Jaune's training continues. Meanwhile, I've been enjoying Yi Xian on Steam – an entirely too relevant Xianxia auto battler where you have to build decks around martial arts like the ones portrayed in this story. Albeit much more fantasy-based than the Wuxia I'm using. A lot of "flying" and "summoned" swords in it. But it's fun.
I may borrow a few "move names" from there, even though I'm doing a more grounded approach to the martial arts. They still have very "chunni" names to them like "Cloud Sword Flow Chaos Technique". My favourite is "Exercise Bone Marrow" like, sure, you can definitely target an exercise to just work out your bone marrow. Totally reasonable, lol.
"I'm doing legs today. What's your workout?"
"Oh, you know. Bone marrow."
"Cool. Cool."
Chapter 5
The months since the visit by the deserters passed in relative quiet, but not easily. Jaune had the opportunity to learn much about carpentry and basic construction as he repaired the temple, and then more about waterproofing it when the spring rains came. There were no more attacks, however. The deserters under Raven Branwen had seemingly cleared out of the area, unwilling to take Master Ren's indifference toward them at face value.
They could have stayed, and Jaune knew Master Ren wouldn't have interfered, but they were ruled by their fear. It was obvious in how quickly Raven's attitude had changed once she was wounded. What confidence they had only existed so far as they could intimidate those weaker than them, and they'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than share an area with the Lotus Sect.
So, in a sense, Rest had been saved from the deserters-turned-bandits. His actions had rescued them. Did they thank him for it? Of course not. Jaune had not heard hide nor hair of them though he had, when travelling to other villages for supplies, heard that they were doing well. Master Ren had granted his request to travel further to other villages rather than visit Rest again.
"Who am I to complain if you want to work harder?" he had said.
But Jaune could tell Master Ren understood his reasons, and there was no point in antagonising the people of Rest by appearing before them again. At other villages, Jaune kept to himself, trading goods for medicine and food and spice and avoiding staying too long. The people hadn't trusted him at first, but after a few months of regular trading they soon accepted him as some odd hermit living out in the wilderness. He never caused trouble and didn't steal anything, and the fact he didn't talk to any of the young women and "corrupt them" helped his case.
Most, if not all, of the young men had been taken for the war. Another benefit of staying for such a short time was dodging the so-called drafters that visited villages and towns on an alarmingly regular basis.
His hair had continued to grow out down the back, though he'd taken to visiting a barber in a village he was more familiar with to have his bangs and the front trimmed. The woman there joked he had longer hair than most women, and prettier hair too. She'd given him a red ribbon to tie around it so that it could flow down to the middle of his back but remain under control. Master Ren didn't once criticise him for it. Jaune got the feeling the sentiment there was that he could have whatever he wanted so long as he could defend it, and with his training continuing apace, he was quite capable of that.
As the morning crept on, Jaune sat cross legged on the bank of the river's shallows, breathing in through his nose and out from his mouth. His hands rested upon his knees, his Jian sword laid horizontally across his lap. With each breath, he circulated his aura through his meridians, more for practice than anything. Eyes closed, he could see himself lighting up like a constellation in a night sky, and he could feel the aura of those things in proximity. The trees, the flowers, the brown bear that was sat next to him waiting for him to pay his daily tax of caught fish.
"You are a predator," Jaune said, without opening his eyes. "You are more than capable of catching your own breakfast."
"Growf," it replied.
He chuckled. "Such a lazy animal you are. Very well. It must have been a long winter for you."
There was no magic to the odd scene of him talking to a wild animal, nor any mysticism involved. It was nothing more than a case of exposure and calm. He was relaxed, at peace, and the creature didn't feel threatened. Similarly, they had crossed paths many times now, and food was abundant here. Neither wanted to risk conflict with one another, and an uneasy truce had in time blossomed into a relaxed peace. The bear knew there would be fish caught when he was here and given that he never complained when it came to sniff at him, it had grown in confidence until it felt comfortable sitting by him as he meditated.
It was in times of quiet meditation and contemplation that Jaune learned more about nature and the world around him. He came to realise the strange feelings humans had toward the wilderness – the odd "fear" that made no sense. Wolves would not hunt people when game could be found, and most bears would only become aggressive when they felt threatened. Why, then, did people fear them so? The answer had come to him several days ago when he realised the fear and hatred between them was an artificial human creation.
Predators hunted prey animals and humans kept many as livestock and cattle. Foxes, wolves and bears would kill chicken and sheep, and instead of accepting that as a part of nature humans framed it as "nature vs man", as an aggressive attack on them and their livelihoods. They took it personally, erecting barbed fences and employing other humans to hunt down and kill the animals. In doing so, they turned to the same propaganda that filled the kingdom toward faunus and the White Fang, portraying them as dangerous and cruel, wicked and vile. The forests were to be avoided and mistrusted, because humans had no power there, and humans felt uncomfortable with any situation they were not 100% in control of. It was all so tiring to think of. They were a part of this world the same as any other animal, be that the predator or the prey.
"Growwrrrrrr!"
His companion was agitated. Jaune opened his eyes and followed the bear's snout. He had felt nothing but... ah, of course. A black creature devoid of life and aura, standing apart as a blank spot in a world of life. The Grimm, a parody of the majestic animal beside him, lumbered into the clearing and spied Jaune and the bear. It threw back its body and roared.
Jaune laid a hand upon the brown bear beside him and stood. "Allow me."
The bear could not understand him but it understood the struggle of life and death. It understood what it meant when its mother had presented her back to it when it was a cub and protected it from other predators, and it understood what it meant when Jaune did the same. The bear quietened. Jaune held his Jian before him, the point aimed at the Ursa. It was a creature like this which had killed his family, and yet he didn't feel rage. The chances of it having been directly involved were slim to none after all these years, and slaughtering this creature would neither bring his family back nor give them peace.
"You intrude upon the grounds of the Lotus Sect," he told it, calmly. "But I shall grant you the chance to apologise and leave. I have no conflict with you."
The Ursa lunged.
Jaune did so as well.
To stand still was to surrender control of the fight, and the creature itself appeared surprised by his charge. It had planned for several seconds of chase before an attack, but now Jaune was within its grasp while its arms were on the ground, completely out of position. It stumbled in an attempt to grasp him but by that point he had already dodged on by, neatly avoiding it and forcing it to stop and turn, to surrender all forward momentum from its charge. Without said momentum, it couldn't bring the advantage of its weight down on him, and swiped with an arm instead, which Jaune languidly ducked under.
Calm blue eyes scanned the beast and found themselves drawn to the bone plating on its neck. There was a hole in it, about two inches by three, which almost seemed to call for his sword like a keyhole beckoning to a key. He hummed, neatly evading two more swipes while keeping his Jian behind him, out the way of the attacks. The blade was thin and could snap if it parried one of those claws, but it would also snap if he inserted it through that hole while the beast was in motion. It would be like sliding a key into a keyhole on a moving door. Either you would be forced to lose the key, or it would break off.
Stepping in and slapping one of the heavy paws aside with his bare hand, Jaune twisted out the way of its jaw biting down toward his head, bringing his own right by that bone plate. He ran his fingertips over it in that moment, feeling the grooves and contours while the Ursa clamped its jaws down where he had been, and then tried to crush him by falling over.
But he'd felt enough. He had his target, and now only had to wait for the perfect strike. Sword intent. His Jian itched to be swung, but he held it back, held himself back. There were opportunities, but they were not good ones. They were not perfect. Risk to his weapon, imperfect angles, too much motion and the chance of missing and chipping his blade on the bone plate instead. What was the point of attacking and risking that? Even if his Jian survived, he would waste stamina and put himself in harm's way. You were most open when you committed to an attack. That much he knew from committing to so many against Master Ren and being punished for them.
The Ursa growled and brought both hands up in a mighty two-handed smash.
Jaune's eyes widened.
There!
He hopped back and let the meaty paws come down into the ground, shattering rock, but then, in the brief moment when the shockwaves ran up its arms and left it shaken, he darted in, twisted his sword in his hand and stabbed.
Once.
Jaune drew out with a twirl and kept moving past the Ursa, stabbing and withdrawing before it could twist its chest and wrench the blade from his hand. Without looking, he took another step and used the sleeve of his robe to clean the Jian's blade of blood and grime. Behind him, a rattled gasp was the last sound the Ursa made before falling to the grass. It dissolved shortly after, and Jaune made sure to press his right fist to his open left palm and bow shallowly to it. Not out of respect, but out of gratitude for the opportunity to learn.
"Growf!"
"Yes, yes." Jaune smiled and approached the river. "The baskets are full and you shall have your fish."
The brown bear snorted happily as Jaune carried out the basket and laid three fish before it on the rock, taking the remaining three for himself and Master Ren. The bear began to feast as Jaune walked serenely back to the temple.
Master Ren was meditating in the courtyard when he arrived.
"I sensed a Grimm approach you," he said, his eyes remaining closed. "Yet I also sensed no anger from you. Did you dispatch it?"
"I did, Master Ren."
"Hm. How true was your strike?"
"A single blow, as instructed." Jaune set the basket with the fish down and sat opposite his master, their knees inches apart. "It was a satisfying strike but I do not think it was perfect. I could have done better."
"Such is the eternal quest of the Sword Intent style. There is no such thing as perfection, Jaune. Perfection is not natural. It is an unobtainable ideal. And yet there is no harm in striving for it as long as you understand it will never be achieved. There can be selfless joy in pursuing a craft, in learning and growing and in passing on your wisdom, but it can also turn sour if you focus too much on the idea of winning. There is no victory. There is no perfect strike, but to become as good as you can be is still a worthy endeavour."
"Enjoy the journey and worry not for the destination?"
"Indeed. You are wise beyond your years, my student."
"Only because you force me to think beyond them," he replied, without any pandering. "I'd still be an angry child if not for your tuition and patience."
Master Ren smiled. "I was your age once and filled with the same pride and anger and defiance. One day, you will have a student of your own. Perhaps a stranger, perhaps your child, and you will see the cycle repeated. Be strict with them. Guide, but do not lecture. Let them make their own mistakes, learn from them, and make their own successes. As I have with you."
Jaune bowed his head. "I will, master. Will we spar today? Or do you have chores for me?"
"Neither. I want you to rest." That was so unlike him that Jaune was immediately suspicious. Master Ren noticed. "I have sensed someone spying on the temple for the last two days. They come close but never enter and leave quickly when I step outside. I believe news of our interaction with the deserters has drawn other parties."
Jaune dipped his head. "I'm sorry, master. This is my fault."
"Nonsense. I am the one who struck her down and I am the one who let her leave. Besides, this might only be curious villagers, or it could be these military recruiters you have mentioned come to see if I am young enough to fight. It may also be thieves believing us easy marks. It would not be the first time." His smile faded. "However, I want you fresh and ready should things take a turn for the worse."
"Yes master."
/-/
Jaune could not sense aura as widely as Master Ren did, but even he felt the approach of the people as they entered the round entranceway to the temple. There were three of them, two women and one man, and they moved in formation. At the centre was a tall woman with flowing black hair in a tightly clad red dress, while a shorter girl with green hair wearing green and brown walked on her left, and a boy with silver hair and grey clothing on the right. They were young, ranging between sixteen and twenty by Jaune's estimation, and they were all armed with esoteric weapons.
Huntsmen, or at least those trained in the art. For people so young to travel alone with so much confidence, they almost had to be, and Jaune could tell their aura was unlocked. They felt just a little more real to his senses. A little larger than their physical forms denoted. Jaune stood with his hands linked before him, while Master Ren held his own behind his back and regarded the trio with a calm smile.
"Welcome, travellers, to the Lotus Sect Temple. You have travelled far from... Mistral, is it?"
The woman in the lead paused. "That's correct. How could you tell?"
"Your dress, young lady, and the boy's lack of military wear. Mistral has not yet been dragged into the war so fully as I understand it."
The woman had been tense before but relaxed a little at Master Ren's reasoning. "You have a good eye for someone so old. Are you Shu Ren? I've heard you're an immortal, and that this temple teaches the secret of eternal life. Is that true?"
"If it were, do you think I would look so old and crooked?" Master Ren chuckled. "I'm afraid that rumours of my longevity are greatly exaggerated. I have a few years left in me, but only that, and my lifespan will be no greater than those who have come before me. A little healthier, perhaps, but the secret there is simply good exercise, healthy food and a clear mind."
"That's a shame. The villagers spear of you as an immortal hermit."
"They see me outlive their relatives and assume mysticism. That is all. You have not introduced yourselves."
"Forgive us." The woman inclined her head a fraction of an inch. "I am Cinder Fall and this is Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. We are from Mistral, as you so accurately surmised. We're here on loan to Vale for a short period to help defend against Grimm, but we're not involved in their military battle with Menagerie."
"Hmm." Master Ren hummed and nodded, but Jaune knew the man and could tell he didn't believe them. The hum was as much a message to Jaune that they had lied as it was a response to Cinder. "I see. And what brings you here, then?"
"We heard from the locals how you dealt with Raven Branwen, a deserter and bandit of some repute. You were able to best a huntress and disable her aura, wounding her in a single strike and bypassing her aura entirely."
The villagers of Rest would not have had such detail. They'd seen him defeat Vernal and a few others, but they probably didn't even know what Master Ren had done. It wasn't like Raven and her lot would have gone back to tell them. The only ones who knew were the deserters themselves, meaning that Cinder had met with them directly.
Why the lie, though? Some lies were meant to deceive and some were meant only to explain things away. It depended on what her aims were and what she wanted.
"I am an old man who knows a few tricks, yes."
"Can those tricks be taught?"
"Yes." Master Ren nodded again. "But they will take years to learn. I would gladly take one or all three of you on as students, but I suspect you are looking for something more applicable in the short-term."
"You'd be correct, sir. Mistral may not have time for me to study under you for ten years. I am told that you have manuals."
Master Ren let out a low sound. "How very interesting. And where did you hear that from exactly?"
"A little search online showed that there used to be many of these sects in the past. While some were destroyed, others simply chose to end their ways. I'm told esoteric manuals of so-called secret arts have been donated to museums and sold to collectors. Most are seen as nonsensical mysticism and fantasy, and yet Raven Branwen is not a weak woman and she would not make a mistake with her aura. There is more to those manuals, isn't there?"
Jaune swallowed. He didn't like the way this was going.
"They are instructions on how to learn certain arts," Master Ren admitted. "But they would still be next to useless to you because you would need to know much foundation that is only taught here. You would not understand the core concepts."
Cinder's eyes flickered. "I believe I would like to try regardless."
"I do not..." Master Ren paused, frowned, and waved a finger through the air.
The green-haired girl, Emerald, gasped and clutched her head, groaning into her palm.
"Less of that, please," said Master Ren. "We are speaking, your teacher and I, and interrupting us to weave your little illusions will not endear me to her."
Jaune tensed.
Cinder did, too. "I apologise on Emerald's behalf. She won't make the same mistake again."
Emerald tensed. "I—I'm sorry, sir."
The apology was real but the brief bite of her lip indicated this was no accident. Cinder had told her to do something to Master Ren. Jaune's eyes narrowed on them, but also kept sliding to the silver-haired boy. If Emerald had been instructed to incapacitate Master Ren then it made sense he had instructions to do the same to Jaune. His aura slowly circled around his chest, kept at the ready while his hands slid down to his sides.
"You are capable of interrupting aura and defeating Semblances, then," said Cinder. "That's a very powerful tool. I would like to learn it."
"It is not so simple."
"I can purchase the instruction manual for the art."
Master Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You will fight for it, then."
Cinder frowned. "Is that a threat?"
"No. It is the price of the manual. One of you shall fight my student and the manual shall be yours."
Jaune hissed. "Master Ren. This isn't—"
"Knowledge is not to be hoarded, student, and I know the art even should we lose the scroll. I can replace it." His voice dropped. "And the manual will do little use for those who cannot understand it. Let this go." He raised his voice. "Is that acceptable to you?"
"To be clear, one of us must defeat your student?"
"No. Win or lose, you shall be gifted the manual. My student has little to no opportunity to spar with opponents close to his level. Being defeated by myself teaches him nothing and I would appreciate a chance for him to test himself against someone his own age. Show him a good fight and whatever the result, the scroll shall be yours to take away. The fight shall stop before injury or death. Acceptable?"
Cinder nodded, smiling faintly and stepping back. "Mercury. This will be a good chance for you as well. Give him his spar. Don't harm him too much." She looked to Master Ren. "I trust your student will refrain from cancelling Mercury's aura and running him through."
"Of course. Jaune this, is a friendly spar only. Leave your Jian with me."
"Yes, Master Ren." Jaune handed it to him, bowed, and then approached Mercury and bowed as well. Bitterness swelled up within him at what felt like them surrendering to these three strange people, strangers who had clearly lied about their intentions. "Let us have a good fight."
"Heh. Sure thing." Mercury took a stance and raised his hands. "Not sure what to expect here but it'll be interesting to face someone who can apparently cut off my aura."
"Only the top half of it," Jaune said. "You don't have any aura below the knees."
Mercury's eyes widened. "Well, well, well. That's interesting. A little rude, too."
"I meant it as a compliment. You are standing resolute regardless of the fact." Jaune took a deep breath and fell into a relaxed stance, his legs spread and one arm raised loosely before him, the other kept hidden behind his back. "Master Ren, can you count us in?"
"Of course. On zero. Three, two one, zero—"
Jaune kicked off and flew forward, slammed his foot down and stabbed his open palm into Mercury's stomach. The boy didn't react at all in time, and that felt intentional, like he wanted to feel Jaune's strike for himself. It struck like a hammer, a hand reinforced with aura striking a stomach reinforced with armour. It was like a mace striking a man in armour, causing a huge sound and a clap of air before Mercury slid back with a sharp breath.
Aura protected like armour but the pain of being hit was still there, as was the sense of your body being rattled by the transfer of kinetic force. Some bled off as heat and sound but even that stung. Mercury slid one of his legs forward, bringing them both together to transition his balance beneath himself. The only reason for that was because he planned to balance on one leg, so Jaune was already ducking when Mercury's right foot came up and sailed over his head. The huntsman looked shocked at what, to him, must have seemed like impossible reflexes or outright precognition.
But it wasn't. It was just understanding why Mercury adjusted his footing. When it spread back out again to create a wider base, Jaune brought his hands up, knowing the man was transitioning to punches. Because those required wider footing and a lower centre of balance. The first strike hit his forearm and the second was deflected aside. Jaune moved to the right, circling and forcing Mercury to do the same, forcing him to constantly readjust his footing while blocking Jaune's own attacks.
He's slow, thought Jaune. But it doesn't feel right.
Sweeping a leg up, Jaune caught the man on the side of his head but, a fraction of a second before the impact, he caught Mercury wince and glance Cinder's way before clenching his eyes shut. He staggered under the blow, hiding his face behind raised hands and adopting a boxing stance that didn't quite suit him.
His legs are mechanical and clearly his primary weapon but he's not using them. I know for a fact he's seeing my hits coming. I wonder...
Jaune slid left and low, spread his own legs and suddenly drove a fist straight into Mercury's groin. Suddenly, the huntsman was a hundred times faster, raising his knee and twisting his body to block it and almost taking Jaune's head off with a sweeping kick.
"You can fuck off with that!" Mercury blurted out.
Emerald giggled from the sidelines.
"All is fair in a fight," Jaune joked, hiding his fury.
Mercury was holding back, and it wasn't because he was underestimating Jaune. The huntsman had as good as raised the very real worry that Jaune could remove his aura, meaning he was aware of the threat he posed. Overconfidence implied the belief that you were ultimately safe from the other person, and Mercury knew he wasn't. Cinder had even asked for the sword to be removed because of the very real threat of Mercury dying.
This wasn't overconfidence. This was intentional. Mercury was sandbagging on purpose.
Why?
Was it because Master Ren had already promised the scroll and they wanted to give them an easy victory as a gesture of peace? It might have been. Jaune didn't believe it, though. They had lied once already and Emerald had tested Master Ren with her Semblance. This was Mercury testing him, trying to see what he was capable of. This was a test.
On the next engagement, Jaune "fumbled" and left his stance wide. Mercury didn't capitalise. On the following, he drove his fist right into Mercury's block – a move so telegraphed even a child could have grappled and wrestled him to the floor. Mercury grunted and fell back under the amateurish assault.
He's determined to let me win, then. Hm. Should I show more of what I can do and put him down in the hopes it'll scare them off from further action? Or will that just convince them to bring more people if they want to attack us? It might be better to show less.
Master Ren had indicated a willingness to treat politely with them, so Jaune decided to follow his lead. If he had wanted Jaune to beat them wholly, he would have given him a sign. As it was, he pushed Mercury backwards and wailed on him but kept his motions stiff and rigid. Fought at about 50% his capability, or thereabouts. Importantly, he kept his aura internal and used it as a shield as a huntsman might and showed nothing of the more esoteric techniques he had learned like strengthening his limbs, disabling theirs, or spreading his aura outward from his body.
He fought as a huntsman and eventually managed to knock Mercury down onto one knee.
"I yield!"
Jaune paused and backed away, fist clasped to hand, and bowed. "Thank you for the learning opportunity."
"Yeah." Mercury wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Back at you. You're damn good. Better than me."
More lies.
"Does that suit you?" asked Cinder.
Master Ren nodded. "It does. Jaune, go and fetch the Qi Disruption Scroll. It means aura," he said to Cinder. "You'll have to forgive the mystical language throughout the scroll. Assume any reference to spirit or soul means aura and you shall be on the right track."
Jaune bowed and backed into the temple while Master Ren talked. He could feel their eyes on his back, no doubt hoping to see where he went for the manuals. Jaune slid the door shut to block their view and approached Master Ren's chamber. There, in a glass-fronted cabinet, lay numerous scrolls sealed with ribbons. They were casually on display, out in the open, and that had always seemed so reckless to him.
But who could really read them? They talked of meridians and which to send your aura to, which might as well have been gibberish to anyone not trained in them. Jaune opened the cabinet with a sense of reverence. A hunger to open and read them all spread through him. He didn't reject it because that greed was a part of him. Instead, he took a deep breath and committed to meditate on his urges later and come to better understand them. Turning over the ribbons one by one, he read the names until he found the one labelled as "Qi Disruption". The others had increasingly flowery names like "Ice-Shattering Fist" and "Soul Sever Strike". They wouldn't have been out of place in a children's cartoon.
Master Ren was still talking to Cinder when Jaune returned and presented the scroll. The woman's eyes burned with naked hunger, and she could hardly restrain herself when Master Ren presented it. She managed not to snatch it, and instead to take and store it in a pouch before thanking him.
"A trick you will have to learn and practice is expelling your aura into another person," said Master Ren, fully knowing that such might take Cinder decades to learn.
It had taken Jaune two years with the benefit of one-to-one tuition, but this huntress thought she could master it on her own from a scroll she'd barely be able to read. The chances of her using the scroll were slim, and the greatest threat from it was her beating someone to death with it.
"The results will only be temporary so you can freely practice on one another if you wish. It will not be easy to learn, I'll warn you, so you will need patience and perseverance."
"I have both in spades," she said. "Thank you for your time. We shall leave you be. Mercury, Emerald. Come. Shu Ren, Jaune Arc. It has been a pleasure. Perhaps we shall meet again one day."
Master Ren bowed his head. "If the heavens will it."
The trio left.
"With me, Jaune." Master Ren said urgently. He brought them inside. "I expect they will return soon. Perhaps not this week or the next, or this month, but soon. You were wise to hide your true strength but I expect they saw through that." Master Ren brought him to the cabinet. "Do you see the ribbons on the scrolls? They represent danger. Red is the most dangerous, orange less so, blue, and then finally green. They represent not only the risk to the user, but to them falling into the wrong hands. Should anything happen to me, it will be your duty to safeguard these techniques."
"Master—"
"Do not interrupt me here, student. I am old and not long for this world, whether that be in my own time or at the hands of another. You will be entrusted with the Lotus Sect's secrets. You may open and learn them if you wish, but I warn you not to heed the danger. You are not ready to learn them all." He pointed to the red ones. "Incarnation." Then to the orange. "Immortality." Then the blue. "Meditation." And finally, the green. "Foundation. Four phases steeped in mysticism and some nonsense. None of these will make you immortal, I know this as I have studied them all, but the names should serve as a reminder anyway."
"Do not attempt to master an Incarnation Scroll if you cannot comprehend Immortality. Do not attempt Immortality Scrolls if you have not mastered Meditation. And so on. I say this not to force rule upon you but to save your life. Failing to master a Meditation Scroll may cause you discomfort as your aura is wasted. Fail in the same manner on an Immortality Scroll and you may put yourself into an aura-deprived coma. Fail on an Incarnation Scroll and you could cause your aura to explode violently, ripping your body apart in the process!"
Jaune swallowed. "I understand, master. I shall treat them with the respect they deserve if the worst comes to happen."
"Not the worst, student. Inevitability. Even if I am wrong about these strangers, I shall not live another ten years. You will be entrusted with these eventually, and it us unlikely you will be fully ready for them. I trust your mind. It is keen when it is not blinded by pride. Meditate on whether or not you should open a scroll and find the answer within yourself."
"I will. I promise."
"Good. We train now. I will have you learn how to use your aura to sustain yourself, how to use it to feed your body, nourish it, and how to burn aura as fuel."
A perfect technique for running away and escaping someone.
Jaune would not say it, but it felt as though Master Ren had sensed his own mortality coming, and as summer approached and turned to fall, Jaune felt it as well. There was a chill in the air that went beyond a mere drop in temperature.
On the first week of autumn, Cinder Fall returned.
And she did not come alone.
Next Chapter: 19th March
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