The lineage of Flames of the Unknown was a burden anyone would reject, and Scar questioned it too. Not that he regretted it, vengeance still mattered.
But after being bedridden a full day, he wished for an Inheritance that didn't destroy him along with his enemies. The same power had taken everything, after all.
"She's a Moon Killer, sitting at 112th among the top 200. I didn't realize she had any connection to Dain, but considering they both use lightning, it's not that hard to imagine."
Emma said, resting beside Scar's bed.
Scar exhaled.
Turned out Emma's Inheritance didn't just revolve around wisdom. She could heal too, though that description barely captured it.
But there was a peculiar restriction she wouldn't discuss: she couldn't heal injuries Scar inflicted on himself with decay.
Now Scar rested in his bed. The infirmary had released him after just a few hours. Emma's healing had been so thorough that it looked like he'd never been injured at all.
It was worth noting just how rare that kind of ability was. Healing another person—not oneself, but someone else—wasn't something many could claim, and for most it wasn't possible at all unless their ability already carried some thread of healing within it. The fact that Emma had it was genuinely impressive.
She was a gem.
Everyone had come before Emma healed him. Arthur included. The list was long enough that the one name missing from it stood out more than it should have. Haven hadn't shown.
Maybe she hadn't heard… that was what he kept telling himself, at least. He was still waiting, more anxiously than he would have admitted.
"Is that really allowed? A ranked Moon Killer fighting in a duel? That doesn't sit right with me."
Scar snorted.
Emma adjusted her big glasses, staring at the floor as if organizing her thoughts.
"You're underestimating the situation. This doesn't concern you alone, Purple and Julien are part of it too. Had Luccy not stepped in yesterday, you'd have encountered a possessed human. That would have been worse. Luccy, at least, was ordered to spare your life."
Her words landed harder than he'd expected. Now Scar and Julien had each lost three duels in a row. At this moment, Purple and Julien were in the arena, waiting for Purple's forfeit.
All three would face what amounted to a death sentence for people like them. What would Luccy do then?
"What do you think Luccy would do in this situation? She's supposed to protect me until Dain returns… isn't she? Would she actually stand by and let me die?"
His words must have sounded ridiculous to Emma. She looked at him like he was the world's biggest idiot.
She shook her head in disappointment.
"From what I've gathered, Dain is hunting a legendary Dreamwalker named Monic. It resides tens of miles beyond the human domain, yet it invades children's dreams, feeding on their subtle desire for comfort before killing them. You must have heard of it. Years ago, there was a massive campaign to warn the public."
Hmph.
"From what I recall, five God Killers have already fallen to Monic. Dain's been chasing it for almost six months; he might as well live in the Scarlet Kins' domain by now. He's not returning anytime soon. Monic's a century-old legend… which means Luccy isn't here to shield you. She's here to observe. She may not strike you down herself, but she won't lift a finger if something else does. That's all Dain wants."
Too much thinking had given Scar a headache. He'd wondered endlessly why Dain hadn't acted yet. Dain worked with the Precognition of Fate, someone who could see the future.
They had to know about Scar. Two explanations seemed possible: the precognition had limitations, or Dain was arrogant enough to strike whenever he pleased.
The answer was the latter.
He wore a fading smile and shook his head in disbelief.
"All this time, I convinced myself I was surviving on my own. Turns out… I'm only alive because of an overgrown bat."
Emma patted him on the shoulder, trying to give him some encouragement.
"I don't care what it takes, just stay alive. I'll tell you whatever you need to know about Luccy and her Inheritance, Synapse Lock. Because of Arthur, I serve you too. But more than that… we're friends. I don't want to lose you."
Scar's practiced smile faltered for a moment but returned barely a second later. It felt good to know people who didn't share his blood cared for him.
He was starting to understand why Isaac had been so eager for him to make friends. People like Emma and the others might be the reason he'd survive it all.
Still, he debated his options. His Inheritance had caused all this. Initially, he'd been reluctant to learn about it, the weight of responsibility felt overwhelming, possibly more than he could carry.
But he had a change of heart…
Flames of the Unknown was classified as an Outlaw, which meant that wherever his Inheritance came from was initially classified as an Enforcer or an Architect but fell from glory, or perhaps it was tied to the underworld.
This wasn't something he had any part in, he just happened to have desires and aspirations that aligned with the Inheritance's desire, so it chose him as its host.
Such knowledge might overwhelm him. What if the Inheritance was inherently evil and his death was necessary for the greater good? But now…
…Now it didn't matter anymore. Everyone around him had some idea what his Inheritance was. Even his uncle Arthur, whose Inheritance was classified as Architect, like Dain's, possessed power tied to a god or higher being.
Arthur apparently knew all about Scar's Inheritance but loved him anyway. Emma seemed equally aware. Even though neither could speak of it—the world's rules forbade it—they both remained, showing their care through actions.
'At the very least, I need to understand it myself, to know why Flames of the Unknown are so reviled. I won't let them kill me. Not when I finally have friends who believe in me.'
With a heavy breath, he locked eyes with Emma.
"You clearly know more about my Inheritance than you're allowed to reveal. As long as Vortex exists, you can't tell me directly. I understand that. So do me a favor. Get me the books I'll need to study, enough to give me a fair grasp of my Inheritance."
Emma furrowed her eyebrows.
"Is that what you want instead?"
Scar gestured positively.
"Very well. But this won't be quick. I'll have to track down ancient books and tablets, records from before the Red Day itself. They're out there, I'm certain of it, though they won't be easy to locate. I'll enlist Mingle's help too."
When she spoke, Scar smiled warmly at her and watched her rise to her feet with an answering smile.
"Give it a month or two. I doubt their punishment will be enough to kill you or the others. You're a Rover, after all."
She said with a big grin and a wink, then left the room to start her assignment.
It felt right. He was a little anxious about what Emma might discover, but he was relieved to have finally made the decision.
But one question remained. How certain was she that they could survive the penalty for three consecutive losses? The academy's records showed nearly 80% of students given such punishments didn't survive.
They could be next.