Empire in the Making

*I'm not dead, new chappy here cuz I found time and will to write. Here we go with some new events as the game (irl one) progresses forward. For now, get ready for some shenanigans outside the main schedule :))

(and I also included some bit of info I was too stupid about cuz of my idiocy. I'll discuss a bit of reasoning now on things -the space anchors are canon, something I was unsure of before Amphoreus, cuz March had mentioned them before in a tiny sidequest or somewhere, but I, like the idiot I am, took it as non-canon. Next on the list is my observation -the Astral Express as a whole seems to linger around the location where the Trailblazer is, like I moved to Jarilo-VI and the view out the winow was with the planet, so I think there are some spots and ways for the whole Express to travel from A to B without using fuel *which would cover my previous blunder with Mark havin the Astral Express move back to the Xianzhou* so now I just hope that I covered enough bs I wound up screwing up along the way)

So, thanks for reading my rambling. Peace out and Deus vult. Enjoy*

Mark walked away from the entire situation, leaving it all to play out as it had been supposed to from the start. The aftermath would solve itself one way or another, so he just expected the ninja slang to stick in his absence. Thus, he focused on the one thing that made his brain spin: the one million bottles of Soul Glad. 

'Well, truth be told, that's a lot to take in... that's one too many bottles for a guy like me, but what if...' 

Dollar signs popped up in his eyes, rolling like the slots on a machine. It didn't take his brain long to fire every neuron possible and reach the obvious conclusion that money could be made. Sure, he had more than enough from Herta's payments—all thanks to his work as a guinea pig—but a little extra never hurt. 

'Well, I do have plenty to think about. In the end, my identity became widely known, and I only have myself to blame for being greedy for that one sword back on the Luofu... and for showing off now as this supposed hero who saved the dream... after kinda fucking everything up myself.' 

He took a deep breath as he walked along the streets, moving from one place to another. The game was limited in details, but with his new reality being the whole world, experiencing the place was a tad overwhelming. The lights were rather bright, yet one's eyes would get accustomed to them after a while—same as him. 

Crowds of people roamed the place, each one enjoying the dream to their heart's delight. Mark couldn't help but glance at everyone, taking in as many faces as one could. It had been a while since he just roamed alone to do whatever he felt like. He knew where to go—Aideen Park, where he had won the prize to begin with. 

The events felt like yesterday, with Firefly and Stelle being by his side as they roamed the place, having their own fun until Sparkle decided to step in. 

'Now that I think about it... did I even spend some time thinking about the things that had happened? I sure don't think so. Black Swan, who might be watching me as I go, and Acheron...' 

The memories clashed with his mind, bringing about a sense of frustration and emptiness words couldn't explain. She had left, thinking him unable to hear what she said. 

'Heh... I felt it too, Acheron... there was a tie there, perhaps something that would transcend Nihility, alas... who am I to know? Perhaps it was the same darkness that we found ourselves in, sharing the same shadow as our tie. It came fast—that much I recall, but I can't say much else.' 

With a sigh, his palms made their way inside his pockets, lingering in the familiar cloth he'd worn so many times. 

'I'm feeling a bit too nostalgic, aren't I? I guess it's one of those moments...' 

With an unsure grip, his fingers curled around the phone, yet he put no effort into sliding it out. There was no use in doing so... or so he thought. 

'Damned be my mind, best blessing and biggest curse. I know I didn't get Acheron's contact info, and yet Stelle must have it.' 

He finally took the phone out, mentally berating himself for the moment of weakness, but he just wished to at least know if she was fine, wherever in the universe she found herself. His fingers moved with practiced ease, quickly writing the message at once, sending his request for the number without much reasoning. 

On the other end, Stelle heard the phone ping, all while the group had met up and finished discussing. 

"Oh, it's Mark," she said calmly, quietly reading the message. She blinked slowly, giving March and Dan Heng a window to look over her shoulders and straight into the screen. 

"Acheron's contact information? Why would he..." mumbled March, the memories coming back. She gasped, covering her mouth as she noticed Himeko looking at them. She could feel something in her gaze, subtle but as intense as the uncomfortable feeling that she felt when Mark had gone berserk in the past. 

Dan Heng was quiet in his spot, simply putting his palm over his face while shaking his head. Welt fixed his glasses, having heard March's mumbling as well. 

"Do you think that he wants to perhaps recruit her?" he asked, thinking back on their combined might. 

"I sure have no clue," lied Stelle, chuckling nervously. She did send the information, sharing it quickly. 

All the while, Himeko didn't say a thing. Instead, she took a few breaths in and out, letting go of the tension that had built up in her shoulders. 

"Mark is old enough to know what he's doing. He told us that he wasn't fooling around the first time we confronted him about it. I trust him," she said softly, but the subtle hints of longing were budding in her heart. 

'Why do emotions have to be so complex?' she thought, but the matter would have to wait. 

Mark got the reply, concise as it was. His fingers hovered along the screen, tapping quickly left and right until he had the contact saved. With a few shuddering breaths, he typed away. Unsure of what to say, he stuck to the basics, just writing a quick few lines. 

'This should be fine. "Acheron? It's Mark. I got out of that thing. Hope you're fine." and that's all.' 

He stared at the phone for a while, standing still in the middle of the street, totally oblivious to the laughter and lively atmosphere around. Seeing no answer appear, he just put the phone back. 

"Still clinging to the past?" asked a familiar voice, followed by the touch of soft, velvety gloves on his neck. 

"Of course you'd be following me around while invisible, right, Black Swan?" he sighed, calmly moving her hand away. She laughed softly, the sound music to anyone's ears—except his in that moment. 

"Someone has to be around you, lest you do something stupid." 

She turned him around, holding his gaze with the same intensity unique to hers, as if hoping to break whatever shell held his mind away from prying eyes. 

"You're clinging to her, Mark, and it's not good for you. I'm sure you know, but sometimes you need to hear your thoughts out loud. I know that the two of you had a special bond, one whose nature I'm unsure of, but there was something there." 

Mark pursed his lips, staring right into her eyes without fear, but the emotions inside his heart did rage on. 

"What can I say? She and I were alike in a way, I guess. Both of us were shrouded in the same shadow... both of us left a lot behind, finding ourselves in places anew... I just... want to know she's fine; you get me?" 

He shook his head, trying to keep himself together. The wound had closed, even if the sting remained. It wasn't so bad, just a reminder of what had been. 

"She's losing her humanity, and... at this point I think I'm doing the same. Still, I got more left than she does. Her memories... when we meet, she might not even remember having met me before. Alas, I have to accept it..." 

Black Swan took his hand in hers, softly running her thumb over his knuckles. 

"I understand, Mark. You had to let go of something without having a word to say in the matter. As for her remembering you... I can't disagree, even if I wish to. In spite of that, however," she said softly, squeezing his hand gently, "you DO remember her... and if you do care about her, you remembering her is enough." 

He found it within himself to smile softly, closing his eyes for a moment, enough time for his heart to settle. 

"You're right, I guess. It hurts, sure, but it's better than both of us forgetting. Bonds can be formed, and as far as I know, she should have some semblance of her memories intact. I'm not sure of the full extent, but part of her is there, a figment of the past kept intact." 

Thinking on his interaction with Black Swan a while back, he found himself smiling more and more. 

"I'll give you some other memory of mine at some point, alright? For now tho, I have some work to handle." 

She let go, winking at him. 

"Just call my name if you need help, Mark. I'm keeping watch over you." 

With that, she simply made herself unseen right before his eyes. Once again, he shook his head, grinning from ear to ear. With emotions still lingering, he found his heart to be at least a tad lighter. 

'No emotion dies out that quickly, but... it does help to talk about it. Sure, it won't solve all at once, but at least for someone like me, it gives me some strength to keep moving.' 

His steps guided him forward, focusing on the tiny idea that came to his mind—tiny being an understatement. 

"Guess I gotta claim my prize, right?" he mumbled, walking to the person in charge of the game. 

The man looked his way, staring for a few seconds until he realized. With a few quick moves, he shook Mark's hand, nodding along. 

"This way, sir. I assume you came over to pick up your prize. We've been waiting for a long while now, but it's all safe and sound, just for you." 

Mark simply followed him inside a building, signing a few papers to make sure that he did pick up the prize and ensure no issues with the law. Thus, Mark left with a signed document and a copy for his own keeping. At his order, the bottles were to be granted in whatever quantity he needed them. 

"Welp... that was easy," he chuckled, folding the pieces of paper before stuffing them in his pocket. 

"Now to the next part of business, right? I should ask someone about the laws and what not, cuz I might need a permit for this, and I'm not even sure I could sell those with how I got them." 

He fell in thought, moving from one scenario to another. 

'I don't wanna ask no IPC fuckers for help, even if they're sure to know everything about this. Robin... maybe I could ask her about a few things, since she's more capable than she seems... or Sunday, but I do wonder if he actually got off the hook completely...' 

His head stung as he kept thinking of Sunday, so he stopped before more blood would drip down his face. With a flick of his wrist, he wiped the red liquid clean, turning his mind to the only viable option he saw: Robin. 

Spring in his step, he started walking around like he knew where to find her, but only then did it hit him that Robin's usual whereabouts were pretty much out his hand. 

'Wait... it's still pretty close to the past events, the profnana shenanigans... maybe she's still in that side of the dreamscape, but... how do I go there this time?' 

Two options came to his mind, both of them shooting him fast like bullets. One of them was the obvious way which was just him stabbing himself to achieve a second death. The other, however, was a method that had escaped his grasp for multiple reasons. His mind did punch itself when he thought of it, hurting so much he had to grit his teeth to keep balance, but it was there: teleporting with a space anchor. 

'I feel kinda dumb for forgetting about those things, but I think they did work... I was just too stuck in my head to look for them or anything. I think I'm enough on the Path of Trailblaze to use it, right? How do I even do it? Do I just close my eyes and start thinking... wait, before that.' 

He looked to the side, speaking out. 

"Black Swan, I'm kinda going on a little trip. I'll be back here in no time, so just wait for me on the Radiant Feldspar, that one giant ship we probably own as the Trailblazers, if I'm not wrong." 

With that, he closed his eyes and began thinking about teleporting to that specific point, imagining the anchor itself, focusing on it. His mind drew up a mental image of every spot on every planet they had visited. With a little mental sport, he managed to access the desired one and found himself on the darker side of the dream, the spot that had kept everyone terrified at first. 

"Great. Now, on I go to try and find Robin. If she's not here, my work might double, so I better hurry." 

Breaking in his usual fancy manner of traveling, Mark's ice pathways took to the skies, the red flames formed in his palms propelling him with ease.