Leave The Monster Alone

Their master needed to learn that what he was doing was not right and if he was incapable of learning this, then he needed to be put down permanently without any second thought. If it fell to Keito to make this possible, then make it possible he will. 

After all, this was his world with his rules and his expectations. He had to make sure he did not betray them to himself or the others in this world. His mind raced with various emotions and questions he needed to be answered but most importantly of all, there seemed to be something wrong still in the air.

The base in the clouds was still the same as the day he had last seen it, beautiful but it was no longer in flames and much more welcoming than before. Was it because he was not an intruder this time or had the place naturally lost its charm with time? Whatever the reason, it made Mark nervous.

"Stand straight and try to not look anyone in the eye. We cannot be sure how much your core will protect you" Mark gave a stiff nod of agreement. He had heard the other but the words had not registered in his ear yet. He had to wait on the other to repeat his words before he understood them.

"Are you afraid? There is no need to feel as such just yet. There is only Nathan here for now. You can relax in everyone's company" Mark did not feel reassured at the other's words but he let them wash over his mind. He needed all the reassurance he could get right now anyway.

"Alright, let's do this" Mark entered the building, his face showing confidence he did not feel right now. He had to hold his breath on and puff his chest out to show his confidence off. When would he start to feel this way, he was not sure but at least he had to look the part of a confident person.

People bowed as he passed and it felt so weird. He knew they all were monsters inside his mind but seeing all those humanoid figures in his surroundings made it no different from any human base he had been. He was still someone people pointed at and gossiped so even that part had not changed much.

"And who's this? A new face I have never seen before? Welcome inside" Mark felt his body stiff at Nathan's voice. The last encounter he had with the other had been at En's death and rage started to build up inside him. How dare the other come here and act like nothing had happened when he had killed Mark's best friend?

"Woooo. You certainly look like you want to kill me and then feed my remains to those scavenger birds. What did I ever do to you for you to give me that look?" what had the other done? What had he not done to Mark for him to not be angry?

But as things stood, the other had done nothing yet which was a reality Mark had to accept now. Whatever problems Mark had with the other, whatever losses he had faced at Nathan's hands, nothing had happened yet so he had to hold back on that account. He could not let it get to him for now.

Even the tight grip on his shoulder and the small nod of the soft 'no' told him this much. He could not give in to the anger just yet. He had to wait because he would get a chance to get his 'just deserts' after this was all over.

"This is Mark, the new person on our foursome. Doesn't he look fun?" Yun tried to make light of this mood and Nathan's eyebrows raised in a questioning manner. He did not look shocked but he still looked uncomfortable at the stare he was getting from Mark. 

Good, that had been Mark's intention by glaring at the other. He wanted him to feel the same feeling of wrong and uneasiness Mark felt in the other's company. That was just the starting of his revenge with more things to come later. Mark could not wait for the time when he would be able to make the other perish with his own hands.

"Wow, he is still glaring. He seems like such a moody and unpleasant guy. Where did you even find him?" Nathan joked with the same uncomfortable expression and Yun could not help his sigh. He looked back at Mark but saw no change. 

"Mark, perhaps you should look away" the glare switched targets without losing its intensity and Yun's smile faltered. Even he knew something to be wrong but was too bright to question this development. His instincts warned him to not fall into the other's path if he wanted to live. 

He made the wise decision to follow them and remain silent. In the end, it had been Alex who navigated this situation carefully and guided Mark to the central part where he was needed. He made sure to act as a screen between him and a nervous Nathan as well.

"Wow, and I thought my dislike for him was bad" dislike? That was too mild a word for the other. Mark hated him with a burning passion. He might even rank higher on the 'Person I hate' list Mark had, even higher than the one who made this whole mess and that was an achievement in itself. 

When he did not answer, the other did not push the issue either and it fell into silence. Alex was wise enough to not start in their conversation from the very beginning so there was no noise from that side. By the time the central room came, the atmosphere had already receded to normal and Mark had gotten his emotions under control once again.

"Let's do this. Anyone I should be worried about?" Mark asked this at the last moment, his hand ready to push those doors. Yun scoffed his worries away, his eyes shining with amusement. 

"If anyone makes you uncomfortable then just give them the same glare you gave Nathan. Believe me when I say that no one would question you after that" Mark was not sure if the other was serious or not but Alex's nod assured him that the other was 100% serious in his words. So this was the solution now? 

The assembly inside was small. It had 4 main seats and 12 other seats for the whole council. This will be the time when most of the highest monsters gathered around and one could observe them all. This would also be the first time Mark would see all his enemies gathered in one place. 

The first to arrive had been Fidi and Vodi, both passing Mark with a small nod of acknowledgement. There was no recognition in their eyes though and Mark felt a pang of disappointment flash through him. They did not know him this time around so he had effectively lost two of his best allies in one go.

The others followed similarly, not even one standing to have a second look at him. The only one who gave him a little longer stare had been Suzy, her eyes narrowing and Mark wanted to believe that she remembered. But even she did not stand there for long. Once she took her seat as well, it was truly everyone who was currently available who was present.

"So, I would like to introduce Mark to everyone. You all got the memo about who he is?" everyone nodded and Yun grinned. His smile looked almost sinister to Mark's eyes but he chose not to comment about it. There was nothing he could say anyway since everyone looked uncomfortable with his presence.

There was a nod of the agreement once that question made itself known and Mark decided that this much interaction was enough for now. They had to know whom they could trust before he opened himself to the other side. 

He wanted to avoid fighting a friend if possible and the Fidi-Vodi duo already looked like an enemy to him. He could not help but sigh at that end result.

He exited when Yun started to explain the latter part of their agreement since Mark had no interest in all that. He did not see if anyone followed him out or not, his attention snapping to the empty landscape in front of him

The dense canopy of mutated trees had not yet sprouted too big, still in their juvenile stages and it would be so easy to crush them right now. That was sure about future threat Mark had a chance to eliminate. All he had to do was to move there and make sure he had his powers fully charged.

But then the door opened and he forgot all about his thoughts from before. Alex exited the room, his eyes pinched together and his expression worried. He also looked lost in thoughts and Mark let him be.. No need to add to the other's stress right now.