Finding Dan Heng

As moments went by, he nearly drifted off to sleep, and yet someone's annoyed voice woke him up instantly, causing his nearly asleep mind to kick into gear with nothing but a smoldering sense of anger at the wheel. 

"Let me go," said Bronya, the source of the commotion. Natasha shook her head as she stood before the door. 

"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that. If someone were to see you, it could end pretty badly." 

Mark let out an annoyed sigh and stood up, staring at Bronya with tired, nearly blood-shot eyes that didn't look friendly. 

"Sit down and wait here, understood, Bronya? I don't care who you are on the surface; here you're nothing more than a Silvermane Guard, part of those who sealed the Underworld. Not a lot of people will be friendly, so just sit the fuck down." 

His words were calm, with an evident tinge of harshness in them—truth mixed in with unmasked bashfulness. 

"Who are you to order me around?" 

Mark had enough. He simply grabbed his metal pipe and walked closer to her, clanking it on the floor with each step. 

"You either sit down willingly, or I'll knock you out the not-so-willingy way. There's no choice here but to listen. Got it?" 

She glared at him, the tension in the air evident. Her weapon was on the bed, a huge oversight on her side. She finally crossed her arms and relented. 

"Fine, but don't expect to order me around as you see fit." 

He gave a light nod, glancing over to Narasha. He walked closer and whispered. 

"Next time she tries to leave, let her go. If she causes any trouble, let's just say that she's old enough to take the repercussions of her actions." 

With that, he looked to the side as March woke up. She whined and groaned like a kid, talking about '5 more minutes' of sleep. 

"Wakey, wakey, it's time for the mission. Come on, wake up," chuckled Mark as he walked to her side, playfully poking her cheek. Somehow, not even he knew what came over him, but somehow, doing that felt natural. Perhaps it was his older brother instinct. 

"Aw, let me sleep. And stop poking my cheek, you tease," mumbled March, her cheeks pouty. 

Mark had no choice but to shake her awake, being rowdy yet gentle in his grasp and movements, as rapid as they were. 

"Come on, March, we're in the middle of a mission; we have to focus." 

She finally let out an annoyed groan and stood up. Beside her, Stelle was mumbling in her sleep about the Stellaron and something else that he couldn't make out. Still, his mind filled in the blanks, adding the information that he had once known. 

"What is she talking about?" asked Natasha, concern on her face. 

"About some things related to saving the planet. Nothing too important, you know?" replied Mark, unbothered and as calm as possible. Soon enough, she woke up as well, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking partially refreshed and partially as confused as everyone—except for Mark, who was trying to plan out a sketchy idea once more. 

"Well, now that everyone is awake, let's head out. Oh, and Bronya..." 

Mark looked to the side, but she was gone. He sighed, knowing that it was bound to happen one way or another. Nonetheless, he shrugged and put his sword back in its scabbard. 

"Welp, time to go out. I bet you wonder where Dan Heng is... truth is, even I'm not sure. He went out with Sampo." 

He walked towards the door, already thinking of going ahead to focus on Sampo trying to flee from the fight club. He gave Natasha a tiny smile filled with sincerity. 

"Thank you for your help, doctor. We'll make sure to return the favor one way or another." 

With that, the trio went outside to look for Dan Heng. With no clue on where to start, March thought about asking some kids for information, which led to all of them being in cahoots with a group of three little kids. 

"Hi there. I was wondering if you saw some tall guy with a boring, serious face and black hair walking around the place. If so, could you tell us where he went?" 

The group turned to face her, and the leader, Hook, spoke up. 

"Do you even know who you are talking to? You're in the presence of the Moles, one of the strongest groups in the Underworld." 

Mark sighed and nearly reached up for the sword on his back. Somehow, the effects of his interrupted sleep were still lingering heavily on his mind, turning every bit of irritation into straight-up anger. 

"Mark, don't," said Stelle, grabbing his wrist and holding it firmly as it was half-way up. With a sigh, he lowered his hand, yet Stelle still clung to it. 

"They're kids, Mark. Do you even have any idea about what you were about to do?" 

He shook his head. 

"Look, sorry, but I'm not in the mood. I'm way too grumpy when I have my sleep interrupted." 

Below, the kids were huddled together, hidden behind Hook, who tried to threaten him, yet she was shaking in her boots when she realized what Mark was about to take out. 

"Y-you dare threaten us? I-I will show you what happens when someone tries that." 

Mark let out a sigh and carefully patted them all on the head, taking a deep breath that flew out of his lungs once more. 

"Sorry, kids, I just had a rough day. So, will you lend us a hand? If you do, we shall assist the Moles in their endeavors down the line. Consider this a friendly collaboration where we unite as a stronger faction." 

He squatted down and reached out for a handshake, waiting patiently. Hesitantly, Hook first looked over to her friends, then reached out and firmly shook his hand—as firm as a kid could. 

"Fine, but don't expect me to go easy on you again, got it?" 

Mark chuckled and nodded. He stood up, then everyone followed Hook as she led them to the fight club. 

"He should be here, the man you described. I'm only showing you to this point, ok?" 

Mark nodded, speaking calmly. 

"Sure. Thanks for the help. We owe you one." 

The kids went away, leaving just the three of them outside the area. 

"So, Dan Heng is supposed to be inside. It must have been Sampo's idea," said Stelle, looking around the area, checking out everyone who was attending the show. 

"That scoundrel," puffed out March, already more than fed up with his antics. 

"Yeah, anyway. You two go in and get Dan Heng. Meanwhile, I'll wait here. Got to keep an eye out for someone." 

Said and done, everyone went on their way. Mark leaned against the wall, and he suddenly became aware of the weight that lingered to the side of his legs, just above the knees. His baggy pants had two large pockets on the side, one of which housed his wallet, while the other handled the phone. Instantly, he became self-aware of those objects that he had so commonly used before. 

"Damn... I must have turned dull after nearly freezing and finding myself in an entirely new world. What a slip-up on my side..." 

His eyes met a fleeing Sampo, who shamelessly picked up the pace as he walked out. 

"... but this one won't be no slip-up." 

Instantly, he dashed after Sampo, pulling him to a halt by the back of his collar. 

"Hey, my good old friend, Sampo Koski. Fancy seeing you here, outside. I guess you did introduce Dan Heng to the combat scene, right?" 

He nodded, speaking in his usual tone, with a tinge of worry and another one of irony. 

"Yes, yes, you know me so well, my friend. Someone had to take care of the finances of the group, so I made sure to find him a suitable job." 

Mark nodded, taking it in, despite knowing the excuse already. It rattled his mind that the memories came back in such detail, slowly bringing along some extra information from the future. 

"Well, I'll be damned. It seems that I remember some things based on the pure relationship between them. Wildfire, and with it came Seele, and now I recall who their leader is, but damn me... I can't seem to recall where exactly the Stellaron is, and yet I recall that Cocolia dies because of it... just what is going on?" 

His grip involuntarily tightened around the back of Sampo's collar, and he yelped a little. 

"Hey, friend, how about letting go, just a bit?" 

Realization struck Mark out of his own head, and he let go in an instant. 

"Sorry, I'm just... stuck in my own head." 

As he spoke, everyone came outside, not really pleased with seeing Sampo outside, especially Dan Heng. 

"So, you were about to ditch us again, right?" asked March, arms crossed as she glared at Sampo in her own angry, fluffy rabbit manner. 

Sampo gave an awkward smile, then rubbed his palms together, trying his best to let loose a few words that would save him. Mark sighed and spoke in his stead. 

"Look, guys, let's be honest. We're all aware of what type of guy he is. At the very least, let's not threaten to beat his ass up every 5 minutes, ok?" 

He tried to sound serious, yet a tiny smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.