Chương 98: Divergence
*boy, here we are in the author cooking session. Time to try and cook whatever comes to mind for the little character arcs. We'll see how this plays out, am I right? :))
For now tho, enjoy. Peace out and Deus vult*
There he was, in the shower, surrounded by steam, smoldering in Black Swan's embrace like embers in the gentle breeze, clinging to life. She held on to him, trying to mold herself to his being, each muscle on his back touched by the softness of her chest. Mark expected her hands to go below, to try and do what he shouldn't give in to, but instead she just held him. One of her palms went for the shower gel, which she poured on him in small drops before sliding it all over his body. His mind stopped.
"What? Were you expecting something else?" she teased, chuckling softly against his ear. "I might be flirty most of the time, but I'm aware of some limits and what shouldn't be done. For now, however, you need genuine care, Mark."
She washed him up slowly, running her hands through his hair, while he stood there, frozen in place, trying to calm down and let go of his thoughts, all of them. The sound of water trickling all around was comforting, like a beautiful satin veil of pristine white. She kept herself molded to him, walking all around to get every possible spot, yet her touch was rather casual.
She slid around until they were face-to-face, and his eyes were darting down while the redness in his cheeks increased. She smiled, amused by the sight, but commented nothing on it. She allowed his curiosity a moment to fulfill itself, to see and search for whatever he wanted, all while she kept true to her word and took care of him.
"Close your eyes," she said calmly, washing his hair after he obeyed her words. Her fingers moved carefully, massaging his scalp, taking care to wash all the grime that had accumulated. He was in a pretty worn state, despite having rested in between.
She hummed along, cleaning him up. Soon enough, the shower was over. She turned off the water and made sure to dry the both of them up with the towel. Her clothing was a different issue, since it was related to how she wished to appear, and thus she was instantly dressed up in her usual clothing.
"That's rather useful," said Mark, still in his natural costume.
"It sure is, but it comes at the price of giving up your physical form."
He nodded, looking in the mirror. The eyes that stared back were bleak, his usual expression worse by miles compared to what he had gotten used to. He leaned on the sink, feeling the cool material under his palms. His gaze moved to his shoulder, the pieces of metal sunken inside his skin reminding him of scenes he'd rather forget, both good and bad.
Black Swan made him snap back to reality by running her hand on his jawline, feeling the prickling hair that had grown over his face.
"We need to take this off, you know? You look better without it."
He sighed, looking around for a razor, snatching one from Welt's stack of unused stuff, grabbing his shaving foam as well. Black Swan took it from him, earning herself a sidelong glance from Mark, who just stood there with his lips pursed as she smeared it wherever needed. She took the blade as well, tilting his head on all sides as she carefully shaved his face.
The experience itself was rather relaxing, since he loved being pampered, and so he stood there without moving. She was extremely attentive, going through the entire thing.
"There we go," she beamed at him, shooting a warm smile at his now clean face. "The last thing needed is a haircut, since your hair is growing a little out of hand."
He ran a hand through the still wet strands before washing his face clean of the remaining foam. He admired himself in the mirror for a bit, staring at his features, yet the hints of fatigue were visible and rather accentuated compared to his usual.
She held his chin, nuzzling her cheek against his while staring in the mirror.
"Yes, you're one handsome young man, alright?"
He sighed, his gaze glued to itself, a silent challenge to none other than him.
"It's fine. Go rest now, Mark. You'll be fine. I've seen plenty of things happen before, and you're on the good track, so don't worry. Also, I believe there's a certain guest that got on the Express, someone we've both met on Penacony. I'm pretty sure she wants to talk with you, but I guess she'll have to wait, right?"
She let go of him and simply made herself unseen. Mark, thinking about that specific guest, went on to dry his hair, then wrapped his lower body in the towel as he walked to his room, ready for a nap. Inside, he found his phone with a written note from everyone, with messages that were simply apologizing. A tear ran down his face as he grabbed it and put it neatly aside, hiding it somewhere in his little space for memories.
Dressed in nothing but briefs, he lied down in bed, half-covered by the sheets, ready to embrace sleep, which ended up coming over his way, sinking his mind into a state of bliss and peace.
...................................
Mark was awoken by the Express halting suddenly mid-warp. He was sent flying out of bed, yet it only smelled like trouble. He quickly put on his outfit, the first clothes that were from his world, and without thinking twice, he tried to yank the swords from the corner his way with ice.
Nothing.
His heart stopped, cold in its tracks. He tried using the energy from the Stellarons, but it didn't work. It was as if something blocked his powers. He tried forcing out more, pushing the Stellarons as hard as he could, yet nothing—not even a reaction came from them. He took the swords in hand manually, the large sword that had been Hoolay's weapon, and the thinner sword won as a prize, which slid out the box with a smooth movement. He dashed along the halls, making haste to the parlor, where everyone was just as shocked as him.
He scanned the area, finding SAM inside as well, already scanning for any possible threat. That wasn't in the game, so Mark was running on dangerous terrain. His memories of the new adventure on Penacony also didn't come to him, so he was worried.
"Quick assessment, the fuck's going on?!" he shouted, to which Himeko answered.
"Something seems to have appeared out of nothing in front of the Express, so we had to come to a sudden halt," she said quickly while fixing her hair and clothing, her cup of coffee spilled on the floor.
"What's Firefly doing here?" he asked again, staring at her in her SAM form, the only one to allow liberty of movement.
"I came here to extend an invitation on Kafka's behalf, since she wished to meet up with you."
He nodded, already picturing the encounter and the reason for its existence.
"I see how it is. Well, I got it. So, you wanted to take me personally, cuz else she could have hacked the communications with Silver Wolf's help. No other reason to be here in person but to manually guide me there one way or another."
She nodded, taking out a device similar to that she uses for armor, and tossed it Mark's way.
"It's supposed to keep you safe in space, with a built-in device to generate oxygen. The battery should be able to last for at least a few years, so you needn't worry about it."
He nodded, scanning the thing with curious eyes. The others were looking at him, then around, trying to figure out what's going on. Mark looked up and let the words come out, calm and composed.
"I can't use my powers. It might affect just me, but you should also try."
He looked over to March, who tried to make something with her ice, to no avail. Dan Heng couldn't use his abilities as Imbibitor Lunae, his form locked. To his surprise, even Welt's cane was useless in that situation. A cold shiver ran down his back, and from the other rooms, Black Swan came in, walking properly.
"Something is wrong. I seem to be stuck in my physical form," she stated with a hint of worry.
"Then I guess we're in for a shitshow. What even blocked our path?"
"I'll go check," replied Himeko, moving over to the control rooms.
The air around them was tense, and Mark couldn't help but have more questions on what and how. He looked at SAM, who stood calmly to the side of the room. In the current predicament, Firefly should probably be their strongest fighter, a trump card to be used wisely.
"Did Elio see this happening?"
She shook her head, speaking in the usual deep, mechanical voice that came with the suit.
"He did not. There is no script in this encounter, just Kafka wishing to talk with you due to the changes that appeared in Penacony, which are most probably tied to you."
He nodded, looking over to the others, who were still a bit shocked by the sudden stop.
"You guys fine?"
"Yes, I guess so," replied Stelle, fixing her clothing in place.
"It could be worse than this," said March, rubbing her shoulder.
"The current issue lies in what stopped us," stated Dan Heng, prompting Mark to nod.
"Geez, this reminds me of our encounter with Argenti back then, when something similar happened. Hopefully we're not going to deal with bugs again," scowled March, the simple thought making her shiver with disgust.
Mark held on to his weapons, which had to be held in place manually. With no ice to glue them to his body, he needed to pay attention to where he left them and how he moved around. Meanwhile, Himeko rushed back, looking a little disturbed.
"What stopped us is a ship, a large one. There's an SOS message broadcasted on repeat, and no one answered my attempts at communication. Whatever happened, we must expect the crew to be in trouble. Aside from that, there's a nearby planet that I can't seem to find anywhere, almost like it doesn't exist. Long-range communication is out, too. I can't seem to reach out to anyone that's not in close proximity."
Welt nodded, looking around to the others.
"I believe we've no way to anchor ourselves and check. Is there any form of identification on the vessel?"
She shook her head, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.
"I'm afraid not. We might be dealing with something dangerous here, perhaps someone who hijacked the ship."
Mark nodded, staring at the suit as the idea already formed in his mind. It was in his character too to try and offer a hand where needed, so the least he could do was live up to his own standards and put his internal strife aside.
"I see. Firefly, I'll need your help then."
He pressed something on the strange device, and his body was soon covered in a sturdy suit made out of some unknown alloy, with thrusters to control his movements should he move around in space.
"My mission was to come here and retrieve you, but it seems that you won't come unless we solve the issue," she stated, but a chuckle left, turned into a rather strange sound by the suit. "Fine, I shall join you. If your abilities are unusable in the current predicament, then I believe my combat capabilities should make up for it."
With a nod, Mark grabbed the weapons anew, holding them close. He looked over to Himeko, speaking calmly; his voice muffled slightly.
"Make sure to be careful. If something happens, I'm not sure we'll be able to communicate. Whatever happens, do not engage. Keep the Express at a distance. Meanwhile, we'll both leave."
Himeko nodded, albeit reluctant.
"The suit should have a communication function, and so does the main device," said Firefly, prepared to walk out and check the situation alongside him.
"Oh, it does? Well, my mistake then. Still, better to assume the worst might happen."
With Himeko's help, he attuned the frequency to that of the Express for direct communication. A bit of testing later, and it was all fine. She pointed them to an emergency exit, one in a sealed-off room made specifically for scenarios where one would need to exit the Express into the dead of space, be it for reparations or emergencies.
The duo went out, and Mark had to get used to the feeling of no gravity. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, feeling powered by the sheer fear that the thrusters might fail and he'd be lost. Firefly grabbed him and held on to him as SAM's own system guided the two of them to an entrance.
The ship was large, bulky, unlike anything he's seen before in the world of HSR. No memories of his were rattled either by the sight, so it must be something entirely new. Even more of a reason to be worried.
SAM carried him all the way to the entrance, which, strangely enough, opened thanks to their mere presence. It's like someone disabled any form of security that could be found there. Thus, the two made it in, and the room sealed off the outside void before letting air flow in.
"Process Complete. Welcome Aboard. Oxygen Level: Optimal"
There was no voice, just a large screen displaying that message. Still, Mark kept the suit on, testing the atmosphere by moving around a bit, until he could notice a similar reading on the inside of his suit. He took it off and took a shuddering breath; the whole experience was eerie and strange.
"Just what sort of mega suit is this? It says a lot of things. It's dope, but I find it hard to believe all the messages and information displayed."
SAM answered, the energy blades already equipped.
"Kafka made sure to get something of quality for you, her 'rival' if I'm not wrong. That's how she referred to you, which I found strange."
Mark chuckled, recalling their first encounter on the Luofu.
"I guess she didn't forget that. Anyway, we should first go around and find out what's going on. The place is eerily silent, not even shouts or the like. Whatever's going on, we better be careful."
SAM nodded, walking out first, checking around corners, moving with precise movements, the metal suit clanking with each step. Mark followed behind, feeling a little sluggish without his powers, but his new body was able to move rather well, perhaps well enough to actually be at a superhuman level. Pair that with his sword skills, and he should be at a decent level where he could beat the shit out of most foes. Bullets would probably be a little problematic, still.
"Well, we better pay attention," he whispered, holding the weapons close, his grip firm on them both.
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