Before Dawn
The Himalayan sky burned blue and gold as the first light of morning touched the peaks.
But inside the valley, the world shimmered red — faint trails of Scarlet aura drifting like fireflies through mist.
Ishita stood at the cliff's edge, eyes closed, steadying her breath.
Each exhale painted the air with crimson.
Behind her, Li Wei walked slowly across the snow, his boots leaving no mark.
> "You slept less," he said calmly.
> "Couldn't," Ishita answered. "The Scarlet… it kept whispering."
> "Then it is listening," Li Wei replied. "Good. Today, we teach it to speak back."
He raised his hand. A blue ring of aura formed beneath his feet, ancient symbols glowing along its rim.
The mountain air rippled.
> "This time, you won't learn by restraint," he said, eyes like still water.
"You'll learn by clash."
---
The Spar Begins
A pulse of blue light erupted from Li Wei's palm — his aura spiraled outward like the breath of a dragon.
> "Technique: Azure Dragon Fist."
The ground beneath him fractured.
Blue energy condensed into a serpent of light — a massive dragon made of aura and will.
It roared through the air, leaving trails of sapphire flame behind.
Ishita clenched her fists, aura erupting like a heartbeat.
> "Crimson Veil—Slash!"
Scarlet light swirled around her, forming a curved blade — thin, bright, and trembling with power.
She swung.
A red crescent carved through the air, colliding with the blue dragon mid-flight.
The explosion split the clouds.
The valley vanished under light.
Snow turned to vapor.
Lightning spiraled between red and blue, energy crackling so loud it silenced thought.
Li Wei braced himself, sliding backward across the ice, impressed by the pressure.
> "Your control improved. But your focus—"
He disappeared mid-sentence.
He reappeared behind her in a blink, his voice whispering near her ear.
> "—still wavers."
Ishita's instincts flared. She spun, forming a wall of red light.
It shattered under his palm strike.
The shockwave sent her flying into a cliff.
She hit hard, coughing, but stood again.
Her scarlet aura pulsed irregularly, unstable yet fierce.
> "It won't… stop burning…"
Li Wei walked forward, eyes glinting faintly.
> "Then use the burn. Don't silence it — shape it."
---
Resonance Training
He extended his hands, forming two blue circles in the air — rotating sigils of ancient Aura scripts.
> "Aura Flow Control — second form: Resonance Alignment."
The circles spun faster, sending pulses through the snow.
The mountain began to hum, stones vibrating in rhythm.
> "Focus," Li Wei commanded. "Match your pulse to the world around you. Let the Scarlet resonate."
Ishita pressed her palm to the ground.
Her heartbeat echoed through the ice, and faint ripples of red spread outward, mixing with the blue waves Li Wei had summoned.
For a brief second — harmony.
The red and blue lights intertwined like twin flames, forming a spiral that reached toward the sky.
Then her concentration faltered.
The spiral collapsed.
BOOM!
A red shockwave ripped through the field, throwing both of them backward.
Chunks of glacier cracked and slid into the abyss below.
When the dust settled, Li Wei stood tall — aura glowing bright, unmoved.
Ishita knelt, panting, her hands bleeding, scarlet dripping into the snow.
Li Wei gave a faint nod.
> "Good. You stabilized your aura for eight seconds this time. That is progress."
Ishita smiled weakly.
> "Eight seconds? Felt like eternity…"
> "For a wielder," he said, "eternity is built in seconds."
---
Aftermath
They stood side by side, watching the valley slowly freeze again, the air shimmering faintly with leftover aura.
> "Master," Ishita said softly, "when I fight… it feels like the Scarlet wants to protect me. But sometimes, it feels like it wants to replace me."
Li Wei looked toward the horizon.
> "Every aura has intent. The Scarlet's intent is survival through destruction.
It mirrors your soul. If your heart crumbles, it will consume you.
If your heart stands firm, it will save you."
He turned his gaze toward the east, where storm clouds churned in unnatural red light.
> "Tomorrow, we push further. You'll learn the Scarlet Resonance — the rhythm that defines its true voice."
The wind shifted — warm and heavy, carrying a faint echo like distant screams from the valley below.
Ishita looked down the mountain and froze.
For a moment, she thought she saw shadows moving through the snow — crimson eyes glimmering between the rocks.
> "Demons," she whispered.
Li Wei's aura flickered, calm but sharp.
> "They are drawn to awakening power. Ignore them. The lesson isn't over yet."
He walked past her, leaving only his fading voice on the wind.
> "Tomorrow, Ishita — we'll test whether the Scarlet obeys you… or consumes you."