Chapter 141: Quinn Larisch (Part 13, Final)
Zeris stood only a few feet from Scar before suddenly disappearing as a loud cracking sound went off, and Scar jumped awake. At that moment, it was like Zeris turned invisible. A few seconds later, another loud cracking sound resonated further down the mountain, and Scar ran off to check it out. While Scar scurried away, I looked back to where Scar had just come from, and I saw a fake version of me slumped against the tree I had sat down against earlier.
My brows knitted in confusion while more booming, cracking sounds detonated from every direction around me. The illusion was already gone when I glanced back to where the fake me was sitting. I realized then that Zeris must possess some sort of realm ability or mind ability that can confuse people’s senses.
That was the only explanation I could come up with then, and it's still the only one that makes sense now. Why else did Scar keep running around like a headless chicken while I kept hearing the same noises he was? Our senses being toyed with is the only logical explanation.
Scar eventually returned for his backpack and ran down the mountain, but Zeris's sudden appearance brought Scar to a halt. Keeping my distance and staying hidden, I watched the two interact briefly before I couldn’t believe my ears.
Whether it was brought out by cockiness or divestment, Zeris mentioned the name Armaros, triggering the chain reaction of memories to return to Scar. And what followed was a mesmerizing battle of two of the most powerful iris-wielders I’ve ever seen fight in person. I hadn’t been directly involved in the frontlines of the war, but I wondered if this was what it was like for Kane.
Unfortunately, although the battle was intense and nail-biting, a few things I hoped would happen… didn’t. Zeris never used his kadil abilities in their most potent form but still defeated Armaros. The two spoke for a while, but I wasn’t close enough to eavesdrop on what they were saying before Armaros managed to escape Zeris. I was hoping Armaros would win the fight, but even without using his best weapon, Zeris looked to have the upper hand.
It’s unlucky… having Zeris out of the way and stealing the monarch's ability would’ve changed everything, but the outcome of the battle was something out of my control.
I didn’t know where to go after that, but I didn’t make it far before Zeris located where I was. He demanded to know if I overrode Scar’s memories so he would remember that he was Armaros, and I denied such allegations. Without acknowledging my answer, Zeris asked why I was running away then. I replied that since he failed to kill Armaros… if I were to stick around and continue acting like I was his friend, I’d probably end up getting killed myself.
Zeris didn’t appreciate the tone and delivery of my response, and I was pummeled for the next couple of hours. I couldn’t fight back either; Zeris had Kane’s contact on standby, and retaliation would only worsen things. I lost count of how many punches were thrown at me again, and I was constantly tossed around in the dirt like a ragdoll. Blood from Zeris’s fist mixed in with my own, causing my tattered clothes to be dyed with splotches of dark red.
I don’t know whether it was because Zeris was running low on iris or he was trying to decide the entire time whether I should be spared… but the pummeling eventually ceased. And as he stopped, Zeris gave me one final warning and request: that I won’t get off as easy the next time I attempt to undermine him and that killing Scar is up to me now. He didn’t need to tell me about what failure would result in.
I had no energy or motivation to return to camp that night, so I slept in the dirt. My iris healed most of my wounds overnight, but I still looked like a mess in the morning.
Without any word from Zeris with the sunrise, I set off toward camp, but with an injured leg, making the walk back twice as long. Once I was back, I was extremely fatigued and low on iris. I was hoping I could just relax, but Ember immediately used me as a hostage. I still haven’t forgiven her.
Once things settled down, though, I was asked what had happened, especially since I was alone and Scar hadn’t returned to camp yet. I also wanted to learn why he hadn’t, but the story came first. I'd lose any remaining sway if they didn’t believe my word.
I decided to fabricate a story that was a half-truth, drawing on different experiences I’ve gone through since the trials began. I had to lie and say Scar intentionally separated from me, which drew some skeptical expressions, but I think I played it off well. The torture aspect of the story was easy to reiterate; it was impossible to forget what I went through not once but twice with Zeris. I didn’t even mean to get emotional as I recalled the gritty details of my experience with Zeris... but all I could think about was my parents. Let's just say I didn’t exactly keep a very steady voice from that point onward.
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Nobody questioned my story once I was done, and I was relieved. I then learned about what Zeris had done to everybody else. The only thing that made me sweat was the mention that one of us remembered our life before the trials, but luckily, Cliff never got a name for who that was. As for the rest, I wasn’t very surprised by what Zeris had done to them, but I still felt something for each person who was killed. It just felt wrong… nobody deserved to die like that.
We then had less than three days to survive and pass the rest of the trials, but things grew far more complicated when Scar arrived at camp and immediately killed Cliff in cold blood. Zeris hadn’t said anything to me in over a day… perhaps he was enjoying my precarious situation. Because with Cliff dead, the others understood the harsh difference in power between themselves and Scar.
They obeyed him out of fear. And so did I.
My heart hasn’t stopped racing since that moment. Scar dictated everything, but I wasn’t out of the game yet. If he ever decided to use orasi, Scar would see I was an iris wielder. I still don’t know if he knows I am one, but based on some of his sly comments, I’m betting he does. But I still had cards to play. When Scar enforced going to the maze that night, I decided to stand against him, and luckily, some people sided with me. I couldn’t risk using override, so that was clutch.
Ember was the only other iris wielder besides Scar. I concocted a plan that if I used override to make Ember remember her ability, we might be able to put up a fight against Scar together. As for Sky, I was grateful that her optimism and strength would be present. I could hardly even hear myself speaking by that point, and those traits helped put me at ease. And lastly, Faith was somebody who could bring balance to our group merely by being there.
I was thankful those three sided with me, and the four of us told Scar that we wanted to stay at camp. But as I assumed, Scar wouldn’t allow our group to stay. We were forced to go to the maze anyway, but Scar decided to separate our two groups once we were there.
Our group's job was to go in first and weed out all the maze traps, which was ideal then. Yes, I needed to kill Scar at some point, but if only one could remain, then we’d be forced to cross paths again at one point or another. Back then, all I wanted was to get away from him.
Leading up to the point the two of us separated, though, I couldn’t get close enough to Scar to where I could override him. He remained wide awake while most slept inside the cave, and every time I would get close to him and attempt to speak with him, Scar would maintain his distance. It was irritating because just one singular use of override would take a massive weight off my shoulders. So, I just had to continue following his orders until I got my chance.
Unfortunately, though, that chance never came by.
Acting on my own accord within the mazes, I manipulated people, whoever and whenever I needed to, to draw out bits of information I needed to track down Scar. As long as I didn’t override anybody too drastically, I was willing to erase any minor memories necessary to accomplish this near-impossible goal.
My parents will understand when I tell them. I know they will.
And weirdly, I no longer felt like I was the prey being hunted… I felt like I was the hunter.
And my target… is Scar.
***
Peering over the edge at Armaros and Alex, who are locked in a fearsome staredown within a dug-out arena, Quinn conjures two disks into his palms and rests his eyes on the man he must kill.
As Quinn secretly watches from above, Armaros and Alex size each other up within the tense setting that’ll soon become a dusty arena. Armaros’s expression is emotionless and blank, as it has been since the beginning, while Alex’s countenance twitches with fury, wrath boiling inside him.
“Before we start…” huffs Alex, his breath laced with fire. “Two years ago, you stole a woman and killed an innocent child. Why?”
“I was on a mission for my country, and I had been instructed to seize the pure wielder and bring them back to Racafi. As for the child, I was ordered to kill any relatives with the same bloodline as the pure. The report indicated there was a mother, a father, and a child. Hence, the child was a target that had to be eliminated.”
Alex’s gaze narrows, and rage nearly causes him to attack prematurely, but he keeps his head straight enough to continue the conversation.
“That woman you stole for her power was my mother, and that innocent child you killed was my sister. My father is named Kane, and he defeated you once before.”
“Are you saying you’re related to the pure?” asks Armaros.
“The pure you keep referring to was named Marissa. And that little girl you killed was named Hailey. Hailey was not the direct descendant of my parents, but we treated her as if she were our own blood,” says Alex, his tattoos beginning to radiate a fiery glow. “I am the one carrying the blood of the pure and the guardian of Iasa, and I’ll defeat you just like my father did. Only this time… you won’t live to tell it.”
Armaros’s eyes begin to glow a divine silver, “I see. So the one I actually need to eliminate… is you, Ace.”
Transforming his arms and hands into flaming razorblades, flares flicker off Alex’s fingertips as sizzles begin to ruminate throughout the arena. Manifesting a mirror behind him, Armaros smashes it open, swiftly grabbing two flying shards and molding their shape into his trademark dagger design.
As both channel iris into their lower bodies, they launch themselves toward each other.
Bursting himself forward with flames beneath his feet, Alex manages to keep up with Armaros’s initial burst. The two meet in the middle of the arena, clashing against one another as the fight officially commences.