Chapter 71: A Favor

Ace’s POV

“And once I’m confident I can trust you, I will reveal what you desire to know the most.”

“You’ll tell me what I desire to know the most?”

“Your name, who you are, your past, I’ll tell you everything. All you have to do is take a single life. Just one.”

“And what about these fire abilities?”

“That too. You’re special, Ace. I’ll tell you everything if you just take one life.”

“Do we have a deal?”

“W-w-why are you here?”

“To kill you.”

“Look him in the eyes and watch him die. Never forget this sight in front of you because this is the reality you and I are forced to endure. Kill or be killed. There's nothing more to it than that."

“At this moment, you are just an unlucky bastard that fate has decided will live.”

"Congratulations, Ace, you're one of us now. This is what it means to be a warrior."

“To kill or be killed, only one can remain.”

To kill or be killed, what it means to live.

I've falsely achieved the status of being a 'chosen one.'

That’s just how the world is.

The choice… is mine.

“Things happen, people change.”

So this is what Crow meant back then.

To be unlucky enough to be strong, to be unlucky enough to live.

“Sky lives.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s stronger.”

“I said… what should we do with the other two?”

“Like it… matters… what I say… you’d… kill them… anyway.”

“The trial phase is over.”

“From this day onward… the real game begins.”

***

Grimly opening my eyes, I immediately feel a pounding drum of agony ignite within my parched throat, and I desperately gulp down some saliva to try and alleviate the pain. This lamentable attempt only came off as partially successful, as my throat soothed for only a few seconds. But that was all I needed to reassign my focus momentarily.

Feeling the texture of my backpack lying beside me, I quickly fetch my canteen, which is placed in the backpack's side pocket. However, as I reached out to grab it, a sharp jolt of pain shot up my wrist and forearm. Noticing that my right hand was handcuffed and connected to a lock on the wall behind me by a steel chain, I uncomfortably reach my left arm across my body, extend it overtop the backpack, and pluck the canteen by the thick handle on the cap.

Retrieving the canteen, I transfer it to my tethered right hand and firmly grasp it while I unscrew the top with my free left hand. Bringing the canteen to my mouth, I'm incredibly relieved when the water I had collected earlier starts flowing out of the canteen. I mentally savor the taste of freshwater as it glides down the back of my throat, pacifying the withered cries of my dehydrated body. After practically chugging the rest of the water in the canteen, making sure I got every last drop I could, I let go. Dropping the canteen on the tiled floor beside me, resulting in a crisp “clacking” noise.

Gasping for air, I close my eyes and gently lean my head back against a stone wall. My body’s temporary desire for water quickly dissipated and was promptly replaced with unrelenting soreness that ached from head to toe. With my breathing calming down, I wearily reopen my eyes and try to get an idea of where I am.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I’m seated inside a well-lit, small, square room with a tiled, light-grey floor. Stone walls surround me on all four sides, and a door stands directly across from me. Massaging the back of my neck with my fingers, I glance to my right and left, and let out a woeful groan as I see a bed with two pillows and a blanket on top of it.

It would’ve been nice to sleep in that… that dick really couldn’t have laid me there instead of handcuffing me on the ground?

Annoyed, I fix my attention on the lock and handcuffed hand, attempting to wiggle my right hand free by holding the cuffs in place with my left hand. But after a few unsuccessful attempts, each causing me to wince more dramatically from the cuffs digging deeper into my wrist, I gave up.

Next, I inspected my backpack, which looked significantly smaller than when I left camp. The sleeping bag that was packed inside was no longer there. Out of the multiple outfits worth of clothes… only two t-shirts, one pair of shorts, a couple of pairs of socks, and some underwear were still inside. It was only then that I actually noticed I was still dressed in the same clothes as before, with splotches of dried blood scattered amongst my shorts and socks. A large, dried puddle of dark crimson had concentrated around my thigh, where the red dye had bled through not only my shorts... but the shirt I had also wrapped around the injury.

Oh, that’s right... Crow knocked me out shortly after he hit me with that dagger and let Sky leave.

I softly smile.

At least she’s okay.

I immediately feel guilty for only thinking that thought for Sky, as I remember the last sight I had of Hazel and Violet.

Shaking my head to try and escape that thought, I started forcefully wondering why I wasn’t feeling any pain in my thigh. After untying the bloody t-shirt I used to compress the injury, I placed it on the floor beside me. Pulling up the bottom of my shorts toward my waist to inspect the wound, I saw my thigh had healed entirely. Not even a scar was left behind.

I utter, “How is this possible?”

Click!

The sound caught my attention. I swiftly fixed my gaze on the door as the evident lock turned to its side, and then the door opened toward me. Against my wishes, I instantly recognize Crow standing on the other side. Wanting to avoid eye contact, I stare at the lock that has my hand on a leash.

Echoing footsteps then start making their way over, stopping right in front of me as I hear a groggy sigh.

“Can’t you at least look at me?” asks Crow in a normal voice, which informs me that he’s not wearing his mask.

“You could’ve at least had the decency to lay me down in the bed there.”

“Stubborn as always. Trust me, I was doing you a favor.”

I scoff, “It’s pretty hard to believe that considering the past day I’ve spent with you.”

“Actually, you’ve been out for the past twelve hours, but I understand what you’re saying. And my statement still stands. I was doing you a favor, Ace.”

“You want to know how your leg healed, right?” he asks.

I hissed back, “So what? You’ll probably make me kill another person before I can find out.”

Crow takes a deep breath, “Despite what you may think of me, I don’t see any point in lying to people I work with. So, if you want to play hard to get, I won’t waste any more time with you.”

The footsteps begin to leave, but I give in just as I hear the rumble of the door starting to close.

“Wait!" I shout.

The noise stopped, and I quickly said, "I want to know."

Bobbing my head, I slowly turn and face Crow. He’s wearing a long-sleeved dark purple shirt, a pair of relaxed black jeans, and some sneakers that match his jeans.

After we make eye contact, he nods in recognition a few times, “See, was that so hard?”

Walking back over, he sits beside me and says, “You mind showing me your hand?”

I look at him, confused, and he nods toward my right hand.

Opening my palm up to him, he grabs my wrist and says, “Do me a favor and don’t blow a fuse, will ya? Let’s be civil here.”

Following what he was saying on the surface, I couldn’t figure out what he was implying, so I only gave him a curt nod. He then unlocked the handcuff, and my right hand was freed.

“Why’d you do that just now?” I ask, rubbing my wrist.

“Because you’re awake. You hungry? There’s a bathroom down the hall you can also clean up in,” replies Crow.

As I opened my mouth to protest, my stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten for almost two days.

“Oh, and about your question earlier regarding your abilities,” continues Crow as he adjusts my hand to show me the scar I got on my arm a while back.

A tingle shoots up my arm as his frigid fingertip touches a specific spot on my scar. Looking closer, I recognized a tiny tattoo in the shape of a target, with a flaming arrow shot at its bullseye.

“This is the source of your power. After going through a process called an ‘awakening’, which is where your body acclimates to a new life energy that’s called “iris”, you receive a tattoo. After you’ve awakened, a gemcore will be created underneath your tattoo, and this gemcore is brimming with iris. It’s now just as vital to your body as your heart, lungs, or brain… an extra organ, if you rather. Think of it this way… iris is the life energy that fuels your special abilities, and that tattoo proves that you are an iris wielder,” explains Crow.

After pausing for a few seconds to let me digest this information, Crow drags down his collar to reveal a tattoo on his chest.

“See, I got one too,” he says before releasing his collar, his shirt covering up the tattoo before I had enough time to recognize its design.

Letting go of my wrist, Crow continues, “Anyway, iris is not only the source of your powers, but it also has other benefits. For example, you heal much faster than the average human, which is how an injury like the one on your thigh could heal far more quickly.”

Nodding in understanding, I lift my right arm up slightly. Eyeing my tattoo, I snap my fingers and manifest a tiny flame above my palm. As I do so, the tattoo flickers, brightening for a moment before blending in with the opaque scar surrounding it.

“Woah…” I whisper as I deactivate the ability.

“However,” cuts in Crow. “Iris can be extremely dangerous. Without proper control, you can greatly harm your body. These past few days, you’ve constantly been using your flames without any regard that there may be a limit. You were tipping over the edge of what would be considered safe for a new wielder, and if I hadn’t knocked you out when I did, I promise your body would have suffered far worse than just a day’s nap. Also, in extreme cases, when you go beyond your limit and break past the point of no return... you can easily lose your life.”

After dropping that bombshell, my chest constricts as my heartbeat speeds up. Crow patiently waits for me to visibly relax again before getting to his feet. I watch as he slowly walks back toward the doorway. Placing his hand on the side of the door, Crow glances back at me and asks, “What are you waiting for? Bathroom is this way. I'll prepare some food while you clean up."

Eager to take a hot shower and satisfy my hunger, I quickly stand up, grab my backpack, and follow Crow out of the room.