Honkai Star Rail - Isekai'd With A Stellaron Within

*finally back after a gazillion years. Life moved on, so did I, things go south, so do I. Whatever, we're here. I wrote a little something. It's shit, I know, but I just had to try and write something. Gotta try to kick back into gear. Maybe less uploads, but I will try to do better. Can't make many promises since university is a thing too. Still, I wanted to finish this bit of the story then see how I go forward. I know this chapter sucks, tho I had to finish things. So, here I am, again. Haven't died yet, so it's good. Peace out and Deus vult. Hope I can provide better down the line.*

Mark's gaze met that of the others, still like a lake veiled by the darkest night. Walking their way, he took a quick look at the broken wall and the people gathered outside. The faces of those who had doubted his identity were mortified, yet his focus knew its place. 

"Found our culprit. The monkey professor we saw during the entry ceremony." 

"I must admit... this performance went against my expectations. You rushed things, Mark. No one likes a rushed film." 

Reca's voice snapped all eyes on him, his disapproval evident as he lazily ran a hand through his hair. 

"What can I say? I don't deliver performances for bystanders," replied Mark, wiping the blood that spilled out his nose. 

"Interesting," said Reca, looking right at him. "Well, I must admit that you did handle everything rather easily. That pile of scrap tells all one should know." 

With a nod, Mark looked around, spotting the flashy figure running their way, her pink hair swaying with each movement. March barely had time to look her way before the verbal bombardment began. 

"Ninja Shirushi, I applaud your prowess, yet Evil Ninja Osaru is still at large." 

"Yes, yes, yes, he's out there. This monkey we've faced was nothing but an underling. I think you can discuss that with Mister Reca here," said Mark, nodding along every word that left his lips. The trio was still left in the dark, picking up what little details Mark had revealed. 

"Evil Ninja Osaru..." mumbled March, rubbing her chin as she tried squinting the connection in her mind. 

"We're still going on about evil ninjas and what not?" asked Stelle, baffled by it all. 

Dan Heng remained silent, meeting Mark's gaze anew. With a sigh, he spoke again. 

"Doctor Primitive. That's all I know about the figure. Turned people into monkeys for the sake of evolution or whatever. It's a messed-up perspective on some nonexistent problem." 

Rappa's fist tensed, while Dan Heng took note of everything. 

"So this evil ninja is just a monkey?" asked March, rubbing her temples. 

"Yes and no. It's a monkey, but also one of the members of the Genius Society. The only lead on him was with this silly monkey that probably escaped during the chaos. Still, we have someone that's strangely tied to them." 

With a flick of his wrist, he pointed to Reca, nodding towards Rappa before walking off. Glancing to the side, his head moved slightly in invitation to his comrades. Together, they walked away from the turmoil, taking a moment to speak in private. 

"Once again, you somehow know what to do and got things sorted out quickly," mumbled March, her arms crossed as a cute, tiny pout appeared on her lips. 

"What can I say? This was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. I think it's just setting us up for something greater down the road. Who knows?" he shrugged as a heavy sigh left his lips. 

"Well, from ninjas to monkeys, it seems that we have it all. Seriously, Mark, I sometimes wonder if you're like Elio or something and love playing the hero," chuckled Stelle, dismissing her own words with a wave. 

"Heh, you're kinda right on one thing there, but I won't say which one. For now, however, I think we should wait for this mess to calm down. We have Reca talking with Rappa over there, discussing whatever lead he's got. In the meantime, we should let Himeko and Welt know about what went on." 

They listened along as Mark hummed a melody while writing a quick message for the others, briefly going over the events that transpired. 

"Guys... why is a huge crowd coming this way?" asked March, staring at the students who, after having calmed down and taken everything in, were storming Mark's way. 

"I guess they finally realized that Mark was no look-alike," said Dan Heng, betraying a hint of amusement. 

Mark barely had time to process everything, looking from them to the crowd before being swarmed and drowned in a sea of questions, cheers, and laughter. Cameras went off as they kept taking photos with him, and contrary to expectations, he wasn't running away despite the subtle hints of irritation in his gaze. 

"Who would have thought? I guess a part of him likes the attention," scoffed March, yet the smile on her lips shattered all illusions. 

"Maybe he does, but he sure seems a little pissed there, right?" answered Stelle, watching the scene unfold. 

Silence lingered for a bit, with Dan Heng deep in thought. 

"Something wrong, Dan Heng?" asked March, leaning a bit closer to get a better look at him. 

His eyes closed for a moment as his thoughts gathered. 

"I've been thinking about Mark. There was one thing he said at some point, something we did discuss a little. He called himself an 'observer', yet... what exactly does that mean?" 

Stelle's eyebrow perked up, her curiosity struck. 

"We went over this before, and it didn't end well back then. I don't think we should doubt him again since he's been helping us all along." 

"Indeed, but I can't help this feeling that something about him defies what we know. You compared him to Elio, Stelle, but Elio himself interfered with the events through his script." 

March stared at him as if he had grown a second head, rattling her brain on all sides. 

"Wait, what exactly are you getting at?" 

He gulped, eyes narrowed slightly. 

"An observer doesn't interfere, and yet here he is now, taking action whenever he has the chance, knowing things no normal person should... whatever Mark was before, it feels like he's witnessed things play out once." 

Both Stelle and March were stunned into silence, the words heavy. Mark was unaware as the crowd still held his attention, the limits of his patience being pushed to the extreme. 

"Are you suggesting that Mark is some type of time traveler or something?" asked March, wrinkles forming on her forehead. 

"If not that, then some type of higher being," added Stelle, her own mind preoccupied with those ideas. 

"I'm not sure what term would fit, but time traveler isn't it. His knowledge seems to run deep while also being limited. The nosebleeds are also strange, occurring whenever he sees specific things or discusses future events. Back in Belobog, he saw the IPC robot and was pushed to the brink of collapse. Now, here we are, having had our brush-ups with them." 

"You know," whispered March, her voice a bit wary, "the more you speak about it like that, the more sense it makes, and it's... rather strange and creepy." 

"Remember the photos in his phone?" asked Stelle, her voice hushed. "We ended up brushing the whole thing aside back then thanks to Mark's emotions being in turmoil, but... the game, the similarities... Star Rail..." 

Bit by bit, the puzzle pieces fell together, pointing to an image no one was ready to accept. 

"I don't think we should talk about this again. We barely managed to get over us intruding on his privacy once. He surely has his reasons, right?" whispered March, trying to brush all under the rug. 

"It's not like forcing it will get us an answer. I just started thinking about it again, seeing how he just told Reca to talk with Rappa, almost like things must play out that way." 

"I guess we've all had our doubts but kept them away ever since that happened. He's not a bad guy, but he's pretty secretive. Perhaps he'll open up sometime," added Stelle, shrugging before looking back to the now dispersing crowd. Mark made haste to their position, shaking his head ever so slightly. 

"I sure need a good sleep," he mumbled, rubbing his tired eyes. 

"Well, mister celebrity here sure has it rough," chuckled March, playing everything off as normal. 

"Yeah, yeah, keep laughing. Everyone did a full 180 once they realized who I am. I might just say 'screw it' to this whole university thing and go get my million bottles of Soul Glad." 

Dan Heng nodded, crossing his arms as he watched the group walk off. 

"Perhaps you could do that. With the events that took place, I don't think anyone will be allowed in the area until things are repaired." 

"Then I guess I know what I'm going to do. You guys coming or?" 

"I think we'll stand by and meet up with Himeko and Mister Yang. Probably they finished their conference." 

He looked at Stelle and nodded, shoving back the nagging feeling that something was off. 

"If you say so. Seems fair. I'll make sure to drop by with my drinks, or who knows? Maybe I'll become some kind of rich guy here by selling the bottles then building an empire by exploiting the masses. Is that capitalism I hear? Just kidding." he rambled, laughing as he finished before waving and sliding away in style. 

The three were left behind with the afterthoughts of his words, the incoherent mess of words a jumbled mess tossed around as a joke. 

"For some type of know it all, he's too much of an idiot," said March, her tone deadpan.