That night, dark flames suddenly erupted, spreading at an accelerated rate. They burned like any fire would, but something was different.
The flames seared Scar's hands, peeling skin everywhere they touched. The wounds took two days to heal.
What he called forth could barely be considered flames. On one hand, he could use them as an ordinary fire that wouldn't harm him. On the other hand, they were his decay given physical form.
Before this, he could decay anything by touch, just like his predecessors. Though he still didn't fully grasp what Bianca had summoned years ago, he had an idea: their Inheritance, whatever it was, took the form of flames to work more efficiently.
Thanks to Mingle's words, Scar was able to tap into this. The difficulties persisted, though. The dark flames could act as normal flames and, when needed, rot and decompose anything just like his usual decay. He couldn't control them yet. The decay kept slipping through, eating away at him instead.
Now it was as if Mingle wanted to squeeze gratitude out of him. Before Scar could get on with his day, he got summoned.
He panicked at first since he wasn't on good terms with Mingle. If anything, he hated him for forcing that fight against Storm, Master of Hermes. But as it turned out, there was a side to the freak Scar hadn't known about.
"You wanted to understand the unknown, didn't you? But the unknown was never meant to be understood."
Following Mingle, they arrived at a hall full of cages and glass containers with different kinds of Scarlet Kins inside. Stacked against the walls like a pet shop.
A few staff members in white medical gear worked at a long wooden table in the middle, handling samples and conducting creepy experiments.
"What does this have to do with the unknown?"
Scar asked, his gaze darting everywhere except toward Mingle's seductive smile.
If Isaac caught them together, he'd jump straight to thinking Scar was gay.
"Look… there."
Mingle pointed to a creature. It looked like a starfish, but deep red. Its body melted methodically in the container, constantly reconstituting itself.
"Its origin remains unknown. Despite possessing a bone structure tailored to its form, a complete loss of rigidity at birth should have required external magic. It does not. The process is lethal instead.
Observe the transition very well… liquid to solid. That tremor is not reflex; it is panic. The organism cannot sleep or rest. Cessation equals death."
Scar swallowed bile.
It surprised Scar that Mingle knew about things like this. He seemed more the scheming type, someone who enjoyed watching people suffer, not conducting research.
"So what happens if it dies?"
Mingle's smile grew even creepier.
"That's what makes this creature fascinating. It was captured eighty years ago, but 'captured' isn't quite right. It came to us of its own accord. Strange, isn't it? We haven't seen anything like it since."
Scar frowned. '80 years, huh?'
The creature seemed driven by pure survival instinct. It had forced itself through this dire situation for more than eighty years. Who knows how long it took just to reach the human continent?
But that wasn't what occupied Scar's thoughts. He wondered if making Isaac eat the creature would grant him immortality.
"Scar, these are the creatures we confront. This is the unknown. Most of the Scarlet Continent—its deserts, its forests, its seas—remains uncharted. And even those nearby, like this tiny star-like being, remain enigmatic, even after three centuries. Who knows… there might actually be a creature out there that hunts everyone who breathes."
He exhaled.
"You're too young to have witnessed Morveth, the Somnus Crown. Maybe your predecessors did. Born from darkness, yet why it exists remains a mystery."
Unlike Quagmire, Clown of the Living, who only appeared when the Inhabitances exceeded a certain number, other Catastrophe-level threats like Morveth, the Somnus Crown, born from darkness, just came to kill. Reasons? Origin? Unknown.
Scar sneered. None of his predecessors had lived long enough—or been fortunate enough—to actually see Morveth, he realized after searching his inherited memories. But they'd heard of it, along with many other catastrophes.
Scar threw a few questions at Mingle, who answered without effort. Soon the staff called him away. The moment Mingle left, a lady approached Scar. She was around his age, wore glasses nearly as big as her head, and dressed all in white with dark hair tied in a ponytail.
"Ah, you've fallen victim to him as well, haven't you? Don't worry, he's just bombarding you with knowledge… he loves sharing it, that's all."
Scar's golden eyes met her blue ones in confusion.
The girl immediately hurried for a handshake.
"The name's Emma," she smiled.
Scar met her with kindness, introducing himself as well.
He couldn't look past how oversized her glasses were, but what struck him most was that a kid like her was working as staff.
"Wait… aren't you too young to be working here? You're basically my age. Shouldn't you be in school or something?"
Emma frowned.
"How rude. Not everyone gets the privilege of an education these days. What made you think my parents had that kind of money?"
Scar furrowed his brow.
'Isn't it obvious? Your glasses!'
He knew not to say that out loud. Would've sounded judgmental.
He shrugged.
"People like me exist all over the academy. Your Inheritance must be new. My Inheritance isn't made for combat, so we serve in other departments." Emma said.
Shame washed over Scar at his ignorance. His predecessors had obsessed over the Ruler of Zeus instead of learning useful things like economics. Still, he played along, acting surprised and knowledgeable.
"Is Mingle the same as you?"
What?!
Emma's expression made it seem like Scar had murdered someone with that comment.
"You mean to tell me you don't know who Mingle is?"
Emma's hyper reactions were getting on Scar's nerves.
"Mingle Advent? From the Advent family? Seriously? He was everywhere in the news after discovering how to make effective barriers. One of the finest human talents in years. He joined this academy seven years ago… at just twelve years old."
Scar couldn't have known. He hardly read the news.
"Turns out he's a big shot. I always figured he was just some weirdo focused on… you know, butts."
Tsk.
Emma scowled. "Do you really think the Supreme Council would let a useless person join this academy? Every staff member here has earned their place."
They talked for a bit, mostly about Mingle, until Julien showed up.
"You're up, Scar. You have a duel." Julian's expression darkened. "It doesn't look good."