COVELENT: XenoTrait

Chapter 39: Understanding Fear (2)

Felix stood still, staring at his hands. The faint tremor in his fingers hadn’t gone away.

"...Fear..." The word lingered it was quiet yet heavy.

His jaw tightened. He dragged a hand through his hair, pressing his fingers into his scalp as if he could force clarity out of himself.

"So I need to feel it... really feel it..." His shoulders dropped slightly as he exhaled, "...And I’m supposed to just... what? Scare myself on command?"

A dry laugh slipped out but it didn’t last. There was nothing funny about it.

His gaze drifted toward the forest... then down at the ground, "...I’m not throwing myself into a fight," he muttered. "Not like that."

’The fall, that damned rat and the bird too.’ Each memory pressed in, it was sharp, suffocating.

His stomach tightened as if it were eating itself, "...There has to be another way."

He crouched, picking up a stone. It was rough and fairly ordinary.

Harmless....Felix stared at it, "...If pain can push it..."

His grip tightened and before he could hesitate. He brought it down hard onto his other hand.

"—Tch—!"

Pain shot through his fingers. The stone slipped from his grasp.

He sucked in a sharp breath, staring at his hand as he flexed it slowly.

’It hurts...This was it all, no shift, no scales.

Just raw uncensored pain.’

Felix exhaled through his nose, his expression tightening, "...Not enough I guess..."

He shook his hand once, dismissing the sting, "...And I’m not doing that again."

He stood, rolling his shoulders as his gaze lifted toward the cliff’s edge.

Wind brushed against his face. It felt as if his face was being pierced by a numerous amount of cold needles.

Felix travelled to the distant cliff.

"...Fear..."

He stepped closer, peering down. To him the drop looked as if it was steep.

’Well one thing for sure...if I fall from here I prob won’t die since it doesn’t look like that long of a fall as compared to when Jack pushed me...not enough.’ he pondered.

"...If I can’t force it..." His toes edged closer."...then I’ll have to build it up."

He glanced back once took a slight breath, ’its a leap of faith...thats all it is.’

He stood there the wind carrying his now long black hair, ’ no hesitation.’

Then he stepped off and In that moment the ground vanished.

For a heartbeat of a second he felt weightless. Then gravity took him.

Wind roared past as he fell, his body tightening on instinct. He felt as if something was about to erupt.

His eyes narrowed, "...I’m not the same..."

The ground rushed up to him as he could now see it, then his back slammed into stone.

"...Ahh...!"

Pain burst through him, sharp and jarring. His head snapped back and then there was stillness.

For a second, he couldn’t breathe properly, his hand moved behind his head.

He froze then exhaled deeply, "...No blood huh....surprising."

A brief hit of relief swallowed him but it was shallow because nothing happened at all.

Felix pushed himself up slowly, his body protesting, "...Still nothing..."

Frustration returned, heavier this time. He clenched his fists, "Ahh....what am I supposed to do?"

The forest didn’t answer him, only his own voice reverberated through it.

Besides him only silence he could hear carried by the wind.

Felix dragged a hand down his face, "...Fine."

A slow and shallow breath escaped him, "...If I can’t trigger it like that... I’ll get stronger another way."

His gaze sharpened, "...Stamina."

He started running at first it was controlled and measured but it didn’t last.

"Haah... haah..."

Each step grew heavier as his chest tightened.

His legs burned with an intensity but still, he pushed forward...following the marks he had carved into the trees.

’Further, further up until his body gave out midway. Felix slowed, bracing his hands on his knees.

"Haah... haah... haah..."

His lungs burned and his throat had ran dry, "...Pathetic..."

He glanced back at the distance he’d covered, ’ Not enough.... the amount of animals that I tested on and put here are a numerous amount and it’s safe to say all of them are out for blood...so if I wanna survive I gotta get stronger.’ the thought lingered within him

’Compared to my strength.’ His jaw tightened. "...Doesn’t match."

After a short rest, he moved again but was slower now.

The forest shifted as he went deeper. The ground thickened with roots. The air felt much more denser and heavier.

Then he saw a large number of vines. They hung between trees, loose and swaying. Felix reached out, grabbing one.

"...I used to climb these..."

He pulled on one and it snapped. He blinked in confusion, "...What?"

He grabbed another vine, he pulled on it again and just like the one it broke just as easily.

Felix stared at his hands, "...They are too weak or I’m just a lot heavier..."

A pause.

"...Or it could be that I’m just too strong."

A breath escaped him, "...Either way."

A faint smirk appeared on his face, "...I’ll use it."

The cave came into view not long after.

Felix stopped for a bit, "...Finally."

He approached carefully, "...Please be empty."

Step by step, he entered slowly. The interior was shallow but most importantly it was empty.

Felix exhaled, "...Good."

He stepped inside, scanning the walls, "...Better than bones and feathers."

Relief settled in, small, but real.

Then he noticed the incline deeper within.

"...What’s up there..." Curiosity pulled him forward.

The climb was steep, uneven but manageable.

By the time he reached the top, his breathing had picked up again.

But when he looked out he paused for a second, "...That’s useful."

The view stretched far beyond the forest.

Felix turned and saw it in the distance. A slope.

Loose stone it was unstable and dangerous.

A slow smile formed, "...That’ll work."

He didn’t hesitate to climb back down.

Back through the forest. To the vines....This time, he moved carefully. He measured his strength. He tested each one slow pulls, controlled force.

They held he was swinging on them moving from vine to vine like a monkey.

One by one, he gathered them.

Back at the cave, he dropped the vines in front of him.

"...Now." he said.

He picked up three strands. His fingers moved slowly at first as he weaved them together... locking them together into one strong strand.

Time passed unnoticed and by the end, a thick rope lay coiled at his feet.

Felix lifted it, pulling hard on it and it held.

"...Good enough."

He stood, "...Now the hard part."

The climb took several hours. The slope was worse up close loose footing, shifting the stone underneath.

By the time he reached the top, his body ached, "...I’m staying here."

No argument came to him. Sleep came quickly.

Morning rose. Felix stood at the edge.

His eyes sharp, "...Time to test it."

He scanned the terrain around him.

"...There."

A large stone was wedged just enough. He secured the rope tightly around it, pulling hard.

Then fed the rope over the edge. He let it drop.

He descended slowly. Each and every step deliberate.

When he reached the bottom, he walked out to the rope’s end.

Then looked up to the slope above.

His grip tightened. His heartbeat quickened.

"...This is it." he said as his throat dried the last of his spit.

"...No turning back now." He pulled on the rope.

The rope went taut and there was a shift above.

One stone slipped. Then another and they all erupted moving downwards in his direction.

Felix planted his feet. Arms crossed in front of him.

"...Come on..." His voice strained, "...Come on..."

The first stone hit. Pain exploded through his arm.

As something cracked, "—Agh—!"

The second one drove him to one knee.

His vision blurred then they came.

He felt an intense tightening, a pressure beneath his skin.

His breath caught up, "...This feeling here it comes..."

The third and fourth impacts struck but this time something resisted.

The force didn’t sink in the same way. It met something first.

Then the collapse finally ended and there was silence.

For a moment nothing moved.

"Aahhh—!" Felix forced himself upward, pushing through the rubble.

Stone shifted and rolled away as his arm broke free, followed by his shoulder.

He dragged himself out. Breathing hard there they were scales that covered his entire body even his face but something was different now they were dark.

They spread across his arms, his chest, his face.

"Haah... haah..." He staggered forward. His right arm hung limp, twisted, broken.

Blood ran freely as Felix stared at it, "...Still hurts..."

Then the scales shifted on top of the other ones they flowed crawling towards the injury.

His breathing slowed as the pain dulled.

The brocken bones shifted, realigning as his muscle tightened and skin sealed.

Felix leaned back against a rock, staring upward, "...So it heals too..."

A slow breath, "...Not just defence huh...good to know."

Time passed until when he stood again.

His arm was whole, he flexed it once, "...Yeah..."

A faint smile appeared, "...This changes everything."

The next day Felix stood still his eyes closed, "...Let’s try again."

He raised his hand, "...Without dying this time."

His breathing slowed, ’remember the sensation...that feeling.’

His fingers trembled, sweat rollingbdown his face, "...Come on..."

Nothing happened then a flicker.

His eyes snapped open, "...There."

The scales appeared slowly starting from his arm and some sprouting out of his chest all at once.