Being the Disloyal was woven into Morningstar’s nature. The key was simple: earn the trust of one-third of humanity. There was more beyond that, but that was the foundation.

Walking the path of the Disloyal required a cunning tongue and the ability to deceive. And even though he was technically the Disloyal already, he hadn’t yet embodied what that truly meant.

"The thing about being the Disloyal is that it’s all about deceiving. Nobody can lie when I’m around, and I can’t tell the truth either."

He muttered.

"What did you say?"

Amber, who rested on the verge of Scar’s bed, asked.

"I’ve been thinking about tomorrow’s mission... Area 9, wasn’t it? That place is freezing, and if even Storm was cautious, it won’t be an easy task."

Scar’s eyes moved across the room. It was too sparse, far too sparse for people who were supposedly Moon Killers.

"Storm values freedom deeply and carries a peculiar sense of pride. With so many deaths reported around Area 9, it’s only natural someone like Storm would be eager to act."

Amber’s attention shifted toward Scar.

"You’re worried about the cold? I thought your flames could keep you warm."

Awakening his Protector State had granted him a few abilities. Being close to the Disloyal meant few people could lie in his presence, and he himself couldn’t always speak the truth either.

The ones that truly caught his attention were his insane attacking force and regeneration. Above all of them though, it was the ability of Incarnation.

"Protector State, Decay Incarnation."

When he spoke, a figure appeared beside him.

It was a tall, human-shaped figure with a dark body that fades into white at the hands and legs. Its head is made of white flames, with glowing eyes. White fire also burns around its arms, giving it a supernatural, ghost-like appearance. It was Kendrick, Scar’s first predecessor.

Scar unsheathed his sword. With the flicker of a finger, Kendrick disappeared, and in his place, completely emerged with Black Sun.

"You misunderstand. I cannot use them as you think. For now, I can manifest only two in physical form at once. They obey my commands, yet retain wills of their own. And their flames... they do not burn as ordinary fire does, nor can they warm my body."

Amber furrowed her brow, confused.

"That isn’t what you said before. You said they could only be summoned and shaped into forms we could perceive, never their true forms... because our fragile minds cannot comprehend them."

Scar smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. He had actually forgotten saying that. And in his defense, it wasn’t a lie. Just not the entire truth.

The incarnations he summoned held the memories and consciousness of his predecessors, but their original human forms were beyond them. What they could do was mimic Scar’s appearance entirely, and since they already possessed every one of his memories, acting like him was almost effortless.

"You’ll understand better as I show you what it can do with time."

Scar wasn’t keen on keeping Amber in the dark, not when they were already bound together. But the incarnations’ ability to mimic his appearance was something he intended to use for something important in the future, and he couldn’t risk it getting out. Walls had ears and if word spread, it was going to be bad.

"I don’t mind... but are you saying your Protector State allows you to wield three flames simultaneously?"

Amber looked a bit gloomy but showed no reaction to Scar’s words. Perhaps the room-sharing arrangement was the problem.

Scar dismissed Kendrick and settled on the narrow bed, barely wide enough for two. He could’ve allowed Kendrick to stay since summoning incarnations didn’t bathe his body in blinding golden light. And since incarnations had wills of their own, they could act independently.

"Yes, I can wield three flames at the same time. The Light Flame belongs to me, so it has no limitations, and I can fight alongside my incarnations as well."

Amber’s expression softened for a moment. Whatever she was thinking about seemed to ease her anxiety.

"Two incarnations feels a bit small, don’t you think? Julien can make as many clones as he wants. Sure, they can’t fight or move properly, but they still count."

This had Scar rethinking for a moment.

Clone creation wasn’t rare. Many Inheritances granted that ability or something close. But few could match what Scar had. The only comparable person he knew was Kong, sixth-ranked Moon Killer and overseer of the entire second base, and effectively his superior.

Over seventy clones, each one carrying Kong’s full strength and capable of moving like him, thinking like him, fighting like him. That was the rumor and the more unsettling part was what came with it.

The Kong who had appeared at the arena during V’s attack was said to have been a clone. Not the real one. Which meant most people who believed they’d witnessed Kong in action had witnessed something else entirely.

It all operated through his Emotional State, and the logic of it was almost elegant in how far it could go. A strand of hair produced a doppelganger. That doppelganger needed only a strand of its own to produce another. And so on, compounding without an obvious ceiling.

Seventy-two was the number most people landed on. Some believed the real upper limit was tens of thousands, an army built strand by strand, each one carrying Kong’s full weight.

A weird smile pulled at the corner of his lips. He couldn’t help it. That was an incredible ability.

"I can only hope these missions grant me the strength to summon all of my predecessors."

Amber patted him on the shoulder, wearing a smile that had no business being that creepy, like she’d caught him at something he hadn’t meant to show.

"Don’t worry... strength comes with survival. And if we live through this, you’ll be stronger."

The night wound down the way good ones sometimes did... the two of them talking, mostly about swordsmanship, memories surfacing and getting passed between them.

By the time it ended, they’d landed on something practical. A petition for Amber to get her own room. That was the plan, contingent on one thing: succeeding on their first mission.