章 22: First Step Taken
*I wish to thank all of you for 300 saves on the book. It's something phenomenal for me, a milestone that I'm most thankful for. Thank God I managed to keep writing, and thank you all for reading and enjoying the ride until this point. We're one chapter short of completion for Jarilo-VI's main questline, then I'll do some omakes (I hope I got the right word) as well as go on with the plot. Still, we have some silly little stories that are to come first. Until then, peace out, Deus vult, and thank you all once more. I love you all :))*
The nightmare was there again. Even if he had managed to defeat those thoughts once, burning them to the ground, they didn't leave him fully. Wounded was his mind, and it came from deep within himself. The guilt of having just vanished from his world, without an explanation, of having left everyone he knew behind. The images of his family broken down by his disappearance tormented his sleep.
As he opened his eyes, he tried to quietly wipe them before tears could manage to slide along his face.
"He's awake!" shouted March, leaping over his side, knocking the wind out of him.
Everyone had gathered, with Natasha at the side, smiling softly.
"It's good to know that I'm alive. How long was I out for?"
"Two days, Mark. You slept like a baby for two days," replied Stelle, pulling March back a little to give Mark some room to breathe.
"I see, two days... did I make it?"
She nodded, and in walked everyone, both people he had expected to see and those he hadn't. Dan Heng, Seele, Bronya, Serval, to even Gepard and Cocolia.
"Woah, that's a huge load of people. Heck," he chuckled, sitting upright on the bed. His body felt sore, sluggish in its movements, yet that didn't bother him in the least. He could recall all that he had done, the way he even managed to make the planet warm up a little.
"You know, Mark, the kids from both the Underworld and the Overworld are enjoying the green stuff that you made pop up. Grass, or what was it called?"
Seele's words made him smile a tiny bit, his heart warming up with joy.
"I see... they're enjoying it?"
"Yeah," answered Bronya, "and not just the children. Everyone is thrilled with the new apparition. The snow is melting, and somehow the Fragmentum is no longer around. We finally have flowers blooming on the fields instead of snow and cold winds."
He nodded, glancing around at everyone, taking in the different ways they were all looking at him. He knew something was off, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it.
"Go on... speak your mind, all of you."
Stelle and March became a bit petulant, looking around as if wishing to avoid the topic. Even Bronya didn't quite like it, so the task was left up to one single guy who handled the serious business.
"Who are you, Mark?" asked Dan Heng, his arms crossed.
Mark sighed, tired of that stupid question by that point.
"Hell, I'm a normal human, ok? I got some memory problems just like March, ok? I can't recall many things, that's for sure... so just leave it be, ok? We've saved the planet, and I have no plans of harming anyone. After all, if I wanted to, I could have done it while in that rampant stage under the Stellaron's influence."
He was pissed already, his words coming off as a bit harsher than expected, even for him. Dan Heng kept staring at him, giving him the thousand-yard stare, but Mark didn't falter. His words carried the truth with them, and that's all that mattered to him.
Both March and Stelle began laughing, nudging Dan Heng in the sides.
"See? I told you he would just say the same thing over and over. How about we have a little faith in him?"
March's words were a beacon of salvation for Mark, who had grown tired of repeating his ideas over and over. Sure, it was logical for them to question him, especially after such a display, but he didn't quite like it since his explanation lacked logic, looking more like a far-strung lie that a kid would use about aliens breaking a vase in the house.
Relenting due to peer pressure, Dan Heng let out a sigh and allowed his arms to fall at his sides.
"Fine, but that doesn't mean I won't be keeping an eye on you, Mark."
He nodded, unbothered.
"If I wanted to stab any of you in the back, I would have done it long ago."
He stood up slowly, noticing that his sheathed sword and metal pipe were neatly placed in the corner of the room.
"Heh, thank you for taking care of these things for me. It would've been a shame to have me run back for them right now."
He chuckled like a mischievous child as he grabbed his clothes, noticing that he was wearing something else only when his usual outfit, neatly packed and washed, came in sight. His cheeks were a bit red again.
"Who changed me this time?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from cracking.
Stelle walked from behind and gently patted his shoulder, smirking at him as she teased.
"Oh, is our little Mark shy?"
He tried to not smack her with the pipe, exerting more self-control than he could at the moment. With a sly smile, he turned at her, deciding to scale the situation. He leaned in, whispering softly in her ear.
"Oh, so it was you, my dear Stelle? Well, can't say I mind."
Instantly, she pulled away, her face beet red, even worse than his. The whole room burst into laughter, until Natasha defused the situation.
"Mark, you know that a doctor takes care of the patients. I was the one who took care of your wounded body. The state you were in was much worse at first, with bruises all over your chest, but your body somehow healed faster than normal."
The answer did surprise him a bit. Bruises that vanished fast. Might be something about the Stellarons within him.
"I see... well, thank you, everyone."
He took a good look at all the happy faces he saw in the room, noticing that just one was a bit off. Cocolia stepped closer, and Mark nearly forgot that he had managed to save her. Indeed, it was a pretty weird sight, especially since her screen time in game ended with her death.
She quietly stood before him, looking up at him. Mark suddenly felt self-conscious for a lot of reasons, especially since a pretty woman was so close to him. She gently grabbed his right hand and held it between hers, cradling it gently. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill out.
"Thank you..."
Heck, he nearly cussed himself out. His level of experience with such situations was low, but in the end, he still knew what had to be done. Without hesitation, he chose to do it his way, ending with a light pat on the head with his free hand.
"No worries. I did it for everyone, and it's thanks to the Astral Express crew that I even managed to get to that point. They could have done things without me, that's for sure, but maybe I can take a little credit for saving you specifically."
He chuckled and pulled his hand back, reaching for his clothes again. No words were said as he went to another room, only to come out looking like his usual self, the large shirt allowing his body to breathe.
"This is more like it. Everyone, not sure what turn the journey will now take, but I'm sure of one thing: I'll come visit whenever possible."
He turned to Dan Heng, who had a small smile on his face at the sight of March further teasing Stelle, whose cheeks were still rosy.
"Dan Heng, when is the Express leaving?"
The question caught him a bit off guard, yet he did anchor himself quickly.
"The Express is leaving a bit later than expected. Since the anomalies have stopped once the Stellaron had been taken care of, there is no further need for us to leave in a hurry."
Mark nodded, but the answer was different from what he had known. He did hope that it wouldn't affect the timeline too much or something, since the Xianzhou disaster did happen as they left.
"Let's hope that the timeline won't get cooked thanks to me. Maybe we should leave sooner? Who knows. Perhaps Kafka will still show up on time, even if we leave or not."
Mark took a deep breath then spoke in all seriousness, his face changing back to normal in a flash.
"Well, I would like to join the Astral Express. Is it alright if I go there right now?"
The three members all turned to face him. March had a clue already about this wish of his, which she was more than glad to lend a hand with. Stelle nodded, while Dan Heng chose to keep his answer to himself.
"Sure, Mark. I'll lead the way."
March grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him out, to everyone's amusement. Stelle quickly followed behind, leaving a tired Dan Heng to take care of the loose ends with the report of their mission.
Mark had always wondered how the Astral Express allowed its members to disembark, especially since the train didn't seem to touch the ground in-game. However, the true answer was anticlimactic. The train did land near the ground since its size wasn't all that impressive. It was a train, the same as any other he had seen, just way larger, enough that each wagon seemed to be a house in its own right. Still, the total size was far smaller than he thought.
"Welcome, Mark. This is the Astral Express in all its beauty. I'll show you all around."
March's excitement was contagious, attaching itself to Mark's already joyful heart. He stepped in with somewhat shy steps, aware of the ones he'd meet inside. The door opened, revealing the interior that he was so familiar with. His heart couldn't take it, and he felt like screaming.
"Oh, you're back," said Himeko, giving all of them one of her soft smiles.
In that moment, Mark's mind went blank. Sure, he could speak and not make a fool of himself, but seeing Himeko made his heart do flips in all sorts of ways, from the normal ones to feeling like it tried to do a triple backflip on a motorcycle mid-air.
Mark's eyes met hers, watching as she stepped closer. Dan Heng and Stelle walked in as well, looking over at March as she tried to tug on Mark's sleeve, but he didn't budge. His eyes were stuck on Himeko, watching as her slender figure came closer, her golden eyes ushering him to drown in them.
"You must be the one who helped our little trio here, right? What is your name, if I may ask?"
Mark looked straight at her, then a bit around, trying to not seem like a creep from too much eye contact. He took a small breath, hoping to hold some sort of image of confidence in his actions.
"Name's Mark. You must be Himeko, the famous Navigator of the Astral Express."
She chuckled softly, the sound divine in his ears. It was the only thing he needed to just lose himself and forget all about the outside world—the sort of laugh he'd die for.
"Mark, that's a simple name, but it seems fitting."
Mark nodded, smiling a bit.
"I like leaving a 'mark' wherever I go, and hopefully a good one."
March's eyes narrowed, a soft scoff leaving her lips.
"You did not just say that."
He nodded, glancing over to the side. He loved puns, using words for stuff like that, and this specific joke about his name was his favorite thing to use when introducing himself.
"I sure did use that, March. I sure did..."
Himeko chuckled softly, noticing the group interact. It was silent, but there was a connection between all of them.
"It looks like someone enjoys a bit of witty humor. That only makes it more pleasant, Mark."
She went over to a tiny table, pouring a cup of coffee.
"Would you like some coffee?"
March and Stelle took a step back as Himeko approached. Their silent gazes were pleading with him to say no, trying to warn him about the danger that came with it. That coffee that she drinks was as bitter as a stormy night where the wind blows and you're soaked from head to toe.
"Oh, coffee? Sure, thank you."
He took the cup, bracing himself. Even Welt and Dan Heng were watching curiously, waiting.
Mark took a sip, then gulped down the entire cup with no hesitation or sign of discomfort.
"Mhm, bitter, same way I drink it. It's good coffee; thank you very much."
She offered a polite smile, pleased that someone else enjoys her passion for coffee. Everyone else was dead silent, wondering how he could handle it with such ease. It's like he couldn't taste it. Little did they know that he started drinking his coffee as bitter as possible, thanks to Himeko. It began as more of an attempt to see how bad it could be, and the taste somehow stuck to him.
"I guess my stay here will be pretty funky."
Himeko then motioned for him to have a seat, which he gladly did. Still, his eyes looked around for someone specific.
"Oh, visitors?" came the tiny voice. Mark looked down and found Pom-Pom.
"Hm? Oh, the famous conductor. It's my pleasure to meet you, Pom-Pom."
He reached down for a handshake, and surprisingly, Pom-Pom didn't even hesitate. Instead, he puffed up his chest, giving Mark a semi-serious smile that tried to demand respect.
"It's a pleasure for me as well."
Mark then took a seat and sighed, relaxing on the soft cushions.
"Mhm, this place is nice. I was wondering, however... could I perhaps travel with the Express?"
Himeko glanced towards everyone, awaiting their opinions. No one denied it, and even Dan Heng nodded approvingly, despite his lack of trust in Mark.
"As you can see, everyone seems to agree with the decision. Welcome abroad, Mark. From this day forward, you're one of the Nameless."
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