World of Remnant: Rage Mode and Aura Shadow
The Ursario Rage Mode:
Hello, this is Raven Branwen, and for those of you who are wondering what happened to Qrow explaining things, well it seems my dear brother has skipped out, likely nursing yet another hang over. So here I am covering for him, yet again, so let's see what we have for today. Oh, well this might actually be right up my alley. The Faunus Rage mode and the Aura Shadow.
Let's start with the simpler one to explain first, rage mode, which has been given several names since it was first observed among the Faunus, like berserker state, the feral rage, or Predator's fury, just to name a few. Some records date the abilities use almost as far back as some of humanity's first conflicts with the Faunus. As for where it comes from and how it works, well to put it simply the rage mode is often a genetic trait found in the more predatory Faunus, like wolf or bear Faunus, though there have been rumors of some Faunus developing the ability on their own, without the help of genetics. When triggered, the rage mode grants the user enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, and much less vulnerability to pain.
For the ability to be used, one triggers a chemical reaction within themselves by focusing their thoughts in much the same way one would activate an aura, only the main trigger is primal, animalistic rage which is most often directed at one or more opponents. Hence, the eventual naming of the ability as the rage mode. Quite often, the ability's activation is marked by scarlet or golden predatory eyes, though some cases have been reported of Faunus becoming even more animal-like, with sharper fangs and claws.
The obvious downside of this ability, though, is it is still an enraged state of both body and mind, which limits the user's ability to think creatively, and even with the amount of practice and control required to reach the point of being able to use and control the rage mode on command, they still suffer from having a bit of a one track mind when it comes to the destruction of their enemies, making them vulnerable to a crafty opponent who has the patience and ability to wear them down.
This particular ability has most often been seen during times of war, which are understandably trying times which usually bring out the rage in all of us, and it is usually these times of war which see the largest and most varied numbers of rage mode users. Over the years, several Faunus families and warrior clans have been noted using the ability. One of the most famously noted warrior clans in the last hundred years to be seen using this ability, who are still alive anyway, is the Ursario warrior clan, or simply the Ursario family now.
Aura Shadow:
Now the Aura Shadow is a beast of a different nature in both how it's attained and activated, but still very destructive to the Enemy, and sometimes the one who's using it. Now how and why is it destructive to the user, well the best way to explain that is to go back to the time where the ability, some might call it more of a technique, originated. It was first discovered and utilized during the earlier days of mankind, when there was still a bit to learn about the nature of aura.
Now as we've learned, everyone has some light in their soul, and some darkness. What is used today is mainly the light side of the soul which provides protection and healing to the one utilizing it. Like aura, the Aura Shadow can technically be unlocked and used by anyone, human or Faunus, to varying degrees, but it requires a special ritual developed millennia ago to unlock it, a ritual which uses specialized dust symbols drawn on the future user and the skills of one experienced in unlocking and manipulating Aura. Some say it can be a bit painful, but exhilarating as well, depending on who you are. As its name suggests, it is a manifestation of the shadows or darkness in one's soul.
If the regular aura provides healing and protection through positive energy, in a fairly subtle way, then the Aura Shadow provides increased power and physical ability by negative energy, while being projected in the form of what appears as black mist radiating from the user's body, as well as lowering the user's restraint when it comes to how much damage they're willing to deal to an enemy. Unlike the regular aura, which can be activated and used for hours or even days without the slightest ill-effect, the Aura Shadow can only be activated for a short time, often making it a last resort in a conflict. How long the ability can be utilized depends on the user's mastery of the ability, but why is this you might ask.
Well to activate the Aura Shadow, one must focus on and then control their pain, sadness, and anger which is most often achieved by recalling painful events and feelings in one's life to manifest the negative energy which powers the ability. To put it even more simply, if laughter is the best medicine, then sadness and rage are like sicknesses which can harm the heart and soul over time. And, of course, since this is negative energy we're talking about, the use of the Aura Shadow often has the unintended effect of attracting nearby Grimm to the user, which is one of the main reasons that the practice of the ability was eventually banned.
The other reason the ability is no longer widely seen was that it posed a danger of corrupting the user, turning them into vicious killers of not only Grimm, but people over time through too many repeated uses. These consequences did not stop some determined clans from passing down the ability through their families, however, especially the clans of the ones who mastered the Aura Shadow by fully accepting their dark half without letting it consume them, which is a far more tricky proposition than one would think. One of the most famous clans in recent years to wield the Aura Shadow is the De Wolfe clan, or what's left of it after the Great War, with its most famous member Argus De Wolfe even being branded with the name Grimm Wolf, due to his monstrous power and vicious skill on the battlefield.
Today, most people don't even know that this technique exists, a product of the scholars of old cutting its mention from most texts, branding it as a dangerous technique which would bring more harm than good. But for those of us who do know about it, most of us are split between two differing opinions, with one side thinking it should be buried completely, never to be used or even mentioned again. Others, like me, still believe that there are a small handful out there capable of using the technique, so long as they are able to accept the darkness within themselves. I just hope we'll have enough time to find out.
Hello everyone, and let me be the first to say, I know I know, I probably ruined the flow of the story a little by including this, the first World of Remnant segment, and forgetting to mention it in my last chapter. But I do have a reason, I'm just at a bit of a crossroads right now with where I want to continue with the next chapter, so I thought I'd take the time to answer some questions everyone might've had about Wayne and Aegis's new abilities. But don't worry, I'm working on cranking out at least one or two more chapters of story. As always, thank you to my reviewers, followers, and viewers for your support and understanding. Be sure to stop in next chapter as Aegis, Blake, and Sun make plans for taking on the White Fang, while Wayne and Weiss deal with the final obstacle of the Schnee mansion.
