I emerged from the black and white world and turned back my Mask to normal.
When used, there was a sense of attraction. God knows what kind of creatures it might attract, or even others who obtained Colors. I need to be careful. I already have 3 colors.
Now, all I need is a place to stay for three days.
Ouch!
I strolled with my injuries. My body ached. Infant, I wanted nothing more than to just lie down and sleep. Every step I took felt like needles penetrating my feet. My arms were also a mess, not to mention the hunger..
I almost wanted to laugh at myself.
'Didn't I write in the note that I wanted to end it all?' When did I become this desperate to survive?
At first, I thought I could use the ability of Red to cook the queen's meat and eat it. But did not do that due to my limited knowledge of mutants. What if I also turned into some kind of snake? It sounds ridiculous, but caution is imperative.
Additionally, I left that place because I was concerned that even using the power of Colors once might leave a scent that could be tracked.
I laughed. Am I overthinking it, or have I lost my mind? Sheesh. No. Caution is imperative.
The lights started to dwindle. The colorful leaves soon lost their color as night approached. I gathered a bunch of fall branches and arranged them in a half-circle. Opposite the half-circle was a large tree root. In the center, I built a shade from the leaves. This way, if anything approached, I would be aware due to the branch breaking.
On second thought, can't they just jump over the branches?
Shessh! I felt stupid. 'Let's just hope for the best.'
If anyone or anything were to see this setting, they would no doubt find it suspicious, but simply resting somewhere without any preparation did not feel right. I did not find any truly isolated place. And I can't force myself to stay awake.
As night approached, I became more anxious. I thought of using 'Green' to grow vines around me for protection. But at the same time, there was the attraction of the Mask.
'Fuck.' The little knowledge that I have is only giving me anxiety; if only I could better understand how things worked.
I took a long breath. 'Control what I can control, don't fret on the uncontrollable, hope for the best.' I tried my best. Overthinking did not solve any problem, so I took the risk and slept on the shredded bed surrounded by branches.
..
Grr!
My eyes jolted awake. 'There is something outside!' I gulped. I was prepared to immediately use 'Green' to create a barrier of vines if I felt any changes in the shade.
The creature outside seems cautious. Did it sense something and arrive here? It did not immediately attack the shade. I gulped and waited. Ready for anything from any direction!
But nothing happened!
'It left!' I am not sure. I did not hear any footsteps. It could be a trap to lower my guard? But if it was that intelligent, why did it step on the branch and not attack immediately?
Why did it roar?
My eyes lit up!
Because it did not know what could be inside the shade! The creature thought the shade could be a trap for it! It purposefully stepped on a branch; no, maybe it didn't come near.
Perhaps it threw a stone, which would also cause the branch to break, and checked for any reaction. How cowardly! Exactly like me!
I hadn't considered this possibility before. If they are intelligent enough, they would not rashly attack. It would also depend on the creature.
Shessh!
It hadn't even been an hour since I fell asleep. What do I do now? Sleep again? I'm unsure whether the creature will do anything or not. I waited for a while. Nothing happened. It may be due to the numerous injuries I sustained or to the many things that happened today and yesterday, but I was fatigued. I fell asleep.
…
When the sun rose, the leaves regained their luster and shone beautifully once again. The light from the leaves penetrated my eyes, and I woke up.
I felt energized. In fact, I looked at my arms and legs.
'It's healed?'
Was it due to the power of the 'Colors', but they were not active? Was it due to something they injected in us? Or may it be due to this place and its strange, colorful leaves? All I had were theories; there was still a lot to learn.
What do I do today? Stay here?
First, I decided to check the branches. I removed the leaves and got out of the shade. As expected, there was a stone over the branch. It was an intelligent creature indeed.
Wait. Why did I think of it as a creature? It could also be one of the juveniles here? Also, maybe it's still watching?
I gulped.
I am still too naive and careless. Of course, these are things I had no previous experience in, and considering I am still alive, I am doing reasonably well... no, arrogance leads to death.
I strolled and decided to leave this place. It did not feel safe anymore.
Suddenly, I was attracted by a strange smell. Should I follow the trail or steer clear of it? I avoided it. 2 days remain. Should I go near the gate entrance? There may be a chance that others who have gained 'Colors' are also near there. From a sane viewpoint, there is no reason to fight between those who have already obtained colors. We could wait till the gates open together. I laughed thinking of such a scene.
No doubt, they will try to kill whoever they meet, especially after gaining powers. For future rounds, the less the competition, the better. That's what they probably think.
Hm.
It's the same strange smell. At this point, it's coming from many places. My Mask glowed 'White', I entered the world of black and white. As expected. I could feel attraction from different sides. 'There were many 'Colors' nearby.' If others awoke, 'Red', then they would be able to sense me due to the unique heat produced by my body. They would know my exact location. The attraction from the Mask is not that strong; they may be able to sense I am nearby, but they won't know my exact location. At the same time, I also used vines to surround me; its ability, 'Stealth', should isolate me from 'Red's' ability to detect me.
I'm not familiar with the abilities granted by other colors. Perhaps it offers an alternative way to find someone?
'I cannot know.' Fuck, the lack of knowledge is getting too frustrating. At this point, I may get a heart attack from the fear of the unknown. 'This won't do.' I need to gather information.
I climbed the trees and hopped on the thick branches. With Green, I could control the trees and blend in with them.
In the world of black and white, I created vines and extended vines from branch to branch and walked over them. Soon, standing above a long branch, I saw a red band roasting and eating something. His Mask was 'Red'
I covered my mouth in horror as I realized what he was roasting. It was another juvenile. He was eating another human. My heartbeat soared. For a moment, I felt intense fear of those wearing red bands. Till now, all of the red bands I met were strange, different, and strong.
'I should be better careful of them.'
Thinking about it, rather than eating the meat of mutants, whose consequences we did not know of, roasting another human and eating it for food would indeed seem like a safer option.
Considering the smell I smelled from different directions, others should have also come up with a similar train of thought.
No sense of humanity among the beasts.
Soosh!
Suddenly, a dome of fire swirled around him. He must have sensed the attraction of my Mask. No matter.
'A dome of fire..good instinct. He doesn't know where I am but feels me nearby.' The interesting thing is that the previous 'Red' I met emitted fire from his body; this 'Red' seems to be able to manifest fire outside his body. Additionally, inside the dome, there is excessive space in the center. Why?
'I see.' Sweat. I saw sweat droplets on his neck. He is not immune to fire. I understood the difference between the two 'Red.' One could emit fire from his body and be immune to flame, but not manifest it at a distance, while the other could manifest it at a distance while not being immune to it.
What decides what kind of 'Red' you awaken? No wonder my 'Green' and 'White' shine brighter than 'Red.' It was incomplete all along.
Suddenly, I no longer felt a sense of fear. I blended with the trees and came down. In the world of black and white, I walked near him.
I could see the anxiety in his eyes. 'Hunt or be hunted, they say.'
Vines erupted from beneath his feet. They wrapped his legs and soon engulfed his whole body, except his face. The world of Black and White shattered, revealing the vines and me.
I tightened the grip of the vine and sharpened the thorns.
Argh!
He screamed in pain. Causing the dome of fire to dissipate.
"How did you awaken a 'Color'?" I asked. That's why I kept him alive. I needed answers.
"The Mask…it absorbs blood. Depending on the creature. Different colors will awaken.", he spoke as he cried in pain. Heh, so drinking blood was a lie.
"What do you know about mutants or mutant creatures?" I asked
".. I don't know…." he cried.
"Tell me something valuable, otherwise, you might end up being the one roasted instead." I loosened the vines slightly.
"If you kill the children, your 'Color' will be incomplete. Only by killing a Parent -- can you gain true color."
"I see." One of the vines tightened, causing his neck to split into two. This one did not have much knowledge.
The 'Red' in my Mask glowed deep. Finally, it felt complete. I immediately entered the world of black and white. There was not much commotion, but still, caution is essential. My 'Green' was already complete. How did the red band kill a parent without any abilities? Or did he kill multiple children? That is also a possibility. Also, isn't the key point absorbing blood? So we don't need to kill, but just get enough blood. If there is too little blood, the 'Color' might be incomplete. These are all theories.
I walked near the shade beneath the trees. "Come out," I said. There was someone else in the black-and-white world. The force of attraction was also more potent. Why? Perhaps the amount of 'Color' one processes determines the attraction power they emit.
Swoosh!
Black shadows rose from my shadow like sharp blades. Suddenly, fire erupted from my body, and the light from the fire dispelled the shadows. 'So, he can control shadows.' My clothes burned due to the fire from my body. I did not create vines, as there was a chance he could control the shadow of the vines.
I ran. I couldn't sense his temperature. Similarly, to how I could blend in with the trees using 'Green.' He was blending in the shadows of the trees and escaping at an alarming rate. I couldn't let him escape. I don't know if he only controls shadows or darkness also, if he can control darkness, I would be screwed during the night. I was using the attraction from the Mask to track him. Still, I cannot find his exact location, but I can get a general idea of where he is heading.
Also, not using my Mask last night was a good idea. With three colors, the attraction I would emit would be even stronger than his.
Think. I cannot do any damage when he blends among the shadows.
At this point, he has only two choices: keep running till nightfall. This won't be viable. It's still afternoon, even if he's a shadow, his stamina should have a limit. Using 'Colors' is exhausting. Second option, get out of the shadow and stop using Mask so that there isn't any force of attraction. He most likely doesn't know about the detection ability of 'Red.'
So, most likely after gaining some distance and arriving in a proper place, he will come out of the shadow, stop using the Mask, and run on foot, believing I won't be able to track him.
Pretending to be tried and allowing him to gain distance right now is the best course of action. I have to place my bet on 'Detect' for now. Unfortunately, he chose the 3rd option.
My senses sharpened, and I felt another attraction. Looking straight ahead, I saw someone wearing a 'Blue' Mask. Water bubbles surrounded him.
'Utilizing water to neutralize my fire.' He hopes to utilize the chaos of the fight to kill me. 'Shit.'
Would I be able to maintain my fire if I get drenched? Even if I could, there would be a time gap before the water evaporates and my body burns. He could use the shadows created in that gap to kill me. 'Fuck' that's an annoying ability.
I looked at the 'Blue' Mask. He panicked and pointed his arm toward me. Those water bubbles rushed towards me. 'Idiot. Can't he tell that he's being used? The shadow will either kill us during our fight or escape using the chaos and come back at night and kill us.'
Think!
Think!
I cannot enter the world of black and white because the fire is constantly burning the surrounding leaves and branches. Fuck I am a running fire hazard.
The distance is too far to make the vine sprout from below his legs. Wait. There was another solution.
I made an instantaneous decision. 'Green' doesn't only control vines. The fire stopped burning; my body turned to wood as I entered a root. Water bubbles struck the trees, but nothing happened. The water bubbles might have been big for me, but nothing for the gigantic trees. Suddenly, the shades of the trees grew darker, and darkness enveloped the forest near me, slashing the tree I entered into multiple pieces with spikes of shadow.
Seeing such a sight, the Blue Mask frowned. He could not understand what had happened.
Thump!
Pulk!
Blood dripped down his chest as a sharp wood penetrated his chest. I extended my other hand from behind to touch his Mask. The 'Blue' color in his Mask disappeared. I must thank shadow! He taught me a new way to use 'Green.'
The tree roots are long and spread everywhere. Most are in physical contact with each other. Just as shadows travel using the shadows of trees connected together, I can do the same using tree roots. However, it's only possible in this forest, as the trees here are weird.
Not to mention, I discovered how to locate the shadow.
The place where his real body exists darkens. That's why when I blended with the root of the tree, the shadows around it darkened. You thought I chose to hide inside the tree connected to its root, that's why you used your full strength to cut it into tiny pieces. And you couldn't immediately react when I killed Blue. You were far away. Your limit is that you can only control shadows that are connected near your body. It's the same principle as how I can control wood and vines. I can cause vines to protrude from underground, but that is because they are connected through my legs and travel underground.
If there is no connection, the ability doesn't work.
'Green' and shadow, which is most likely 'Black', follow the same principle.
The black shadows around the trees converged at a single point, and a man emerged. His Mask was as expected, 'Black.'
We both walked closer to each other.
"He.he. At this point, I cannot kill you. But you cannot kill me either. I can just hide in the shadows," he said.
A lie. Using 'Color' is exhausting. I am about to faint from using so many abilities. But I am sure so is he. When he cut such a giant tree, it probably dried out his stamina. That's why he emerged outside. His bet on cornering me did not pay off.
"Let's help each other. After all, who knows what kind of monsters there are?" Another lie. As soon as he recovers some stamina, he will return to being a shadow. Now is my chance to kill him, but I am exhausted. Luckily, the Mask hides my expression.
I can't do a full-body fire haul. "Sure, why not?" I agreed. "How about a handshake?" I laughed.
"Why not?" he too laughed.
"Haha." I laughed as I walked near him.
He also kept laughing as he walked near me.
We both extended our arms for a handshake, smiling.
And we shook our hands.
His arms turned black, while mine turned brown like wood. His Mask emitted a blackness while mine emitted a green light.
"Shadow or Nature? Which wins?" he asked.
Another ability of 'Green' is 'Contact.' That's how I create vines. I can turn things around me into vines. This was the first time I had tried it on a living person other than myself.
As 'Green' and 'Black' follow similar principles, he too can turn things into shadow. That's how he can inflict damage with a shadow. That's another weakness of shadow. When he materializes objects to attack, he too can receive damage at the same time.
"I cannot feel my arm," I said with a smile.
"Of course, because it's a shadow." He had already turned the arm I used for a handshake into shadow. "I took a bet with 'Contact.' Because, as a shadow, I had more experience with it. I saw your battle with 'Red' and realized you must have only recently gotten 'Green', as what kind of idiot reveals himself when there could be watchers."
"I see." I took note of this point. I did not know the full uses of 'Green' at the time; if I did, I would have killed 'Red' in a stealthier manner. However, he makes himself sound like a veteran. Heh, this round started just one day ago.
"That's why I took a risk and cut the tree exhausting my stamina, but u figured out the principles of 'Green' at the right time. Too bad you will die now."
"Hehe." I smiled. "Since I am about to die, can you answer my last question? Would the darkness of the night enhance your power?"
"Of course. Similar elements enhance each other." He added. "Yesterday night, I felt unstoppable. Unfortunately, I met another 'Black', and what can I say, he stalled my growth. Otherwise, I would have already gathered so many 'Color.' "
At this point, half of my body below the neck had turned into shadow.
"Then," I smirked. "Do you know what enhances wood?"
His expression frowned as the left side of my Mask emitted a blue glow.
"Motherfu…" In an instant, mine and his entire body turned into wood. Wood can absorb water and grow. I realized this after killing 'Blue.'
That's why I proposed the handshake. He thought it would be to his advantage, as 'Contact' was his specialty. My naive impression worked in my favor. Both of us were exhausted. If he had just talked and run as a shadow, the battle would have dragged on. But I feel I would have won either way. He underestimated me. He forgot to factor in the fact that I killed 'Blue.' So much for being a veteran.
A blunder. I laughed. 'This forest doesn't allow blunders."
Along with 'Green' and 'Blue', my Mask also emitted an additional 'Black' color. I also have 'Red' and 'White.' A total of 5 colors.
The fear in my heart vanished.
I walked a few steps and blended with the shadows. It felt weird, I could see all around at once, and travel with ease. What a terrifying ability.
After a total of 3 kills in this forest and no fear in my heart, I felt the urge to hunt.