*Ok, been more than a while. So, I feel like my ability to write went to shit :))) so please excuse me if this chapter feels wonkier than everything else. I gotta get back in shape. Also, I have to finish Amphoreus from a gameplay pov before I even think about touching it in the fic (and I don't even know when that would be) so yeah...for now, I'll take it slowly.
Hope you'll enjoy. Peace out and Deus vult*
His hesitant steps took him to the center of the dark room. The floor was smooth, no steps placed randomly, nor any trace of furniture. Just smooth, solid material under his foot, nothing that he could make out in the faint light spilling in from outside, past Kafka's figure.
"What's this so-called surprise? Just an empty room?" he scoffed, biting back a smile. "Don't tell me you want me moving in with you, guys."
Kafka laughed, shaking her head slightly.
"No, Marky, that's not the surprise. The surprise is this."
She flicked her wrists, pouring life into wires scattered around, thin enough that he couldn't notice them even if he had tried. They cut the air, snapping tightly to his frame, holding him in place.
"What?!"
His heartbeat shot up in the hundreds, muscles flexing as energy flowed through his veins. It was some sort of trap, or at least it looked the part.
"Surprise!" laughed Kafka, still as easygoing as usual. Her eyes nearly glowed in the dark.
"You—"
The words died on his lips as cyan light enveloped the place, revealing the figures of the other Stellaron Hunters. SAM's swords came alive, zipping his way.
"Shit!"
A groan barely left his lips as the wires snapped around, his body thrashing away from the blade's trajectory.
"I let my guard down, thinking they're friends or something, shit. I forgot I'm more of a headache than anything. I have to—"
The sound of another sword cutting the silence rang in his ears. He stepped to the side, moving as fast as the excess energy pumped by the Stellarons inside him allowed. Blade kept swinging at him, colorful slashes dashing at him, eager for a taste of blood.
Mark's feet skidded along the floor, moving from one place to the other as he dodged through, finding a path that took him closer.
"Not so fast, you cheat. I'll show you what happens to those who cheat when playing against me."
Silver Wolf's typing seemed faster than usual; her abilities were perhaps enigmatic, even in the context of the game. Reality was her playground, but to what degree Mark couldn't tell for sure.
Gaps in space opened, SAM's blades striking from each one, coming from all sides, especially his blind spots. It was a blur of light, one he did his best to avoid like the plague—or worse, since a slice might mean death.
"You're still pissed about that?! Is that why I'm fighting for my life now?!" he managed as a grenade came hurling at his head. Ice grew in a solid chunk around it, turning into a shower of snow as it absorbed the impact.
"Yep, they're all trying to come for my head. It's sink or swim, right?"
Thinking was taking up too much time, splitting between forming a strategy on the fly and reacting to everything around properly. Reflexes went a long way, but even they couldn't brace for reality itself being toyed with by an angry gremlin that doubles as a coding prodigy.
Blade struck for the throat, his steel nearly spilling blood. Mark's hand shot up, grabbing ahold of the sword, grip unyielding. Behind, SAM struck, her neon blades falling in two glowing arches. His torso jerked around, blocking one with Blade's weapon, while the other he thought of halting by grabbing SAM's wrist.
His hand slipped into the opening Silver Wolf made, hitting himself right in the chin.
"Fuck, I forgot about that!"
The moment of confusion vanished in a sea of blue flames, fire burning from within his being, the wish to stay alive materialized—his will aflame.
"That's it," he said firmly, muscles pulsing in unison once.
SAM's tall frame went flying upside down, foot held firmly. Blade's body was caught mid-motion as it came from above—no weapon, just a solid kick meant to land. As Silver Wolf's commands registered and space opened, he found himself among a sea of grenades, their pins pulled out methodically.
Fire turned to ice, spikes shooting out from the ground, encasing everything in one cold shell. A veil of snow formed around, from which SAM came flying out, crashing into the wall next to Kafka, who was grinning ear to ear.
"Well, Marky," she mused, her voice like velvet. "This settles it. My surprise was, obviously, a test of your capabilities."
He scoffed, standing tall in the middle of a small layer of ice bits and snow.
"Yeah, cuz these guys didn't act like they wanted to kill me... especially this guy."
He looked down at Blade, packed up like a sardine in an ice coffin.
"And Silvie," he went on. "Did losing really upset you that much, or were you just trolling as usual?"
She shrugged from the corner of the room, trying to act nonchalant.
"Well, obviously I knew that you cheated. There's no way I'd lose to someone in a 1 v 1. Let's just say that you're right and I was trolling just now."
SAM stood up, speaking in that same robotic voice.
"Sorry, Mark. Kafka just asked us to do this, saying it was for your own good."
Mark shook his head slightly, sketching a smile.
"It's alright," he relented, unable to stay mad when the image of the sorry expression Firefly had behind the mask popped into his mind. "Still, maybe tell me about it beforehand next time? I'd truly appreciate a warning."
Kafka stepped closer, the sound of her heels crisp in his ears.
"Now, now. If you had known, there would have been less realism to this battle. We simply wished to see how well you'd fare now compared to the first time we met, my dear rival."
That term he'd assigned to himself didn't seem to perish anytime soon. Still, it did carry with it the memory of a weaker self that grew exponentially.
"I guess I did well, right? With how thorough you guys were in taking me on. I guess you didn't go all out with the stunts you could pull, but hey... maybe we won't need it anytime soon."
He glanced down at Blade again, who was barely reacting to being stuck in the cold confinement.
"You know, I did wonder a lot about some things. Using my abilities, I've gained some new insight into how I can handle things. I just wonder if you'll let me have a look at your brain, Blade."
He looked up, now looking pissed—or maybe it was just his usual scowl; Mark couldn't tell for sure. Kafka, however, seemed intrigued.
"My, do you think there's anything more you could do for his condition, Marky? Being mara-struck is something that lots spent time and effort on, much more than your life combined a dozen times over."
He threw his head back, rolling his eyes, dismissing the whole thing as usual.
"Hey, I'm just asking for a shot at this. I'm not sure what and how, but I've got my own idea on how mara behaves. My idea was that maybe, just maybe, it's a condition that comes from minds being oversaturated with information. There's so much you can fit in a container, be it a bucket, casserole, or even a brain."
He crossed his arms, wetting his lips with a soft click of his mouth.
"I'm not sure what to expect. Yaoshi might've done more than that, but at the same time... I can't just toss aside the idea that maybe it is an 'easy' fix just waiting to be attempted."
"Easy fix, you say?" hummed Kafka, index resting on her chin.
"Well, easy in a way, ya know... not 'easy' easy, but just...manageable...sorta..."
An awkward type of silence settled in as Mark's voice just shrunk until nothing could be heard from him anymore. Kafka let out a sigh, shaking her head slightly while looking at Blade, who was now standing up.
"Bladie, what do you think? Are you willing to give Mark a chance?"
There was a trace of suggestion in those words, perhaps her abilities coating the words in honey for the mind. Blade crossed his arms and gave a resigned nod, accepting whatever was to come.
"I guess that she does care about the others, maybe... that or a Blade that's not under the danger of mara could be of more aid. Who knows?"
Mark let out a sigh, glancing around to the others.
"Please be on standby. Just in case something goes hella wrong, we might have to restrain him."
SAM took a step closer, standing at his side, while Mark made sure to prepare a thin trail of ice around his frame, enough to encase his full body at a moment's notice.
Kafka grinned at his side, looking up with a curious gaze.
"Well, you do seem to take lightly to what just happened. One moment you thought we wanted you dead, and the next you're eager to collaborate with us."
Mark pursed his lips, shutting his eyes as a soft breath left his body, carrying with it a touch of anxiety.
"I tend to think further ahead... and I try to let bygones be bygones, as crazy as they seem to be."
He placed a palm on Blade's head, eyes shut tight. Kafka took his words as they were, not bothering to dissect them further—but she did seem to get more out of them than he planned to give away.
"Now, everyone," he said firmly, voice low. "Just... be ready. I'm not sure myself of what I should expect, or if this will even work... but I'll give it a shot."
His palm glowed faintly, glowing bits trickling down Blade's forehead, running through his hair, around the ears, from his cheeks up to Mark's palm yet again. Tiny rivers of light spread over his skin, pulsing with each breath Mark took.
"I need to focus... The light itself is something different from Yaoshi's but also similar enough. I have to... think... mind... mind itself... will... the internalized space of my being, that snowfield, all that... maybe, just maybe..."
Faint blue mixed with the golden hue, their movement like that of living beings. The other Stellaron Hunters watched carefully, their gazes drifting down to Blade, who seemed to be falling unconscious. It didn't look like he was in pain—more like he was close to sleeping.
"I can see... something..."
Mark's face tensed slightly, sweat rolling slowly down his forehead.
"The strain on my mind is insane... maybe cuz it's the first time, or who knows... but this looks like too many fireworks went off, leaving their light frozen in time across the sky. It's crammed in here... so damn crammed... one wrong step and I feel like I'll be lost among a sea of branching thought."
The image kept moving in his mind, like he was flying through that sky crammed with fireworks that never got to burn out. Narrow passages seemed to pulse with life, almost like each branch held something. Mark tried 'touching' one, moving closer.
He flew back in his mind, pushed by forces unseen the moment memories that weren't his began pouring in.
"That's NOT my ability... those memories belong to this guy... so if these are memories and I am where I should be, then I guess everything around me is a neuron... or something. Heck, biology ain't my strongest suit. However, I should be on the right path... hopefully."
Thus, he kept going, looking around that mental image while the others were dead silent in the real world, watching Mark's expression twitch and tense with every passing moment.