thrown into a pit of lies and deception... and the thing is... she sort of willingly threw herself there, and it all makes sense."
Their eyes met, and sparks nearly flew around. His words were close to a fairytale, to something so incredible and audacious that even the dumbest lie would stand out as truth next to his words, and yet, there was a hint of something in her eyes, like a silent understanding.
"Is there... anything that can be done?" she asked, her voice meek and nearly a whisper, the memories of their past, their friendship, coming back at once.
Mark felt his heart pick up as more and more memories came to him. He found himself wiping away a few blood droplets that ran down his face from his nose, a silent warning that he was forcing his mind to remember too much. His head was light, and yet he kept speaking, the conviction not leaving his tone.
"I'm not sure, but I will try my best... me and the ones who just paid us a visit...."
He lied partially, knowing damn well that Cocolia was to die, and yet he kept thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to save her from her fate. Perhaps sending Serval with the Express Crew instead of keeping her behind to fight alongside her brother would be the choice that leads to it working out. Maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to make Cocolia snap out of it now that she knows what happened.
"I see. Guess I'll have to put my faith in you. Try not to let me down, got it?"
She playfully smacked his shoulder, offering a smile that he could easily see through despite its authenticity and faked realism. Instead of calling her out, he simply took the load on his shoulders, knowing that a life rests on his back—a life that's meant to be lost.
"It's me against fate, it seems..."
With a confident nod, he spoke.
"Heh, not gonna let anyone down."
Hours went by in a flash, a time during which he worked on things to keep his mind at bay. He made a scabbard for his sword, one that went neatly on his back, allowing for the blade to be withdrew. It was made out of thinner sheets of metal welded together, with a large backplate that was pressed on his back and two square-shaped pieces of metal that were hollow. One went down just a tad above the bottom of the backplate, while the other one was fixed on a bearing encased within the metal sheet. That way, he could move his sword around as he tried to pull it out over his back.
"This should work. No need to fret about my metal pipe, though. It should work enough as it is."
He put the scabbard on his back just to try it and placed the sword inside. It took him a bit of maneuvering, yet it did work as intended. It rested there comfortably, although him not being careful could easily lead to his sword sliding out and hitting someone.
Having said the healthiest 'Screw it' he could muster, he went off to his room, prepared for the day he'd finally start his journey the proper way.
.................................................................
As the sun crept into the room, he was already wide awake and prepared. Dressed up, he made sure to grab his weapons and wait by the window. As soon as he saw the guards gathering, he prepared his little distraction. The members of the Express came out one by one, coming face-to-face with Bronya. In that moment, Mark stepped out and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Fragmentum monsters have invaded the city!"
All heads turned to face him, Bronya included, and the split second bought was enough. He began dashing towards the Fragmentum itself, followed by Dan Heng, Stelle, and March. As the guards pointed their rifles, Mark felt his hair raise on its end, and yet March used her ice to block them from firing.
Soon, they all came to a halt, and Mark had to catch his breath. To his surprise, the others seemed to be less affected by the run.
"Hah! See, they weren't brave enough to follow us! Freedom!" shouted March, her joy never late when it came to bursting out and contaminating others.
Mark nodded, finally getting a moment to speak.
"Yeah, well, it's too soon to celebrate. They're hot on our trail. We gotta keep moving."
Suddenly, Stelle and March became aware of his existence. They did recall having seen him the prior day, and yet his presence was unexpected.
"Who thought that you were actually telling the truth? I must admit, I am a bit surprised." said Dan Heng, his eyes scanning Mark from head to toe.
"Uhm... I know we saw you the prior day, but I think we didn't get your name. I'm March, and this right here is Stelle. The serious mister over there is Dan Heng."
Mark nodded, smiling a bit as he raised a hand to salute.
"Name's Mark. Glad to finally meet the Astral Express Crew, that's for sure."
They exchanged glances, confusion carved into their expressions.
"How do you know we're from the Express?" asked Stelle, staring straight at him.
With a shrug, he answered.
"No worries about that. I have a tendency to know many things from random sources. For now, though, please just trust me and let's solve this crisis. As you might have noticed when talking with Cocolia, she's not herself. As far as I know, she's under the Stellaron's influence. Basic stuff, nothing to worry about."
His last line had a clear hint of sarcasm in it, which didn't go unnoticed. March closed her eyes half-way and gave a pretty annoyed laugh.
"Ha ha... how do we know you're not actually trying to trick us just like that Sampo guy?"
Mark couldn't help but laugh at the mention of the familiar guy, someone who's always up to no good.
"Well, just trust me, ok? Why else would I have tried to distract the guards randomly? They had you cornered, that's for sure. No need for tricks in their eyes, right?"
Stelle regarded him with the expected wariness, and yet his sincere tone was making their guards lower ever so slightly. He was up to no good, or at least he seemed like it.
"For now, let's say that we trust you. Come on, let's keep moving and find a safe place where we can talk."
They all followed behind Dan Heng, and Mark walked by his side at the front, hands in his pockets, an old habit that wouldn't go away. He didn't want anyone thinking he's lingering behind to pull some trick, so he just walked casually in silence as chatter filled his ears from those around. March was having a field day with Stelle, while Dan Heng only answered when needed.
"This is going to be a pretty long walk; I take it. Welp, better make the most of it."