Surviving the Death Hunt-Chapter 63: Recomposition
In room 266, the four: Scar, Julien, Purple, and Haven, all seated.
It had taken longer than Haven would have liked, the want of it quietly eating at her for days, but Purple had come through, and together they had threaded her through her schedule on the strength of a lie so smooth it almost impressed her.
A lot had happened in the days since Scar, Julien, and Purple returned from Area 17, the same stretch of days in which Luccy and her crew had taken Emma.
Purple had been pushed out of the infirmary before she was ready, still carrying wounds that hadn’t finished closing. Scar and Julien had been thrown into two duels apiece and came out on top both times.
Fortunately for them, Lovis had cooled, at least for now. Purple was his real target, his nemesis, the one this had always been about. Scar and Julien were incidental, pulled into something that was never truly theirs to begin with.
With Purple sidelined, nothing was satisfying about going after the other two. It would mean nothing in the larger picture.
Purple’s situation wasn’t without its consequences. Training with Arthur Rover had ground to a halt, and when Scar and Julien went to his office to ask if they could push forward without her, they didn’t get the answer they were hoping for.
Arthur refused, warmly but firmly, insisting they all needed to be at their best before anything resumed. It was difficult to push back on, especially standing in front of a man who seemed to be defying time itself, looking younger and more formidable with each passing day.
It didn’t trouble Scar much. He had his routine and he kept to it: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and woven through everything Arthur had taught him layered on top of that.
Progress had a way of making itself known quietly, and his Flash Steps were proof of it. They came to him without effort now, as natural as breathing. Speed was still a work in progress, but the ease of it... that was new.
As had become habit, the four gathered in Scar and Julien’s room, their meeting room in everything but name. Scar had never had strong feelings about it either way.
Today was different. Haven was here, sitting right beside him on his bed. There was nothing to it, really. No reason for his brain to make it into something.
And yet there he was, hovering dangerously close to drooling over a completely ordinary seating arrangement.
The reason for the meeting hadn’t left him, though. Beneath all of it, Haven beside him and the warmth of that, was something colder and more deliberate. He wanted a lead on Adisa.
Scar wanted him dead, more accurately, and wanted it more than almost anything else at the moment. Haven was a blessing he didn’t take lightly, but even she couldn’t fully crowd out what was sitting in the back of his mind.
"Explain why you’re in Scar’s room. You appear quite comfortable with the place. How frequently are you here? You know Scar’s mine, right? You can’t touch him."
Haven asked, the darkness in her eyes wasn’t something to tamper with.
Purple would normally have greeted Haven with something sharp, like a well-placed insult, delivered with that particular brand of wit she kept sharpened for occasions like this.
But something had shifted in her lately. Whatever act she’d been maintaining was clearly taking its toll.
This time, she only offered an awkward smile and extended her hand.
Scar immediately hurried to clarify Haven’s intent.
"Please don’t take it the wrong way. She didn’t mean anything by it; she’s just curious that’s all. It may have come out a bit awkward."
Purple exhaled heavily, but before she could speak, Haven locked eyes with Scar and asked:
"You don’t have to pretend with me. Fighting Luccy in her Emotional State and heading to Area 17 right after, that’s a lot. Have you had enough rest?"
Scar gave her a warm smile.
"Come on, Haven. I’m not reckless. Sure, everyone wants me dead, but I’m far too stubborn to die that easily."
She frowned.
"I’m not going to let you die. No one touches you while I’m still here."
The coldness in her voice outran her ice magic by a considerable margin. It was sincere, unmistakably so, and Julien and Purple both felt it, shifting slightly under the weight of it.
Then again, they had been watching Scar and Haven for a while now, and the weariness on their faces could have been exhaustion just as easily as it could have been jealousy. Possibly both.
EHEM 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
"Please, can we finish this? It’s Scar’s future on the line. We want him to survive... he’s our friend."
Julien spoke, and the room shifted. Scar and Haven both turned their attention back to where it belonged. Haven’s interest didn’t just return, it landed completely. She was in, without reservation.
Good.
"The assumption is that Adisa killed Isaac, Scar’s grandfather. The evidence leads to him, though we lack confirmation or motive. At present, he’s beyond our reach. However, Scar requires justice, and with the events unfolding in a week, time is against us."
Purple locked eyes with Haven.
"Breath of Hell poses a significant threat. As a Founder of Magic, you can confirm its danger. Should Adisa remain alive, the coming Epic Competition will not conclude in humanity’s favor. Moreover, Scar will be denied the opportunity to properly avenge his grandfather."
Scar’s frown came easily, thinking about Adisa had a way of doing that. But his irritation wasn’t really about Adisa right now. It was about Purple.
She had told him, plainly, that she wanted Adisa gone because of her deals... the man was a threat to them, and that was reason enough.
But something had shifted the moment Haven entered the picture. Now the story was different. Now it was about humanity. Scar noticed, and he wasn’t sure he believed it.
’Could she be using Haven’s compassion for humanity as leverage to guarantee loyalty?’
Then, suddenly, Purple wore a calm and devoted smile.
"If Adisa comes, it has to be because he believes it’s safe. Haven, you’re the only one who can sell that illusion. Your influence... that’s our opening. Speak to Robin Bradley."
