*back with a new chapter. Sure, this one might be a bit more filler, in a way, but please keep in mind that I haven't slept at all in the last 24 hours :)))
I'm running on prayers and dreams. So yeah, please enjoy the chapter. Let me know what you think, and see you around. Peace out and Deus vult*
Chaos spread on the Space Station while Mark was inside. He had said his piece, choosing to focus instead on the bitter taste of Himeko's coffee. It made his mind seem sweet in contrast to the dark aftertaste that scattered on his tongue.
He was silent, eerily so, his subtle twitches and dodges a tiny reminder of the mental battle going on in his mind. If he wouldn't ract, the shadows could turn out to be a real enemy. If he did, he could hit someone. Standing between full and no control was taking a bit of an extra toll on him, but he didn't falter.
"Let's see... I haven't met Argenti yet... the Astral Express should get a nice cleanup. Maybe once we depart this place. Still, Stelle might find herself on the Luofu once more before heading to Penacony."
He wiped his nose in one unconscious motion at the thoughts of specific future events.
"There's still quite some time until then, and most probably we're going to spend it doing some things or others. I guess I have to wait and watch the scene unfold."
With that, his mumbling ended, and he returned to quietly drinking his coffee, enjoying the quiet moment of pure solitude. As he stood there, March walked into the parlor, staring at him quietly from the corner of the door. She didn't think it was him at first, all thanks to the outfit, but once she got a good look over, her soft heartbeat came back.
"Mark, it's you? You look so different in the new outfit. Why even choose the edgy long coat or the weird metal arm? What, are you some novel character?"
He chuckled, downing the rest of his coffee in a bit satisfying gulp.
"Well, I'm sure you could say that..."
He looked to the side at nothing.
"What are you doing?"
He chuckled, shaking his head a bit.
"Looking at the imaginary camera in case I'm being watched or something. Trying to break some 4th wall that isn't even there. Anyway, putting my shenanigans aside, how's your ice training going?"
She beamed as he asked her that, ready to show off what progress had been made ever since his last experiment. Without needing to be told twice, she focused on her ice, making two twin blades, one in each hand. The image made his mind rattle a little, but he pushed it back, focusing instead on their aspect. The blades were finely made, with nearly perfect surfaces, while the guards at the hand were rugged and solid, bits of ice chunked together in one.
"I gotta admit, this is damn impressive. How long did it take you?"
She smiled at the praise, giving them a few swings.
"Well, I just recently got the hang of them. I've been working whenever I had time, you know? Even if no one was watching, I still had time to try and shape my ice into different things that I left behind to disappear."
He chuckled, the sound proud of her. With a gentle touch, he patted her on the head, feeling a warm sense of accomplishment in his heart. It wasn't like that when he himself had focused on doing some insane stunts in the Simulated Universe, honing his control to limits never-before seen by his being.
"So, you spent both day and night to train in different ways. That's smart. Bonus points. Now you just need to learn how to use them the right way, but I feel like the right time will come for that as well. Meanwhile, just be yourself, alright?"
She nodded, dismissing her swords. She swatted his hand away, treating it in the same way a child acting like a grownup would.
"Hey, stop treating me like a child. I'm old enough to take care of myself."
He rolled his eyes, smiling as he sunk back in his seat, simply basking in the soft comfort provided by the couch.
"If you say so. Meanwhile, let me rest in here. I'm sure Stelle will come in later ready to ask me stuff, and I better be asleep."
She had no time to protest that Mark had already lied down in a comfortable position, shifting so that he could lie on his side, facing those who passed by.
Noticing that there was nothing to do, March scoffed and went back to her room, a bit annoyed that he had nothing else in mind but sleeping. She wanted him to tell some interesting story from his time within the simulated universe, but nothing had come.
"Ugh, you're such a bore sometimes. How can you even sleep with that metal gauntlet on?"
He laughed, simply mumbling.
"Style, grace, and of course... elegance."
She couldn't take his useless words anymore but didn't quite smack him for now. She wasn't aware of what was going on inside his mind, which Mark was thankful for. Sure, maybe she'd find out, but for now he didn't want more people worrying for his well-being. Just like always, God would handle it, and he'll be fine.
Bit by bit, he fell asleep, and his mind was inhumanly quiet during that period. He simply lied on the couch, enjoying the rest that he'd obtained through arduous work. A while later, Himeko and Stelle had returned, the situation on the Space Station solved. Before Stelle could shout anything, Himeko quickly shushed her, pointing to Mark. He slept with a serene expression, as if nothing could phase him in that moment. Instead of bothering him, she simply grabbed a blanket and covered him.
For some reason, Stelle felt a bit mischievous, so she grabbed a few more and placed one over him, making the count reach two. The rest were left there, and one by one, as the day went by, the members of the Astral Express had covered Mark with an extra layer of blankets. It was a bit of a silent joke started as a foolish idea, but they kept it going. March came in and figured it out quickly, throwing a blanket over his sleeping form too.
Dan Heng had gone out of his room, only to find the show going. Still, thinking nothing of it, he put a blanket on Mark as well. Welt came across him like any other human would, so he joined in on the game with a calm gaze on his face as an extra blanket covered a surprisingly not sweaty Mark.
Last but not least, Pom-Pom had to join in on the fun, so he put the icing on the cake with one extra-large blanket that wrapped neatly around everything. By the time evening rolled around on the clock, lacking the sun needed outside for a day-night cycle, everyone was there, taking photos with him, smiling, and overall having a good time. Little did they know that he had woken up a while earlier, which is why his mouth was hidden as he pretended to shift in his sleep. He was grinning from ear to ear, but none had caught on.
"Heh, silly guys... I love this crew, no matter what happened before..."
Thus, the late hours of night rolled around, announcing that it was time for sleep. Silence fell on the Astral Express that hadn't left the Space Station yet. In that absence of noise, Mark chose to make a bit of himself, his memories of specific things making him wish to check it out. He pushed the blankets away, somehow unaffected by the heat, and he stepped outside with careful steps.
Few were the researchers seen around, but Mark didn't care if he was seen or not. His steps led him to the Storage Room, where a few items were stored. He knew what he wished to see, but before going to the main point, he simply stared at the Wind Glider kept neatly on display.
"Heh, an item from Genshin. Curious how I can recall that game, but not this one. It's strange, but I guess it's all because I'm not into that world."
With careful steps, he finally decided to come face-to-face with what tore his heart away. The fragments of a sword floated gently, trying to rebuild one another into a whole, but to no avail. The traces of rust were noticeable, the passage of time leaving a mark on it other than those of burns. He reached out unconsciously, letting his hand linger in the air, close but forever apart.
"Oh, to think you'd be lost like that..." he whispered, feeling the waver in his voice. Memories came to him, those of another world that sought not his blood but his heart.
"Who was lost like that?"
Mark snapped out of it and turned to the side, looking at Herta, who had somehow sneaked up on him.
"What do you even want from me now? Don't you know that it's not nice to eavesdrop?"
She stared blankly at him, the puppet having no need for his antics and diversions.
"You guessed it right today with what was bound to happen, with some minor alterations thanks to Himeko being there. Nevertheless, you had it figured out. Now, I see you sneak around at night, coming here then talking to the fragments of that sword."
She took a step closer to them, staring blankly, treating them as nothing but pieces of something interesting.
"Do you perhaps know who it belonged to?"
He sighed, saying nothing. Silence in that case was more of an answer than he wanted, but perhaps she'd understand and let go of the issue.
"I see, so you DO know the owner. Considering your silence, I think you don't wish to talk about it."
Her eyes fell on him, the lifeless orbs staring blankly, just like cameras trying to gain input on what was before them.
"What are you, Mark? Besides being an... interesting specimen... what are you?"
He sighed, flickering between the sword fragments and her.
"An observer. That's all I'll say, and it's what I told someone else as well. That's what there is to me... I observed..."
She nodded, taking in his words.
"Observed... at past tense... I see... well, you can have those fragments, if you wish. I'm not sure what you could do with them, but they're yours to take."
He smiled a bit, a most crude expression that tried to hide pain and other emotions beneath.
"Thank you, Herta. I'll make sure to... keep them with me."
With that, he reached out, feeling as if the metal was warm to the touch, bringing about a soft feeling that touched his being. Still, the screams were audible, the scene was clear before his eyes. Instead of focusing on it, he just took the fragments away, carrying them in his hand.
"I shall make the most of these bits, alright? For both of you—you of the past... and you of the present..."
His eyes were glistering, covered in a hazy fog as he kept walking, letting nothing out despite the pressure pushing down on him.
"I have few traces of my past... and few traces of what had been... both for me and you... but I'll keep them burning..."
He checked his phone, scrolling through the gallery, staring at old photos. They weren't that old—not all of them, but even the most recent ones felt like an eternity ago.
"I talk about love... but what even am I doing sometimes?"