Chapter 91: Layers Upon Layers

Ember’s POV

In that split second, everything went by in a blur. One moment, the arrow was still perched on Cliff's bow… and the next, the arrow was soaring through the air toward us at a lightning-quick pace. But this arrow wasn't coming for me. No… this arrow's brief journey only had one possible destination. It was heading directly toward the person standing beside me, Faith.

I knew this, and yet I instinctively closed my eyes. Is it because I couldn't bear to watch?

No, that's not it.

I closed my eyes… so I could listen. Listen to the arrow whistling through the air, determining its trajectory by the brisk of the wind and the sound waves ruminating off the arrow's head and fletching. A peculiar warmth enveloped my ears as I listened and waited for the perfect moment.

I can see it! I can see the arrow! It’s like watching a live video playing out in my brain! What is this out-of-world sensation? The arrow's path, starting point, destination, and current position… I can picture- I can feel it all so vividly! The others around me, the crates, the trees, is that…

Woefully, I only have the luxury of getting one attempt at this. One. Attempt. If my timing here isn't perfect, any calculated effort at blocking the arrow will be for naught. And Faith… will die.

In my current position, I stood parallel with Faith, with her being on my right-hand side, while the point of my sword grazed against the ground alongside my right foot. I knew there wasn't enough time to properly raise the sword in front of Faith to block or deflect the arrow.

So… while my sensory awareness continued to peak, I absorbed layers upon layers of information in less than a second. There was no time to think, only act. I was forced to pour all my faith into my natural impulses, giving up complete control of my body's actions and letting my intuition seize the reigns for what I do next.

I only have one chance at this… here goes.

With both hands clenched around the sword's grip, I bellowed a courageous roar as I leaned forward and swiped the blade diagonally through the air.

DING!

Just as I had hoped, the arrows' head plunged against the swords' fuller at full throttle. My body was immediately demanded to endure the arduous force of the impact. Yet, I only had one purpose- one solitary goal at this exact moment in time… protecting Faith. My face pinched together into an ugly grimace as the overwhelming amount of frequencies began to overlap one another, bombarding my ear drums repeatedly.

The others were shouting around me in a frenzied state of panic and horror at what Cliff had just done… fearing for Faith's life. The 'ding' echoed through the air like a piercingly jarring soundwave. The whistling rapidly died out from the path that the arrow had just flown.

There are so- so many sounds! Too many-!

Whoosh!

What? Wha- what is going on? I- I can't hear a thing now! Did all sound… just vanish?

Suddenly, the odd sensation I had experienced earlier reemerged within my hands, that strange yet familiar warmth arising from underneath my skin. Then, this unfamiliar energy dispersed into each of my fingers, galvanizing them. Peeking my eyes open to discern the source behind this foreign phenomenon, I notice strange white particles manifesting and coating certain parts of my skin, explicitly highlighting my skeletal structure.

Wha-?

BOOM!

An explosion suddenly detonates, and I'm sent flying by the blowback of the blast, losing possession of the sword before I land some ways away. My eardrums started blaring a single, monotone buzz while a coughing fit made me feel like I was about to have a heart attack, as every quick breath in between coughs gave me acute jolts of pain.

Delirious from the explosion, I brought a hand to my scalp and mustered any remaining strength I could find within me toward sitting back up. I saw hazy flashes of Sky, Forest, and Hunter, who must've all run over to me out of concern.

I wanted to tell them I was fine, but only a dry, weak wheeze was expelled when I opened my mouth. The buzzing then started to fade as my normal hearing returned.

"Ember! Ember, can you hear me?!" Sky cried, who had stayed at my side.

"Fa-... is Faith-" I feebly mumbled before another cluster of coughs breached out of my throat.

Sky says, "Yes, Faith is okay. You don't need to worry, Ember… you saved her. You can relax…"

I- I actually saved her? The glow... what was that glow? What did I just do?

Sky then reaches out and grabs my right hand. And upon her touch, an excruciating jerk of pain palpitates up my forearm. I immediately tried to smother my body's impulse to show any reaction exhibiting pain. Still, my troubled efforts weren't enough to conceal my distress.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know that would cause you pain!" apologized Sky, delicately placing my hand back on the ground, the stark grimace on my face easing up as my hand once more laid at rest.

"Stay the hell back, Cliff!" shouted Hunter from somewhere in front of me, my vision still foggy and unable to discern who was who and what was what. "Forest, how is Faith?!"

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"She's out cold but still breathing," calmly replied Forest to my right.

"What the hell was that, Cliff?! Why would you shoot at us with an explosive arrow?! We're on the same side here!" clamored Hunter, the sword I was holding now in his hands, a black smudge smearing one of the sides.

"Shut up! I'll shoot you too, damn it! You don't know jack! Now, toss the sword over here!" Cliff hammered back from somewhere off in the distance.

My sight finally returning to being somewhat normal, I bring both hands in front of my eyes and gaze at their perfect state of health, baffled at how that explosion just now didn't injure me in any capacity. Additionally, all remnants of those white particles were gone, but an unusual stroke of warmth still lingered at my fingertips.

I then see Hunter's legs quivering in my peripheral vision as he beckoned, "Like hell I will! Why won't you just tell us the truth?! Who is Zeris?!"

"Zeris…" I sputter, my measly croak making Hunter turn around in surprise for a split second before his eyes latch back onto Cliff. "Zeris… is Crow. Cliff mentioned… that Ace and Crow were… together. Sky said… the same thing. So I believe… Zeris… must be Crow's… actual name."

"Is that assessment correct, Cliff?" asks Forest. Slowly blinking every so often, my attention is abruptly caught by Cliff when he quickly veers his bow in the direction of Forest, not saying a word.

"His silence… suggests that you're right, Ember," says Forest, crouched beside Faith, whom I still haven't looked at.

"I don't… believe… his entire story… was a sham. I think… he just excluded… certain details. I bet… Blue… actually died and… he struck a… deal with… Crow… no… Zeris. Whether he was… coerced into… making some kind of deal… is unknown. Cliff mentioned… that Ace and Zeris… had gotten into an… argument. And Sky brought up… that they weren't… exactly getting along… during her time… with them. I wouldn't… be surprised… if Zeris… is using Cliff… like he is using Ace… to break us down… from the inside," I wheeze, my body still gravely fatigued by the blast.

"Ember, please stop talking! You need to rest! Straining your voice and lungs like this can't be good for you!" pleaded Sky, her arm behind my back to help support me as I struggled to hold myself upright in a lounging position.

"She does raise a valid point, though," inputs Forest. "Perhaps there are more factors involved here than we believed. We've seen how Cr- Zeris has manipulated us in the past. If what he told Sky was the truth, about how the real game has begun… we must consider all possibilities… all people as potential enemies."

Amused by his statement, I let out a scoff, which made me cough a few more times before I stammer, "So you're saying… that nobody… can be trusted?"

"Trust is a valuable yet dangerous component blended into our social lives. Building trust with another is a strenuous and sensitive task… one mistake or misjudgment and any kind of relationship you've established can be lost in a heartbeat. Such a frail yet powerful concept that humanity must rely on," says Forest, his gaze locked on Cliff. "I believe it's normal, even when meeting somebody else for the first time, that we want to trust them. That we do trust them. But… if that mutual trust is one day broken, it's challenging for the victim to shed light on the other. As of now… you've given me no reason not to trust you, Ember. I prefer to keep it that way; you're quite the capable ally. Cliff, on the other hand, has just lost my trust. The chances that I can stand with him again as equals… are little to none."

The mood dampens as everybody soaks in Forest's dull words. Then, small spurts of a wicked cackle dribble out of Cliff's mouth. Eventually losing control, Cliff erupts into a total outbreak of indictable laughter as the bow he's clutching sinks to his side.

"Trust? Do you genuinely believe such a thing exists here? What a f*cking joke! Only one can live!" yells Cliff as he lifts a finger. "Have you all forgotten that?! Whatever bullshit trust you all have will shatter! Whatever we've already been through will be nothing compared to what's coming! Ember, you're lucky that you haven't had to experience what we have! You've had a cakewalk so far, so don't you dare make assumptions about what I've been through! Forest, do you honestly believe these fragile bonds will last through this incoming hell?! You've seen what he's capable of! You watched Falcon die, didn't you?!"

Forest stands up, enraged, "Keep Falc's name out of your disgusting mouth!"

Cliff claps back, pointing his index finger at me, "Then keep Blue's out of hers!"

"Forest! Don't lose your cool! That's what he wants!" exclaims Hunter.

Shaking his head back and forth, Forest takes a step away before ousting a grumbled, "Shit…"

Fixing my gaze back on Cliff, I don't know where to start.

Is he still one of us?

Rstl, clep, rstl, clep, rstl.

Someone is coming!

Slowly turning my head to avoid any sudden pain, I gaze in the direction I had heard the rustled footsteps. Sky must've noticed my shift in attention as she asked, "Ember, what do you hear?"

"Someone is approaching. Approaching us fast from one of those two paths. I can't tell which yet," I tell Sky, saying it loud enough to inform the others.

The rest almost instantly heed and act upon my words of warning. Forest set his eyes on the same view as me while Sky jogged back to the supply corner and grabbed three wooden swords, giving one to Forest and me as she returned. Hunter is caught in an awkward situation of whether to keep his sword pointed toward Cliff or the unknown person approaching. Keeping one eye on Cliff, I take note of his inner conflict as he stands there stagnated, unable to decide what he should do.

Clep, clep, rstl, clep.

I say, "He's close. Hunter, focus on the incoming person. If Cliff shoots at us, he'll be making a grave error. Out of the remaining people we know could be alive, this person walking up is either Scar, Code, Hazel, Violet, Ace, or Zeris. It's only one person, so it could be anybody. We need all people on deck, especially if it's Ace or Zeris. Cliff knows this, too… it's a fact that can't be ignored.”

"How can you be sure?" asks Sky, hiding her fear through her body language.

"If Cliff were working with Ace and Zeris, he would've kept his arrow trained on us no matter who it was. But he hasn't raised his bow again yet, which means whatever motive he has is entirely his own. If the incomer walks in to see us at each other's throats, just by observing the setting, they'll quickly understand that Cliff is alone in whatever battle he's fighting. Also, if Cliff had told the truth about escaping before, they wouldn't have let him get away a second time. Which means… this is a gamble that he can't risk losing because it may cost him his life," I say, loud enough for Cliff to hear me.

This statement has a double meaning behind it. Firstly, my words are a threat to make Cliff believe that being at odds with us will only foster consequences. Second, there's a fear factor by bringing up past trauma that he will initially reject to consider but soon relent to. I’m not proud of manipulating his psychological state, but I don't have time to think and carry out a better alternative.

Clep, clep, clep.

I pop a smirk.

Seems Cliff can still be useful after all.

Clep, clep, clep.

"These footsteps are coming from… the east. No! The southeastern path!" I whisper, hoping Cliff, the only one out of earshot, would pick up on our social cues and realize which path to keep his bow trained on.

This is the path that Scar and Code took! But considering that Sky's group took the eastern route, depending on whether they got lost or if the trails at some point converged into one, it could be anyone…

Clep, rstl, clep, clep.

As the individual walked into view, my gaze narrowed, stunned at who it was… and how they appeared.

"Code… what happened to you?"