A Simple Wish

Everyone gathered round, looking down at him with excited looks, bafflement painting subtle lines among their feelings. Stelle helped him up to his feet, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Well, Mister Zero, it seems like you have something going on here. I didn't take you for the brainy type who could put out his feelings like that. Division by zero, what a thing." 

Mark chuckled, trying to slowly regain strength in his legs. 

"Yeah, remind me to be more careful next time... wait, screw it, I just recalled my entire speech. Remind me to be more bashful next time." 

March laughed, playfully punching his shoulder. 

"Well, your little speech nearly got us into trouble, but you managed to fix the situation, so let's say that we forgive you." 

She looked at him, thinking about how she should word her request. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, afraid that the others might hear. 

"You might have to explain that division by zero thing to me, please. I don't want Dan Heng looking at me like I'm dumb." 

Mark nodded, leaving that as an answer. He didn't speak up, making a note for himself that he should explain it to March when they have a moment. 

"Well, that sure was one heartfelt speech; that much I can say for sure." 

They all looked to the side, meeting the gaze of an old man with white hair and a rugged beard of the same nuance. Mark knew at once who it was, even if he had a more humane feel to him than in the game. 

"Damn, the NPCs here don't look like NPC's. Talk about things taking an interesting turn." 

The man turned to face Seele, talking about their situation in the mine. 

"Nice work, Seele. We were attacked by robots on both sides. We thought we'd be in it for the long haul." 

He let out a vigorous laugh, one that could wake up the dead. Seele was worried about them, yet Oleg simply played everything off as something they're used to. Soon, Mark found his gaze searching them up and down, a tinge of understandable confusion visible in his subtle actions. 

"Who are your friends here?" 

Seele looked them over, letting out a soft sigh. 

"They're outsiders that Sampo brought in from who knows where. They need a favor from Wildfire, so I brought them here. It's better if they explain it themselves." 

Mark took a step back, allowing Stelle to take the lead in the discussion. It all went well, until a point about Cocolia was brought up. Oleg was quick to drop any sort of farce, speaking his mind, outright calling her a liar who doesn't care about the Underworld. Bronya instantly felt her nerves yell out under the direct jab his words delivered. 

"Stop right there. I won't let you insult Madam Cocolia." 

Mark sighed loudly, something he did on purpose to draw attention to him, even if for a minute. His gaze met that of Bronya. 

"He's not lying, Bronya. He's saying the truth. But then again, the thing that the people don't know is that she's not in her right mind. They're right to feel that way, after all." 

Oleg silently asked for more information on the subject by tilting his head slightly, waiting patiently. 

"She's under the influence of the Stellaron, the thing that we seek to find and contain. It's got quite the effects that tend to defy your everyday encounters. So, please, as an outsider, I ask that you keep this in mind when talking about Cocolia. It's not entirely her who's pulling the strings." 

Oleg took a moment to let the information sink in his mind, slowly adjusting to it. The others who were following him murmured among themselves, and yet the verdict came out. Bronya simply stared at Mark with a saddened gaze, one that respected him silently. 

"Fine, I guess that you are to be trusted. Since we don't know much about the entire situation, we'll take your word on it, at the very least until we're proven otherwise." 

Mark bowed slightly, giving his thanks in a silent, respectful manner. 

"Moving back to the topic at hand. The name I had in mind is Svarog. He's the one who should know about the Stellaron." 

Stelle nodded, crossing her arms. 

"I see. We've confirmed that much already, thanks to our friend here who gave his heartfelt speech earlier. Somehow, he managed to appeal to a robot's empathy, which I'm not even sure it has." 

Mark smirked silently, glad that he could be of at least some assistance in this entire matter. Sure, he had no powers, which still bugged him out because hands-on approaches are the thing he's most familiar with. In his eyes, being strong enough to fight any foe and protect others means a lot more than what his words can do. 

"Oh, I see. You managed to even ask about what you needed? Interesting. He sees Wildfire as a threat, so we had no way of communicating properly with him." 

Mark spoke up, trying to prematurely tie up the loose ends that the plot originally fixed down the line. 

"You see, the whole issue lies in the violent approaches. Since you and the vagrants are at odds, he's merely thinking of you as some unstable groups that could try and run rampant at any point. My sole fix, the not-so-quick and not-so-easy but best choice, is to try and fix the relationship with the vagrants. It takes time, it's difficult to do, but armed conflict will only lead to more armed conflict, and so on. Simply put, negotiate. I'm sure you can handle it." 

Oleg sighed, bringing his palm up to his head, mulling it over and over, trying to pry out an answer. 

"I see... I'll see what we can do. Meanwhile, how about you guys go back to town and rest? I'll arrange it, so just go back and let loose for a bit. Meanwhile," his eyes fell on Bronya. "Could we have a talk in private? There are some things we should discuss." 

Before anyone would even think of asking him for more chatter, Mark tried to make himself small and unseen, a talent that he had despite his height. He'd just become dead quiet; even his breath stilled, and his movements were minimal. The last thing he wanted was to talk more about it. 

"I'm starting to get really wary of any 'arranged rest' in this world," complained March, pouting once more. They chose to simply play along and head back. As they walked, Mark fell back in line with March, allowing Dan Heng and Stelle to walk ahead and discuss whatever issues they had. 

"So, you asked me for an explanation on that 'division by zero' thing?" 

March looked up at him, her cheeks a bit flushed. She felt like an idiot sometimes, even if she didn't show it much. 

"Yes, it's just, I can't seem to figure those things out. I guess it might have to do with my memory." 

Mark nodded, not pressing more on the matter. He was aware of her issue, and a few droplets of blood fell down from his nose, but he quietly wiped them away before she could notice. Memories came to him of different possibilities and theories, but no concrete answer was in sight, nothing except a dim memory of a Memokeeper. 

"I see. Well, don't worry, I'll try my best to explain whatever you need help with anytime, as long as I know it and I can put it into words, ok?" 

She nodded, smiling softly, eagerness visible in her eyes. 

"So, in the way that I know and understand it, zero has no value. In a practical case, if you divide, for example, four by two, you'd get two. It's like having four objects and giving two people an equal number of those things." 

She nodded, trying to picture his words, imagining how someone was handing her and Stelle some sweets, sharing them in equal numbers. 

"Good. So, dividing by zero, you'd have to give no one what you have. This is where things get interesting. You could have it as just the number of objects you have, the number you're dividing, or reach as high as infinity. This is where other complex concepts come into play, concepts that help people figure out what the possible answer for a specific scenario would be." 

She looked up at him, somewhat understanding where he was coming from and where his ideas headed. 

"Oh, so it's like... guessing?" 

Mark smiled and nodded. 

"In the way that I understand it, yes. So, going by that logic, Svarog would understand that a variable such as the number zero could lead to unexpected results. In a way, I just told him 'watch this' before pulling off some complex trick." 

She giggled, the sound soft and filled with a genuine, childlike joy. 

"I guess you do have a way with words. You sure seem smarter than you let on." 

He sighed, putting his hands in his pockets, once again reminded that he had his phone and wallet on his person, part of the few things from his world that he had carried over. His mind was fogged up once more, but he quickly snatched it away from the bad thoughts. 

"Meh, I have my moments. This whole thing I just told you might be wrong, but who knows? I'm no genius; I just try to understand things. Knowing things is fun." 

She remained silent for a moment, all of them slowly making it out the mine. 

"Mark... you're not from this world, are you?" 

The question took him aback, mainly because it was sudden. He didn't expect it to be asked in that moment, and from March nonetheless. 

"No use in lying, since it's pretty visible. No, I'm not from this planet. I'm aware of many things, some of them weirder than the others, but then again, I got my reasons. Also, as far as I know, the Astral Express doesn't pry much into the past of its members... maybe I'll join you if I'm allowed to. Not like I got a place to call home either way." 

Her gaze softened, not expecting that much sincerity. Sure, he held back a lot of information, and his words were cryptic, but they held no malice. It was just a simple request from someone like her, without a place to call home, to join them. She offered a soft smile, gently tugging at his sleeve. 

"I think everyone would love that." 

The words were enough to momentarily ease his worries and lighten his heart. Time passed, the group finally making it back to the promised lodging. As his head fell on the soft fabric of the pillow, he instantly fell asleep, his body limp.