Ivy and Hayze face off in the forest.
Ivy: Why are you following me?
Hayze: I’m here to get my friend back from you.
Ivy lifts her cloak, revealing the ball containing Blair attached.
Ivy: You came after me for her?
Hayze: Yeah, that’s what I said.
Ivy stares at Hayze, confused beneath her mask.
Ivy: Why?
Hayze is caught off guard by Ivy’s question.
Hayze: Didn’t I say she’s my friend? I couldn’t just let you run off with her.
Ivy: You saw what I’m capable of, right? Even if she’s your friend, you can’t be this stupid to believe that you stand a chance against me. What you’re doing is suicide.
Hayze: Whether I stand a chance against you or not doesn’t matter to me. I won’t just stand by and let you take Blair away!
Ivy: But how do you plan to do that if you can’t defeat me? I’ve killed one of your teachers and crippled another, all without getting a scratch on me. So your chances of doing any better are zero.
Hayze: Honestly, I’m unsure, but I will rescue Blair from you.
Ivy is silent for a few moments.
Ivy: Fine, if you really want to fight me, then give it your best shot.
Hayze: Oh, trust me, I will!
Ivy unsheathes her sword, Hayze braces himself, but Ivy doesn’t move.
Hayze: (She lets on the guise of an unstoppable killing machine, yet she’s letting me move first? I’ll take it, but now she’s piqued my curiosity.)
Hayze’s eyes change to red. He presses the red button on his new gauntlet made by Tara, popping out the limb of his fire bow.
Hayze: (This may not be my best choice of an element to combat her with, but it’s the one that I have the most experience with.)
Hayze ignites the bowstring, loads a fire arrow, and aims at Ivy.
Ivy: You think that will work?
Hayze: No.
Hayze fires the arrow; Ivy raises her hand and aims her palm at it.
Ivy: Push.
A force pushes back in the direction of Hayze, smothering the fire arrow and dissipating it instantly. Hayze is pushed back into a tree.
Hayze: (I saw her quirk in action against EMD and Fatal, both versions. A push and a pull, one for defense and one for offense, it’s definitely powerful, but everyone has a weakness, and I’ll find hers!)
Ivy continues staring at Hayze.
Hayze: (Why isn’t she attacking, now is the perfect time…)
Ivy: (He’s actually trying to fight me…)
Hayze reignites the bowstring and aims three arrows at Ivy.
Hayze: Let’s see how you deal with this!
Hayze fires all three arrows at Ivy and uses his pyrokinesis to split the left and right arrows off and redirect them from two other directions.
Hayze: (If her quirk requires her to aim her palm in a specific direction to be activated, then at least two of these arrows should connect.)
Ivy examines the situation; she points her palm at the ground.
Ivy: Push.
Ivy launches herself in the air, causing all three arrows to connect with each other and fizzle out.
Hayze: (So she can use her push force to launch herself as well?)
Ivy lands safely on the ground.
Ivy: Did you really think it would be that easy?
Hayze: No, but I had to try something.
Ivy: A weakling like you shouldn’t have been on the list.
Hayze: List?
Ivy: My Master wouldn’t tell me why you are a priority to him and based on what I’ve seen so far, I can’t figure it out for myself.
Hayze: Wait a second… Master? Do you mean that needle guy?
Ivy: Don’t even joke about that. My Master is a more extraordinary man than Jagger!
Hayze looks visibly confused.
Hayze: (How does someone with this kind of power take orders from someone else? I thought she was just letting “Jagger” call the shots, but no. Not only is she following another person’s commands, but she’s also referring to him as “Master.” Something’s up with this girl…) So what, is your master stronger than you?
Ivy: No, and he doesn’t need to be.
Hayze: Huh…
Ivy: What’s that “huh” for?
Hayze: Let me put it this way if you had to fight him, who would win?
Ivy: I would never fight my master!
Hayze: Could you answer the question?
Ivy: What are you after? Why are you asking these questions?
Hayze: I’m trying to figure out why someone like you, someone who’s capable of killing a pro hero, would be taking orders from another person.
Ivy: Because he is my Master.
Hayze: Okay, I get that, but my question is, why? Because there are only a view reasons people call someone their “Master”: They’re stronger than themselves, they’re teaching them to get stronger, or they’re a slave. Personally, I don’t think you fit into any of those categories.
Ivy scoffs.
Ivy: You couldn’t understand why I call him my Master.
Hayze: Then make me.
Ivy: No, you’re nothing but a stranger to me. I don’t need to explain my affiliation to you.
Hayze: Fine, I still have a fight to win.
Hayze forms a heat grenade in between each of his fingers, for a total of six. He then throws them all at Ivy. Ivy holds her hand out toward them.
Hayze: Heat Grenades!
The six heat grenades explode between Hayze and Ivy, blocking their view of each other. Hayze runs off and climbs a tree.
Hayze: (It’s time to fall back on some old tricks.)
The smoke of the explosion clears, Ivy calmly scans the area for Hayze. Hayze looks at her from the cover of tree leaves.
Hayze: (She’s not worried at all, she doesn’t consider me a threat in the slightest, but that just makes me want to win this fight even more.)
Ivy: (This one… he’s different from anyone I’ve ever fought, he may not be much physically, but there’s something about the way he looks at me.)
Ivy eventually turns her back to Hayze. Hayze loads one of his swords into his bow.
Hayze: (She’s similar to Silver, a defense-first fighter, so let’s see how she does against the move that helped me beat him!)
Hayze fires the sword at Ivy.
Hayze: (I’ve got her!)
Ivy spins around and blocks the sword using her own at the last second.
Hayze: (What! How did she hear that?)
Ivy raises her hand in the direction the sword came from.
Ivy: Pull.
Hayze begins to be pulled from the tree; he quickly wedges his bow limb behind the branch he was standing on and holds on to it for dear life.
Hayze: (It’s like being vacuumed! I can’t break free with my own strength!)
Hayze notices the branch is cracking from the force.
Hayze: (I don’t have much time!)
Hayze creates three heat grenades between his fingers.
Hayze: (I’ll take advantage of her own quirk!)
Hayze lets go of the grenades; they zoom straight towards Ivy. She notices them and ends her attack, causing the grenades to fall to the ground.
Ivy: (Clever.)
Hayze falls out of the tree.
Hayze: *groans*
Ivy starts walking toward him.
Hayze: *groans* Heat Grenades.
The grenades explode, but Ivy merely jumps over the explosion and continues toward Hayze.
Hayze: (This girl is something else… it’s like she was made for this.)
Ivy stops a few yards away from Hayze. He sits up against the tree he fell from.
Hayze: So… how could you tell my sword was coming for you?
Ivy: I knew exactly where you were. I heard the sound of rustling leaves coming from this tree.
Hayze: You- you heard that?
Ivy: Of course.
Hayze: Then why did you-
Ivy: I wanted to lure you into a false sense of security and lower your guard.
Hayze smiles.
Hayze: Ha, you got me on that one.
Ivy clenches her fist.
Ivy: Are you kidding me!
Hayze: What? What is it?
Ivy is quiet for a moment.
Ivy: Why aren’t you afraid of me!
Hayze: Excuse me?
Ivy: You followed me for so long… nobody who has ever seen what I can do, saw what I’m capable of, has ever wanted to challenge me. Yet… here you are laughing over being outplayed by me.
Hayze looks at Ivy with a stern look on his face. Then, he gets to his feet, folds up his bow limb, puts it back in his gauntlet, and his eyes revert to normal.
Hayze: This fight is over.
Ivy raises her sword to him.
Ivy: What are you doing! You better not be giving up!
Hayze: Wasn’t it just a couple of minutes ago that you were telling me I didn’t stand a chance against you? So now the prospect of me giving up makes you mad?
Ivy: Don’t question me!
Hayze: Why did you run for so long before stopping, and why are you tiptoeing around defeating me?
Ivy: What are you saying?
Hayze: I can tell you’re holding back; there’s no point in us continuing this fight.
Ivy: What?
Ivy backs up a few steps.
Ivy: I’m not holding back. I have a mission to complete, and capturing you is a part of that mission.
Hayze: Okay, then why haven’t you done it yet?
Ivy is silent.
Hayze: You could have turned the tables on me while I was chasing you through the forest, yet you kept running. Then you stopped, only to ask me why I was following you. Finally, we get into a fight in which you clearly outmatch me. You could have finished me off right from the start, yet you let the battle go on. You say you’re trying to complete a mission for your Master, but your actions don’t add up.
Ivy remains silent.
Hayze: Who are you?
Ivy is surprised beneath her mask.
Ivy: Wh- what?
Hayze: If you answer my question, I’ll answer your question.
“ Ivy: Why aren’t you afraid of me! “
Ivy hesitates.
Ivy: My name is Ivy. I serve my Master.
Hayze: That’s it?
Ivy: That’s all I am, now answer MY question.
Hayze: I’m here to save my friend. I have one goal as a hero: I want to save everyone, which may seem foolish or impossible, but that’s my dream, and I’m not going to let fear get in my way. Blair doesn’t deserve to be taken away because I was too afraid to save her. You’re powerful, but my will to be a hero is more powerful.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Ivy stares silently at Hayze.
Hayze: Well? Are you satisfied with that answer?
Ivy doesn’t answer.
Hayze: Are you really so shocked that someone wouldn’t look at you with fear?
Ivy: When people see what I’m capable of… when they know the monster that I am, the heartless wench that could hurt anyone she pleases… they all get afraid. Because I’m a danger… a danger to everyone around me.
Ivy flashes back to when she was a child, and none of her classmates could stand to be near her.
Ivy: Nobody wants to be near me if they don’t have to. I let you chase me for so long because no one has ever overcome the fear of me long enough to attempt pursuit. I kept running to see if you would change your mind, but when it became apparent that you were hellbent on chasing me, I stopped.
Ivy pauses.
Ivy: I needed to know the reason… and it wasn't even for yourself… it was for someone else!
Hayze has a concerned look on his face.
Hayze: What about those people you were with at the cabin? They seemed to be okay with you.
Ivy thinks back to when she’s walking through the hallways of Iota’s base, and Jagger and Mara turn in the other direction to avoid her.
Ivy: When everyone looks at you with fear, you learn to sense it, even when they’re not showing it. If I raised my hand near Jagger, he would start begging for his life.
Hayze stares at Ivy.
Hayze: (This girl… what kind of life has she lived? Her power is impressive, but for people to treat her like she’s some kind of monster for it? That’s insane.) Can I ask you something?
Ivy doesn’t answer.
Hayze: Your Master… does he care about you?
Ivy continues to stay silent.
Hayze: Are you not responding because you don’t know or because you’re afraid of the answer?
Ivy keeps staring at Hayze.
Hayze: I think I understand why a girl as powerful as you would take orders from someone else. You’ve clearly lived a pretty harsh life, so I bet it’s because he doesn’t look at you with fear in his heart like everyone else.
Ivy looks away.
Ivy: No… he does not.
Hayze: But does he care about you?
Ivy is quiet for a few moments, then breaks her silence.
Ivy: My Master gave me a purpose to be alive in this lonely world… I do his bidding, and he treats me like a normal human being, not as a dangerous monster.
Hayze: You care about him a lot, don’t you?
Ivy: I… I guess I do.
Hayze: And you’re willing to go to great lengths to protect him?
Ivy: Of course.
Hayze: Well, then what’s he willing to do to protect you?
Ivy: I… I…
Ivy gets quiet.
Hayze: Sure, maybe he doesn’t fear you like everyone else does. But it doesn’t seem like he cares at all about helping others do the same! If he doesn’t want you to be viewed as a dangerous monster by everyone else, why is he ordering you to kill good people like EMD! He doesn’t even try to quell your teammates' fears of you? It sounds to me like he’s using you for his own gain, and once you’ve served his purpose, he’ll throw you away.
Ivy pushes Hayze against the tree and holds her sword to his neck.
Ivy: He would never do that!
Hayze: How sure are you about that?
Ivy doesn’t answer.
Ivy: He says nice things to me that nobody, not even my own parents, ever said!
Hayze: Does he mean those things, or is he just saying what you want to hear?
Ivy lowers her sword, sheaths it, and starts walking away.
Hayze: Where do you think you’re going? I’m not letting you leave with Blair!
Ivy: I know you’re trying to use your psychological tricks on me… trying to make me think my Master would betray me. I don’t care if he’s only using me for his own gain because I am gaining too.
Hayze: How?
Ivy: At least I’m useful to someone; everyone else wants to lock me away and throw away the key. It’s okay if he doesn’t actually care about me, even if his kind words are lies. At least someone is saying them to me. I’m a monster, a cold-blooded killer, and I don't deserve to be cared about.
Hayze grinds his teeth.
Hayze: Says who!
Ivy stops walking. She turns around and looks back at Hayze.
Hayze: We all deserve to have someone who loves and cares about us; no matter what bad things we’ve done in our lives, we all deserve that person. You shouldn’t want to be used! You should want to be cared for!
Silence.
Ivy: That doesn’t matter.
Hayze: And why not?
Ivy removes the glove on her left hand and holds the back of her hand out towards Hayze.
Hayze: Huh!
Hayze has a shocked look on his face. Ivy reveals her pink Iota symbol on her left hand.
Ivy: What I want is irrelevant, I’ve sworn my life to my Master, and I will always serve him loyally. Your words are nothing to me.
“ Man: Just call me Iota. “ - Chapter 24
Ivy resumes her departure.
Hayze: If my words are nothing to you, then why are you walking away from me! I thought you were supposed to be capturing me!
Ivy stops.
Ivy: (Wait… why am I walking away from him? He’s on the list… I need to capture him, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to do it… did I let him get in my head? No! Everything he said was a lie!)
Ivy stands there dead silent.
Jagger: *from afar* Ivy!
Hayze sees Jagger limping out of the woods up to Ivy.
Jagger: Ivy, help me! Those bastards got me good! We don’t have long before Zaire shows up to-
Jagger notices Hayze.
Jagger: What the? Why haven’t you captured him yet! He barely even has a scratch on him!
Ivy doesn’t answer.
Jagger: Ivy? Answer me!
Ivy doesn’t answer. Jagger gets a worried look on his face as he turns to Hayze as he’s picking his sword up off the ground.
Hayze: You don’t seem like you’re doing that good. It would be a shame if I put you out of your misery.
Jagger looks afraid, he turns to Ivy.
Jagger: (What’s going on? Why’s she not doing anything?)
Hayze starts walking towards Jagger.
Jagger: (Is this her way of getting back at me for all the times I’ve mistreated her? Come on! I don’t want to die!)
Jagger sees the ball containing Blair on Ivy’s belt. He unhooks it and holds it out to Hayze.
Jagger: Let’s make a deal! You let me and Ivy leave, and we’ll give you your friend back!
Hayze lowers his sword.
Hayze: What’s the catch?
Jagger: There’s no catch; I’ll even give her to you before we start leaving!
Hayze: (He’s in bad shape, those burn marks don’t look like they’re from Silver or Eve, and he doesn’t have Ash anymore… somebody else must have arrived and helped them knock him around.)
Hayze looks down at Jagger’s belt.
Hayze: (They were able to get Ash back, and he doesn’t have anyone else. He had to have snuck away before they could finish him off. He’s only giving me this offer because he’s desperate. Ivy isn’t helping him, and I’m nearly full strength. I could try my luck and attempt to take him down, but if Ivy intervenes, I’ll have a problem.) Deal.
Jagger breathes a sigh of relief.
Jagger: Good.
Jagger throws Blair’s ball to Hayze. He then turns to Ivy.
Jagger: Ivy, we’re leaving now! Please wake up! I can’t get home without you!
Hayze: (He can’t?)
Jagger looks panicked.
Jagger: Come on, Ivy! We can’t miss the rendezvous!
Hayze: (What happens if they get left behind? I mean, besides the obvious, there’s gotta be something more… he seems absolutely terrified.)
Ivy turns her head towards Jagger, startling him. Ivy then looks back at Hayze for a moment.
Ivy: Fine, let’s go.
Ivy helps Jagger as the two run away from Hayze.
Hayze: (That girl… I can’t even put into words how to describe her. On the one hand, she’s probably the most dangerous person I’ve ever met, and she’s not even in her prime. But… on the other hand, I can’t help but feel sorry for her. There’s probably even more to her story than she told me.)
“ As Hayze enters the forest, he passes by EMD’s body. He glances towards it and notices water on his cheek.
Hayze: (Are those tears?) “ - Chapter 32
Hayze: (The area beneath EMD’s eyes was dry… so those tears couldn’t have been his. They were Ivy’s. She didn’t want to kill him… but she had to… because her Master told her to.)
Hayze glances at the ball containing Blair.
Hayze: (I wanna figure out the mystery of Ivy because just like I saved Blair, I think I can help her too, and even if I can’t, that doesn’t mean I won’t try.)
Hayze starts walking back to the cabin.
Hayze: (That symbol… that guy… there has to be a correlation… there has to…)
Mara looks after Yusuf and Julio at the cliff that Jagger and Zaire looked over the cabin from. Adonis is also there holding his eye.
Mara: Put pressure on that bandage to help the bleeding, Yusuf.
Yusuf: Okay, thanks Mara.
Mara: No problem.
Julio: I can’t believe we got our asses handed to us and had to get taken back here early. I feel so useless.
Mara: Ivy ordered me to bring you guys back, and you know I’m not gonna oppose what she says.
Julio: Yeah, I know. I’d probably do the same if that chick told me to do anything.
Yusuf: Speaking of Ivy, where are she and the others?
Adonis: Darian was captured at the cabin.
Mara, Yusuf, and Julio are all shocked and then mourn him.
Julio: Damn… poor guy.
Mara: He’ll be missed.
Yusuf: What about Jagger or Clay?
Adonis: Adonis doesn’t know.
The four of them hear rustling in the forest behind them. Ivy and Jagger walk out.
Yusuf: Jagger! There you are!
Mara runs to them.
Mara: Jagger, are you alright?
Jagger: I’m fine, just a little banged up.
Ivy hands Jagger to Mara and walks away.
Yusuf: Did you guys capture anyone?
Jagger: No, we each had one of them, but I got chased down and lost mine in the battle, then I found Ivy, and we had to give away the other in a deal so that we could get back here on time.
Mara: Wait, you had to negotiate even though Ivy was there?
Yusuf: There must have been a lot of them there, right?
Jagger: Just one.
They all turn their attention to Ivy.
Julio: Are you kidding me? You couldn’t take down one guy! Why do we even keep you around?
Ivy lifts her cloak to reveal her sword; they all get scared and stop looking at her.
Jagger: What’s done is done. Where is Clay?
Adonis: He’s not back yet.
Jagger: Dammit… and it’s almost time to go.
A warp gate opens, Zaire steps out.
Zaire: Ah, I see six of you made it back, in varying conditions. How many did you capture?
Nobody answers.
Zaire: You lost two of your men and have nothing to show for it, Jagger?
Jagger: Yes, and I take full responsibility.
Julio: What about Ivy! Her uselessness cost us one of the ones you captured!
Ivy unsheathes her sword. Everyone gets worried.
Zaire: Ivy, there’s no need for that, and Julio, let’s not play the blame game. Jagger was in charge, so he’s responsible.
Ivy puts her sword away.
Zaire: Head home and recover; it was a long night.
All six of them walk through the warp gate.
Zaire: (Now for me to give my report.)
Zaire closes the gate and opens a new one that he walks through. A warp gate opens inside of Iota’s control room. Zaire walks out of it, and it closes behind him. Iota is sitting in his chair.
Iota: How did it go?
Zaire: They failed. 0 students were successfully captured.
Iota: That’s fine, and how many made it back?
Zaire: Six; Clay and Darian were left behind.
Iota: Even after I gave Clay my assistance, he still lost? That’s a shame. Losing Darian also isn’t ideal, but at least they accomplished their mission.
Zaire: What do you mean, sir? They didn’t bring any of the students back.
Iota: Remember what I told you, Zaire, this mission was also about striking fear into this peaceful world of ours, and they definitely succeeded with that regardless of whether they captured anyone.
Zaire: Yes, Master.
Iota: Anyway, I guess I should tie up loose ends.
Zaire: Yes, Master.
The Iota Ring begins glowing, Iota closes his eyes.
Iota: This is always my least favorite part of the job.
Back at the cabin, Darian lays in his bubble on top of the mound of Silver, crying.
Darian: (Oh god, I definitely missed the rendezvous. I can’t believe Jagger left me here like this… Master Iota is gonna-)
(Iota): (Gonna what?)
Darian: AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
(Iota): (I know, Darian, it pains me to do this.)
Darian: (Master Iota, please! I won’t tell anyone about you, not even a peep! Nothing! I swear! Please don’t do this!)
(Iota): (Darian, my boy, you know what the punishment is for being captured, I have to do this to be fair to those before you.)
Darian: (PLEASE DON’T!)
(Iota): (Goodbye, Darian.)
Darian: (NO, PLEASE DON’T MASTER IOTA!)
Darian starts to feel extreme head pain.
Darian: AHHHHHHHHH!
He starts foaming from the mouth and passes out from the pain. His bubble glows for a few moments and then disappears.
Darian: *gargling foam*
Aaron is walking with Alexis, Karma is carrying Clay, and is Wes crawling behind them.
Wes: Please! Wait up!
Aaron: No!
The Iota symbol on Clay’s back shoulder starts to glow.
Clay: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Aaron: What’s going on?
Karma: I don’t know!
Karma drops Clay on the ground. Clay starts foaming from the mouth and then passes out from the pain.
Alexis: Um, what just happened?
Clay’s Iota Symbol disappears from his shoulder.
Aaron: It was probably just idiot rage. Wes gets that from time to time. Nothing to worry about.
Wes: Fuck you!
Aaron: No!
Wes crawls over and notices a piece of paper sticking out of Clay’s pocket.
Wes: Huh? What’s this?
He grabs and unfolds it; he gets a worried expression on his face.
Wes: Uh, guys?
Elsewhere, Demetri, Isaiah, and Eve walk through the woods. Demetri’s pocket starts glowing. He pulls out Ash’s ball and holds it in his hand.
Isaiah: What’s going on?
The ball disappears, and Ash, at normal size, appears in Demetri’s hand, causing him to fall over.
Eve: Ash! You’re okay!
Ash: Yeah… I guess… it was bizarre in there…
Isaiah: You might want to stand up.
Ash looks down and sees she is sitting on Demetri’s hand.
Demetri: Don’t tell her!
Ash: Eek!
Ash quickly stands up. Eve starts kicking the shit out of Demetri.
Eve: YOU FUCKING PERVERT!
Demetri: AHHHHHHH!
Jace, Alden, and Zach are taking a break.
Zach: We should get moving again.
Jace: Yeah, it’ll be sunrise soon.
Alden: Can you guys let me do anything? I feel like I came out here for nothing…
Jace: *sighs* Here, you can hold the guys that got captured.
Zach: You sure we should trust him with that?
Jace: What’s he gonna do?
Alden: Thank you so much, Joyce!
Jace: I already regret this decision…
Jace gives Alden the balls containing Gus, Angel, and Justus.
Alden: I won’t let you guys down!
The balls start glowing.
Jace: Uh…
Zach: What’s going on?
Alden: I think they’re happy you trusted me with them!
The balls disappear, and the full-size versions of Angel (unconscious), Gus (unconscious,) and Justus appear, crushing Alden’s arms under their weight.
Justus: I’m free?
Zach: Justus! You’re okay!
Alden: HELP ME!
Jace: No.
Blair appears in front of Hayze from her ball. She’s still out cold from the poison.
Hayze: Great… now I have to carry her.
Blair: *sleep talking* I’ll kill you.
Hayze: Why is she so terrifying…