The forest trail opened into a small clearing, where moonlight filtered down through the leaves, creating long, eerie shadows on the ground. K paused, an unsettling tingle crawling up his spine. Something was definitely off.
Out of the trees ahead, a figure stepped into view. It was the scout K had dispatched earlier, but now he appeared transformed. He stood taller and moved with purpose, surrounded by a faint red glow that shimmered even in the low light.
"You're fast," the scout said in a low, threatening tone. "But haste isn't everything."
Without thinking, K instinctively grabbed for his sword. His mind raced, trying to piece together what the strange red glow meant—he had no answers, just more questions and variables to contemplate.
"Who are you?" K asked, forcing his voice to remain steady despite the anxiety churning inside him. "You weren't like this before."
A cruel smirk twisted the scout's lips. "I'm Roric of Stormhold. What you see is known as Aura—Body Reinforcement, to be precise. A concept that a runaway slave wouldn't grasp."
The term "Aura" triggered a recollection in K—fragments from Grey's memories. It was a personal energy system, distinct from Seeds, capable of enhancing physical abilities, creating pressure, or sharpening one's senses. The red glow was a clear indicator of a focus on strength and power.
"You're with the Empire," K said as realization hit him. "You're not just some city guard."
"Sharp observation," Roric said, cracking his knuckles. "I'm what happens when the Empire wants something back. You're coming with me, boy. That Seed inside you is property of Stormhold."
K assessed the situation. Roric moved with a confidence he hadn't displayed before, and the pulsing red glow radiated from his skin with every heartbeat.
"Last chance," Roric warned, his aura flaring slightly. "Come quietly, or things will get ugly."
Without hesitation, K snapped his fingers. "Domain."
The space around the clearing shifted. In a heartbeat, K vanished from his position and reappeared behind Roric, sword raised and ready to strike.
Roric pivoted with a speed that seemed almost superhuman, catching K's blade barehanded. The clash of metal against flesh rang out, but surprisingly, his hand was unscathed. Instead, a brilliant red light began to shine from his palm.
"Your tricks won't faze me," Roric stated, twisting K's sword with a strength that felt borderline supernatural. "Aura can counter Seed effects to some extent. Your abilities are impressive, but I'm even stronger."
K let go of the sword and jumped back, his mind churning. That red glow was enhancing Roric's resilience, making him tougher than before. The momentum tactics that had worked against the guards were proving ineffective here.
"Your control is quite commendable for someone who's just awakened," Roric said, pushing his advantage. "But raw skill can't match years of training. I've perfected my Aura for a decade."
With a sudden burst of speed, Roric charged at K. K dodged and wove through the air, but the scout was closing in quickly. The red glow acted like armor, negating K's advantages.
"You're just a kid fumbling with a tool you don't fully understand," Roric mocked, landing a glancing blow that sent K reeling. "Surrender, and perhaps the Empire will train you instead of using you as a lab rat."
K hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him. Roric loomed over him, the red aura flaring menacingly.
"This is the end," Roric said, lifting his fist for a decisive blow.
K's mind raced, sorting through bits of knowledge lodged in his memory. Concepts of physics, mechanics, and force vectors—these were tools he could utilize.
As Roric's fist came crashing down, K rolled away just in time, the impact creating a crater in the ground where he had been seconds before.
"Snap. 'Domain.'"
This time, K decided to take a new approach. Rather than charging straight in, he became more aware of his surroundings. Trees, rocks, and debris transformed into potential weapons at his disposal.
Roric charged again, his red aura flaring. K quickly redirected a fallen branch, hurtling it toward the scout's legs. The aura protected Roric, but the impact still slowed him down somewhat.
Good. It turned out that the aura wasn't invincible. It could be pushed back.
"Clever move," Roric grunted as he deflected another object. "But let's be honest, you're just throwing stuff at me. That's not how you really use an Essence Seed."
Essence Seed. That was the key he held. The realization dawned on K as he unleashed a flurry of rocks, branches, and debris. Roric managed to block most of them, but a few slipped through, each strike draining his energy incrementally.
"You're a persistent little pest," Roric growled, his aura flickering. "But remember, the aura isn't just a shield; it can be weaponized, too."
With an increase in intensity, Roric picked up his speed, barreling through K's makeshift projectiles. K narrowly avoided a blow that could have easily shattered stone.
"Look," Roric panted, "the way Aura and Seeds interact is complex. My Aura can handle your power, but it costs me energy. Your Seed can get past my defenses, but it wears on your focus. The real question is, who'll tire out first?"
K saw his chance. While Roric was busy explaining their powers' intricacies, K turned his attention to a large dead tree nearby, calculating the moment to act, the precise angle he needed.
In a swift motion, K shifted the tree's weight. Instead of crashing down onto Roric, it fell parallel to the ground, forming a bridge between two elevated points.
Roric watched in confusion. "What's the point of that?"
K raced along the fallen trunk, using it to gain both height and speed. At the end, he launched himself into the air, channeling all his energy into a single, decisive strike.
Roric looked up, his eyes widening as K descended like a meteor.
"Impossible," the scout whispered, raising his arms in a futile attempt to protect himself.
The impact was catastrophic. K focused his momentum into a pinpoint, breaking through Roric's aura with sheer force. The red glow shattered like glass, sending Roric hurtling backward through the underbrush.
K landed lightly, breathing hard as he felt the Domain dissipate, returning the world to its normal state.
Roric lay still, the red glow extinguished from his body. K approached cautiously, sword ready.
Roric's eyes fluttered open. "How...?" he murmured, confusion etched on his face. "That wasn't just momentum manipulation. You really focused it, compressed it. That's impressive control."
"Physics," K replied simply.
He picked up his sword and moved on, leaving the defeated scout behind. The red aura had posed a challenge, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Every problem has a solution; every system has its weaknesses.
As he walked, a memory surfaced—Grey scrutinizing a complicated diagram of forces and counterforces. "For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. Find the point where that reaction falters."
K nodded to himself. He had identified that point today. And as he disappeared into the forest, he realized this was only the beginning of his journey in this intriguing new world.