Chapter 55 — The Enemy Written in Fate
The wind howled across the broken battlefield.
But this time—
It carried no warmth.
No hope.
Only truth.
—
John slowly pushed himself up from the rubble, his body trembling—not from pain alone, but from something far worse.
Realization.
—
Scar stood in the distance, his back turned once again.
Just like always.
Just like every time before.
—
"How long…?" John's voice cracked.
Scar didn't turn.
—
"How long have you been my enemy?" John asked.
—
Silence.
Then—
"Since before you even knew my name."
—
John froze.
—
Flashbacks flooded his mind—
Their first meeting.
That "chance" encounter.
The moment Scar offered help.
The times he stepped in at the last second.
—
None of it was coincidence.
—
"You were watching me…" John whispered.
—
Scar nodded slightly.
"Yes."
—
"Why me?"
—
This time—
Scar turned.
—
"Because you were chosen."
—
The words felt heavier than anything else.
—
"For what?" John demanded.
—
Scar's eyes darkened.
"For destruction."
—
A pause.
—
"For revenge… against a nation that should have never existed."
—
The air went still.
—
John's breath hitched.
"…what are you talking about?"
—
Scar stepped forward slowly.
—
"You think this war started recently?" he asked.
"It didn't."
—
His voice lowered.
Cold.
Sharp.
—
"It started years ago… when your nation decided who deserved to live—and who didn't."
—
John's pupils shrank.
—
"No…"
—
Scar raised his hand—
And the air distorted.
—
Images appeared.
Fragments of the past.
Burning cities.
Screaming people.
Execution lines.
—
A massacre.
—
John's heart pounded.
"…that's…"
—
"Your nation," Scar finished.
—
The ground beneath John cracked.
—
"That's a lie!" John shouted.
—
Scar didn't react.
—
"You were there," he said quietly.
—
John's voice stopped.
—
"…what?"
—
Scar stepped closer.
Each word slow.
Precise.
Deadly.
—
"You don't remember."
—
A pause.
—
"But I do."
—
The images shifted.
—
A younger John.
Standing in uniform.
Eyes cold.
Hands stained.
—
"No…" John staggered back.
"That's not me…"
—
"You were one of them," Scar said.
"One of the soldiers who carried out the purge."
—
John's mind fractured.
—
"I didn't—"
—
"You did."
—
Scar's voice didn't rise.
Didn't need to.
—
"You followed orders."
"You burned homes."
"You destroyed lives."
—
A pause.
—
"You destroyed mine."
—
Silence.
Absolute.
—
For the first time—
Emotion appeared in Scar's eyes.
Not rage.
Not hatred.
—
Something deeper.
—
"You killed my family."
—
The words landed like a final verdict.
—
John's body went still.
—
"I…" his voice trembled.
"I don't remember…"
—
Scar nodded.
"I know."
—
"That's why I let you live."
—
John looked up slowly.
—
"What…?"
—
Scar's expression hardened again.
—
"I didn't want you to die."
—
A pause.
—
"I wanted you to understand."
—
The pressure in the air rose again.
—
"To feel what I felt."
—
John clenched his fists.
"…so everything… all of this…"
—
Scar spread his arms slightly.
—
"Yes."
—
"I built this war."
"I guided every step."
"I made sure you survived."
—
His eyes locked onto John's.
—
"So that one day…"
—
His aura exploded.
Dark.
Endless.
—
"You would stand here."
—
Alone.
—
"Facing me."
—
John's breathing grew heavy.
His mind torn between denial and truth.
—
"You're lying…" he whispered.
But even he didn't believe it.
—
Scar raised his hand.
Power gathering once more.
—
"Fight me, John."
—
A pause.
—
"Or accept that everything you've done… everything you are…"
—
His voice dropped to a whisper.
—
"…was never yours to begin with."
—
Behind them—
The other enemy watched in silence.
No longer the center of the battlefield.
—
Because now—
This wasn't about war.
—
This was personal.
—
John slowly stood up.
His body broken.
His soul shaken.
—
But his eyes—
Changed.
—
"…then I'll find the truth myself," he said.
—
A faint energy flickered around him.
Unstable.
But growing.
—
"And if what you're saying is real…"
—
He looked directly at Scar.
—
"Then I'll take responsibility."
—
A pause.
—
"But I won't become your weapon again."
—
Scar smiled faintly.
—
"We'll see."
—
The ground trembled.
Power rose on both sides.
—
The real battle—
Had finally begun.
—