Leave The Monster Alone

"This future holds nothing for us. Even if we honour all these sacrifices, the world already has already abandoned us. We can only go back and retry it all" he was right and it stung to realise it as well.

"Fine, I will help as well" Luna finally agreed, his eyes losing the shine they always help but he looked determined once again. Mark felt his fire burn brighter than ever at the convection. The rest two already looked ready to help him out he felt the weight of his decision crushing him. It would require heavy sacrifices but they would finally get another chance to do it over.

"We leave at midnight. Tell everyone to be ready and Kuro shall lead the way" the time was finally here. Humanity was about to enter their last thread of hope against this world and that was by reaching the central core inside the base.

Mark wanted to believe that this was all a bad dream he would wake up from soon but he knew the truth. It was of no use to think it all through one more time. The more time they wasted here, the worst it became for everyone involved in this situation. 

Plus, there was also the threat of time which was hanging upon them. Zeno had been contained in his place for now but it was one mishappening away from turning into something awful which would cost them heavier than they were already paying.

"We are ready to go now. Are those people still trapped in there?" Mark's heart hurt for these innocent lives that were about to get lost for the future of humanity. One which he was not sure they even deserved in the first place but he wanted to give that to them anyway. 

"Yes. We should leave now. You know your mission?" Luna asked the group who nodded. They knew the mission they had been asked to carry, not the actual one they had to face. Mark turned his face when they looked at them all with glowing faces. They were all so happy to finally be of help and it was a little overwhelming.

"Shake it off. If you cannot bear the thought of using their lives then back off now or shake it off." Luna was right. Mark could not look away from them. Not now when these were their last moments before the big battle.

Mark needed to engrave these faces, these mannerisms inside his mind and he needed to remember them once he went back in time. He would be the only witness of their present selves so he needed to make sure they would be remembered in the future as well.

There was a sound of horn which signified that they needed to start moving now. There was no longer any time available to be wasted. The party set off in a hurry to fulfil their destiny. They separated into two groups pretty soon.

Mark and Kuro made off on their own while Luna and Alex each headed a group ahead. Now it was finally time to put it all into action. With the other two groups providing him cover, Mark made his way back to the base in complete silence. The forest around him was lit up anyway.

"This way. I cleared the path for us" the younger dropped down from the top of the canopy, his body landing lightly on his feet. He looked around to check their surroundings before he looked back at Mark and nodded in the base's direction.

It was their cue to leave and Mark followed behind the other. There was one spark that sizzled and then another and then another till it caused a fire in their surroundings. It started to spread, taking advantage of the dry conditions of this place. The tree bark was almost too dry to be able to put the fire out and hence it raged on further. 

"Goodbye and thank you" Mark whispered as he walked ahead. This was all about to be over soon anyway and all their suffering was going to be erased. Just as soon as they reached the core computer and interacted with it. Luna had to be right, this all had to end now. 

The base was completely abandoned by any sort of creature and it gave off a creepy vibe to Mark. The walls did not present hints with any clue whatsoever and he had had to rely on his instincts. 

How much further inside had it been? It had been in Liam's room, right? Not that he could tell in this base. He had not been here for long enough to get a feel of this place. Thankfully, Yun seemed to know where they had to go and he led them further toward the end. 

Before they entered the next corridor, Yuna froze and motioned for Mark to keep quiet as well. Mark did as he had been asked to do, his voice not escaping his mouth at all. It moved but did not produce any sound whatsoever and Yun approved. 

It started with footsteps first, followed by the small shakes of the earth finally followed by a sound which did not mean anything. So they were not one inside here. There was at least one guard here to stop them from achieving what they wanted to but one guard was not going to be enough, was it? 

"It's time for me to shine now. If this is the final guard that has been left here then it must be something special. I will keep this one busy while you go on ahead" Mark wanted to protest this unfair treatment but he had to swallow back his words. 

With this much already having happened, was there any point in prolonging the fight about who engaged whom? At this point, it did not matter at all. They needed time which Yun was ready to exchange his life for. Mark had to respect that if he wanted to acknowledge the other in his life. 

"Be careful and try not to die. I will meet you on the other side" Mark assured the other who gave a small smile. It was entirely possible that they would never meet again due to the paradox that would arise as a result of their meeting but there was no need to say this to Mark yet. There was no need to alarm him or risk Mark changing his decision. 

"Let's meet on the other side. I will make sure to give Alex a visit soon" Now that he knew where the entrance to their base was, Mark could easily change things. They could also stop a lot of mishappenings if Mark was careful with how things happened in the future. There was finally a chance for change they could implement. 

"You will likely take some time to adapt and remember your new memories. Be sure to be careful and not let the wrong party know before time" Mark took that warning to heart and he turned to be one with the shadows. Kuro followed his lead, her beady eyes looking at Yun who made his way further. 

There was a flash of light which was Mark's indication to go away now. He ran from the corridor as it exploded behind him. He did not turn around to check, he ran ahead to the other corridor till he finally rescheduled Liam's office and kicked the door open. 

"This better be worth it" This was their last hope and their only way out of this situation. The computer was turned off and Mark knew he had to make it work again in some way before anyone else came to give them a hard time for being here. 

The sound of footsteps echoed along with heavy breathing and Mark panicked. He quickly plugged the core back with the energy source and felt the energy inside it join himself. It circled his limbs and made him feel invincible in that single moment. For that fraction of time, Mark really felt as if he was a god who had control over it all. 

"H-hurry up" The voice was familiar and Mark had to concentrate on it to remember who it was. He knew that voice, right? It had been important but he struggled to remember who it had been. He needed to listen to that voice but the energy was too much for him to handle. 

"Be careful with it or you will overload it" The warning was important but Mark struggles to remember why that had been the case at all. Why had he been there in the first place? To make things right? 

He had to make things right and he had to make energy do it for him. Mark extracted the energy inside and allowed it to change the shape of the world for him.. The place merged with his past and he felt someone take hold of him before he was blown apart and he remembered no more.