Henry gritted his teeth, his jaw locked tight by the internal pressure. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He was completely helpless and at the mercy of Alicia.
Alicia chuckled softly. "I'm sure you must be wondering how I found out." She took a step back, crossing her arms. "It's a long story actually. But I knew from the very first day that the Henry I'd known for seventeen years was not the same person my mother and Xavier pulled out of that forest. I confirmed it the moment I came to see you."
Henry's eyes widened in shock. She really did know from the start. But how?
"I didn't say anything because Felicity apparently wasn't saying anything either," Alicia continued, pacing slightly. "Did you really think Felicity wouldn't be able to tell that you're not her son? For reasons I don't understand, she decided to play along. So, I did too. I began to search your brain for the Henry I knew. But there was no trace of him. Just two new consciousnesses that had taken his place. Imposters."
Henry's mind raced. Search? How did she search his brain? Then, the memory surfaced. The memory of Alicia's second ability.
Alicia Carter was one of the most formidable people in world. And it wasn't just because of her family background or her incredible brilliance, it was because of her abilities.
She had two abilities. The first was her terrifying Metal Manipulation, which gave her absolute control over any metallic object. While the second was a highly classified, incredibly rare ability called Inner Machine.
It was a mysterious and overpowered ability that granted the user absolute control over every kind of system—be it a computer network, or biological systems like the digestive, circulatory, and neural pathways of living creatures. They could understand, modify and stop the functioning of living and non-living things alike.
Only three people in the world were known to possess it, and Alicia was one of them. According to the first Henry's memories, Inner Machine granted her immerse control over computers and the human body. She was also a child prodigy known for her prowess in biological and technological science.
This made Henry understand that she wasn't holding him with magic or a strange ability. She had simply seized direct control of his nervous and circulatory systems.
"I actually came to like the Henry I met that day," Alicia said, her voice softening with genuine sorrow. "He was kind and adorable. I found it cute when he pretended to have no memories. I was angry and curious about where my Henry went, but I was hopeful that the second consciousness I detected was him. That perhaps he was simply just resting or in some sort of coma. But then, when the beasts attacked... the second consciousness came out. But it wasn't Henry. It was you."
She stared into his trapped, furious eyes.
"I was devastated. Because if my Henry wasn't in there... then where was he? And then it hit me." She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He's dead, isn't he?"
Henry couldn't speak. His throat was still partially constrained. The pressure on his vocal cords was absolute.
Alicia sighed. "Sorry." She relaxed her hand just a fraction and instantly, the crushing pressure on his throat and head vanished.
Henry gasped, taking in deep, ragged breaths. The pretense of the sweet, amnesiac boy burned away entirely. He looked at Alicia menacingly, pure, unadulterated rage radiating from his purple eyes.
"If you ever do that again, I will—"
"No you won't," Alicia cut in, squeezing her fist, and Henry choked out a wet groan as his internal organs compressed painfully against each other.
Unable to hear the pain any longer, Henry sighed in defeat. "Okay! Stop! I'll talk!" he groaned.
"Okay," Alicia relaxed her fingers and the pressure on his organs eased slightly. "Talk."
"You're right. He's dead," Henry said flatly.
"Did you kill him?" Alicia asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"No," Henry gasped. "I didn't kill him. He was already dead before I inhabited this body."
Alicia took a deep, shuddering breath. It was as though she had expected the answer, but hearing it out loud made it real. "Okay. How did you come to enter his body?"
"I don't... I don't know," Henry wheezed. "I died too, okay. In a different world than this. And suddenly, I was alive again. In this body. In this world."
Alicia's eyes widened. "Impossible," she murmured, her iron grip faltering in her shock. "Are you saying reincarnation is real?"
"I don't know." Henry exhaled. "I died. Then I was here. That's everything I know."
Alicia tilted her head, her eyes unfocusing slightly as she tapped into his biological systems. "Your heart rate is steady. And your brain waves are normal," she stated. "You're telling the truth."
Henry was stunned. She can sense heart rate and brain waves?
That explained everything.
She had been reading his biological responses the entire time. She had known he was lying during the tests not because his face had slipped but because his neural activity had been registering directly. She could see how he was contemplating every response and knew that he was lying. It was this same function that enabled her see that there were two consciousness present in Henry's brain.
Which meant there was no physiological lie he could have told her that she wouldn't have caught immediately. The entire performance had been a waste of effort from the moment she arrived.
Henry did not find this amusing.
"What about the other Henry?" Alicia asked, regaining her composure. "The one I met first. I can sense his consciousness still present, but I can't see it."
"He's unavailable," Henry replied sharply. "I'm the one in control now."
Alicia put a hand to her chin, her scientific curiosity momentarily overriding her grief. "This is fascinating. I've never seen a psychological fracture like this before; a dissociative identity so powerful it followed its host through death into another body." She chuckled. "But wait..." She raised a brow. "Who was the original? The person who came first in your past life. Which one of you is the dissociative identity?"
Henry remained stubbornly silent. He didn't say anything. And that silence gave Alicia a very accurate hint.
She blinked, the realization dawning on her. "No way... That Henry is the original? The kind one?" She let out a dry laugh. "Then that means... you are the alter ego. You're the anomaly."
Henry clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with anger. He wasn't particularly fond of being called an anomaly. "If I get out of this, I swear I'll—"
"You'll what?" Alicia scoffed. Her tone was light, entirely undisturbed. She glanced at his clenched fist with the mild interest of someone noting the weather. "I'd think carefully about making threats if I were you. I can feel exactly how hard your heart is working right now. And I can make it work considerably harder without moving a finger."
Henry didn't say a word again. He couldn't afford to. His live was at stake.
"I really don't know why Felicity decided to accept you into her home," Alicia continued, crossing her arms. "Does she even know that the person she accepted isn't the same person controlling the body right now?"
"Will you tell her?" Henry scoffed.
"Nah, she is probably already aware," Alicia chuckled. "And even if she doesn't know yet, she'll find out eventually." She tilted her head, her playful smile returning. "But honestly? None of that concerns me. Either you or that other Henry are good enough for me. I'm pragmatic enough to work with what's available."
Henry raised a brow. Good enough?Then it hit him. The elaborate traps, the interrogation, the absolute control over his biology. It all felt very familiar.
"You want something from me, don't you?" he scoffed.
Alicia clapped her hands together. "Bingo! You finally figured it out." She dropped her hands to her hips. "See I already knew my Henry was dead. And I've mourned him. I just needed you to confirm it," she stated. "But the main reason I came here today was to get you to work for me."
Henry frowned. "Why the hell would I do that?" he spat.
"Because you have no choice," Alicia said simply. "I have you in my grasp. Literally and figuratively. From now on, you listen to me, and you do whatever I want."
Henry laughed out loud. It was a harsh, disbelieving sound. According to the first Henry's memories, Alicia was supposed to be the sweetest, kindest person alive. She was innocent and incapable of malice. Yet here she was, flawlessly executing a blackmail scheme.
"And if I don't do what you say?" Henry challenged. "What will you do? Kill me? Tell Felicity about me?"
"Oh, no, I wouldn't do that," Alicia smiled sweetly. "I'll just let TRIAD know about your existence."
Henry's laugh died in his throat.
"I'm sure TRIAD would be VERY interested in a boy who possesses powerful, unregistered abilities but has absolutely zero mana cells," Alicia continued, her tone light but devastating. "You would be declared an anomaly. The world would line up to study you, contain you, or eliminate you. But I'm pretty sure they'd take you away, lock you up in a lab and run experiments on you for the rest of your life. And Felicity wouldn't even be able to stop them, because every world leader and every public faction would be in support. After all... humans fear what they don't understand, and despise what they can't control."
Henry was consumed by a suffocating, blinding rage. Every word she said was the absolute truth. The existence of Mutants and anomalies made the world hyper-paranoid. If TRIAD found out he was operating outside the laws of biology with a mysterious, Celestial System, he would be hunted like an animal.
He gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"
Alicia beamed. "Good. You've come to your senses," she chuckled, then she continued. "See all I want... is for you to get faster."
Henry blinked in surprise. "Why?"
"You don't need to know yet," Alicia said mysteriously. "I'll tell you in due time. But for now, you just focus on getting faster. Fast enough to rival even Felicity." She stepped back. "So, do we have an agreement, or do I need to crush one of your organs to make a more convincing argument?"
"We have an agreement," Henry growled grudgingly.
Alicia smiled brightly and released the last lingering threads of her control on Henry's body.
The pressure completely vanished instantly, every compressed surface returning to its natural state simultaneously.
Henry dropped to his knees, gasping as his bones and organs throbbed with the aftershocks of the prolonged pressure. He was already exhausted from fighting the Earth Smasher; this encounter had nearly broken him.
He stood up slowly, shakily. Then he looked at Alicia. She looked back at him with an expression that wasn't apologetic and didn't try to pretend to be, which he respected more than he would have respected an apology.
"One question," he said.
Alicia raised a brow. "Mm."
"What happens if I go to Felicity right now and tell her that you're blackmailing me?" Henry asked with a snicker.
Alicia chuckled, turning to leave. "Nothing," she replied confidently. "Right now, Felicity trusts me a lot more than she trusts you. After you tried to murder Emily yesterday, you'll be lucky to even be alive by the end of the week. And if she does erase you? I'll just have the kind Henry do my bidding instead. Either way, you're in more danger from Felicity right now than you are from me or TRIAD."
Henry clenched his fists. She was right. He remembered his goal: he had to escape today.
"Give my regards to the other Henry, wherever he is," Alicia waved casually over her shoulder. She paused at the base of the stairs. "Oh and, what should I call you? Do you have a name, or should I just call you Henry 2?"
Henry hesitated. The mask was fully off now. There was no point in hiding his identity to her.
"Scar," he said, his voice cold and dark. "My name is Scar."
Alicia blinked, then let out a bright laugh. "Scar? Like the lion? That is so dramatic." She shook her head, still grinning.
Henry crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
Alicia chuckled. "Well, Scar. Cheers to our partnership. And I really hope you survive whatever Felicity has in store for you."
Suddenly, the sleek, metallic components of a highly advanced jetpack materialized on her back, unfolding from a spatial device hidden in her jacket.
"Goodbye, Scar," she called out. "And good luck... you'll need it."
With a blast of blue thruster energy, Alicia launched into the sky, disappearing over the frosted canopy of the estate.
Henry... no, Scar stood alone on the marble stairs, his fists trembling with rage. He swore to whatever gods ruled this world that he would make Alicia pay for humiliating him like this. But right now, he had infinitely bigger problems. He needed to get off the grid completely. Because even if he escaped from the house successfully, Alicia might follow through on her threat and sick TRIAD on him. He needed to get out, get stronger, and find a permanent way to shut Alicia up.
He turned, walked back into the mansion, and headed straight to his room. He collapsed onto the bed, physically and mentally exhausted.
He had made a vow to survive just yesterday. Now, he was being blackmailed by a teenage girl, his body was battered, and he was on the verge of being psychic-erased by his "mother." He groaned in frustration. All of this was happening because he was weak. In this brutal world, strength was the only currency that mattered. If he were strong, he wouldn't be threatened.
He sat up, rubbing his face. "I need a plan."
Then, he remembered the System Giftbox he had earned for clearing the wolf pack. He accessed his inventory and mentally commanded the system to open it.
DING!
[Giftbox Opened!
You have received 50 EXP,
You have received a New Skill; Eye of Horus]
[Exp: 170/500]
[Alert! New Skill Available: Eye of Horus]
Scar was curious and elated. He read through the skill description quickly, his mood instantly lifting.
——————
Eye of Horus:
*Type: Active
*Primary abilities:
-Inspect: Host can focus his gaze on a target, be it an object, person, or beast and gather extensive information on them.
-Energy Detection: Host can see the energy signature(Aura) of beings, allowing him to detect hidden enemies and track energy patterns and residues.
-Precision: This is a precise positioning skill that allows the user to lock onto a target with unerring accuracy. When activated, the user's vision becomes heightened, allowing them to track their target with ease even at high speeds or abruptive environment.
-Thermal imaging: Ability to see the heat signature of living and non-living things. This can be further applied as a see-through vision.
*Note: Skill doesn't consume Energy points or Stamina. It is activated by thought and can be used at will]
——————
Scar exhaled softly. He felt a rare moment of solace. Despite the humiliation, today had been incredibly profitable. He had leveled up twice and acquired two new skills.
Then he opened his status window to access his stats:
——————
*Name: Henry Myers
*Race: Human
*Level: 3 (Exp: 170/500)
*HP: 300/300
*Stamina: 90/90
*Energy Points: 60/60
–––––––
[Speed Index: Tier 1 - Cheetah Class]
*Top Speed: 650 km/h
*Speed Rate: 0 km/h (Idle)
*Perception Index: 4.5x
–––––––
*Strength: 20
*Agility: 29
*Durability: 39
*Perception: 54
*Mastery: 14
*Stat point: 10
*Super Speed
*Accelerated Perception
*Health Regeneration
*Eye of Horus
None.
——————
Seeing that he had 10 free stat points, Henry decided to distribute them. He studied his current attributes carefully to decide which and which stat to allocate points to.
The numbers had climbed significantly from the beginning of the day, but he was operating with the clear-eyed understanding of someone who had spent an afternoon being thrown by an Earth Smasher and needed to never be thrown by an Earth Smasher again.
Analyzing his abysmal baseline, he knew he needed survivability and power. And after much consideration, he allocated 3 points to Stamina, 2 to Durability, 2 to Strength, 2 to Agility, and 1 to Mastery.
He'd distributed them in order of significance and necessity. And he added one point to mastery because the stat affected his ceiling on technique refinement. Leaving it entirely unaddressed was inefficient.
——————
*Stamina: 90 >> 93
*Strength: 20 >> 22
*Agility: 29 >> 31
*Durability: 39 >> 41
*Mastery: 14 >> 15
*Stat point: 0
——————
Scar closed the interface and exhaled, his mind returning to Alicia's chilling words.
"Felicity is probably already aware."
He was aware of this possibility. But it still didn't make sense. If Felicity knew he was an imposter—the consciousness that tried to murder her daughter—why hadn't she acted? They had encountered each other twice since he took over, and she hadn't shown a shred of hostility. But then again, that was exactly how an apex predator hunted: pretend you suspect nothing to keep the prey at ease.
But Felicity had seemed so genuine. It was almost as if... she knew, but didn't care. As if his murderous presence didn't bother her. Or maybe, she really didn't know anything, and he was just being paranoid.
Scar shook his head. He couldn't afford to gamble his life on a "maybe." Felicity was one of the most powerful humans on the planet. If she was playing a game, the endgame would be his death.
"Ihave to leave. Now," he decided.
He looked out the window. The sun was still out. He stood, went to the bathroom, took a rapid shower to wash off the dirt and dried blood, and changed into fresh, casual clothing. Then he proceeded to leave.
But he hesitated at the door, his mind racing. Would Felicity know if he left? Was she really actively monitoring him?
Fuck it, he decided. He couldn't wait for any perfect moment or any opportunity. He was going to risk it. She was supposed to be at the faction anyway.
He moved silently out of the room, descended the grand staircase, and bypassed the main doors, heading straight for the sprawling rear balcony that overlooked the estate's frozen gardens. It was a blind spot in the perimeter security.
He reached for the heavy glass door.
But before his fingers could touch the handle, the door swung open from the outside. And standing on the balcony, framed by the afternoon light, was Felicity.
Scar's fists clenched instinctively. Are you kidding me?! he screamed internally. Wasn't she supposed to be at the headquarters until the evening? Why did she magically appear at the exact exit he chose, at the exact moment he was leaving? It was too perfect.
"Hello, Henry," Felicity greeted warmly, stepping inside. "Heading out?"
Scar forced his heart rate to steady. "Not really. Just wanted to explore the mansion compound a bit."
"I see," Felicity smiled. "Does that mean you're feeling completely fine now?"
"All better," Scar lied smoothly.
"Good," Felicity's smile didn't waver, but her eyes darkened slightly. "Then we can proceed."
Scar's blood turned to ice. "Proceed? With what?"
"I was thinking..." Felicity started, her voice soft but echoing with absolute authority. "...we should do the invasive procedure now. If we wait any longer, I fear the other consciousness might do something destructive. We have to act first, and fast."
Scar's face went pale. She had cornered him flawlessly. He desperately scrambled for an excuse. "Are... are you sure? My mind might not be stable right now. I just recovered from a fall."
"Don't worry," Felicity assured him, stepping closer. "I know my way around it."
"But Mom, I really think we should wait," Scar pleaded, backing away slowly. "I'm not ready."
Felicity smiled, a look of profound, terrifying maternal pity crossing her face. "I understand you're scared, Henry. I understand you feel pity for this other self because you believe it's a part of you. But it's not. It may seem like it is, but it's not. And we have to do something about it before things get out of hand."
Scar opened his mouth to argue, but a sudden, overwhelming wave of dizziness crashed over him. His knees buckled. His eyelids felt like they were made of lead. The room spun uncontrollably.
He tried to summon his system, tried to trigger Accelerated Perception, but his neural pathways were shutting down.
Through the blur of his fading vision, he saw Felicity's perfectly calm expression. She hadn't moved. She hadn't chanted a spell. She was doing this with her mind. She was putting him to sleep.
No, no no! This can't be happening! Scar yelled inwardly, panicking wildly. I fucked up. I shouldn't have come back here after leaving the forest. Wait…why did I come back? Why did I even stay this long? Why didn't I leave for good when I left this morning? he paused, coming to a chilling realization.
Felicity.
This was all her doing.
She had messed with his head all night, making him more paranoid and putting all these thoughts about him being watched. He had faltered in his thinking, and she had used that to her advantage. In that moment of panic, his mind became vulnerable, and she was able to invade and alter it. She had compelled him not to leave. So no matter how much he planned or tried to leave, he would never truly go.
And now he was trapped. This was checkmate. This was the end. For him.
He stumbled forward. Felicity caught him gently by the shoulders, supporting his weight.
"Sweet dreams, darling," she whispered softly. "This will all be over when you wake up."
Yeah, Scar scoffed bitterly in the dark recesses of his fading consciousness. It'll be over for me.
Then, he passed out.