Unrecognizable

~Chapter Seven~

Scar's POV-

Scar hopped out the broken window to Gr- Sherlock Grian's house. Opening his elytra, he soared up into the sky. While he had been planning to do other things this week, Scar supposed he had time for a bit of detective work. As he glided over the shopping district, he fondly remembered the prior season, where he had been evading the detective with the Jangler's shenanigans. The Hermit looked forward to being on the other side this time. But, if he was going to do some investigating, he would need a boost. A magic boost.

In a minute, he arrived where he was heading: His old magic village. He hadn't been here in awhile; working on his massive drill was quite the project and he rarely found time to come back to the serenity of his village. As he came across the jungle, a large grin formed on his face. There waiting for him was Larry the giant snail. The large creature gave a 'brrr!' of delight as the wizard returned. "Hi, Larry," Scar greeted the snail as he smiled up at it.

Magic had its uses.

Giving a nod to his snail, Scar climbed into the snail's shell. As he stepped in, he blinked hard, as he found Jellie resting inside. He sputtered for a moment. Why was she there? Surely the cat knew by now that Scar practically lived at the drill at that point. In fact, he hadn't even visited his village in a good few months. Had she simply been here the entire time when she ran off? Scar felt a pang of guilt at the thought. He could have sworn that Jellie didn't think he still lived in the village.

Awakening the cat, he scooped her up into his arms and tickled her belly a bit. 'Mrrow?' The gray tabby blinked her eyes open. They shined a brilliant amber, like sunsets. Scar smiled down at her for a moment, then blinked. Something felt... off about the cat. Wait- Jellie's eyes... weren't they green?

He ran memories of her through his mind. Of course, he could never focus on her eyes in any of them. He must never have payed that much attention. After all, it's not often you question your cat's eye color. He continued his pets as the kitten snuggled up against him, falling back asleep. He stared down at her for just a moment more before shaking his head and turning his attention away from Jellie's eyes. He must simply be tired.

As if on cue, a yawn escaped the Hermit. He definitely was not as well-rested as he should be, though Scar supposed that not sleeping for longer than three hours each night for a week will do that to you. But, what with his project, how could he? At least the phantoms, the creatures of the lack of nightmares, wouldn't be after his skin. He glanced outside. The sun was still high in the sky, casting a bright glow over the jungle. The twitter of birds filled the empty silence that came with solitude, creating a gleeful and happy atmosphere, in stark contrast to the moment of murky confusion Scar had felt just a moment ago.

So perhaps it wasn't time for bed yet. Scar could probably find something to do until- Oh! Scar had completely forgotten about the entire reason he was even back here. Shifting the still-asleep Jellie to one arm, he climbed down the ladder to the next floor, where a chest sat in the middle. Opening it up, the Hermit was glad to see it was undisturbed. Inside lay three objects: A clear shard of crystal, a notebook that had obviously seen better days, and an oversized chocolate chip cookie. He took all three out, placing them temporarily into his bag.

It was time to do some wizardry.

---

Enchanting crystals is difficult, as Scar had found. Especially for one not as adept with the practice of magic yet-- he had only begun a half-year prior, after all-- the Hermit was not all-too-great at his craft. It took a lot of energy, and the slightest mispronunciation could result in catastrophe... Scar had experienced that first-hand far too many times.