"The acceptance of being average in life is the greatest sin one can commit against oneself." - Yardeane

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Alard's eyes shot open, his breaths coming in ragged sharp bursts. He sat up, surprised at how light his body felt from the simple motion.

He looked around the room he found himself in, noting that he was currently at the bottom of a bunk bed. Not that he was complaining.

It had been a while since he had experienced the comfort of any bed.

His eyes pierced through the dark room as easily as if it were lit up with Christmas lights. He pushed his confusion at his newfound night vision to the side, locating the door in the cramped room.

He stumbled toward it, his hazy mind making the simple task feel like a magic trick. He pushed the door open to the terrifying visage of serpentine eyes inches away from his own face, the narrow slits gleaming with...excitement?

"Oh, you're finally up!" A feminine voice yelled as Alard backtracked with his arm up in a defensive position. Before he would never dream of doing anything but running when confronted by a Marked; but now, a confidence that wasn't his own seeped through his body, causing him to size up his could-be adversary.

The girl's slightly pudgy face didn't change at his aggression, her smile unfaltering as she once again closed the distance, breaking Alard's personal bubble.

"How do you feel? Do you hear a voice in your head? You feel lighter on your feet, don't you? Do you think you're stronger than me? Shall we test it?" With each rapid-fire question, she floated up a little more until her 5'6 body hovered at least two feet in the air, causing her to tower over Alard's 5'10 frame.

The elders from his district often told a tall tale of sleep paralysis demons that attacked a person on wake, rendering them immobile. Alard had long since dismissed the nightmarish apparitions as existing only in the minds of the senile, but as he lay eyes on an agitated floating Marked, he would've chosen a confrontation with that over this any day of the week.

"Oh! Where's my manners?" The Marked floated back down to earth. Alard noted how it didn't seem like simple levitation, it was almost like she walked down steps to reach the ground again. The Marked extended a hand. "My name's Neresa, but everyone calls me Nessa. Like Vanessa but without the V-A. Welcome to the team, it's been a while since we had a successful rare parasyte merge, so I'm a bit excited if you couldn't tell."

"Oh, we can tell," a voice droned from the top bed.

Alard turned to see a matching pair of serpentine eyes. As he stretched though, Alard noticed a familiar article of clothing.

A blue blazer.

Blue Blazer had survived his merge after all!

The revelation sparked Alard's memory, causing him to recall the recent events that changed his world forever. The fire to his district, applying to an Underground taskforce, walking miles on miles with an injured ankle, making it to the warehouse, witnessing a failed merge, choosing the rare parasyte, and his talk with the parasyte taking on his form.

The parasyte had accepted him.

"Anyway," Nessa said, shooting Blue Blazer a quick glare, "I've been appointed to be a mentor of sorts to you rookies." She started pacing with her arms behind her back, appearing more like a lousy high-school teacher than the drill sergeant she was going for. "As such, it's my job to monitor your progress and issue this warning. Since this team is located so close to the Wall of Hades, our missions always fall under the dangerous life-threatening category, meaning it's important you shape up quickly."

"And it's also why our newbies die so often," A familiar voice cooed from the doorway.

They turned to see the Marked with the big afro grinning from the doorway.

"Are you trying to scare away my prodigies, Kenneth? I'm not even finished my big speech."

Alard stared at the two in shock as their bickering continued. He had always thought of Marked individuals as giving up their humanity in order to become monsters to defeat their enemies. However, their pointless bickering reminded him of a brother and sister.

"Anyway," Kenneth said, raising his voice to address the entire room and ignoring Nessa who had gotten in his face, "I came here to call you all to a mission debriefing the Boss called. It's a big plus that sleeping beauty has finally awoken."

Alard blinked. "How long was I asleep for?"

"Two whole days. Nessa here was begging to dissect you because we were sure you'd died."

Nessa smiled innocently. "Guilty as charged. I'm glad you made it though, of course. It was my turn to play mentor and I landed a rare Marked."

Somehow, her reasoning made Alard feel more like a piece of meat than anything else.

"We should get going," Kenneth said as Blue Blazer hopped down from the top bunk.

The trio followed Kenneth's lead down a bland white hallway. This clearly wasn't the same warehouse they had been in before.

"So, am I going to be able to walk on air like you did earlier?"Alard asked with genuine curiosity as they walked. A childhood dream of his had been to fly and he figured that would be the closest thing to it.

"No," Nessa said with a tone of finality. "Marked individuals get unique abilities, though it takes a good amount of luck to get a special ability past the given superhuman attribute enhancers. Since you're a rare merger you're bound to receive some sort of added ability, while Hayaka here," she motioned toward Blue Blazer who walked behind them, "might not receive any special ability at all."

Hayaka's soft features hardened into a scowl. "No way I swallowed a damn alien to become a glorified steroid user."

Nessa chuckled. "You would be surprised with how much a glorified steroid user can accomplish in this line of work."

Eventually, the eerie hallway revealed a lone door at the end which Kenneth opened, holding it open for the group's entry.

As Alard was growing accustomed to, no artificial or natural light was permitted entry to the room. Despite its dark ambiance, Alard's eyes adjusted immediately, clearly making out the large table with numerous chairs around its width.

At the head of the table sat the burly Marked Kenneth had referred to as Boss before. He wore a crisp suit and his usual intimidating figure was magnified by a new aura around him that Alard now noticed.

His potent aura called to something within Alard, demanding it submit to its superior. The man turned his head toward Alard, his suffocating aura disappearing like an obedient pet.

"The last rookie woke up, Boss," Kenneth said as he entered behind them. "It's been a while since we've had this many members, huh?"

The boss pointedly ignored Kenneth's comment, instead addressing Alard in a monotone tone. "How are you feeling?"

Despite the man's evident strength, Alard didn't feel the same amount of fear he felt last time. It was as if something had dimmed his fear of monsters. "Aside from a bit lighter on my feet, not much different than usual."

He nodded as if he had expected the response. "You've yet to stretch out your muscles, both your own and your new inhabitant's, so to speak. As such, I'll let both Hayaka and you handle this mission." Hayaka pumped his fists and let out a silent cheer. Upon closer inspection, Alard could see some Asian heritage in his babyface features, which explained his foreign-sounding name. "You two will be accompanied by Neresa."

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Neresa pouted. "How am I supposed to complete the objective when I'm babysitting too?"

"Don't worry, I'll tag along," Kenneth offered.

Neresa nodded. "Very well."

"That settles it then."

"Wait a second," Alard blurted out. "Aren't we going to receive training first?"

Alard had some significant boxing experience, but he highly doubted that would carry him through the supernatural world he was now a part of.

"The best training for a Parasyte user is real-time confrontations with high stakes. This is typically when your Parasyte will first feel the need to assist you due to their own needs of self-preservation."

Alard gulped. Not even an hour after waking up he would be thrown onto the battlefield without even a beginner's manual.

The boss seemed to read his concerns. "Don't stress about it too much, Neresa and Kenneth are both extremely capable. Let me take this opportunity to officially welcome the both of you to the team. This is Aura," he said, motioning toward a quiet girl that sat further down the table. She looked up as Alard studied her, an unfriendly frown piercing her otherwise captivating countenance. "And as for me..." the Boss stood, extending his hand which Alard took in a firm grasp.

"My name is Jarek."

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Thirty minutes later, Alard found himself a part of a motley crew traversing by foot, though not in the traditional way. Rather, the quartet of Underground associates traveled by roof, jumping from one to another with Neresa leading the way.

It had taken quite some getting used to for Alard, especially learning to control his jumps. It was as if he was a babe learning to walk all over again, distributing his weight while keeping a wobbly balance in the starless night sky.

Next to him, Hayaka had caught on much faster, appearing almost as comfortable as their companions sailing from rooftop to rooftop.

Alard idly wondered what would happen if he fell from the four-story height. Would his regeneration kick in? Did he even have regeneration or was that an urban myth?

Don't be daft.

The voice appeared in his head, rising to his mind's surface like an errant thought, yet the voice was unfamiliar.

The intruder's voice caused him to jump farther than he wanted, landing on his side on a rooftop sixty yards away rather than the thirty-yard one he had aimed for.

Neresa laughed as she landed next to him. "What the hell was that?"

Alard sat up, unamused. "I think my Parasyte just talked to me for the first time."

"Ah," Neresa exclaimed, her face brightening, "In that case-

"We don't have time for this." Kenneth hissed, landing next to the pair with Hayaka in tow. He had changed into the uniform that we all now wore. Its simplistic nature resembled a tracksuit but the large emblem of the Underground organization stood in the middle clear as day, displaying what we represented.

Alard always thought it was stupid how they broadcasted their intentions and affiliation to their enemies, negating any sense of stealth with the uniforms, but now, he had a sudden change of heart. He now liked the idea of the government knowing they were coming, knowing he was coming.

"The drop is scheduled for any minute now and we're still a decent ways out. We're gonna have to pick up the pace," Kenneth added, shifting a suspiciously humanoid figure wrapped in a string of bandages strapped onto his back.

"Can you two handle it?"Neresa asked, glancing at the rookie pair.

They nodded in unison.

Alard learned rather quickly how fast enhanced speed actually was. To any onlooker, the group must've been a blur, tapping their feet on the rooftops lightly before bounding forward in one smooth motion.

Alard had to admit, the feeling of floating through the air at supersonic speed beat any skydiving experience previously known to man.

As he traveled, he tried to communicate with the parasyte within but he couldn't figure out how to. He tried thinking of a greeting in his head which after the fifth hey without reply made him start to feel like a crazy person.

Either the parasyte had deemed him unworthy of a response or it was a one-way communication street with only the parasyte being able to initiate the connection.

Eventually, Kenneth skidded to a stop on a rooftop, holding up a closed fist which Alard guessed meant to stop.

The sound of voices forty feet below Alard was suddenly as clear as music on headphones.

He made out idle gossip below and marveled at how easily he was able to distinguish every syllable at this distance. Judging by the way Kenneth peered over the side of the roof, the target was down below.

Neresa joined him. "Do we go in stealthy? It's the rookies' first encounter with Peacocks after all, I don't want them to end up like the last few." She whispered.

Kenneth looked at her stone-faced. Without a word, he leaped off the rooftop, a gleeful grin adorning his features as he fell toward the truck below.

"Fuck that!"

Neresa cursed under her breath as Kenneth landed with a loud crash on top of the truck, killing any hopes of stealth. "He's such a damn kid."

She turned just as Hayaka prepared himself to follow Kenneth's lead. She moved, appearing next to him in a blink of an eye and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Before you two run off I'll give you a brief overview of what to expect from our enemies. The militant group, the Peacocks typically consists of humans but they're equipped with futuristic gear which can harm even the strongest of the Marked."

Alard glanced toward a chorus of wails coming from below. It sounded like Kenneth had the upper hand but did they really have time to discuss this when he was all alone?

"Don't worry, Kenneth will be able to handle them on his own for a while until their backup comes," Neresa said, noticing Alard's concerned glance. "This is a B-ranked mission which means we're likely to face Peacock backup but it's always wise to finish our objective as fast as possible before the Serpens show up."

Rumors of the Serpens had reached even Alard's district, so he didn't need clarification on what the group was. They were government-endorsed Parasyte users, who tended to be quite high up on the aggression scale. Wherever they went, destruction tended to follow, especially when they clashed with Underground groups.

Whole districts had been wiped out in such battles, casting an ever-frightening shadow on the entire nation.

Hayaka grunted, practically bouncing on his toes. "Is that all?"

Neresa sighed, standing up from her crouch. "Try not to die on me, would you? I'm tired of witnessing eager rookies not last past their first outing."

Hayaka nodded, bounding over the rooftop toward the screams and gunfire below before she could stop him again.

Alard marveled at his fearlessness. With no prior training, he hadn't hesitated to jump into the heart of the battle.

On the other hand, Alard was still wondering exactly how powerful the futuristic gear Neresa mentioned was.

Neresa jumped down, leaving Alard on the rooftop alone.

How are you supposed to achieve vengeance when you're scared to take the first step?

Again, the powerful voice intruded into his thoughts. This time, Alard focused on pinpointing exactly where the voice came from.

Diving deep into his mind was a new otherworldly sensation. It was as though his mind was space and Alard, the astronaut, traversed the vast empty space methodically, searching for the planet where the voice had come from. Finally, he found the thread of connection, mentally grasping it and detecting a sinister presence on the other end.

'I'm not scared, caution is best to defeat a strong enemy,' Alard replied.

'Fool. You can't lie to me, you reek of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the known, fear of not being strong enough. Lying to yourself is a pitiful existence.'

Alard gulped, realizing the truth in its words. He now had high expectations due to being the bearer of a rare parasyte, but he had always been average. In his district, nothing great was expected of him, but it didn't matter. There was comfort in being average in a community that encouraged it.

His district had endorsed equality, creating a system where an average person like him could feel just as loved as a person with an infinite pool of talent. Now, his world had spun completely off its axes.

Being average was no longer acceptable for him. Being average would now lead to him ending up like Goatee, dead as a result of a thirst for power, and that scared him. Terrified him, even.

Did he even deserve to be accepted for the merge or was his mediocrity temporarily overshadowed by the strong emotion he showed?

'Your concerns are unwarranted.' The voice boomed. 'Had I not thought merging with you would at least be interesting, I wouldn't have accepted you. You think too much, trapping yourself in your own head. Give in to the primal instincts the merge instilled in you, whether your past self was middling or not, you have evolved. No being I am one with is average.'

Alard digested the unexpected information. Before they had left, Neresa had warned them that the parasyte was a partner and not a friend, aiming to ultimately take over their body. Yet, the parasyte had just encouraged him to fight on.

'Thank you.'

Alard looked up at the night sky where the crescent moon shone like a silver fang among its black canvas. Somewhere up there, he imagined his father looking down, telling him "You're either in or out, half-in wasn't a man's way to do things", as he had said countless times before. The statement rang true now more than ever.

For better or worse, he had made the decision to become a Marked. He was no longer just a human. As the parasyte had said, he had evolved.

Alard released a breath he didn't know he had been holding, running toward the edge of the rooftop.

His speed wasn't average.

He launched off of the edge, soaring through the air like a rocket approaching orbit.

His jump wasn't average.

Regardless of what he might have been in the past, this was a new chapter. The realization warmed Alard.

The average Alard the human had died when he consumed the contents of that vial, in its place now stood Alard the Marked, merged with a rare parasyte he was now less average than even the extraordinary parasyte users.

As he aimed his descent toward a truck that he assumed contained backup a thought popped into his head.

He was damn powerful.