Slaughter

Ras barely managed to reach the gate alongside the other knights, all of whom stood there, frozen in place.

"I'll be damned..." muttered Kaeya, looking like he had seen a ghost. Ras was confused, trying to get a better look, hoping to figure out why they had simply stopped in place.

"Step aside and let me see," said Ras, walking next to a surprised Diluc. Finally, his eyes met the scene, and he felt like shedding a tear. The music was reaching his ears as well, reminding him of the good old days when Mark used to listen to phonk like a sociopath.

"He's fucking alive, isn't he?" asked Ras, his voice wavering.

Jean fell to her knees, tears flowing, a little smile on her lips, one of gratitude. Before them all, Mark, looking like he got out of a mental asyllum, stood alone before a ruin hunter, holding his calymore pressed against a large rusted blade.

"Move it, junk," grunted Mark, pushing his blade with more force, the red aura around him intensifying. For the first time ever since he had gotten it, the light didn't flicker. It held firm, like the glow of the sun, yet of a bloody red.

The ruin hunter was pushed back. Mark patted the child on the back, giving him a gentle smile before motioning for him to go to an adventurer on the side. Looking up, he saw four more machines join the fray, all of them turned towards him.

"Think you can handle me? I've been stuck in hell for I can't even say how long. I've spent at least months in there, so you better step aside."

He took a single step, smirking with half a mouth, the expression his face found most natural. With a flick of his wrist, red crystals grew around him, encasing one ruin hunter, pressing against it from all sides. Like crushing a tin can, Mark kept forcing the crystals until the ruin hunter snapped, its core devoid of light.

"Now, I guess it's time I try to attach my skills to my body as well."

In a blink, he was flying around, landing on top of a ruin hunter. It tried to shake Mark off, but he was quick enough to bring his blade down with a tunderous pierce, gathering Anemo at the tip of the blade, building up enough pressure to cut through iron.

"That makes two."

Without looking, he dodged an incoming slash, then moved aside, parrying a few more strikes. He leapt down, dodging strike after strike, four blades following his every move. Rockets flew in from behind, only to struggle against Mark's wind.

"I might not be Kaladin, but the winds are mine as well."

He moved to the side, twisting his hand forward, flicking the rockets back at the ruin hunters. They went off, yet their damage was barely visible.

"You're a bit tougher than you look; I'll give you that. Well then, time for me to try a little something."

The air began spinning around him, picking up speed as it formed a barrier. He held his claymore to his left side, right arm holding the handle. Right leg pushed back, stuck firmly in the ground, he held on as flying iron arms crashed against his barrier, thrusters pushing at full power as they tried to pierce through.

"Wind, gather," whispered Mark, glancing over at his sword. The blade was covered in a glowing layer of Anemo, building up more pressure.

"Fall." 

The barrier around him fell, arms flying at him, threatening to crush whatever stood in their path. Mark simply flung his sword in an arch, releasing all the built-up Anemo in a single motion. One moment of silence fell before a strong gust of wind followed, blowing in the same direction Mark was facing. The ruin hunters before him stood in place, frozen, until their light went out.

With a snap of his fingers, the music stopped, and Mark placed his claymore on his back as the ruin hunters fell apart, both of them cleaved in half.

"There goes the remaining three." muttered Mark, stumbling on his feet, falling on his back. He simply stood there, laughing.

"You crazy son of a bitch!" shouted Ras, running towards Mark, sitting down at his side.

"Oh, Ras, how's it going? I think I ate quite the beatdown considering that my side still hurts a little." chuckled Mark, feeling at his side, flinching as he touched a certain spot.

"You crazy bastard, do you have any idea how we felt when Amber, Aether, and Paimon carried your beaten body back?"

Mark looked at him with a sympathetic expression on his face, looking at Ras then at the others with soft eyes.

"I'm sorry. I was feeling a little... weird, and I said I'd go train to clear my head. Next thing I know, the Balladeer beats me sensless. Sometimes it sucks to be me."

He stared at the sky, saying a silent prayer, smiling softly as he got up.

"I sort of overdid myself now with that move."

The rest of the group came over, walking beside the broken machines, staring at Mark with curious expressions. Jean walked among them, stepping forward, staring at Mark for a moment. He could see her red eyes, traces of tears still lingering on her face.

"Is this what you meant by 'not coming back'? Did you know it would happen?"

He couldn't help but glance away, feeling the pain in her voice. He spoke, staring at the ground as he did.

"Yes and no. The gnosis... they took it. We're back at square one. I'm sorry..." 

She sighed, walking closer to him, lifting his head.

"It's alright." 

Her smile was enough to pierce whatever held him back. She hugged him, holding him tightly as she cried tears that Mark could only hope were of happiness.

"Well, there he goes again. Glad to see you're up and running." said Kaeya, giving him a smug smile and a tap on the shoulder.

"It's good to see you're alive and well. I'll send you an invitation to the winery. We have some talking to do." said Diluc, walking away, galncing at the red crystals, watching them fade bit by bit.

"Heh, it seems that Aether and Paimon weren't wrong after all. You're sturdy. I'm glad to see you're fine." said Amber, her usual giddy smile plastered on her face. She then excused herself and went back to her home, hoping to catch a moment of sleep.

"My, so this is Mark, the one who managed to reach Jean's heart," said Eula, walking beside Ras, who shot her a bit of a glare.

"It's not the moment, Eula," said Mark, looking at her nonchalantly. Jean still held on to him, and he embraced her back, despite feeling a little awkward.

"So you do know who I am. How curious. I did hear that you possess some interesting knowledge that no outsider should have, but I didn't believe you'd know what all of us look like.

"Ok, ok, it's not the moment, Eula. Leave the guy alone, since I need to ask him something."

Ras cleared his throat, staring straight at Mark as he asked.

"Did you train or something while you were blacked out?"

The question caught Mark off-guard, but he simply nodded.

"I see..." said Ras, his voice low as he cracked his knuckles.

"Time to kill you myself, then."

Mark's eyes widened, a little chuckle leaving his lips.

"Woah, what's this about?"

Eula had to hold Ras, who put up quite the fight despite having no energy left in his system.

"I said I'd kill you myself if you did that. Now, it's time I stay true to my word."

Mark laughed meerily, one tear leaving his eyes as he did.

"Well, no need to try, my guy. I'm sure I could run away all day long, and I'd manage to avoid your punishment. Still, we'll need to talk. Also, I wonder where Aether is. I have some information regarding... something."

Ras shrugged, and Jean finally let go of Mark, trying to compose herself a little.

"They went out on their own. I'm not sure where they are, but I think they'll return these days."

Mark nodded, thanking Jean for the information.

"Well then, I guess it's time we go back and have a talk. Also, I should grab some clothes. I came out like this, but now I feel awkward."

He looked around as the people walked out, looking at the remains of the ruin hunters. As they walked away, Mark felt someone nudge his pants. He looked down, only to find the child he had saved earlier, snot trickling down his face.

"Thank you, mister."

Mark smiled, squatting down, handing the child a napkin he had in his pocket.

"Don't worry, I'm glad you're fine. Here, blow your nose and go find your mom."

The child nodded, walking off eagerly. Mark had that smile on his face all the way to the Knights of Favonius building.

Once there, he went straight for his room, then he went ahead and took a cold shower, feeling each muscle in his body tense up as the water touched him.

In a few minutes, he was as good as new, ready to plan their next move. Somewhat hesitant, he walked back inside Jean's office, where Ras, Jean, Eula, Kaeya, and Lisa were waiting for him.

"Look who decided to wake up," said Lisa, smiling at him. He smiled back, staring around the room at everyone. All of them seemed relieved, yet he could see the dark circles under their eyes. None of them had managed to rest. He could only imagine how crazy their night must have been.

"So, I'll first listen to what happened to you before I'll talk about what happened to me. I'm sure you're all curious about my outburst that one time."

They nearly jumped when he mentioned the crisis he had. No one expected him to remember.

"Fine. I'll start," said Jean, now back to her usual self. She talked about what Eula and Ras had found out, then she went on to talk about their plan to take down the ruin hunters. Mark listened intently, nodding from time to time, feeling his blood boil at the thought that the Fatui had gone that far.

"I see, so that's the case. I'm inclined to believe I'm partially to blame for opposing them. Needless to say, I'll make sure to show them hell next time."

He breathed in, taking into account everything that might go differently since he decided to get involved. One thing he could almost be sure of: no matter how many times he walks away with the gnosis, it will still end up in their hands one way or another, so he could at least try to bargain with them.

"Well, thank you for filling me in. Ras, we'll have some work to do, and by work, I mean preparations for Liyue. We're leaving in a few days. Until then, we need to prepare."

Ras nodded, looking over at Jean, who seemed unbothered by Mark's words.

"Now, my turn to say what I've been through. Brace yourselves, since it's a bit of a story."