Chapter 169: The Iris Classes (Part 1)
Zeris’s Cottage: Training Room
“First, we’ll start with the elemental category. Alex, since everybody knows you have fire abilities, you mind going first?” asks Zeris, shaking the iris scanner.
With a sigh, Alex walks over and holds his right arm to Zeris. Scanning his tattoo, a moment passes before various data panels project themselves in the air.
“Like I said, completely harmless. All this data is about Alex’s ability,” explains Zeris, spinning the main description panel around.
“Arid inferno… name could be worse,” notes Ember.
“Thanks?” responds Alex. “Am I done?”
“Well considering what you did in stage one, yeah, I don’t think anyone needs a demonstration,” says Zeris. “Alright, next, we’ll remain within the external class. The particle category. Quinn, you’re up.”
Not seeing a reason to argue or hide his ability any longer, Quinn walks over and pulls up his shorts to reveal a tattoo on his right thigh. Scanning the tattoo, the information about Alex’s ability disappears and is replaced by Quinn’s.
‘Name: Discast. Category Type: Ano / Particle.’
“I thought you could only alter memories?” asks Forest.
“No, I have two abilities. I’m a dual iris wielder.”
“That’s kinda cool,” says Sky.
Clearing his throat, Zeris gestures for a brief demonstration to Quinn. A dark green aura sparks in his eyes; Quinn produces three glowing dark green discs from his palm and rolls them to be placed between each of his fingers on his right hand. Turning to the closest wall, Quinn throws all three at once, and one after the other, with a thunk, they plant themselves into the wall with authority.
Looking back toward everybody, Quinn asks, “Need anything else?”
“No, that’s good. Now, for those still learning about iris, why do you think Quinn’s ability is a particle ability and not from a different category?”
“Uh… it looked like he used iris to create those discs. You said ano abilities can transmute iris into different shapes and forms, so… yeah, that’s… what I got,” unconvincingly says Hazel, making herself smaller.
“You’re not wrong, but couldn’t that also be said for Alex? He uses iris to create his elemental flames, so where does the particle category differentiate itself?” proposes Zeris.
Nobody says anything for a few seconds, so Quinn says, “Look at my feet, guys.”
Glancing down at Quinn’s feet, they notice small cracks have formed along the ground.
“Wait, those weren’t there before,” says Sky.
Ember brings a hand to her chin, “No, they weren’t… Zeris, could you show us the information for the particle category again?”
“Absolutely.”
First, he resets the iris scanner so the data about Quinn’s ability disappears. Zeris then clicks a few buttons on his watch, and a panel for the particle category pops up in the air.
‘Ano / Particle Class. Iris wielders with particle abilities can break down and reconstruct the atomic design of matter using iris. With this act, they are able to quickly transmute, transform, or adapt the selected object or thing into something else under the means of their abilities description. One example of this could be transforming a chair into a sword. However, because iris is a form of energy and not matter, particle users require an additional substance of matter to be able to use their ability.’
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Ember mumbles the final sentence to herself again before raising her voice to say, “Ohhh, I get it. Quinn used the matter from the ground for his ability and transmuted those atomic particles to create those discs using iris.”
“Exactly. How’s that sitting with everybody else? The particle category is one of the more difficult ones to grasp, so no judgment if you’re struggling.”
“I think I’m okay,” says Sky, looking at Hazel and Forest with a nervous grin. “I at least understand Quinn’s ability.”
They nod confidently with that consensus, and Zeris says, “I’m impressed. So the final category for the external class is the realm category, also called ‘Resu’. If you recall from yesterday, these wielders can create a realm around them that offers an advantage or benefit to some capacity.”
“Right,” voices Forest.
“I got a realm ability, and I don’t mind showing it to you all, but I think it’d be more fun to see how Armaros’s realm works,” says Zeris, making direct eye contact with Armaros.
“You’re going to take off his restraints?” asks Alex as Zeris walks over to Armaros.
“Your dad and I are here; Armaros won't be able to do anything,” answers Zeris, taking off Armaros’s handcuffs.
The cuffs drop to the ground, and an uneasy tension rises within the room. Narrowing his gaze, Kane observes from the table, waiting to see what Armaros does.
“With Divine’s intervention, you were logged as a non-wielder on the datasheet for this sector’s participants this year. She went through a lot to keep you hidden, but we know who you are now. Turn around; I know your realm tattoo is on your mid back,” says Zeris.
Not reacting in any way, Armaros instead asks, “What are you doing?”
Confused, Zeris replies, “Teaching the others about iris.”
“No. I mean, what are you doing here? Why… are you here? Did somebody else… tell you to do this? To be with us at this place? To teach us these things? Or are you here because it was your own choice?”
Zeris chuckles, “What are you talking about? I’m only here because of my own choices. There’s no other reason I’d put you all… and myself… through this shit if it wasn’t for something I wanted.”
“But how do you know that?”
The room goes quiet as Zeris ponders about that question. Kane leans slightly forward on the table.
“Didn’t you once participate in these trials? What if these trials, something you couldn’t control, influenced you to hate them more than your thoughts? You didn’t hate the trials before you had to go through them, right? It’s because of what you went through that you later became an undercover trial runner and are trying to recruit us to your cause of bringing down Queen Divine.”
Zeris glances back at Kane, wondering if this was from his influence.
“You were born in this country; you couldn’t control that. What if you were born somewhere else? You wouldn’t be living this life. It might be a similar life, but not the exact same. And the hatred you feel… the feelings that drive you to do what you are doing now… they wouldn’t exist either. You might hate something else, but you wouldn’t hate these trials. And even then… would that hate only fester because of something that happened out of your control? Or would it exist… because you wish you had the power and freedom to change or fix the impossible?”
Armaros looks at Alex, recalling his mission and how he had spared Alex during their duel.
“I– I don’t understand… that hate you feel. Those emotions of guilt, shame, rage, they're part of life. And they are feelings that I don’t understand. I’m here, alive, mostly because of things I couldn’t control. And while those elements might influence our lives and decision-making, I’m starting to think that freedom of choice is far more independent than I initially thought. Because… maybe if I chose to do things differently, those things I thought I couldn’t control back then… wouldn’t have happened. I– I don’t want pity, or you guys to think I’m a victim because…” says Armaros, his eyes dashing around the room. “Obviously, I– I’ve done wrong. I don’t understand it yet, but I know I have because of how you guys feel. So… I wonder if I had the choice… the freedom… to change their fates… or my fate? Or was I only there, doing what I did… because it truly was out of my control?”
Alex looks at his father, and they make eye contact for just an instant, but that’s all they both need.
“My entire life… I’ve listened to the orders that others have passed down to me, or carried out their wills because it’s something I thought I wanted to do. And now, I’ve been put into these trials without my consent or knowledge. I survived stage one because of my skills as an assassin and paragon, and I thought I wanted to survive so I could return to Racafi, my home. But when I really think about it, I don’t know if that’s what I actually want. And I don’t know if I want to fight in this rebellion with you. But what I do know… is that I don’t know. And for the first time since I can remember, I’ve never been faced with the circumstances… where I don’t know what I want to do.”
Armaros turns around.
“Maybe now though, I’ll begin to live.”