Book 2 Chapter 43 - Being Loveable Was Her Fatal Flaw

Category and degree are not the be-all end-all of combat.
You are not safe just because you have higher attributes.

Everyone has weaknesses.

Everyone.

Everyone and everything.

If you can find a hedron’s weakness, you can kill it.
Even from a category below it. Even from two.

Or better yet, you can escape.

Never forget that you have weaknesses too.
—Virgil Clay, Lecture

Violet Asher
Category [Orange]
Calling <Reaper>
Degree {6}

Attributes
Agility (232)
Constitution (120)
Dexterity (197)
Endurance (135)
Perception (305)
Resistance (165)
Strength (100)
Bloodlust (560)

Violet had grown even more than she realized. It was no wonder she’d been able to leave the infirmary the same day she’d woken up. Her body insisted on aching and creaking like aging wood under too much weight… But that was only because she’d been so much weaker when she’d been injured. That being the case, going from unconscious for a week to being discharged the same day was shockingly quick. Enough that she’d have hidden it if she had any idea how to do so. Unfortunately, Kassie had noticed Violet’s unexpectedly improved state before she’d even regained consciousness. Looking at her attributes on the bathroom mirror now, it wasn’t much of a mystery.

She’d been able to feel a stark improvement on all levels when she’d opened her eyes. But her constitution had improved from 80 to 120 over the course of a single week. She’d jumped five degrees, which was her biggest leap since killing Derek. In number alone, in fact. Considering how much more clarity was involved in a jump through orange than through red, this was easily the most she’d been promoted at once. 

And she hadn’t hurt anyone at all.

It must have been happening the entire time she slept. As the rumors spread, she found herself in the role of “hero” at the academy. She’d seen a few students glance at her as she and Kiera walked back to their room. She couldn’t hear them, but most of the people in their building were green, like Samuel. They wouldn’t be heard if they didn’t want to be. The fact that they were speaking was explanation enough, however. If even veteran students with two categories on her were whispering about her exploits? 

Well. Samuel had avoided consequences for trying to poison his daughter entirely because his calling was valuable. He wasn’t even a higher degree than an entire dorm of students at Chromatic. That was enough for the whole school to ignore Kiera’s testimony, give him a job, and eagerly drink his potions. Hell, even the students who’d been poisoned hadn’t actually pointed fingers at him and called for his arrest, apparently. Which made sense in a strange way. 

And Violet? She’d had a small reputation for surviving a rough trip to the academy before. But this incident made her nearly a myth around the school. The girl who’d single-handedly killed a queen that outclassed her, and promoted herself three degrees in the middle of a fight. If students in Samuel’s category admired her? Well, it was no mystery why she’d advanced so quickly without a kill.

There was a delicious flavor to that, but also a disappointing one. She enjoyed the power of public perception. She enjoyed the control, and the way it fed into itself. But it also meant she didn’t need to kill anyone to grow. It was, in fact, less efficient than what she’d just done. Less dangerous as well, depending on her target. But it was something to think about.

Later, of course.

She had three people to dispose of, regardless. Cyan, Bouvier, and Samuel. The final of the three would be the first she handled. She’d given him a chance, after all. To turn himself in and explain that the poison had been meant for Kiera, not the entire class. He’d even have taken her down with him if he did that. She was as guilty as he was of poisoning the rest of the class, after all. He hadn’t done that, however. He was probably looking into Violet now, in fact. While the rest of the academy was spreading her legend, he would know she’d betrayed him. And he’d want to do something about her.

She would handle him, or he would handle her. And he had a week’s head start. She had work to do. 

She sent a mental command to her ring, and the attributes faded from the mirror like sand. A moment later, her talents etched themselves into the surface. She’d passed degree five, which meant a new talent. She could feel it in her gut, but wasn’t sure what it did. It was the new branch for this talent that she focused on.

Fatal Flaws - [Orange] - {5}

“Even Achilles could be killed by a sharp-eyed archer.

“The Reaper has acquired a taste for rich—and powerful—blood. She is the snake with an appetite for the elephant’s foot. The Reaper will not only survive this, but dominate. In order to do this, she requires the eyes of a predator.

“This talent will match her eyes to her appetite. With ‘Fatal Flaws,’ the Reaper may intuit the weakness of any target—excepting herself—whom she directly observes.

“Whether it be man, beast, or object, the Reaper will find its vulnerabilities and exploit them.”

Violet read through the description a few times, and a wide grin split her face. This was exactly what she needed. She was finally certain it wasn’t a dangerous talent to use indoors, and immediately activated it while looking at herself in the mirror. The description said she wouldn’t be able to use it on herself, which was a shame. She knew she had weaknesses, and she was aware that some of them were a mystery to her. It would have been useful to identify them, but it would have been a secondary benefit. She wasn’t trying to actually use it, however. She simply remembered the way Cyan’s pupil had turned to a slit when he’d used his scrying talent on her. She wanted to check how visible it was when she used her own visual talent.

To her chagrin, the answer to that question was very. 

Her entire sclera flooded with darkness, turning so black it could easily be mistaken for an empty pit in her skull. She was almost convinced that she could press one finger against it and meet only empty air. The whites of her eyes had turned to the type of darkness that tried to eat the light around it. It almost made her stomach churn just looking at it. Meanwhile, her iris and pupil had narrowed, each taking up maybe a third of the space it once had. The blue looked like it floated in an endless void, and the black of her pupil looked pale when compared to the rest of her eye.

It was only one eye, and she wasn’t sure if that was better or worse that way. This talent wasn’t simply noticeable. It was impossible to miss. She’d either need to be certain no one was watching her when she used it, or come up with an explanation for what it was. A decision she’d need to make quickly. As her friends would want to know what her new talent was.

She sighed, then finally washed her hands and left the bathroom.

“You were in there a good while, huh?” Kiera asked. 

Violet walked out into their shared room and found Kiera in a hoodie, lying on her stomach and scrolling through her tablet from Violet’s bed. “I’ve been fed through a tube for a week; give me a break,” Violet answered.

Kiera tossed the tablet to the side and rested her head in both hands by her chin. “You literally bought fish tacos on the way back from the infirmary. You don’t think that might be related?” she asked.

“I won’t accept seafood slander in my own home,” Violet dismissed. 

“Vi, no one has actually visited the sea and come back alive in over three hundred years. Even the guy who did it that time lost three of his limbs. Whatever you are eating, it’s not seafood,” Kiera quipped.

“Tastes good, though,” Violet replied. “And not all of us can prance through the grass hunting birds to our hearts' content.”

“Oh, a fox joke, how original,” Kiera replied with a roll of her eyes. “I’m just saying. You’re rolling the dice here. Especially after a week in a coma.”

“Fish is good for you. How do you think I maintain my girlish figure?” Violet complained.

“By being sixteen and Category Orange, I think,” Kiera laughed. She sat up as she did, then stood and brushed herself off. 

“Almost seventeen, I’ll have you know! My birthday is in January. My metabolism has basically come to a screeching halt,” Violet corrected.

“Violet, that's, like, three months away. That’s a quarter of a year, dude. I don’t know if you’ve quite left the flower of your youth yet,” Kiera poked.

Violet shrugged. “Ah, the naivety of youth. You’ll understand when you’re older,” Violet lamented. “Anyway, we should get going. I’d like to catch up with Guy and Aubrey.”

Kiera shook her head and smiled, but turned to gather her things. As soon as her friend’s back was turned, Violet took advantage of the moment to try her talent out. 

She’d expected to see something when she did. Like words floating over Kiera’s head explaining the kitsune’s weaknesses. Instead, she simply… felt it. On an instinctual level. Like the feeling of being watched, but with an undeniable certainty behind it. As Violet looked at Kiera’s back, she had an immediate understanding of the quickest ways to hurt the fox. And the easiest points of leverage to do it. 

And she was fascinated by that understanding. She recalled that moment on top of the bell tower, when Kiera seemed to work something out about Violet. Then a moment later, it was like nothing had ever happened. Now, Violet understood why.

“So, what's the new talent, anyway? I know that's what you were actually looking at in there,” Kiera said. She was still bending over, looking for something next to her bed. Violet wasn't sure what the fox was missing, but it didn't matter. It gave her more time to experiment with her talent… and test the information it was revealing.

“That obvious, huh? I guess I am too pretty to crack porcelain. Should have known you’d put it together. Yeah, and it’s a sight-based talent,” Violet explained. “It shows me a hedron’s weaknesses. It’s a bit unclear in the description, but I think it works on doors, walls, and other people, too. Finally, a decent scouting talent.”

Kiera paused for a moment, her hand still under the bed as she searched. “Damn, that'll come in handy. Just don't go pointing that shit at me, yeah?” she responded. 

“I would never cross a boundary like that,” Violet promised. “You're my friend, not the target of some scouting mission.”

“Ah hah! There you are, you absolute fucker!” Kiera exclaimed a moment later. She stood up in an instant, triumphantly holding her wallet in the air. She turned and faced Violet, who made no effort to hide the still active talent.

Emotions ran down her face like mixing watercolors, presenting, shifting, and changing in rapid succession. Surprise was the first. Then concern, followed immediately by understanding, and finally hurt. Violet had been using it on Kiera even while promising to never cross that line. 

But that hurt would never crawl its way out of Kiera's mouth, and Violet was certain of it. Fatal Flaws had made that clear in an instant. And, as expected, Kiera’s eyes dulled a moment later, and the betrayal seemed to wash out of them.

“Did you not have that when you came to visit me?” Violet asked with an amused smirk, the darkness still consuming her eye. 

Kiera was quiet for a moment longer, then she shook her head as if to clear it. Finally, she grinned sheepishly and shrugged. 

“I can be a bit of a ditz, sue me,” Kiera replied. “Besides, you're super rich. You didn't mind buying dinner, right?”

Violet smiled broadly, even now using her talent openly on Kiera. She felt bad about lying to her best friend, but this wasn't about Kiera. This was a safe test of her talent’s reliability. A test she was going to use to save Kiera's life, in fact. The way Kiera used illusions for self-deception was fascinating, and Violet would examine it with her friend later. But for now, it was definitive proof. The talent worked beautifully. 

And it was exactly what she needed to stop Samuel and keep Kiera out of prison. It was a small betrayal—and an ultimate kindness. And it felt good. 

“I’d just woken up from a coma, Kiera. You’re lucky I had my wallet at all, you absolute rodent,” Violet joked. “Come on, I’d really like to see how the others are doing.” 

Violet finally deactivated her talent and turned toward the door as Kiera caught up.

“They’ll be happy to see you,” Kiera agreed. 

Violet was satisfied with the test, and Kiera seemed entirely unharmed by the exchange. All was well, and Violet was in an excellent mood. 

Until she opened the front door to leave, and found Samuel Mulberry preparing to knock.