Chapter 105: Threat

Hunter and I recapped everything we knew about the maze for Scar. Neither of us omitted any details, no matter how insignificant they may have been. We told Scar and Delta how we utilized the cave's tree markings and translations to solve a code that opened a doorway to the maze. Then there was the pressure plate, traps, the route we took, and more… we covered each aspect in great depth, including… yeah, to my relief, Hunter covered most of that part.

Besides the spare question from Scar that was often asked for clarification's sake, our juggled explanation ran rather fluidly. Delta remained so laser-focused and quiet that it was… honestly, pretty scary to see her so invested and willing to learn.

Once we were done, Scar brought a hand to his chin, “As much as I hate to say it, we will most likely be forced to depend on the beacons and map model. Hm…”

I hold up a hand, “That much is obvious, but before we get ahead of ourselves… I think you should explain how your powers work. Our strategy will be far more efficient if we know what you can do.”

Despite the reasoning that I’ve given for why Scar should tell us about his powers… I am just really curious. Why is it that only Scar and Ace have these special abilities? Do we all have unique powers but have forgotten how to use them? So many unanswered questions.

“Well, I did say I would…” reluctantly groans Scar. “How should I begin…? Without your memories, maybe I should… no, some of you might not be able to comprehend such a thing… yeah, I guess I could probably start there…”

He scratches the back of his neck, “My powers stem from a life energy called ‘Iris’. And just so I get this out of the way, no iris flows within any of you. Anyway, think of this... iris... as essential to my body as blood is to yours. Iris courses through my arms, legs, chest, and every other part of my anatomy."

His glass blade suddenly vanishes as Scar walks over and picks up the steel sword resting beside the pile of blood. He walked back over, and after making sure we were all paying attention, Scar carefully punctured the palm of his hand with the tip of the sword. Then, turning his hand upside down, Scar exhibited drops of scarlet trickling out of his palm and falling to the ground.

“My body was once the same as yours. I still have blood, a heart, a brain, lungs... all of that is still part of me. The only difference between yourselves and I is that I also…” Scar trails off as he pulls up his hand and shows his open palm to all of us, his fingers spread apart. Right before our eyes, the tiny wound he had just created was already healing, “... possess iris.”

“What in the world…? You’re telling me you can’t ever get hurt?” childishly asks Hunter, the blatant stupidity in his question making me roll my eyes.

Scar points at his face and says, “If that were really the case, you think this would still be here?”

“N-no… I guess not,” says Hunter as he timidly sits back, making himself appear smaller.

Moving on, Scar explains, “With iris, my body heals injuries faster, but that doesn’t mean I’m invincible. My body is still, in a sense, human. For instance, if my body were to acquire many injuries, iris would not be able to heal all of them simultaneously, especially if they’re severe… I apologize. I’m getting a little off track from your question, Forest.”

“I don’t mind. The more we know, the better,” I reassure, and Hunter nods in agreement.

“Alright, well, I’ll keep things brief for time's sake. With iris, you are… for lack of a better term, capable… of manifesting an ability. I have two abilities. The first is one that you have already seen…”

Scar suddenly vanishes and reappears behind us a moment later, his display of power again catching looks from the other team.

“It's called ‘Rift flow’. It’s not exactly teleportation… just think of it as a faster method of travel available to only me. With rift flow, I can move across a short distance in a very minuscule amount of time, like this…”

As he showcases this ‘rift flow’ power multiple times in a row, I lost count of how many times he used the ability by the time he stopped. I think I counted eight times.

“And my second power…” says Scar, a small rectangular mirror suddenly manifesting beside him, motionlessly suspended in the air. After balling his right hand into a fist, Scar smashes it into the mirror, and shards fly everywhere, scattering onto the ground.

“Is called ‘Kathos’. This mirror can forge any object or weapon I wish for. Go on, pick one.”

I hold in the desire to grumble. He could be better at explaining…

“Ummm, how about… a scythe!” says Hunter, doing a terrible job hiding the curiosity in his voice.

“Shouldn’t be a problem…” says Scar, sticking his hand inside the mirror and pulling it back out a second later, clutching a glass scythe.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Woah… so that’s how he created that dagger earlier, and it seems whatever he creates is entirely made of glass…

“Any other requests?” asks Scar, the scythe suddenly disappearing. “Oh, and I can also… what’s the best word for this… deactivate? Yeah… I can deactivate anything I bring out of this mirror, and it’ll vanish. Back on topic, though, does anyone else have any requests?”

I speak up, slightly unsure of myself, “You said you could make objects, too, right? Are you able to create like... armor?”

Scar hums, “I can, but it wouldn’t do you much good. Only I can wield whatever comes from inside this mirror. The armor would resist you if you forcibly tried to touch it. Think of it as trying to put together two magnets. If you attempt to make them touch with similar poles, such as north to north or south to south, they’ll repel away from one another. Here, I might as well show you…”

After retrieving what looked to be an armored chest plate, Scar held it out in front of me and asked me to try and place a finger on it. As I reached my hand out, it was almost like an invisible barrier was blocking my finger from physically touching the chest plate.

“Okay, now lower your arm,” calmly says Scar, and I listen.

He lightly taps the chest plate against my shoulder, and my eyebrows raise in surprise.

“Just because you can’t wield it doesn’t mean the object can’t touch you. However, the difference there was that I was the one who moved it, not you. Let’s say by some off-chance that you did manage to seize control of a glass item of mine that is totally out of my possession… your skin wouldn’t be able to handle its sharpness. It would cut your body up before you even knew what hit you. On the other hand, my body is naturally compatible with this power, so the glass can't cut me.”

Huh, that's why he didn't use his blade earlier to puncture his palm... it wouldn't have done anything. And no kidding, he cut straight through Cliff’s upper body like it was butter earlier.

So once again, this power is unique only to Scar, and nobody else can benefit from his abilities unless it’s by his command. I see why he was so willing to share his special powers with us. Despite whatever our intentions may have been, good or bad… there was no risk for Scar telling us because we don’t benefit at all from knowing.

In fact… it’s reasonable to assume now that Scar wanted to tell us, even going as far as to show us. That way, he would spark bits of fear in our hearts, whether we were that he did so or not. And by being swept with a constant fright of what he is capable of at every passing second, we would willingly oblige and listen to whatever he commands us to do… without possessing the strength to speak up against or disobey him.

“Are you… hmph, I just want to see if there’s a limit to what you can make,” says Delta, her arms folded across her chest. “What about a crown? Can you make something as detailed as that?”

“Of course, I can,” says Scar, the chest plate vanishing into thin air as he brought a crown out next.

As he did so, Delta walked over to him and studied the crown that Scar clutched in his right hand.

After a short period, she huffed in disapproval and walked away, “Not very detailed for a crown.”

“Well, I’ve never been the creative type,” says Scar, unbothered. “My powers have a few other benefits, but you all got the gist about how they work. It’s already late in the afternoon. We need to start gathering whatever we need for the trip.”

The crown and mirror swiftly vanish as Scar concludes his display of powers.

“Is there anything else you want to know about, Forest?” he asks me.

“No… while your abilities are powerful, they won’t do much good for the rest of us. It’s clear that you are still withholding some other things, too, but if you had already decided not to mention ‘em, I take it you believe those aspects about your powers a waste of time to go over.”

“Not much gets past you. You’ll be of great help out there,” says Scar, his expression and tone just as nonchalant as ever, but his choice of words catches my attention.

Crap, have I made myself a target? Hm… no. Let’s not go that far yet. Scar already knew I was sharp; he had said as much before. Scar hasn’t shown me any signs of hostility since we began our conversation besides that last sentence. Additionally, he worded it in a way that wouldn’t attract doubt from either Hunter or Delta.

He’s good. If it comes to it, eventually getting the upper hand on him will be quite the challenge. As of now, I’m not a target that he feels the need to get rid of, but Scar definitely has made it clear that he won’t be taking his eyes off me, and he wants me to know that.

What’s his game? What’s he playing at? And how will Hunter and Delta factor in?

“Alright, let’s get ready. Water, clothes, food, stack up on all of that,” sounded Scar, fixing his attention toward the supply corner, where Code’s group is still having a seated conversation. “I’m going to go get what we really need.”

After saying that, Scar walked off in their direction. Delta quickly disappeared inside her tent, leaving only Hunter and I.

Intrigued to see where his head was, I subtly asked, “What do you think?”

“Think of what?” he replied, confused about my question.

Should’ve known he wouldn’t have read the room. Although I would’ve liked to have a socially dependable partner, it looks like I’ll have to work alone for the most part. It’s better that way if my teammate can’t be relied on, and Hunter doesn’t exactly fit the bill of what I deem to be ‘reliable’.

I sigh, “Never mind, I’m going to go over and see what Scar is saying. You should probably start preparing yourself for the trip. By the looks of it, we won’t be coming back here… I recommend bringing only the essentials and some other stuff that won’t inhibit your speed or stamina.”

“Right, same goes for you. See you soon,” replied Hunter, the two of us parting ways.

Approaching Scar, I pick up on the conversation in front of me. Well… a conversation isn’t exactly the appropriate term here. It was more like…

A threat.

“Hand over the stuff. I have no reason to hurt you guys. Don’t give me one,” coldly says Scar, a coat of transparent silver intimidatingly brimming off the silhouette of his body.

Glancing at the faces of the other group, they were all soiled in discontent.

This… could get ugly.