"The marathon is not really about the marathon, it's about the shared struggle. And it's not only the marathon but the training." - Bill Buffum

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Alard grumbled as somebody shook him out of his slumber. It had been a rare nap that didn't consist of ghastly nightmares, filled with the screams of his district.

It was as if their souls were determined to make sure he didn't forget them, haunting him until revenge was complete.

He cracked an eye open to see Kenneth hovering just inches away from his face with his customary smirk equipped. "We got a big day ahead of us, champ, best get an early move on."

Alard pushed him away lightly. "Can't say seeing your face first thing in the morning is a good dose of motivation."

Kenneth chuckled. "I've never seen a Marked sleep as soundly as you do; it's impressive really."

It sure didn't feel like he'd gotten his usual full rest. "What time is it?"

"10 AM."

Alard grumbled. Had he been back at his district he would've been sleeping for at least another hour. To him, sleep was sacred. Possibly the greatest gift to mankind with the tranquil peace it provides.

"Be down in five," Kenneth said before pausing at the door. "Boss is back, which probably means we have a new mission."

Alard's eyes widened. It had been a full week since his very first mission and each day since he had been beaming to go on another one with no luck.

A part of him feared the rage that had enveloped him in his first battle, but he had convinced himself that it was the Parasyte's fault and he would learn to control it.

Alard eagerly got dressed. Naturally, he hadn't been completely idle these last seven days. Apart from trying to understand his Parasyte, Hayaka had the brilliant suggestion of sparring to figure out their capabilities and get accustomed to fighting other Marked users.

It quickly became apparent that fighting against a Marked was a whole other ballgame. Alard's boxing experience was immediately thrown out the window when faced with the destructive power of a Marked.

All the confidence that Alard had built from crushing his Peacock adversaries quickly dissipated from the first punch from Hayaka that connected. Saying it hurt didn't adequately depict the feeling of getting hit so hard that you flew back a couple dozen feet and landed on your ass, causing a healthy wave of embarrassment to follow behind the pain.

Back in his boxing days, Alard liked to evade by predicting his opponent's attack based on their foot placement, windup and eyes; waiting patiently until they tired before going on the attack. Now, not only would it take a long time for a Marked to tire, but simply evading wasn't much of an option when each attack came at the speed of a bullet.

Hayaka adjusted to the supernatural fighting quite quickly, elegantly using his speed and power as if he had been born with it. Alard couldn't deny that if he wasn't faster thanks to the difference in rarity of Parasytes he would be getting clobbered more often than not. Instead, the spars ended up typically being even, no thanks to skill on Alard's part.

Which he knew had to change.

Alard practically ran down the long hallway, buzzing with excitement. It was finally time for another mission!

He barged into the meeting room. Unsurprisingly, all the other members were already there. Neresa gave a little wave in his direction while Hayaka offered a nod.

On the far side sat Jarek, his expression as stoic as always as he inspected Alard with his eyes. To his right sat the other girl who he had forgotten the name of. He had hardly seen the redhead the last week, much less got the opportunity to talk to her. It was always like she was in her own world, even now, not bothering to acknowledge his entrance.

"Have a seat," Jarek instructed to which Alard complied, settling down next to Hayaka. He glanced to his left where the spectacle-wearing Marked who had been the one to first hand Alard his parasyte sat. "Report, Alden."

Alden nodded, theatrically clearing his throat, "No Peacocks have been spotted within our perimeter, so there's nothing to report on that front. However, as it pertains to our rookies, they took to sparring in your absence." Alard perked up. He hadn't expected their dueling to be a part of the report. Alden adjusted his spectacle before continuing, "As a result, I was able to gauge some of their strengths and weaknesses in combats."

Huh?

"For Alard, his main asset thus far seems to be his agility and speed. Even for a rare Marked, I believe those attributes show the potential to exceed the usual expectations and beyond. As for his main weakness, I've surmised it's the hesitation he shows while fighting. His confidence seems to have not yet caught up with his ability as yet, which frankly will need to change if he's to survive past a few more missions." Alard was stunned, finding himself unable to even form an excuse. While they sparred he had kept his senses heightened, remembering Kenneth's lesson on being able to survey his surroundings when fighting. He was sure that his sphere had grown even larger, yet he hadn't at any time noticed Alden watching them, though evidently, he did enough to make a thorough analysis.

"Moving on," Alden announced, flicking his gaze toward Hayaka momentarily, "Hayaka's strength would have to be his physical power and general feel for fighting. His experience as a street fighter really shows in how he approaches a battle. However, probably also as a result of his experience, he is undoubtedly reckless and overconfident far too often, which like Alard, is a flaw bordering on fatal."

Hayaka frowned, his hazel orbs shining with defiance. "And who made you Judge Judy, old man?"

"I did," Jarek's voice thundered with finality. He locked gazes with Hayaka, daring him to file his complaint with the man in charge.

Hayaka wisely averted his gaze, saying nothing further.

"Is that all?" Jarek asked Alden who shook his head.

"Probably the most interesting slice of information is yet to be disclosed." Jarek motioned from him to continue. "During one of their spars, Hayaka discovered his ability." The team collectively stirred in anticipation while Alard stirred due to slight embarrassment.

Getting one-upped by a wielder of a normal Parasyte was something he simply hadn't been able to let go of. He had even confronted his Parasyte about it.

'Don't mistake your incompetence for mine.' The Parasyte had said before cutting off their mental communication, basically slamming down their mental phone in his ears.

"Is it shooting lasers from his eyes?" Kenneth asked, practically bouncing up and down in his chair with excitement. "What?" He asked as Nessa shot him an 'Are you stupid?' look, "I've always wanted to see someone shoot lasers from their eyes."

"It's not quite eye-shooting lasers," Alden said, humoring him, "but it's impressive nonetheless. Hayaka is able to extend his hands several feet outward with expressive mobility and speed. There's no telling how much this ability could improve in the future. I do wonder if he'll be able to extend his other limbs as well."

Alard grimaced, recalling the exact moment when Hayaka first used his ability on him.

It had been during one of their usual spars and Alard had begun to gain the upper hand. He timed a particular dodge perfectly, sneaking past Hayaka's extended hand and thus his guard, Alard unleashed a powerful right hook which Hayaka barely managed to duck under but Alard wasn't done. Switching up his stance in one motion, Alard set his feet and brought up his other hand in a mean uppercut that caught Hayaka right on the chin.

Hayaka was clearly disoriented as he skidded back so Alard charged, not allowing a moment's rest while the momentum was on his side. Hayaka desperately lashed out with a sudden backhand attack which Alard narrowly managed to evade as he once again slipped behind the boy's guard. His fist connected successfully with Hayaka's cheek but Hayaka smartly turned his head as his punch made contact, lessening the impact of the blow.

Expecting Hayaka to still be feeling the effect of the blow, Alard aimed to follow it up with a crushing hook combo but the chance never came. Hayaka lashed out again, and Alard reacted almost instantaneously, ducking his head just out of reach enough to escape the hit.

He had him right where he wanted him, Alard thought, his desperation was evident.

Or so he thought.

The punch that Hayaka threw kept going, despite Alard being out of his normal reach. A confused Alard found himself hit even as he instinctively backed up to a distance of twice his reach. The blow was powerful, to say the least, sending Alard tumbling backward down the street with the metallic taste of fresh blood soaking his mouth.

Certainly not his finest moment.

Kenneth's child-like excitement quickly returned. "That's cool too!" He turned to Hayaka, "Could you show me? Perhaps we can have a little spar ourselves. What do you s-"

"Ease your horses, rider," Jarek interrupted. "You'll have the opportunity to see it in action soon enough."

Kenneth grinned. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Jarek nodded. "The mission is set. We have been asked to save hostages discovered at a lighthouse. Naturally, lighthouses tend to be heavily protected so this will be no walk in the park."

The quiet redhead fidgeted at the mention of hostages. She had been so still the entire time that it was extremely noticeable.

"Sounds like fun," Nessa commented with a sly glance in Alard and Hayaka's direction, "Give the rookies a real test."

"Indeed."

The atmosphere seemed festive although, by the sound of it, the mission would be dangerous. Alard admired how free-spirited they were but he couldn't help but acknowledge the worry that lurked on the edge of his mind. The sparring had shown he still had much to work on, yet his team wasn't going to wait for him to reach the standards he wanted. It was reality, and he would need to shape up fast as Alden said, or face the consequences.

With the mission plaguing their minds, the team got ready for what lay ahead. In thirty minutes flat, the team-- minus Alden who was staying behind, emerged from the building.

Alard's eyebrow arched upward as he spotted a big van parked right ahead of them. "We're not getting in there, are we?"

Alard tended to prefer walking, where he had full control of his actions and safety compared to the numerous things that could go wrong from a simple car ride from the top to the bottom of a street.

"Being a Marked doesn't provide you with endless energy, and where we're going is quite a distance away," Jarek explained.

Alard sighed, reluctantly following the group piling into the van while Jarek took the driver's seat. He didn't have much of a choice after all.

The next two hours were filled with Kenneth singing country music, the mysterious redhead zoning out as usual and Nessa telling Kenneth to shut up. Soon enough after the two-hour driving mark, Alard's anticipation and nervousness faded to be replaced by his body reminding him of his interrupted sleep. Somehow, among the backdrop of the noisy pair and gentle hum of the engine, Alard found himself drifting to sleep.

What felt like a minute after but was actually an hour after, an aggressive shove jerked Alard awake. It felt like an enemy had tried to dislocate his shoulder rather than a comrade waking him up.

"What the hell?" Alard shrieked as he barely caught himself from falling off the seat. He looked up to see the culprit, Hayaka, chuckling from outside the door.

"You really can sleep soundly anywhere, huh? We're here, sleeping beauty."

Alard grumbled, taking in the scenery behind him. 'Here' seemed to be a sort of beach, and a breathtaking one at that.

Alard couldn't remember the last time he had been to the beach, but as the calming hum of the waves breached his ears and the alluring smell of salt water assaulted his nostrils he began to feel at ease.

It was a bit eerie to see a deserted beach but not exactly surprising considering the beach was likely deep in Peacock territory. Civilians weren't exactly eager to cross that border, after all.

Alard followed Hayaka up the sand to where the rest of the group stood discussing something. He noticed a rare serious tone in Kenneth's voice.

"We'll be sitting ducks in that thing, boss. We should wait for the air transport," Kenneth was saying.

"And go from being targets in the sea to the air? I understand your point but defending from the air is a catastrophe waiting to happen if they explode the air transport," Jarek responded.

Alard peeked around the group and noticed a tied-down motorboat bobbing in the water. Alard immediately felt sick. It was just big enough to fit the entire group but that didn't change the fact he wanted no parts in the ride.

"Let's do a vote then," Kenneth said, clearly determined to not back down. Really Alard was surprised Jarek was bothering to explain himself and not just commanding Kenneth to follow his instructions.

Jarek's eyes surveyed the group, considering the proposition. Despite the conflict, there was never a doubt in Alard's mind who was in charge, regardless of Jarek's diplomatic approach.

Jarek nodded finally, sweeping a neutral gaze through the team. "All in favor of waiting for air transport rather than moving now in the motor boat, raise your hand."

Alard looked around as the silence stretched out until its awkward weight thickened amidst the sea breeze. No one had raised their hand.

In his case, he would much prefer neither and traveling on his own safe two feet, but in a competition between a boat and flying, he picked the one closest to the ground. After all, he had yet to see even a Parasyte user that could fly.

Nessa sighed, raising her hand. It was obvious that she had just done it to support Kenneth and clearly didn't actually favor the option.

"Boat it is," Jarek said decisively.

Alard had been on a boat exactly once in his life and as he boarded the motor boat and immediately felt the waves underneath swaying the boat his prior experience with sea sickness immediately reared its ugly head again.

He slumped down in the corner and held his head as Hayaka laughed at him, calling him a ripe city boy.

It took quite a few minutes for Alard to build up the willpower needed to take a brave peek over the boat's edge. Immediately he was able to tell where their destination was. After all, a sky-scraping lighthouse tower on an extremely small island stands out quite a lot in the vast sea.

The rest of the team seemed to be enjoying the ride and he had to admit that the wind lashing across his skin did feel plenty pleasant. In fact, even the tame rippling waves dancing against and under the boat as it powered onward started to feel soothing.

Maybe it wasn't so bad aft-

The redhead suddenly jerked upward, her eyes wild. "Something's coming...and fast."

The team immediately took the random warning seriously, looking around frantically. Hayaka and Alard exchanged a confused glance.

They didn't sense anything and judging by the rest of the team's reaction they hadn't either, so why were they so quick to take the girl's word for it?

Jarek huffed, standing up straight from his position at the front of the boat. "There," he pointed skyward in the direction of the island.

At first, Alard didn't see anything but soon enough he saw a figure break through the clouds. And yes, he did mean the clouds.

The figure was ridiculously high and for a second he seemed to be flying, but as he neared it became evident the man was falling stylishly and aiming himself right at the boat.

Kenneth cursed. "I knew this was a bad idea."

Nessa squinted. "Is that..."

"It sure is," Jarek answered, hostility dripping like acid from his voice. "Brace yourselves."

Alard watched the man's descent with confusion. Why did they need to brace themselves? Couldn't they just take him six versus one when he landed?

Soon enough, his question was answered.

The falling man suddenly reared back his head violently, arching his entire body backward before flinging himself back forward as he let loose a defeating roar. The sound was bad enough but a shockwave followed behind it, slamming into the boat and flipping it.

As Alard touched down in the biting chilly water, he remembered something that was just as important as his inability to fly.

He had never learned how to swim.

Cuatro

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