Chapter 3: Kakusei (Awakening)
It all happened when I was 8.
"LILY! LILY! GET THE CAMERA!"
"What's the matter?"
"IT'S MAGENTA!"
I heard the floor shake as my mother ran into the living room.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH MAGENTA!? WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!?"
…..
So, thanks to the addition of the 'Ougon no Seishin' Mantra, I decided to focus more on trying to meditate and unlock my aura.
Hunter X Hunter style.
…..
I mean, how else was I supposed to do it? Ask my dad at the age of 6~8?
Pfffffffffft.
I mean, I got the 'Ougon no Seishin' Mantra, which gave me an increased control over 'Aura' and 'Vajra'.
And so….
… Lo and behold…
"... oh my god…."
At the age of 8, thanks to having a mind of a pretty experienced individual….
…..
I 「unlocked」 my 「aura」.
"... You unlocked what!?"
Ruby, Yang and I were hanging around near the cliff, in front of the Rose/Xiao Long's estate.
Both of them were surprised by my nonchalant revelation.
"You're screwing with us."
I looked at Yang, who was believing that my exclamation was false.
"Nuh-uh. Look-" I immediately flared up my aura: Going from Pink to Magenta, like a wave of gradient. "-See?"
Yang ended up slack-jawed at my display. Ruby, on the other hand, was all starry eyed.
"Woooow! So-so-so-so you're like a full fledged Huntsman now! Like Mom, and Dad, and Uncle Qrow, and Uncle Vienna!"
I snickered at her comment.
"Not really, Ruby. Having aura doesn't automatically make you a Hunter."
"... It doesn't?"
"It doesn't."
"... Then….. What does?"
"... You're asking me?"
"You're smart. Smarter than us, at least."
"I mean…. I don't know 'everything', but ..."
I started to scratch the back of my head in thought.
"I guess, there's three 「important」 aspects to be considered a huntsman."
"Three… aspects?"
"Yeah, three aspects."
"What are they?"
"1-" I held up my right index finger. "- is skill. You need to learn how to be strong, how to be fast, how to fight. It's a no-brainer."
Ruby nodded at my explanation without difficulty.
"2-" I now help up my middle finger along with my index finger. "- is wits."
"Wits?"
"Wits. You need to learn to think quickly, gather information, make choices, make plans. In other words, you need to be smart. These two aspects combined already make a person formidable. However, without the 3rd aspect, I don't think they'll be considered a huntsman, or huntress, or hunter."
Ruby was getting absorbed by my words. She was intrigued.
"... what's the third one?"
She asked in a whisper.
"Will."
Ruby looked at me with clear confusion.
"Will?"
"Yeah, Will. Heart, Courage, Determination. Call it whatever you like, it means the same thing in this case."
"Why Will?"
"... Ruby. Why do you like Hunters?"
Ruby stood up, ready to speak as if her words were going to be a sermon
"Because of heroes in the fairy tales, heroes like my mom! Because they save people from the evil Grimm and keep them safe! I want to be like them, Magenta! I want to be like my mom! I want to make this world a happy place like those fairy tales! I want to make this world a better place!"
After her small speech, she stood there, hands on her waist and puffing out her chest in pride.
"...Ruby."
"Hmmm?"
"Those 「Heroes」 you speak of. Do you think they have no 「fear」?"
She looked at me like I was saying something stupid
"Of course they don't! They're heroes! They're fearless!"
"... Your wrong Ruby."
Ruby frowned at me, wondering what I was trying to say.
"Ruby. Do you know what a「flea」 is?"
Ruby seems to ponder on my question, hand on her chin and humming, before answering.
"It's those icky bugs that keep getting stuck on Zwei. Uncle Vienna is scared of them."
She snickered.
"He's always sweating bullets whenever he sees one."
"Ruby. Those 「fleas」 are insects that latch onto animals bigger than them. Several times bigger, and suck on their blood."
Ruby recoiled at my words.
"That's what they do!? Now I see why Uncle Vienna is scared of them….. Poor Zwei…"
"Ruby. These 「fleas」 latch onto beasts and humans that tower over them, challenging their status without a single thought to their own safety. Would you consider these 「fleas」 to be 「brave」?"
"... I guess so?"
"No, you're wrong Ruby. They aren't 「brave」, because they have no 「fear」!"
Ruby tilted her head in confusion.
"It's 「hunger」 that convinces them to challenge those beasts! It's not 「bravery」, it is 「foolishness」 on an instinctual level!"
Despite the quite…. Difficult vocabularies for an 8 year old, much less a 6 year old, she seemed to have understood what I was saying.
"Oooooh…"
"Ruby. What is 「bravery」? 「Bravery」 isn't having no 「fear」, 「bravery」 is knowing 「fear」! It's knowing 「fear」, and despite having 「fear」, they challenge that 「fear」! They challenge it because it's what they have to do!"
I pointed at Ruby with a passion. She flinched as I did so.
"The 「heroes」 you look up to…. Even your mother! They know 「fear」, they have 「fear」! But even then, they still fight for humanity anyway, they didn't run from that 「fear」! Because they have the 「Will」! The heart to care for another being, the courage to stand up for the innocent, when they are too weak to stand on their own! They have the determination to stand up again, and again, and again, all so that the innocents will not be trampled over again! They had the 「Will」 to make sure the world was a better place!"
Ruby seemed to be impassioned by my speech, as she started to lean closer and closer to me, ears straining to concentrate on my words
"Those 「heroes」 aren't 「fearless」, they overcame that 「fear」! They conquered that 「fear」! That's what separates those heroes from the Grimm! Human praise is the praise of 「bravery」! Human greatness is the greatness of 「bravery」! No matter how big, how strong, how scary those Grimms might be, those 「heroes」 will 「STAND」 up to the Grimms, no matter what! For these Grimms do not know 「fear」, they know no 「bravery」! They are driven by nothing but hunger! They are but 「fleas」!"
"...wow…."
"That's why the three 「aspects」 are important. One must have the 「Skills」 to survive and help the innocent, the 「Wits」 to succeed in their mission, and the 「Will」 to stand up even to the biggest and scariest adversaries, to ensure that greatness of 「Humanity」 is preserved! To ensure that the 「Golden Heart」 flows within us all! Have one of these missing, and you have no right to be called a 「hero」, a 「hunter」!"
Ruby seemed to have been enamoured by my words, as I saw her eyes sparkle, the brightest I have ever seen to this day, after I had finished my impassioned (Thank you Will. A. Zeppeli) speech.
"... At least, that's what I think. To each their own."
Ruby then shouted.
"How!? How can you be so…. so cool!? How do you know all this!? You're only 8!"
"... Says you. I'm surprised you even understood what I said."
Ruby pouted at my words.
"Don't mock me! I read books!"
I couldn't help but laugh.
Wow, what a speech! Might as well learn Hamon again!
It seems that Ruby has been touched by your speech, just like how Jonathan Joestar was touched by the words of William A. Zeppeli!
Along with increased closeness with Ruby, you have now gained admiration from her!
Not as much as her mother, though….
Your 「Ougon no Seishin」 Mantra has reacted to your speech!
「Ougon no Seishin」 has been passed to Ruby Rose!
「Inactive Silver Eyes」 Mantra of Ruby has reacted with Mantra:「Ougon no Seishin」!
Ruby's 「Ougon no Seishin」 Mantra has mutated into the Mantra: 「Gin no Seishin」!
Ruby Rose has renamed the Mantra: 「Gin no Seishin」 into Mantra: 「Silver Spirit」!
Silver Spirit
Level: 1
-"Those 「heroes」 aren't 「fearless」, they overcame that 「fear」! They conquered that 「fear」! That's what separates those heroes from the Grimm! Human praise is the praise of 「bravery」! Human greatness is the greatness of 「bravery」! No matter how big, how strong, how scary those Grimms might be, those 「heroes」 will 「STAND」 up to the Grimms, no matter what! For these Grimms do not know 「fear」, they know no 「bravery」! They are driven by nothing but hunger! They are but 「fleas」! That's why the three 「aspects」 are important. One must have the 「Skills」 to survive and help the innocent, the 「Wits」 to succeed in their mission, and the 「Will」 to stand up even to the biggest and scariest adversaries, to ensure that greatness of 「Humanity」 is preserved! To ensure that the 「Golden Heart」 flows within us all! Have one of these missing, and you have no right to be called a 「hero」, a 「hunter」!" - Magenta Valentine
Effects: Inherited by Magenta Valentine, the Silver spirit is a weaker, purer version of 「Ougon no Seishin」. Few effects are also different!
Fear resistance: 5%
Pain resistance: 5%
+10% to Mnt and Wis
Increased control over your own soul (Aura)
Increased chances of Unlocking the Mantra: Silver Eyes!
[Locked: You have yet to have unlocked your control over the Mantra: Silver Eyes!]
You have gained the 'effects' of 'Determination': So long as you are motivated, you have the strength to 「STAND」 up and fight after taking hits after hits.
[Locked: Silver Spirit's level is too low!]
[Locked: You have yet to have unlocked your control over Aura!]
[Locked: You have yet to have unlocked your control over the Mantra: Silver Eyes!]
Holy shit.
…
Wow…...
So that's a thing.
….
Did I…..
…..
…. Did I give way to Ruby learning how to use her Silver Eyes properly?
…..
….Shit…..
…. I'm only 8
… I then realised that Yang never uttered a word after my display of 'Aura'. I turned to look at her, who was still slack jawed.
"... Yang?"
Ruby started to hop towards Yang.
"Hey, Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!"
I started to move towards Yang as well.
"Yang, is something wrong?"
As I started to move closer to her, Yang started to grit her teeth. Her eyes were turning Red.
…. I seemed to have gotten her mad over something.
Before I could react, Yang grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and started to shake me back and forth, enough force to give me a whiplash.
"O-HO-HO, SO JUST BECAUSE YOU UNLOCKED YOUR AURA, YOU'RE GIVING OUT SPEECHES TO US NOW!? WE'RE TOO PATHETIC FOR YOU, IS THAT IT!?"
"Y-Yang, I didn't me-mean it like that. I-it was just my thought on it-"
"WELL, SCREW YOUR THOUGHTS! YOU THINK YOU CAN ACT ALL HIGH-AND-MIGHTY NOW, HUH!?"
"Y-Yang, I n-never said that-"
"DAMMIT, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND UNLOCK YOUR AURA! WHY CAN'T I UNLOCK MY AURA!? WE'RE THE SAME AGE! WHY COULDN'T MY MOM OR DAD UNLOCK MY AURA!? NOW WE HAVE YOU JUST SHOWING IT OFF!"
Ruby was frantic over this antic now.
"YANG, PLEASE STOOOOOOOP!"
"Y-Yang, l-listen to Ruby! C-Calm down! Please!"
Yang decided not to listen to any of us for another minute, doing nothing but shake me back and forth in anger.
Oh dear, it seems you've made Yang angry
Unlike Ruby's admiration, Yang seems to have formed some sort of rivalry with you!
Not to worry, you guys are still close friends! Just…. remember that this sort of rivalry will continue until she can find something she's better at than you.
According to my mother, Yang decided to plead with Summer,Tai, Qrow, and even Uncle Vienna (whenever the two uncles came over) to unlock her Aura (and soon Ruby followed her sister in pleading). She even used me as her source of reason ("Magenta got his Aura unlocked, why can't I!?"). Apparently she got shocked once more when she heard from her parents that I unlocked mine on her own.
While they won't stop her from trying to unlock her aura on her own (so long as she doesn't do anything dangerous), they won't be helping her unlock her aura until she's 10.
This seems to have gotten her upset, as she started to come over to our house to learn how to unlock her aura on her own.
Today, only my father was available in the house (Mother had to go protect a small village for a day), leaving him alone to suffer the interactions between the 2 children.
"So… you just…. Sat there? Eyes closed?"
"It ain't that simple. You have to open your senses, try to feel your soul and aura."
Yang was visibly confused by my words.
"... Just think of your body being full of holes. Closed holes. And imagine opening them to let you Aura out."
Yang attempted to follow my words: resulting in nothing but her shivering in disgust and slight fear.
"I can't do it! Just thinking about it is gross…"
"... You don't have much guts to handle this, to you?"
Yang's eyes turned red at my words.
"Oh yeah!? Is that a challenge!?"
"... The only challenge here is you, against yourself."
Yang groaned at my words.
"Don't go all vague wizard on me, Pinkie. The magic, is getting old. Quickly."
I looked at her with disbelief in my eyes. Second the fact that she made a pun…
…
… What did she call me?
"... Pinkie?"
She simply smirked at my response
"What's wrong? It's just a nickname."
"An embarrassing one. Don't call me that. Do I look like a little finger to you?"
She simply stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at me.
"PinkiePinkiePinkiePinkiePinkie!"
….
I could do nothing but simply sigh at her immaturity. She smiled and leaned closer.
"If you unlock my Aura for me, I'll stop calling you 'Pinkie'."
"And get in trouble with Uncle Vienna, Qrow, Tai and Aunt Summer? Fat chance Goldilocks."
"Hmmph, Pinkie!"
"Goldilocks."
"Pinkie!"
"Goldilocks."
"PINKIE!"
At this point in time, our immature interactions were witnessed by my parents, who decided to record us with their scrolls.
Planning on sending the video to Aunt Summer and Uncle Tai, no doubt.
Yang sprawled on the floor, stomach up, and simply groaned.
"... So Pinkie, let's say I do what you told me to do. You know, sit there and think of having holes all over my body, and imagining those holes opening to let out my Aura. How long do I have to do that to get my Aura?"
I looked at her. She wasn't going to like my answer.
"... 2 years."
"WHAT!?"
She sat up and looked at me, eyes wide with shock.
"2 YEARS!?"
"... I started doing this ever since I was 6. So yeah, 2 years."
She growled into the air and slumped back down onto the floor
"That's too long….. It's not fair, why didn't you tell me back then!? I could've gotten my Aura if I did!"
"... You never asked, and I never thought it would actually work."
Yang started pretending to cry. It looked like she was throwing another subdued tantrum again.
… Maybe she wasn't pretending.
Yang suddenly went quiet mid-tantrum. She sat up again, but I could see in her eyes that her 8 year old brain was whirring to its limits.
"Magenta…. Aura is the manifestation of your soul, right?"
"... Yeah…."
"... Is Aura like that 'will' thing you talked about?"
If these Auras are like stands or nen… then yeah, I guess so.
"I…. I guess? I'm sure that they're connected, but I'm not too sure if they're the same thing."
"Then that's all I need to hear!"
Yang promptly stood up, jumping with excitement.
"Thanks, Pinkie! I'll be showing you my Aura in no-time, and I'll be using it better than you! You'll see!"
After shouting out her declaration, she started to run towards the front door.
"Thank you for letting me stay, Uncle Orchid!"
My Father simply smiled at her, and nodded. Yang reached her hand towards the door and gripped the doorknob.
"Yang."
Yang turned to look at me, hearing the plea in the tone of my voice.
"For the love of god. Don't do anything dangerous or stupid, or both."
Yang simply grinned.
"Aaaaaw, don't worry Pinkie! I won't do anything to get hurt, so don't be going around worrying about little old me! In fact, you should be worried about how much stronger I'll be, compared to you!"
She exited the house. I saw her skip back to her house, joy and excitement evidence in every step she took.
Let's just hope that Aunt Summer and Uncle Tai keep a closer eye on her.
I guess living peacefully till I get to Signal Academy became a no-go.
…..
Well,
I guess I could use the remaining time I have to test some Aura theories.
Speaking of which.
Magenta Valentine
Age: 8
Title: The Pink Prodigy
Level: 1
Hp: 240/240
Aura: 360/360
Vajra: [Locked]
Str: 20
Vit: 18
Dex: 20
Mnt: 12
Int: 36 (28 + 30%)
Wis: 36 (28 + 30%)
Chr: 13
My stats didn't improve much in the past 2 years. Figures, since my body was getting used to the daily running routine, and thus I was no longer pushing my limits. Besides, I got a bit busy hanging out with Ruby and Yang.
I was impressed with my Aura Pool, though. And I even received a title after unlocking my Aura.
There were a few questions in my mind, though.
Even with an increase in my stats due to training, I never really levelled up.
In fact, I never even received any experience points.
…
Was I doing something wrong?
….
Oh well, I'll just focus on testing my theories for now.
I decided to take a leaf out of Togashi's work, and started to see if the Aura techniques in Hunter X Hunter could be applied in the world of Remnant.
I started by gathering my Aura, shining with pink light. I breathed in, breathed out, and repeated this process.
I was confident to believe that the basic Aura technique used by the Huntsmen and Huntresses in the world of Remnant, was what Hunter X Hunter would label as 'Ten'. The basic Aura defence, where the concentrated Aura would shield the user from fatal strikes.
Simple, yet very practical.
Then, there was the common usage of 'Shu', along with 'Ten'. They used the two in every fight, enveloping their weapons to reinforce them, to strengthen them.
But other than using Aura as a pulse, and allowing the users to enhance their 6th senses of detecting danger, no other Aura Techniques were shown in the Web-Animation.
So that got me thinking.
They could display only 1 basic technique (2 if they had a semblance, which could be equated to 'Hatsu') and 1 advanced technique.
I thought they could use Zetsu as well, but then I found out that I was wrong.
When they turned off Aura (trained to turn them off subconsciously or not), that didn't mean they didn't exude any Aura.
All living things were enveloped in their Aura, no matter what. They simply couldn't control it, so they were always enveloped in their Aura like a very thin mist.
Not concentrated enough to protect them, but just enough to have anything that can sense Aura react to it.
Zetsu, made it so that the Aura was fully suppressed. It didn't cause Aura to exude out into a thin mist. Anything that sensed Aura won't react to ones that used 'Zetsu'.
It was basically making one imitate a Grimm.
Great for stealth, but one who uses 'Zetsu' will become susceptible to attacks.
I decided to try and see if Zetsu was possible in this world.
I imagined all of my Aura nodes (The 'holes' all over my body that exuded Aura out) closing. I closed my eyes and focused, concentrated, on this single task. Drawing the mist that covered my body, back into where it came from: my soul. I withdrew every ounce of Aura I could feel, right down to the very milliliter.
I promptly stopped my attempt when I suddenly felt someone, or something, shaking my body vigorously.
"MAGENTA!"
I flinched at shouting and opened my eyes.
My father was in front of me, sweating bullets as his eyes searched for anything that could tell if something wrong was going on with my body.
"...Dad..?"
My dad said nothing as he simply brought me into a hug.
"Oh thank god….. Y-you're okay….. Thank god… My baby boy…."
"Dad…? I'm fine, what's wrong?"
"I-I saw your Aura just disappearing, I thought something was going! I thought you were dying!"
Oh.
OOoooooohh…
…. Shit, I never thought of this looking like that.
…..
I think I found a new application for Zetsu.
"Sorry dad, I didn't mean to scare you like that."
My father broke out the hug and looked all over my face, before settling on my eyes.
I saw confusion, his eyes trembling and starting to get soaked with tears.
"... What?"
"... I….. I got curious, I was wondering what I could do with my Aura…."
I saw the look of horror creep on my father's face. No traces of anger in sight. Only fear.
"Don't. You. Ever. Scare me like that. Don't try anything like that either. Who knows what could go wrong if you mess with your Aura!"
"... I'm sorry….."
My dad finally let go of me. But that didn't mean he went back to focus on his work.
He decided to keep his eyes on me, and thus for the remainder of my day I had to have my father sit on the couch, making sure I didn't do something risky again.
Well, that went much better than I expected.
My goodness, what a breakthrough!
Even if you are using references (And definitely not copying other world's Aura techniques… *cough* *cough*), you have taken a step further in growing as a formidable man!
You have taken some (only a little, but hey! Better than nothing!) growth in your soul:
You have gained 10 Exp!
Experience: This is the amount of 「growth」 of your 「soul」. You will gain experience in two ways: In winning a fight/killing your opponent (as every fight will be a growth of your fighting spirit, the proof that your soul is getting tempered into a stronger 「spirit」!), or going through a significant event! (A no-brainer there).
Akashic Record Lite will be showing your 「growth」 in the imagery taken in standard RPG games!
In your search for knowledge and practice, you have created a new Mantra!
Mantra: Fine Aura Control
Level: 1
-"Human potential for evolution is limitless." - Isaac Netero
Effect:
Increased control over your own Aura
Increased success of creating Mantras connected to Aura
Aura recharge rate: 10%
Well…
This was indeed a surprise.
A surprise to be sure, but not an unwelcome one.
Unfortunately, I'm bound to get scolded by my father again if I use something like Ren. I am forcibly releasing my Aura all out once, exhausting my storage of concentrated Aura.
Then I guess the only thing I could do was either Gyo, En, Shu, Ko, and Ryu.
Ken was out of the picture because of it being an advanced Ren, and so was In, which was a much, much, MUCH more difficult and complex version of Zetsu. I can tell that my dad would flip again.
It seems that due to my unstable control over Zetsu, I gained nothing from it other than the level 1 'Fine Aura Control' Mantra. But that in itself was a bonus for my plans.
"Hey Honey, I'm hooooome~!"
Lily, back from her huntress work, found the house to be eerily quiet. Even if she could see that her beloved husband (Who looked tired already. Bless his soul), the atmosphere unknowingly made her tense. The edge of the dining table being caved in, like it was struck by a blade, didn't help either.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?"
Hearing his wife voice her concern for the sudden shift in his well being, Orchid slowly raised his head to meet his soul-mate in the eyes.
"... We need to talk about Magenta ..."
At the mention of their little Miracle, Lily already began to fear what Orchid was trying to say.
"What happened to Magenta? Is he ok?"
"... Yeah, he's sleeping in his room…"
"... Did he do something?"
Orchid rubbed his brow-ridge with his thumb and index finger.
"... I think there's something more to Magenta than what we thought of him…"
"... What do you mean?"
Orchid showed concern in his eyes. Extreme concern.
"... He got curious with his Aura today, wanted to….-" He brought up his two hands to start air-quoting. "-'Try something out'..."
Lily's concerns with her son grew.
"... What did he do?"
She asked in a sharp whisper, fear stopping her voice to go any higher.
"... He made his aura disappear."
"WHAT!?"
Orchid quickly put up a finger to his mouth, motioning her to keep quiet.
"Shhhhhhhhh, Magenta's sleeping. I don't want him to wake up right now."
Lily was starting to get anxious. She could feel it. But being an Atlesian, she decided that it was best to sit down before her fear and nervousness got her emotions out of control.
"I-is he fine? Did something go wrong? Is his Aura still running?"
"Yeah…. I got scared as well and I thought he was going to die and I…-" Orchid could feel the fear returning as he searched his memory. Whatever his son did, he wasn't still over the whole experience. The fear of dying was one thing, the fear of sensing someone suddenly dying, someone close, someone precious, someone still so so so young…..
It was a horrifying experience that he never wanted to feel again.
He was choking on his words, and it was only through the comfort of his wife that he carried on with his explanation.
"… and I shook him, and I shouted his name, and he just opened his eyes, and his aura was back."
"... What?"
"He….. controlled his Aura, so he could…. I don't know, hide it? I don't know what he did…"
"... You're sure he was controlling his Aura?"
"...Yeah, I thought it was just him thinking that he could control it. You know, he's a kid. He's not….. He's not supposed to be able to even use Aura right now. But…..."
"... But?"
"... I started seeing him control his Aura. Without a doubt."
"... How? In what way?"
"... He started to….. Control his Aura in many ways. One of them was making some Aura on his body shrink, and then enlarging Aura in other parts. Like, I saw him close his eyes and just…. Just scrounge his face up. You know, like he was concentrating on something, really hard."
Orchid let out a short and small snicker through his slightly opened lips.
"Kinda like how you scrounge up your face when you were trying to think of something. Eyebrows forming that upside down 'V'."
Lily simply smiled at her husband's words.
"... and then I saw the Aura that enveloped his torso shrink into thin mist-like form. You know what I'm talking about, the type of Aura you see in people that didn't awaken their Aura."
Lily nodded at her husband's words, asking him to continue.
"He then…. Then his fists, the Aura on his fists just grew…. Like he was moving the Auras in his torso to his fists. Another one was him suddenly drawing in all the concentrated Aura, and….. releasing them."
"Releasing them?"
"Yeah, in a circle, and he just kept it like that. Not all of his Aura, just a bit of it. And then….. His… his last one was enveloping his…. His toy blade in Aura"
"That….. That one doesn't seem so bad…"
"No, you don't get it. It wasn't like ours where we simply made it tougher to break and just harder to hit. His application of Aura just made the whole toy burst with Aura. It…. It made the toy blade sharp. I got scared immediately, and told him to stop. It was dangerous for the child to wield something like that, after all."
Lily nodded in understanding.
"But…. He accidentally lost grip of his toy."
"He didn't get hurt or anything, right?"
"Yeah, he was fine. But…- " Orchid looked at the table. Lily now realized what made the table lose a chunk of wood. "- …. The table didn't make it."
Lily was simply lost for words.
"... I know Magenta is our son. He's our precious little boy, our treasure. But, what he did today…. I-I just want to know what Magenta really is. I know he's human, without…. Fine, I'll admit that there are some questions. But, is he really just a prodigy, or is he…"
"... You're worried he might be those kids from that horror film we watched together, right?"
"... Something like that….."
"... Omen, that was the name. With the child being born as a half-Grimm."
"I sure he's not actually half Grimm, but…. I…. I'm just scared."
Lily looked at her husband.
"Don't be. I… I know that he's a bit different from the rest of the kids. He's…. He's not energetic like Ruby and Yang, He's smart, disturbingly smart. He sometimes just gets that blank look and stares off into the distance."
"... That one is really disturbing and concerning to see, especially from a small child."
"... You're right. But…. You should listen to what he said to Ruby and Yang. Summer told me all about it."
"... What did he say to the girls?"
"He…-" Lily snickered a little. "- told them that, they need to have three 'aspects' to have the right to be called a Huntress."
"Three aspects?"
"Yeah. One was Skill, which in the words of Ruby, was 'being fast, being tough, being strong'. The other one was Wits, which was 'staying smart and making plans'. And the last one was Will."
"Will?"
"Yeah, which Ruby was all over about. She said that Will was 'The heart to care for another being, the courage to stand up for the innocent people that can't, and the determination to stand up no matter what.' And let me tell you about what he told Ruby what bravery was."
Orchid snickered at what Magenta said to Ruby.
"What did he say about bravery?"
"He said that, in Ruby's own words, 'Bravery was knowing fear, having fear, yet continuing to stand up to evil, overcoming and conquering fear. Every hero, even Summer, had fear. But they fought instead of running away, because they had the Will to make this world a better place, to make sure everyone had the 'Golden Heart' flowing through the people.'"
Orchid snorted.
"The Golden Heart?"
Lily giggled in response.
"I know, it's a bit cheesy! But that's what Magenta said to Ruby!"
The couple laughed in harmony, bringing a bit of peace to their concerned mind.
"But… yeah, according to Magenta, that's what separates the heroes from the Grimms. Because the Grimms have no fear, they are only driven by the foolishness of hunger. That they are nothing but fleas."
"Fleas? Where did that come from?"
Lily giggled again.
"Apparently Magenta made a pretty fine analogy with fleas."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Apparently, it's because fleas are biting big animals and sucking their blood not because they're brave, but because they just don't have fear. They do it because they're just hungry, they're being foolish."
Orchid snickered at the explanation.
"It's really cheesy, but you can tell for sure that our precious little boy has his heart in the right place."
"... You mean his golden heart?"
Lily laughed at her husband's remark, pushing his shoulder with little force.
"Don't make fun of Magenta, he's trying his best!"
Orchid just laughed.
"But yeah… I guess I didn't have to worry about him being…. Well, bad."
"Of course not, he's your son after all. If you can stay good like this, even after growing up in the Rotting Valley, then you really don't have to worry about him turning into those psychopaths, or sociopaths, or whatever."
Orchid simply grinned, sorrow was tinting his eyes even as he was grinning.
"... I hope so."
"... He'll grow up fine. I'm sure of it. Let's just…. make sure that he doesn't get himself hurt over his quite foolish….. Curiosities."
"... Yeah. We will have to find someone to check if he's really ok, though."
Lily's lips stretched into a gentle, loving smile.
"Of course, sweetie."
Well, I'll be damned! You have enough control over your Aura to place yourself at the top of Signal Academy!
Not too sure about Beacon, though….
But, you 'are' still 8, this is a HUGE progression!
Keep it up, and don't get too cocky!
You're Mantra: Fine Aura Control, has leveled up to Level 3!
Aura recharge rate: 30%
You have created Mantra: Aura Reinforcement (周)!
You have created Mantra: Aura Stealth (絶)!
You have created Mantra: Aura Trade (硬)!
You have created Mantra: Aura Distribute (流)!
Mantra: Aura Reinforcement (周)
Level: 1
-"Once you believe that a weapon is part of your body, the strength of the Aura will make the danger it possesses: boundless." - The Shrike, Mistralian Huntsman.
Effect: By applying the 'Shu' Technique, reinforcement of your weapons that are in your hands are increased beyond the standard Aura reinforcement used by the Hunters of Remnant! You can control the amount of Aura put into your weapon, with the current limit being 20% of the Aura you have.
Weapon durability increases by maximum of +20%
Weapon damage increases by maximum of +15%
Once the weapon leaves your hands, the Aura Reinforcement in the weapon will disappear in 10 seconds.
Mantra: Aura Stealth (絶)
Level: 1
-"Kept you waiting, huh?" - Big Boss
Effect: By drawing in your Aura, and closing it off (Using 'Zetsu'), you make yourself unable to be detected by anything that can detect Aura, as well as giving you a boost to stealth, making you less likely to be found and detected!
Gains the effect of being unable to be detected by Aura sensing
+20% to Stealth
Unable to use Aura while using Aura Stealth (絶)
Vulnerable to all attacks
Mantra: Aura Trade (硬)
Level: 1
-"You need to choose: Will you be the 「shield」 to survive, or will you be the 「spear」 to succeed?" - Vienna Rose, Thorns of the Rose Family
Effect: By closing off Aura that's in certain parts of your body with 'Zetsu', and instead making that Aura flow into a different part of your body, You are able to strengthen Aura in certain parts of the body! You can control the amount of Aura fluctuating to your desired parts, with the current limit being 40% of the Aura you have.
Maximum of +40% to damage in parts with increased Aura
Maximum of +40% to defense in parts with increased Aura
Parts with no Aura are vulnerable to all attacks
Mantra: Aura Distribute (流)
Level: 1
-"This is the first 「test」: One cannot be sure that they know themselves, if they cannot control their Aura with precision!" - Ringo Helleborne
Effect: By decreasing the amount of Aura that's in certain parts of your body, and instead making that Aura flow into a different part of your body, You are able to strengthen Aura in certain parts of the body! You can control the amount of Aura fluctuating to your desired parts, with the current limit being 20% of the Aura you have.
Maximum of +20% to damage in parts with increased Aura
Maximum of +20% to defense in parts with increased Aura
Maximum of -20% to damage in parts with decreased Aura
Maximum of -20% to defense in parts with decreased Aura
Few days later, my dad wanted me to sit down and have a talk with him. I guess it was about my continued uses of Aura Techniques.
"... Is there a reason why you're using those….. 'Techniques'?"
I simply shrugged at his question.
"I guess it's because I want to use them better."
"... Why?"
My father squinted his golden eyes. It was clear that he was trying to gouge out my reaction and trying to see what my reasons and intentions were.
I shrugged my shoulders and simply told him the truth.
"I got curious about Aura, and I found how to use it, and since they're cool and fun to use, I wanted to get to use them better."
I saw my father getting frustrated by my answer. I guess it was understandable, since it was Aura techniques he never saw before. To him, I was just playing with an unknown factor in my Aura. One good mistake could get myself injured. Or worse: dead.
My father put his hands over his face, rubbing his face up and down slowly. It was like he was wiping tears and sweat off his face. He spoke while his hands were on his face.
"Magenta….. Could you promise me one thing?"
"? What is it?"
Father's hand slid down from his face, revealing his eyes. He was tired, and concerned about me dabbling with the unknown so recklessly. It was clear for everyone to see. However, only certain people would've seen the fire that was smoldering at the deepest part of his pupils, hiding like an ember in the pile of logs.
"Until we find out clearly what you are doing…. I don't want you using it. For all we know, it could be shortening your life, or it could just be your semblance."
To be quite honest, it wasn't a difficult promise.
For one, the Nen application may not be perfect, and he may be correct to assume that me using them like this could have some unknown cost to my body (even if Akashic Record Lite doesn't say anything about it. This thing rarely told me anything). And it wasn't that I couldn't use it forever, just until they find out what I'm really doing with my Aura.
Besides, I could always use it behind their back.
….
Sorry, dad.
"Ok, dad."
"I'll be watching you, don't think you can use it when you think I'm not looking."
Well, shit.
I could do nothing but smile at his words, trying not to look too suspicious.
My father simply sighed at my antics. It was clear to him that I needed to be watched carefully.
Now that I wasn't allowed to practice Nen, I guess the only other thing to do was developing other Mantras.
…
That didn't look like it would concern my parents.
….
What should I make?
As I was thinking about which Mantra to make, my mom popped into the living room. I saw my mother look around to find my father, giving him a teasing smile when she finally found him lying on the couch.
"Hey Sweetie, you ok with gyro for lunch today?"
I saw my father's face brighten
"More than ok! You know how much I love gyros!"
My father started to pump his fist in the air. He really loved gyros.
….
….gyros….
…..Gyro.
I think I found my inspiration.
My father found me in the backyard the very next morning, 10 am. He decided to sit down on the porch. I was holding my soccer ball with both of my hands, 10m away from the only tree that was in our backyard. Father saw me simply staring at the ball, my brows furrowed deeply.
"... Ummm, Magenta?"
"Yeah, dad?"
"What are you trying to do?"
"I'm trying to spin the ball."
My father stayed silent at my answer. I turned to see what was wrong, and all I got was a look from my father. His expression was blank, but it was clear in his eyes that there was some….
….
Disappointment.
"... I know how to 'spin' spin the ball, I'm just trying to learn how to 「SPIN」 the ball."
"... Could you tell dad what the difference really is?"
I walked over to him and sat down in front of my father, the soccer ball still in my two hands.
"I heard about this ancient Mistrali technique called the 「Spin」. Apparently it's an old martial art and medical technique that uses spherical objects and allows them to spin continuously."
"... And… what does it do, other than spin?"
"It… apparently enhances the destructive power of the object that has been imbued with the 「Spin」."
I saw my father grow worried again. I could tell why, if the living room table said anything about my last 'experiment'.
"But not just that, it makes you throw the object with better aim and control, and you can also make the human body do cool things!"
It was clear my dad was getting suspicious about my claims, but decided to listen to me. One would've simply waved it off as a wild and overactive imagination of an 8-year-old.
But this was me we were talking about.
Me, who managed to make my Aura do shockingly new things. Something that, in the golden eyes of my father, was unbelievable, especially at my age.
"... What sort of cool things?"
"Well, it makes you trigger muscle reflex: like making a horse kick with enough force to break a bridge, or make someone's hands and arms turn on it's own. One can squeeze water out of their entire body, or make their skins turn hard, like stone."
I saw my father's eyes squint more and more as I listed off the effects the 「Spin」 had on the human body.
I guess he was still skeptical, though, if him letting me continue to try and learn the 「Spin」 told me anything.
Now, how did Johnny do it again?
If I remember what Gyro told Johnny…
Lesson 1: don't have any weird hopes on me. If you have the 「Will」, then do it.
Lesson 2: Work those muscles.
Lesson 3: Believe in the Spin!
Lesson 4: Pay your respects. Spin your bullets in a golden ratio.
Lesson 5: The shortest route is the detour. It was the detour that was the shortest path!
…
This wasn't going to be easy….
Well, well, well! Would you look at that!
It seems like we have a winner here, congrats!
Although it seems too weak to create it as a Mantra for you, Enough mastery of it will make it into a Mantra in no time!
Just try and master it until you can use the golden ratio!
"YES! YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!"
My mother was surprised by the sudden outburst in the backyard, especially so when the Winter sky of 8pm was stained with the dark blue colour of the night. The lush green field of the yard was tinted dark turquoise, I stood there with the soccer ball on the ground. Yellow lines were travelling across the soccer ball, as it continued to 「Spin」 into the grass.
This was it.
10 hours of practice and concentration.
This was the 「Spin」
If Johnny had that bullshit stand.
Then Gyro had hope, and the 「Will」.
My mother came to the backyard to see what I was excited about. Only to see my father slack-jawed and staring at me.
It was a no-brainer there. He witnessed, after several hours of me either sitting or standing and simply focusing on the soccer ball, the soccer ball suddenly spinning. It was slowly floating out of my hand and climbing up and up into the sky, albeit with a shaky trajectory. The soccer ball then fell back down to Earth, bouncing up and down the grass before it landed between me and my father.
The ball never stopped spinning, lines of yellow light traveling on the surface of the ball, as if they were planets orbiting around the sun.
It was a strange sight to see: a child jumping up and down with joy, and a father that looked like he saw a ghost.
Or a miracle from god.
It still lacked power. While the ball stuck to the tree, still spinning, it didn't even shave a sliver of bark off of the pillar of wood.
But then again, Rome wasn't built in a day.
And since my father asked if he could teach it to me as well, I have more time to practice myself.
All in all, it was a good day.
A wonderful day, with wonderful results.
….
It was only unfortunate that Summer Rose died 3 days after.