Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 90: Ch88. Pain as a teacher (12) - Left behind

Chapter 90: Ch88. Pain as a teacher (12) - Left behind

Mara exhaled through her nose, dragging a hand through her silver-dyed hair as she watched the last wisps of blue light fade from where Miles had disappeared. The corridor still hummed faintly with residual energy, the space between reality and wherever he had gone was now warped in some imperceptible way.

"Son of a bitch really did it..." She muttered.

Beside her, Sarissa remained unnervingly silent. Her expression, usually so composed and arrogant, had twisted into something unreadable. Not anger, exactly. Not disappointment, either.

It was something in between. But Mara was not about to waste time deciphering it.

"Come on, Ice Queen. Let’s get out of here before we draw more attention." She turned, hands slipping into her coat pockets.

Sarissa inhaled sharply through her nose but didn’t argue. Together, they made their way back through the winding corridors of the Black Market, the neon lights flickering overhead casting jagged shadows across the stone walls. Mara kept a steady pace, ignoring the way Sarissa’s presence loomed beside her.

The girl walked like she owned the place, even though this was not her domain.

The Black Market was not a place where outsiders simply walked into and expected to leave unscathed. It was a living, breathing entity, a city beneath the city, where the desperate and the cunning thrived. Mara knew its rules, its rhythm.

Sarissa, for all her strength, was an anomaly here. A presence that didn’t belong.

They reached the exit without any incident – luckily – stepping onto the surface where the air was fresher, though still tinged with the ever-present scent of burning ozone.

"What now?" Sarissa stopped beside her.

"That depends on you. You could go back to your guild, pretend none of this happened. Or... You could do something useful with what we just learned, and prepare for figuring out where that first [Hidden Piece] is, well... Hidden." Mara arched a brow.

"And what do you suggest?" Sarissa’s jaw tensed.

Mara shrugged.

"You’re the strategic mastermind, right? Figure it out." She rolled her shoulders. "Me? I’m heading to check on Diego. Someone’s got to make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless while his dumbass brother is off playing hero."

Mara paused for a little while, and then added.

"Or do you want to go back down there and ask The Archivist your own questions?"

"You’re going to tell him, aren’t you? About what Miles is doing." Sarissa’s green eyes flickered, something shifting behind them.

"Depends. Maybe he deserves to know. Maybe he doesn’t need to. Either way, it’s not your problem, is it?" Mara smirked, turning on her heel.

Sarissa did not stop her as she walked away. That, at least, was something.

She, however, turned on her heels and knocked on the Black Market’s entrance door, trying to recall every note of Mara’s code.

Successfully, the small window opened, and the shaded eyes appeared again.

"Password?"

"Veni, vidi, vici." Sarissa answered, confidently, her voice neutral.

The owner of the shaded eyes grunted and opened the door to her, allowing her back into that underworld, with the sun rising behind her in the horizon.

***

Miles’ apartment was exactly as she expected. Quiet, dimly lit, and filled with a faint scent of tea. Diego was perched on the couch, staring at the floor, fingers idly tracing patterns against the armrest. His exhaustion was obvious, but more than that, there was an air of restlessness about him.

"Mara? What are you doing here?" He looked up when she entered, surprise flickering across his face before settling into something guarded.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she let the door shut behind her, the soft click echoing through the stillness.

"Came to check on you. And to talk."

Diego frowned but didn’t object as she walked over, dropping herself into the couch by his side.

"You don’t look like shit, so that’s a plus," she noted, tilting her head. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck. Twice. Maybe three times. And then set on fire for good measure." He let out a dry laugh.

"Sounds about right." She played with his hair, smiling. After a while, she leaned back, studying him. "Your powers. You still don’t know what they are, do you?"

Diego tensed slightly.

"I know they work against undead. And that they take a lot out of me."

"Yeah, well, that’s not good enough." Mara exhaled. "You need to understand what you’re dealing with, Dee. This doesn’t sound like just some skill upgrade, by what Miles told me. Whatever’s happening to you, it looks bigger than that."

He met her gaze, a hint of wariness creeping into his expression.

"And you think you know someone who can help."

"Smart kid." Mara smirked.

"Who?" Diego sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

As Mara looked at him, she motioned to play with his hair again, but something stopped her.

It pained her to even think that, but Diego looked... Older.

It was not his outward appearance, no. It was something else. The way he carried himself, even the way he talked.

Whatever happened to him during his captivity, had made him mature faster than he should...

"The Archivist."

"You’re serious?" He blinked. "I remember you telling me about him once, but... Really?"

"Dead serious. And it’s a she, for the last time, you little punk." She leaned forward, ruffling his hair, and for the first time in the last few minutes, he looked like a kid again. "She knows things, Dee. Things no one else does. If anyone can help you make sense of this, it’s her."

"And what’s the catch?" He hesitated, uncertainty flickering across his face.

"You think everything comes with a price, huh?" Mara chuckled.

"Doesn’t it?" Diego shrugged.

She shrugged back.

"Fair point. But look at it this way. Right now, you’re fumbling in the dark. You don’t know what’s happening to you, and that makes you vulnerable. The Archivist can give you clarity. Whether or not you like what you learn is up to you."

Diego was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he nodded.

"Alright. Let’s go."

"Good choice, kid. Let’s get you some answers." Mara grinned, standing up. "But first, let’s get you some decent breakfast! Or do you really think I don’t know you practically live off those [NRPs]?"

Diego looked down, chuckling faintly.

As they left the apartment, Diego glanced at her.

"Mara?"

"Yeah?"

"Did Miles say anything before he left?"

She paused for only a moment before answering.

"Yeah. He asked me to keep an eye on you, and said he’d be back."

Diego nodded, as if that was all he needed to hear. But Mara wasn’t so sure.

Because when she thought back to the look in Miles’ eyes before he stepped through that portal, she wasn’t convinced even he believed that himself.