The second phase of his Scar was gradually receding, yet Cyn felt nothing.

His senses were focused inward—on something growing within him, something feeding on the Scar's words.

A sense of power.

A sense of standing at the peak, at the summit of the world.

A feeling of pride and grandeur.

Countless questions flowed through his mind.

How could he control the Scar's power?

What was the secret behind the Scar Energy Xyrene had mentioned—the energy he had felt moving within him, the energy responsible for the tentacles?

The phases of the Scar.

Weapons and Collections.

Immortality and Doses.

But above all—questions about the last time.

About what he had seen.

About the true nature of the Scar of Pride.

About using him as a tool to reach its objectives.

Curiosity crept into him.

A curiosity that began pushing against his wall of apathy and indifference—a wall that slowly started to crumble, granting him something he had long denied himself.

Time.

Time to sit with himself.

To breathe.

To inhale and exhale.

To look at the life he had refused to enjoy.

The life he had refused to take.

Time to open his eyes to the world he had avoided—a world that would become nothing more than a tool for his ultimate goal: shedding the humanity that stood in the way of the state he sought to reach.

The Scar's voice spoke within his mind:

"There is too much to answer—and too little time to truly answer anything. For now, we will avoid satisfying your curiosity about certain matters. You will collide with them sooner or later, and you will learn everything."

"What matters now is that we begin training you with the Scar. And while we do so, I will explain certain things."

Cyn stood at a crossroads of decision.

His earlier conversation with Xyrene had awakened him for the first time in this life—to the reason he had come here at all.

To those voices that had followed him in his previous life… the voices that had driven him to come here.

Cyn looked toward the unconscious man.

He sensed movement.

Tristan woke briefly—only to lose consciousness again the moment he looked in terror at the tentacles nearby.

A buried memory resurfaced in his mind, overwhelming him with fear and causing him to pass out once more.

Cyn has really given him PTSD.

The Scar dismissed him coldly:

"We'll deal with him later—my way, not yours. For now, this time is reserved for something else."

They were about to begin intense training.

Cyn felt hesitant. Everything had come too suddenly—he wasn't ready.

The Scar shattered his last hesitation:

"I shouldn't have to remind you of this. You know better than anyone that this world will not wait for you to be ready. You should understand that more than anyone—if you grasp the meaning of my words."

Cyn smiled faintly.

"Then… shall we begin?"

—

"Where should I start?" the Scar said.

"With what you need to understand most right now—because it's what will benefit you the most."

"Energy."

The Scar's voice echoed within Cyn's mind, announcing the beginning of something that resembled both a lecture and practical training.

"Remember this well. Every Scar contains energy. But not every Scar is alive."

"Only Living Scars are capable of using, converting, and shaping that energy. Ordinary Scar bearers cannot perform these three functions—at least not through their Scars alone."

"Of course, some reach a level of understanding and harmony that allows them to manipulate energy instinctively, even without a Scar—but that level is extremely primitive."

"Living Scars are born with complete control over their energy. The energy itself is generally similar across all Scars, but each Scar has its own method of shaping it."

"And now comes the real explanation."

"As a starting point, it's good that you're not interrupting me. I'm pleased that you're keeping your mouth shut despite the flood of questions in your mind."

"By the way, those questions are interfering with me. They mix with my train of thought and sever our line of communication."

"So before I continue—this is your first training exercise."

"Clear your mind completely. Let it listen to and follow a single source of sound."

Cyn thought bitterly, What a pain in the ass.

He closed his eyes.

Then he heard the Scar again:

"Yes—just like that. I don't know how you do it—emptying your mind as if you were a corpse."

"Very well. We won't let your effort go to waste."

The Scar continued:

"For someone incapable of sensing or seeing energy, understanding its nature is difficult. But think of it like air."

"The difference is that you can feel air—you can breathe it—but you cannot see it."

"For Living Scars, energy is visible in various forms, from their own perspective. They can breathe it in, sense it, and interact with it."

"More than that, they can use this energy to form a domain of their own—a field saturated with the Scar's perspective."

"And that is what shapes Scar Energy."

"That energy can be molded and transformed—but all of that depends on the Scar itself."

The Scar paused, giving Cyn time to digest the concept.

Cyn had questions—but he was required to keep his mind clear. So he listened. And he absorbed.

The Scar's voice returned:

"Living Scars sense this energy, convert it, and render it usable."

"That is all you need to know about energy for now."

"As for the other part—how you, as the bearer of a Living Scar, use its energy—"

Cyn felt the Scar giving him space to think.

There was no need to speak. Thinking aloud inside his mind was enough.

Cyn's answer was simple—but sharp:

"Ordinary Scars can't provide their bearers with energy. Since they're merely the result of personal experiences, they don't grant power—only enhancements like physical reinforcement and accelerated healing."

"But Living Scars are different."

"Contrary to what many believe, Living Scars are not born from human suffering alone."

"They already exist—born from atrocities and sins that drive humans to create misery and pain in the world."

"When a Living Scar senses someone who carries the same suffering and experiences, it chooses them as its bearer."

"And in return?"

"It feeds on them."

"And thus, a Living Scar is born upon you—through self-sacrifice."

"Of course, this is only in rare cases where the bearer has nothing else to offer the Scar as sustenance—which is where Doses come in."

Cyn knew little about the actual process behind the creation of Living Scars—or the world where Scars and energy originated. His knowledge was still shallow.

He continued:

"So, in my understanding, for a bearer of a Living Scar to use its energy, there must be some kind of bond—some form of contract established with the Scar that grants access to its power."

The Scar praised him—but corrected him:

"Good. But partially incorrect."

"That answer applies if Scars function like Collections—and that is true in certain cases."

"For example, Cursed Pacts."

"They can grant you immortality—but they require a contract."

"And the intermediary that forges that contract is the Living Scar itself."

"Using Scar Energy, it activates the weapon's energy to formalize the pact."

"And thus, you become immortal—or rather, you are granted access to the weapon's power."

"But when it comes to using Scar Energy itself, you do not need a contract."

"However—you also cannot use that energy by your own will."

"You can only use it when the Scar supplies it to you."

"The Scar creates a bridge through which Scar Energy flows into your body."

"And here lies another insurmountable issue."

"The energy that passes into your body through that bridge is not yours to freely control—even if it fills you completely."

"You are nothing more than a conduit."

"A mechanism that manifests energy into reality."

"A tool that converts abstract, formless energy into something tangible—something with shape and effect."

"This also means that the energy flowing through your body is controlled by the Living Scar—not you."

"The entire process is governed by the Living Scar."

Cyn took a moment.

Not to understand—but to think.

Because from what he had just heard, this was extremely bad news.

What did it mean?

That he was merely a tool to release Scar Energy into reality?

That he had no control over it whatsoever?

That he couldn't permit or block its flow at will?

What if the Scar betrayed him in the middle of a battle?

There were no privileges here.

Possessing a Living Scar meant condemning yourself to servitude.

If that was the case—wouldn't it have been better to possess an ordinary Scar instead?

At least then—

At any moment—

The Scar dragged him back to reality:

"What did you expect? There is a price to be paid."

"This kind of power. Immortality. The chance to stand at the top."

"This is the price—and it's a small one."

"Most people don't even think about such matters, let alone worry about them."

"You should start worrying when your Scar begins demanding more—especially when it comes to feeding it."

"There is another world you know nothing about."

"The world of Scars."

"A world filled with Living Scars."

"A brutal world."

"A world where pain is born."

"A world no foot has stepped into, no ear has heard, no eye has seen."

"A barren world."

"A world made of emotion."

"An abstract, nihilistic realm—filled with nothing but wails, moans, and the crawling advance of pain."

"That… is the World of Scars."

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