*yall better get the song refferenced in the title :)))
Ok, on to the story, we're back with another chapter. Took me a bit to write it, can't deny, but here we are. Let me know what you think, since I do need feedback to improve my writing and stuff. So, enjoy. Peace out and Deus vult.*
Mark and Acheron went up against SAM, but it was no serious battle. SAM seemed to hold his punches, and something made Mark fight without intent to harm. Acheron's strikes with her sheathed blade were the same, and it made him think about why she didn't let the cold metal meet the outside world. That question was another wedge that drew itself in his mind.
Thus, the three of them came to a standstill. Acheron stared at SAM, who still tried to throw around some bravado for show.
"Better unsheathe that blade now, Ranger," he said, the fire around him burning brighter.
Acheron kept it pointed at him but did nothing other than ask a simple question.
"Do you still dream, hunter, of those slain by your hand?"
SAM's fire increased at once, and Acheron rested her hand on the weapon's hilt. Memories came raging in Mark's mind, hitting it like a wild tempest that nothing can hold back. The conversation between Duke Inferno and Acheron, the secret she revealed, but not in full.
The Path she followed wasn't that of the Hunt, like Galaxy Rangers do. Of course, he had pieces that led there, but nothing too concrete until now. He kept thinking of the tie they shared, her presumed ability to see what he saw, the same shadows of despair that wished to see him dead.
"I still see them in my dreams," said Acheron, lowering her sword. SAM was taken aback as well, while Mark watched silently, scared that one wrong move might make his brain break in half. "Hold it. Your time hasn't come yet."
Thus, the fire extinguished itself, and a normal conversation could take place.
"...my time?" asked SAM, nothing but a slight waver in his voice to confirm that hint of emotion.
"I've seen many clever disguises that can conceal appearances, but they can never cover up who a person really is. And you're no different."
She kept scanning SAM with a calm, cold gaze, speaking in a matter-of-fact voice.
"You had no desire to kill Stelle. You only did what you did to drive me and the Memokeeper away. But why?"
SAM huffed, the sound akin to an air system depressurizing. Mark simply watched the exchange, trying to weight the hidden tones of the words that flew out of Acheron's mouth. There was more to it, something he did have to look into.
"Did Destiny's Slave make you do it?" she asked, unshaken.
"You know Elio," he confirmed, not questioned.
"I thought this is just the kind of thing that'd get written into your 'script'."
"My 'script' has always been brief. Other than that. Anything beyond is unnecessary. He knows my nature: There is but a single destiny, from which no one can escape—and until then, I hold the privilege of choice."
SAM's gone quiet for a moment, thinking about where to go next with the conversation. Mark found himself listening, albeit being aware of what words would follow. Despite all that, he remained silent, just waiting to strike where needed. Thus, SAM went on.
"However, you appear to be ignorant of this, so it's time for me to inquire: Who exactly are you?"
Acheron closed her eyes for a moment, speaking softly.
"Not your enemy, perhaps."
"That's not what I asked," replied SAM, sounding serious—more so than usual.
"I don't deserve your curiosity. Loners wandering the cosmos always have their secrets. Take me. I'm wanted by the IPC, so it's little wonder that I know something about the Stellaron Hunters... That's all."
Mark took a loud, deep breath, stepping forward as the waves inside his mind had calmed down a little.
"Great, so we're all against the IPC here. We'd make for a fine team, I can't deny that."
He stood close to them both, somewhere in the middle where he could easily turn to stare at them both. His crossed arms came to a rest on his chest, the weight of the gauntlet feeling like an anchor that held him glued to the world before him.
"So, here's the deal. SAM. The thing about destiny... it's a lie, and I'm sure Elio told you about me by this point. I managed to get an answer or two from Kafka a while back. I can't be seen by him, right? It's along those lines. Thus, fate doesn't affect me, but I can affect it."
SAM and Acheron looked at him, both offering tiny glances into their minds. Acheron's eyes widened a bit, just for a moment, while SAM nodded a little, like a tiny flick of the metal helmet that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.
"Destiny... I'm pretty sure even Elio knows that there are multiple paths, so can you truly call it destiny? You can't. Free will is a thing, with different actions that lead to different outcomes. That's what you, Stellaron Hunters, do, or at least that's what I know about you. You wish to reach a specific ending, and in that matter, I'm sure we're friends."
He stopped talking, letting that information sink in for a few moments. The two simply stared at him, awaiting more.
"That's all. Why are you staring at me like I could go on forever? I just know that we seem to have aligning goals. From what I've seen until this point, the Stellaron Hunters were always looking out for the Astral Express in their own way, offering to take part of the blame at times so we could build favor with specific factions. So... what's our bit of extra help this time?"
SAM stared at him, taking a few moments to ponder his speech before speaking out in the same serious voice.
"Look into The Family. They're the ones trying to cover up the existence of 'Death', and they're also burying the past and the truth about what happens inside the Dreamscape."
Mark nodded, asking in a calm voice.
"Why does everyone speak of 'Death' so much? What is there to it? I think that you know, so go ahead and tell me. Perhaps we'll settle things in an easier way, right? Going a bit against the 'script', just in case."
SAM shook his head, staring at him intently.
"Elio told us to try and stay away from you for the time being. I know you're part of the Astral Express, but going astray might lead to disasters within his vision."
Mark crossed his arms, nodding. It was a sound decision. They probably bet on him not being too much of a deal when Kafka had come across him, but little did they know that he had grown stronger.
"Here I thought I'd get some extra information on the matter. Still, I could try a thing or two, but not now. I too don't wish to stray too far away from your script, since knowledge is a powerful thing, and losing it might lead to some complicated matters."
Acheron listened carefully until Mark's eyes fell on her.
"I know there's more to you, Acheron, a lot more... I guess that dance would change things, right? The one you kept pestering me for. We'll see about it later after we're back in reality, right?"
She smiled a little, nodding her head in a soft, approving gesture. Mark kept thinking about SAM's identity, but the more his ideas reached towards it, the more his mind seemed to split apart. For a few moments, his vision split, showing the scene overlapped upon itself. What set them apart was the heavy deja vu that settled on him. The shadows were quick to grow around him, their long, formless fingers latching on to his body.
"Probably we should call it a day now, rather than waste more time. I believe we all have places to be..."
He sighed and prepared to leave. Where to? He held no clue. Thus, he decided to follow Acheron, who had left on her own in the original game. They both turned to depart, until SAM called out for her.
"Hang on... I don't..."
She turned around, a bit perplexed, but the answer was soon to come.
"Don't what?"
"Your first question was if I still dream of those who have died because of me... I don't. Never have... I was born without the ability to 'dream'. I live in this cold, harsh reality for a little light and to burn... to keep on burning, until I turn to ash. So, I really envy you..."
Acheron nodded.
"Is that so? Then you're already living in the waking world."
Mark stopped there, the words striking something in that mind of his, the part that still clung to the present, the part of him that kept thinking as events happened around, focusing on the present. He didn't pay it any mind before, but hearing them, a little connection was made, one that kept spreading quick as more and more questions began building pain upon pain in him. The shadows threatened to swallow him until Acheron's hand fell on his shoulder, making them vanish.
"Are you alright?"
He nodded, turning back at SAM.
"You can't dream... yet you managed to reach this world... a stowaway... you're Firefly, right? That's why Acheron could recognize you based on feelings, on gut instinct... that's why you could describe 'Sampo' like a well-trained solider... because you ARE one..."
Silence, heavy and thicker than honey, fell on them. No one muttered a word until SAM, or better said, Firefly, spoke up.
"Will you tell the others?"
He shook his head. The last thing he could do for her was to allow the flow of things to be kept, at least to a certain degree. Plus, he had his own issues that pressed him more.
"Death... you had to 'die' for a reason, one that I don't know of yet... I'll let you do things as you see fit... I think that my influencing things too much would have worse consequences..."
With that, he kept walking ahead, followed by Acheron.
"Living in the waking world... just what does that mean? Why do I feel like I heard that so many times before? It's almost like this scene played out before... the deja vu... what am I missing?"
.................................................................
Stelle was talking with the others in front of the Clockie statue. Their discussion was about the murders and how The Family chose to handle them. It briefed over how they seemed to wish to hide the entire thing but chose to let them investigate it since too many had witnessed it. Himeko and Welt were discussing it until the focus fell on Aventurine.
"Aventurine is on guard against Acheron," said Stelle, thinking back on how much he tried to shift the blame on her. "All he did was to try and shift the situation in such a way that she seemed at fault."
Welt nodded, approving of the situation.
"Indeed. He was particularly concerned about that Galaxy Ranger."
Himeko's expression went a bit sour at her mention—just a brief hint that Stelle barely caught.
"Are we missing the forest for the trees here?" asked March. "I always felt that Aventurine's reasons for accusing Acheron were highly subtle. Can we believe him?"
The one to speak up this time was Stelle, who tried to put everything together.
"No, we shouldn't. Mark told me to be extremely careful around him, and he chose to place his trust in Acheron. Knowing him, there's something that he knows and keeps to himself. We should trust him."
Himeko's bitterness was a touch more evident now as she spoke.
"Mark seems to be having the time of his life as we're talking. Didn't he remain behind with Acheron to fight off SAM? I'm pretty sure that the two of them are having the time of their lives right now. Black Swan said it too, right? He seems to have goals that focus more on the 'vacation' rather than the issue at hand."
Welt raised a brow, while March was left speechless. Even Stelle didn't understand fully why Himeko seemed so upset about it and so fixated on that issue with Mark.
"Himeko, he's not like that, and you know it. That Memokeeper just loves to stir up trouble and put him in an awkward spot. She seems to have taken too much of an interest in his memories and whatever is related to him. After all, he is a rather mysterious guy, even for us, who are his friends."
Himeko crossed her arms, speaking calmly with a bit of sternness to further accentuate her point.
"Stelle, he's a young man surrounded by women. I'm pretty sure that his judgment would give out in such a case. It's better to focus on the facts we have at hand. Acheron is someone we know next to nothing about, and ever her claim of being a Galaxy Ranger was refuted by Aventurine."
Tension was building slowly between them, and for some reason Stelle couldn't understand that well, Himeko refused to let go of Mark having done stupid things. Welt fixed his glasses, looking at them both.
"I believe that we should team up with him. He has shown his skills, and he could become a reliable ally. It also helps us to balance things with The Family—if any side makes a move, we can pull out."
Stelle looked at Welt, feeling a little bit betrayed. March simply stared at them for the time being, still trying to think about the situation with Mark, who had blatantly lied about what he was doing—more or less lied, but he didn't call things by name either.
"Mister Yang, are you sure we want to do that? Mark-"
She was cut off by Himeko.
"Stelle, it's time to focus on things rationally. Mark did help before, and he means no harm, but that doesn't change the fact that he too could be swayed and lied to. It's better to keep all sides in check one way or another. I can understand your frustration, but some choices are about the best outcome, not feelings."
March sighed, scratching her head.
"Ah, I can't take this anymore. Everyone seems like they're out to get us and stab us in the back no matter what we do. Stelle was already bullied a few times. If anything happens, we can just turn the table and use him instead."
Stelle was still reluctant, but in the end, they did function together as a team. At Himeko's request, she sent Aventurine a message to let him know that they would collaborate with him.
Thus, their new deal came to be, and focusing on the future became the prime priority once more.
"Let's turn our attention back to The Family's assignment for now. Himeko, what do you think?" asked Welt, contemplating the situation as a whole.
"Among our current clues, the two murders that Stelle witnessed are most directly connected. I suggest starting here."
She brought her hand to her chin, focusing on a tiny detail that was of great importance.
"One thing I'm curious about is, if a person dies in a dream, what happens to them in real life? Seeing as we're at The Family's behest, why not pop out back to reality and verify Miss Firefly's situation back at the hotel... Perhaps we could also make a few inquiries about her while out there."
Welt nodded, giving the green line.
"How about we split into two groups? There are still some things worth focusing on inside the Dreamscape—I'll investigate those, and we can link up again later."
Himeko was a bit surprised by the preposition, but she didn't argue.
"Worth focusing on? ... Oh, no problem. I'll leave it to you then."
March was a bit upset, pouting a little as she rested her hands on her hips.
"Huh? Ah... I thought I'd finally get to see Himeko and Mister Yang go out on a mission together. Oh, well, take care then, Mister Yang!"
He smiled, nodding once more.
"I will. Keep in touch."
Thus, the group left, and Welt could finally focus on the ones who were watching the scene from the shadows.
"Honored guest, and our good comrade Mark... could you come out for a second?"
When Welt turned around, they were there, both of them having snuck out into the open. Mark let out a heavy sigh, having heard the entire discussion. It was different from what he knew, and seeing how Himeko refused to let go of that misconception did sting, but he focused on the matter at hand.
"Sorry, Welt, but... I had my reasons to simply listen from afar..."