The battlefield had gone silent.
Dust drifted slowly across broken stone. The air still carried the metallic scent of blood and scorched pollution, but the tension that had once choked the space was gone.
Marco walked towards One, quickly shortening the distance between.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then,
Marco smiled.
Not the faint, controlled smirk he sometimes wore, nor the cold expression he used when calculating.
But a genuine smile. The first one since their earliest days together.
It was small, but real
Marco pulls the battered boy into a warm embrace, his always stern face rapidly softened.
"I thought i lost you for a second there kid"
He finally spoke.
One froze slightly.
His mind that had still been clouded with confusion about the battle, the strange state he had fallen into, and the voice that pulled him back.
But that smile, and warm hugs had interrupted everything.
It caught him off guard.
There was something about the atmosphere he couldn't quite understand.
He didn't really know how to respond, so he was caught in a dilemma. He somehow felt some Relief, encouragement, and pride.
But why?....He didn't really understand.
Why did Marco look relieved?
Why did he look… proud?
A strange sensation formed faintly in One's chest. Something vaguely familiar and also unfamiliar.
He just didn't have the right words to describe it.
He quickly looked away, still caught in the embrace.
He immediately noticed some scrapped and corroded mechanical modules, plates and heavy rifles releasing thick black smoke and sizzling sounds.
His armor, once sturdy and dependable, was now a ruined shell.
It lay there cracked, corroded fragments, polluted energy having eaten into its structure during the fight.
Marco, who sees his downhearted appearance, finally releases him from the embrace while patting his back.
"Don't worry about that scrapped thing. I'll make a more bigger and refined one for you to play with later. This one was just a test version, so stop feeling so down about its destruction".
He stretched out his right hand towards the scrapped pieces of armour, releasing a humming sound from his body.
The metal pieces on the ground made dull, heavy sounds, the corroded parts stripping away, while the mildly damaged platings assembled together in a puzzle like manners, forming a miniature war truck with energy weapons installed, and a reactor placed inside as the battery. The remaining metals assembled together taking the form of a wireless remote for controlling the machine.
He gives the remote to One with a slightly proud look
"On the meantime, play with this for now, until i get you your new armour" he continued
"So, how does it look?..Do you like it".
One bent down touching the toy truck with an amazed expression. He couldn't help clicking his tongue at how cool and broken Marco's power's worked. He could just create any mechanical construct like that, without any blueprints or material troubles. He received the remote from Marco while putting on a slight smile.
"It looks very cool boss" He spoke with shining eyes.
Marco couldn't suppress the proud smile threatening to split his face in half. He quickly composed himself and asks One what he was doing outside the sanctuary, and where the others were.
One blinked slowly, but still explained everything that has happened since he(Marco) left. He slightly lowered his head with a guilty expression. Imagining how he has almost died to some random abomination just outside the outskirts of the sanctuary, if it wasn't for Marco's quick arrival, he would've...He lowered his head more in disappointment at just how weak he was even with all of Marco's training for 5 years now.
Marco ruffles his head hair with a intrigued expression. He now understands that the boy didn't remember what happened earlier. He thinks I'm the one who saved him. Since he thinks so, might as well just cooperate with it to the end.
"Let's go."
He turned and began walking toward the mechanical vehicle in the distance.
One followed quietly.
Inside the vehicle, Steven remained alert.
When he saw Marco approaching with the seriously battered and dirty One, his expression tightened instantly.
He stepped forward, scanning the surrounding area quickly.
He didn't understand how Marco got here or what he was even doing there. He looks around, not seeing the mecha, but sees a miniature war truck moving slowly behind One via remote control.
Steven exhaled deeply, the tension and confusion draining from his shoulders.
"Almost three hours already," Steven muttered, glancing at them
He then looked at Marco, who understood what he meant.
One has already briefed him on the situation about the agreement with the mutant father and injured daughter. The transaction involving the abomination heads.
"Wait here, I'll be back"
Marco left the vehicle again, leaving Steven and One.
When Steven observed a little, already knowing what he was going to do, but not commenting on it. Then he looked toward One carefully.
Scrutinizing him.
He studied One's face, that usual indifferent expression that revealed almost nothing. But this time, it has a hint of embarrassment and awkwardness.
He couldn't help imagining the kind of situation that took place to enable him to make such an awkward expression. Maybe it was because he couldn't fulfill his bold claim of hunting an two abominations by himself. He could understand though. Abominations weren't headless chickens that could be caught and killed by just anyone. So, he didn't really hold it against him.
A moment later, Marco returned with two black large objects releasing a thick stench of blood and rot.
He handed them to Steven.
He turned toward One.
"Change your clothes, then follow Steven back to the Sanctuary."
Marco continued:
"Complete the trade, but the girl is your responsibility now."
His gaze hardened slightly, not in anger, but in emphasis.
"You risked your life for her. That decision carries weight."
One nodded slowly.
Relief washed over him.
He had expected a reprimand or lecture.
But instead,
He had received a smile, reward, and responsibility.
He realized now that most of his fear had been self-created.
He had overthought everything.
Quietly, he stepped inside the vehicle's inner compartment.
He wiped away blood, sweat, and grime with rough cloths stored along the interior wall. The scent of iron lingered faintly as he cleaned himself.
The water was cold.
But grounding.
He changed into fresh clothing.
His body still felt strained, but lighter now.
When he stepped back out, he picked up the severed abomination heads.
Heavy trophies.
There was a faint trace of pride within him now. Even if he wasn't the One who killed them, his boss's things were also his stuff. So, who killed them didn't really matter.
He walked toward Steven.
Ready.
Not just to complete a transaction,
But to fulfill a responsibility he had chosen himself.
And though his expression remained calm
Something inside him had shifted.
Slightly.
Irreversibly.