Purple and Julien went ahead and showcased their Inheritances, too. Surprisingly, Arthur believed he had everything they needed to get stronger.
Without wasting much time, Arthur gave each of them instructions concerning their assignments for the night.
Staring into Julien's eyes, he spoke:
"Using only the tiniest bit of blood, I want you to form the largest spear you're capable of. Once you've done that, destroy four dummies with it."
Julien gulped bile.
That was practically impossible since creating something that big with just a little blood wouldn't be strong enough to last a minute. Still, after scanning his mind for a moment, he became determined.
"Yes, sir. I will start immediately."
With a warm smile, Arthur gestured positively and turned to Purple.
"You'll destroy four dummies using just one thread. Even I can't see these threads clearly, so I can't measure your progress. I'm trusting you not to take shortcuts."
Purple sneered.
"What, you think I'm performing for you? I'm here to get stronger, not win your approval."
Without wasting a moment, she got to her training as well.
Scar had a few things on his mind, but even so, he maintained a calm demeanor, waiting on Arthur for instructions.
Brushing his gray beard, Arthur spoke:
"I could have allowed a different approach, but since your flames are causing you harm, you need to understand a few things before moving forward."
Scar nodded in understanding.
Wearing a big grin, Arthur set his own head on fire. Hair, beard, mustache, brows, and lashes—all engulfed in red flames.
After that, he spoke:
"Emotional State, first form."
Scar's body trembled. Arthur wouldn't hurt him, he was certain of that. But the reassurance meant nothing against this heat. Standing just feet from Arthur was enough to make him feel like his body would simply burn away.
Worse, Arthur's golden eye turned red. As it deepened to crimson, the flames grew hotter, and his skin peeled away, breaking into pieces, shedding to expose bone and taut muscle beneath. No blood spilled, yet the sight was chilling, nerve-wracking. He didn't look human anymore.
Scar swallowed bile.
'What the heck is this?'
Arthur's peeling skin reminded him of what his own flames did to his body, but Arthur didn't seem to be in pain. You'd think he was used to it by now, he had wielded these flames for decades, after all, but that was far from the truth.
Soon, Arthur's flames died out. The moment they disappeared, all the peeled flesh healed in a heartbeat.
Arthur sighed.
"I wasn't showing off… I've grown a bit sluggish with my control. Old and rusty, that's me. I didn't intend to trigger my Emotional State; I only needed it to keep the flames going a little longer. Just to make my point."
Scar was sweating bullets by now. Arthur had only used the first form of his Emotional State. The first form was usually no different from an ordinary state; it just allowed people to use a few of the benefits that came with having an Emotional State, like Arthur's healing ability.
"I've never seen anything like this. Healing at this level… it's insane, unc."
Arthur looked flustered for a moment, but he still managed to keep some level of seriousness.
"You must be able to summon your flames over your entire body, not only your hands, as I do with my head. It's crucial for battle. But given your current limitations, I want you to focus on something different, yet equally effective."
Scar nodded in understanding.
"Your gloves cover six of your ten fingers, right? I want you to summon your dark flames using only those six. Each flame must be summoned one at a time, and you must destroy a dummy with every flame you summon."
When he finished speaking, he began his usual doting act, treating Scar as though he were the best nephew ever.
But before Scar could attend to his training, his expression shifted, and he spoke:
"It's safe to ease up a bit, Scar. Dain's not here… though I can't be certain how long that will last."
He waved at Scar over his shoulder before resting on his usual bench.
It was heartwarming to know the person he despised most wasn't around. It didn't take much thought to figure out why he was obviously outside the human domain, probably on a mission.
Initially, Scar's mind had been on his Inheritance's origin, wondering if what his predecessor King had seen connected to the Inheritance being an Outlaw. But now, that was a distant memory.
'I will get stronger, then.'
In his current state, meeting Dain was a death sentence. Hell, even Arthur admitted he couldn't defeat Dain. Scar believed getting a grip on his Inheritance and understanding it would be enough to avoid Dain's attention for the meantime. Only the heavens knew what Dain was planning.
"I'm leveling up so fast… he's not going to know what hit him."
There was enough mystery surrounding Dain already. With the foresight at his disposal, he should have been able to see that Scar possessed the Flames of the Unknown.
Since he hadn't acted, Scar believed two things were possible: either Precognition of Fate had limitations, or Dain simply believed he could kill Scar whenever he wanted.
Regardless, he had to get stronger and survive this hunt.
…
Time passed in a blur. Purple and Julien were both struggling with their tasks. Purple had to destroy four dummies with just a single thread, and since her Inheritance was already weakened due to family matters, this was an immense challenge for her.
The thread kept tearing, and for someone who always appeared collected, she let her emotions get the best of her. She nearly cried.
Julien, though, seemed ready to tear the world apart. At first, he wanted to destroy the dummies with brute strength, but the spear he conjured was as fragile as his temper, and his own power shattered it before he could even strike.
And when he didn't put too much strength in his grip, the spear either shattered on contact or broke apart before he could even attack.
Scar, on the other hand, had shown a bit of progress, though he remained equally useless. His gloves covered his thumbs, middle, and ring fingers, leaving the pinky and index fingers free for better sword mobility.
After countless errors, he finally managed to summon flames on each of his six fingers. Normally, that alone would have made him rejoice as if it were his last day alive, but frustration set in when he had to destroy the dummies.
Not only were the flames each finger summoned pathetically small, unable to even burn a sheet on their own, but they weren't hot enough to burn anything, not even enough to smoke the fragile wood.
It was sunrise already, and before they departed for the academy grounds, Arthur left them with a few encouraging words.
"You should watch stronger opponents fight. Head to the arenas and check out the upper students or Moon Killers training. If you get lucky, you might even see a God Killer duel in the grand arena. Learn as much as you can."
That was demanding a lot, considering they'd pulled an all-nighter and badly needed rest. Yet not one of them seemed ready to quit.