*here we are with a new chapter. I'm trying to round up a few things and create some sort of basis for Mark to utilize his powers, something for us to sort of 'power scale' him. So yeah, let me know what you think and enjoy reading. Peace out and Deus vult.*
Herta kept watching the screen, waiting for Screwllum to handle everything on his end. The data sent from Mark's body was inputed within the Simulated Universe as they talked.
"This should be it. Apparently you weren't lying. You do have three Stellarons inside of you, even if one of them doesn't match any of the data we have. It's a Stellaron, yes, but from the looks of it, it's an anomaly."
Mark sighed, seeing nothing as the headwear covered his eyes.
"Told you. Keep studying me as I train. I need to know some more about myself as well. We'll communicate from the inside to the outside and figure out what and how."
He smirked, remembering something from his world. The words came to him with a burning wish from the past.
"Link start!"
Herta glanced over to Himeko, who was chuckling softly as his antics. She shook her head and pressed something, which soon dragged Mark's consciousness into the virtual plane.
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Mark opened his eyes, only to find himself in the empty center of Belobog. No one else was around, at least no one he could see. His steps echoed loudly, the only sign of life in that place.
"So, this is the Simulated Universe, right?"
"Yes, indeed. This place was created using your memories. Screwllum has prepared everything to handle your memory and your perception of time. Be aware, however, that for us to properly communicate, we'd have to stop it and overlap your time with the real flow."
Mark nodded, feeling unbothered by the idea. He checked his back and found his sword there. It all felt real, no matter how much he told himself that the world was fake.
"Ok, I understand how it is. So, I should be able to just start training, right? Just do something, repeat the motion, and you stop time for me."
Herta's avatar began floating around him, a manifestation of her within that world. It was the same funny violet blop. It kept floating around him, moving from one side to another while watching him. Outside, they were getting visual feedback from that avatar, which both Himeko and Herta were watching on a large screen. The other researchers in the room kept gathering more readings from the machine, checking the condition of his body and the nature of the Stellarons inside.
"That is one way to go about it. We'll delete your memories as a specific action is performed. Keep in mind, however, that you'll forget about the motion itself. You did ask to remember only one in a thousand, right? We've done some math, and you'll need even less of those movements. You won't grow tired, so keep yourself as busy as you want."
Mark smirked, the promise sounding exactly as what he wanted and needed.
"Well, if I ever want to contact you and keep time going normally, I'll simply try to interact with your avatar. Should be enough, right?"
With that, he gave his sword a swing. Lifting it above his head felt normal, just like using it normally. It was exactly what he needed—training made to suit his real body that would gain no strength from the excessive motions. It fell down in a wobbly line, which he tried to keep as straight and precise as possible.
"Huh? Did I? Oh, so it worked. I see my sword down, but I don't recall the motion."
He brought it up, only to swing it down again.
"Is this the first swing? Wait, I'm already losing it. Ok, no counting, just swinging over and over. Herta, each 10 virtual years I want you to interrupt me and give me time to ask for other things. Alright?"
The avatar stared straight at him before speaking.
"Very well, I'll make sure to remind you. Keep training now while we focus on other things outside."
Mark held his sword and swung again, keeping the motion going time and time in a loop of memories being wiped and sword falling. He couldn't grow tired, he couldn't feel the fatigue, but his muscles would remember the motion being done over and over, the only proof that remained. His thoughts weren't something he could use either, since the memory wipe would take all with it, both motion and ideas. Thus, he kept swinging his sword in solitude.
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Outside, Herta had already started the time contraction, making it so that Mark would experience time at an entirely different pace. She moved away from her seat, looking up at Himeko.
"He's finally in there, doing what he wants to. Now, we need to talk about him. I want to know all there is about him."
Himeko crossed her arms, staring over at Mark's body, engulfed by the machine.
"He's a strange man, that much I can tell. However," whispered Himeko, eyeing the rest of the researchers in the room. "We should discuss this someplace private."
Herta nodded, heading off to another room, expecting Himeko to follow. The two made their way deeper into the Space Station, entering a room where the geniuses would have discussions without the outside being able to interfere.
"Now, about Mark. It's already downright suspicious that he can even store Stellarons inside of him, let alone harvest their power. From the information I got from the earlier readings, his body is in a pretty rough state."
Himeko sighed, keeping her arms crossed as they talked. Mark's reckless actions were something she had only heard of from the rest of the crew, all of them explaining the events as some intense experiences. His being possessed on Jarilo-VI, the way he went berserk on the Luofu. It was anything but normal.
"He's had some rough events happen to him. We found him on Jarilo-VI, a frozen planet...or at least that's what it was. He got mixed into our Trailblazing expedition, talking with Dan Heng as if he knew who they were. He's not from that planet, but he has no recollection of how he got there. There's a portion of his memory that's simply blocked off."
Herta listened along, keeping a mental note of everything that she heard. Himeko gathered her thoughts, going on about all the other oddities related to Mark.
"He has specific episodes where blood drips from his nose for seemingly no reason, and sometimes the symptoms are stronger. There's also something he does, reminiscent of Destiny's Slave, Elio. That's the very reason why Welt suspected at some point that he might be in the same team as them: he knows too much."
Herta's puppet stared with the same cold gaze, but a hint of intrigue was sketched with what features she could use like a human.
"You mean to tell me that he knows the future?"
Himeko didn't outright admit it, since there was more to the issue.
"Not only that, but also the past, specific information that shouldn't be known by just about everyone. It's weird, but he seems to have some clues and acts at specific moments. On the Xianzhou, he saved the life of a foxian by acting at the last moment. I'm aware that he's not evil, but at the same time I can't help but be worried that he might have some ulterior motives."
Herta gave it some time, using all the information she received to come to a conclusion.
"He does know some specifics, but at the same time, we can't be sure about his source of knowledge. If, by any chance, he is like Elio, then you might have some powerful asset in your hands. Plus, from the readings I have, he's not capable of fully utilizing his power. It's not a natural part of him."
Himeko raised a brow, the new point Herta was touching a subtle reminder of what Mark had said.
"Back when he absorbed the Stellaron on Jarilo, he did say that he wasn't sure about it. So he was telling the truth back then."
Herta nodded, keeping her palms together under her chin as she rested her elbows on the table.
"His body is damaged from abusing it. The strain is visible, with cracks and tears in his muscle tissue and bone structure. However, the same energy is working on the inside in an unconscious manner, accelerating the process at which his wounds heal. It's not a significant difference now, but in the future, it should be able to heal a papercut in a few seconds. Doesn't seem much either, but it normally takes a few days in average cases."
Himeko listened intently, the implications a touch more serious now.
"Are you saying that, if he learns how to use his powers the right way, he could become stronger?"
Herta shook her head.
"He could, but at the same time, his body far limits him. He's like a normal battery trying to store the energy of the sun inside. With three Stellarons within, it's like he's hoping to use the energy released by a star's explosion to charge his phone."
Again, it was somewhat expected, but the scale she's talking of is incredible. The traces of curiosity and a sense of worry were clear in Himeko's gaze.
"In short, he could be either a strong ally or a threat to everyone around."
"Yes, that is the case. However, I made sure to have a look through some of his thoughts before he entered the Simulated Universe. He was nervous and somewhat worried about actually getting stronger. Among those thoughts, there was one that simply stated, 'I need to protect my friends and everyone else'. No matter how suspicious he is, he harbors no ill intent."
Himeko's shoulders let go, the tension something she wasn't even aware of. They sagged slowly, allowing her to sigh softly.
"I see. He's actually only trying to do things in his own way, to use whatever he can't tell us for a good outcome. Thank you, Herta. There's no doubt left now. He's a good man."
Their talk ended there, and both came back to the room where Mark was left. His body was still under intensive study, the data piled up on a computer. Herta took a look at it, studying it intently.
"He's mentally active, which is good. No signs of anomalies so far. His vitals are fine. The readings on the Stellarons are as expected. Two of them fit whatever data we have on them, while one seems to differ in a few ways. The energy readings are the same, but it seems to 'feed' on the other two. It even has a different color, a turquoise nuance."
"Feed on the others?" asked Himeko, peeking at the screen as well.
"Yes. It draws out their energy and outputs everything in a singular manner. It's like a control hub for the rest. Whatever its secret is, it must be tied to his origin and memory loss."
"Origin... memory loss... yet he's just a human, like all of us, who happened to be caught up in something bigger than him," whispered Himeko, feeling a pang in her chest at the words. They had doubted him, but not Stelle, who had a similar situation. Even if their reason was well-founded, suspicion about his knowledge that went above and beyond the norm, they had still kept some form of distance.
"We saw him as a possible threat, even if he just saw us as friends. He poured his heart out and cried in my arms, only for me to think it a possible act. All this time, he did his best to aid us. Back in Belobog, he did the impossible to try and help the planet return to its original state. On the Xianzhou, he saved that foxian, Tingyun, and faced a Lord Ravager alone. No one was hurt but him."
What a difficult thing. Emotions, logic, and trying to find who's at fault and who is not. Nothing made sense in that moment, even for Himeko. The truth is, they were all guilty in their own way, with Mark having dug below his own feet. Bit by bit, he buried himself under a mountain of questions that blurred their vision. How far would someone go to keep an act going? He chose to nearly die a few times in order to keep others safe.
"What an idiot..." whispered Himeko, looking over at him once more. There was no malice in her words, just a tinge of frustration and care.
Herta kept checking in with the research team, discussing various things about Mark. All of them seemed ecstatic at what he was—the prospect of a human being doing something like him being one notch above Stelle.
"He is a rather fascinating subject, that much I can admit. Still, he thought himself superior, thinking he could push the Simulated Universe beyond its limits. He's got a big mouth, but nothing to back it up. Something as meager as accelerating time inside is child's play."
A tinge of annoyance could be felt in Herta's voice, which prompted Himeko to chuckle a little.
"Don't go giving him more ideas. He still has time to come back and demand something outrageous."
Herta scoffed, thinking little of what Mark could come up with.
"Nothing he could come up with would as much as make the Simulated Universe struggle to keep up."
She was very proud of that project, yet she wasn't aware of what sort of guy Mark is.
Himeko's phone pinged, and she checked it with a curious look.
"It seems to me that I'm needed on Jarilo-VI. That's where part of the crew is. I shall take my leave for now and return later to check up on him. I'll leave Mark in your care."
With that, she made herself unseen. All the time, Mark had swung his sword for a certain number of times. He had told Herta about one thousand, but she had other plans in mind. He dared mock her so blatantly, which meant that she would show him what limits are.