Mark laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep had evaded him again. His body still ached slightly, but the inactivity felt worse—like a constant reminder of his limitations. The Vanguard video replayed in his mind, the questions it raised refusing to settle. He shifted restlessly, irritated by his own helplessness.

  His holo-bracelet lit up suddenly, pulling him from his thoughts.

  Daniel: "We are eating at Lyra's, come."

  Mark sighed, half-relieved, half-annoyed, and typed back, "I'll be there."

  The familiar laughter and chatter could be heard through the door by Mark as he knocked on the door of the Apartment.

  Daniel greeted him energetically, pulling Mark into a friendly bro-hug and slapping his back lightly.

  "Glad you're still alive, man."

  Mark winced slightly, still sore from recovery.

  "Easy. I'm still in one piece."

  Lyra and Raven exchanged amused glances in the kitchen, Aria was also there helping with the cooking.

  "Look who decided to join the living again," Lyra teased.

  Mark rolled his eyes with a slight smile.

  "Missed you too, Lyra."

  "Of course you would" said Lyra playfully

  Lyra’s apartment was spacious and inviting, accented with sleek furniture that hinted subtly at comfort and class. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city’s glittering skyline, bathing the room in soft, amber twilight.

  "Honestly, Lyra, you're stingy. Keeping a place like this all to yourself?"

  Lyra rolled her eyes, smiling.

  "Be careful with what you wish for because I will start charging you rent."

  "By the way," Lyra called from the kitchen, "a couple of my teammates from the academy might swing by. Hope that's okay."

  Daniel leaned back dramatically. "More people to witness Mark’s return to humanity? Perfect."

  Lyra shook her head with an amused sigh. "Relax, Daniel. It’s just Mia and Felix—they’re friendly, I promise."

  As they settled in, conversation flowed easily—stories about recent events, playful jabs at each other's expense.

  Just as they were setting the table Mia and Felix arrived.

  Mia and Felix stepped in, waving casually. Mark recognized them immediately—Lyra’s academy friends, who occasionally joined their group for gatherings like this.

  Mia, slender and energetic, greeted everyone warmly, her brown eyes bright with genuine enthusiasm.

  "Sorry we're late! Felix here insisted we pick up dessert."

  Felix, tall and well-built with a perpetual half-smile and easy-going manner, raised a bag of pastries in defense.

  "You complain, but no one's ever turned down dessert."

  Lyra shook her head, laughing lightly.

  "Just grab a seat. We were about to eat."

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Mark eased into a seat, suddenly feeling at ease among familiar faces. Mia immediately leaned forward, curiosity bright in her eyes.

  “Mark, we heard what happened. Is it true you and Aria faced off with the Iron Warden?”

  Felix elbowed her lightly, shaking his head.

  “Give him a break, Mia. He just got here.”

  Mark smiled faintly, shrugging.

  “We didn't face off against him, he just showed up and saved us.”

  Daniel grinned, passing around plates.

  “He did better than you two would have, at least.”

  Mia scoffed playfully.

  “As if you’d have done better yourself.”

  Lyra interrupted gently, pushing plates across the table.

  “Let’s save the competitiveness for tomorrow, shall we?”

  "What is happening tomorrow?" Mark asked curiously.

  "Didn't Daniel tell you? We plan to play in the Annual Ability Soccer Tournament. Now that I think about it, we are two people short. Felix, Mia, do you want to join as well?"

  Mia responded enthusiastically.

  "We are down, we don't have much going do we Felix?"

  "We don't have much going on this weekend, so sounds like a plan."

  Mark hesitated briefly, considering the doctor’s warning.

  “Come on, Mark. It’ll be casual,” Daniel pressed.

  “As you know mana usage is capped, and you won't get injured either, specially if you stay as a goalie.”

  "Even Aria is playing." added Raven nudging Aria to convince him.

  Aria smiled quietly, glancing sideways at Mark.

  “It might do you good to stretch your legs a little.”

  Mark exhaled, pretending reluctance.

  “Fine. But if I end up back in the hospital, it’s your fault.”

  Daniel pumped his fist triumphantly.

  “Deal! Let me sign us up.”

  Daniel opened his holo-bracelet and registered us as a team, for the weekend tournament.

  Daniel leaned back enthusiastically.

  "Just finished registering our team, Mark—tomorrow we dominate!"

  Mark chuckled, shaking his head lightly. "I'm still recovering, remember?"

  Raven gave him an amused look.

  "Don't worry. Daniel just needs someone reliable to guard the goal for when he looses the ball."

  "Exactly. Just keep the ball out of our net, Raven and I will handle Daniel's mistakes." said Felix.

  "Come on, I am a team player, it's your problem if you can't keep up with me." responded Daniel.

  Raven leaned back, a subtle smirk forming. "We have to worry about keeping Daniel in one piece, not Mark."

  Aria placed a plate in front of Mark, her voice gentle. "Don’t rush yourself tomorrow, okay?" Her gaze softened slightly. "We just got back."

  Lyra placed a large platter onto the table, steaming and fragrant.

  "Alright, enough football talk. Dinner's served."

  Daniel reached out eagerly, grabbing his utensils.

  "Finally! Thought you'd starve us first."

  Lyra placed the lamb roast on the table, filled with spices, leaving the distinct smell of rosemary, small oily potatoes surrounded lambs, tender to the point they would melt it your mouth, other roasted vegetables were present perfectly cooked to balance the meal.

  "Didn't know you could cook like this," Mark said, genuinely surprised

  Lyra flashed him a teasing grin.

  "Hidden talents, Mark. I have layers."

  Raven taking her share interjected.

  "Aria did most of the cooking"

  Lyra responded.

  "My talents are not limited to cooking."

  With all the plates served, everybody concentrated solely on the food.

  After dinner Mark and Aria walked back home together since they lived nearby from each other, the walk was rather quiet, specially after they separated from Daniel, who in some way or another was trying to set him up with Aria.

  Mark however didn't see this as an opportunity, specially since Aria was extremely receptive, and they had been through such a harsh experience, he was still left with the powerlessness, and more than anything, disgust. Disgust at himself for not having done anything since the recovery to become stronger, he couldn't bring himself to do anything as if his mind was stopping him from seeing the world as it truly is, whether this was because of the expectations set on him or his own inner fear, he would have to eventually find out.

  Aria interrupted his destructive chain of thought.

  “Having second thoughts?” she asked softly, eyes gentle yet perceptive.

  “About tomorrow, about the ASTF, about... everything,” Mark admitted quietly. “Feels like the world keeps moving and I am being left behind, I am useless.”

  She nodded slightly, gazing out across the illuminated city.

  “I understand. But sometimes the only way to handle it is to keep moving forward—even when you feel that way, you have to keep moving.”

  Mark glanced at her, comforted by her steady presence.

  “Do you ever feel overwhelmed?”

  Aria smiled faintly.

  “Constantly. But I’ve learned to know myself and what I want, so I just have to trust that I am going in the right path.”

  Just as the conversation was starting, the path finished. They were finally in front of Aria's place.

  "We will talk more tomorrow, if you want." said Aria

  "Yeah"

  Mark started walking towards his apartment, he felt lighter than he had in weeks. Yet the brief levity quickly faded as he stepped into the cool night air, the silence allowing doubts to creep back in. He glanced at his device, the empty screen a stark reminder of the Vanguard’s message and the questions left unanswered.

  Who’s really pulling the strings? he wondered again, the weight of unanswered questions heavy on his mind.