ã€ŠRebirth of the phoenixã€‹


 Prologue: The Last Stand

    342HI¨C 342 years after humanity first gained its independence from creatures and no longer had to serve them.

    The Phoenix Clan had long been regarded as one of the most powerful clans in the world, a force so immense that no empire dared challenge them, until now. Their blessings, given to them by the Phoenix itself, were as legendary as the creature they were named after. The Phoenix, a creature that stood at the highest tier of power, a being so great that it was categorized as **Unclassified** a level that could not be measured by any other standard.

    The Phoenix''s power was immeasurable, and it was this power that the empires sought to control.

    The Phoenix''s power was coveted by the empires in Varlud and Vostram continents, and it was not long before they turned their eyes toward the Phoenix Clan, seeking to capture the Phoenix and force it to submit, so they could claim its immense blessing and use it to dominate the world.

    The Phoenix Clan''s stronghold was in ruins.

    The massive explosion that rocked the battlefield was the last, desperate act of the Phoenix itself sacrificing its very being to kill half of the enemy forces in a fiery explosion that scorched the earth, leaving nothing but ash in its wake. Its death was not a quiet one. The roar of the Phoenix as it exploded shook the very ground, a burst of flame and light that could be seen for miles. It had given everything to protect its people.

    But the price was steep.

    The Phoenix Clan, renowned for their fiery powers and their fierce loyalty, was no more. What remained were the survivors the few warriors still fighting and their families, who had escaped the wrath of the explosion. They were now scattered, lost, running for their lives in a desperate attempt to escape the enemy forces that had overwhelmed them.

    Desmond the 7th clan leader, holding the line with the remaining warriors, realized that without the Phoenix''s intervention, none of them would survive. The Phoenix Clan had always been strong, but it was never meant to stand alone. As Desmond continued to battle the advancing enemy, the realization struck him: the sacrifice of the Phoenix had bought them precious moments, but it was not enough to save them.

    The Phoenix''s final act had decimated half of the invading forces, but the remaining empires continued their relentless push. They believed the Phoenix was dead, but they also believed its blessing would be transferred to the survivors, a blessing they could seize from the next generations of the Phoneix Clan. Even in death, the Phoenix was still the prize they desired.

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    Elena''s Escape

    Amidst the chaos, Elena, the clan leader''s daughter, was caught in the confusion. She was only a child, unable to fully comprehend the scope of the destruction around her. Elena was not in the battlefield when the Phoenix exploded, and she did not see her father''s final moments. Instead, her memories were blurred by the heat and devastation, the ground shaking as the last of the Phoenix Clan fought to protect their people.

    Her fianc¨¦, Noah, found her amidst the wreckage, bloodied but alive. He had been by her side through the chaos, but the two were separated in the aftermath of the Phoenix''s final act.

    "No, Elena, we have to go now!" Noah urged, gripping her arm tightly, pulling her through the smoke.

    Through the haze of battle, Elena turned one last time to look for her father. But all she saw was destruction.

    "We can''t fight anymore. We need to survive," Noah said softly. His tone was firm, yet there was a sadness in his voice. Elena, her heart heavy with grief, let him guide her away from the battlefield.

    The Xoliti Clan''s Aid

    The Phoenix Clan''s survival would not have been possible without the secret aid of the Xoliti Clan, an ancient and powerful clan whose abilities where given from a creature that focused on utility seals and barriers. It was another creature said to be called unclassified.They were not an aggressive clan, nor were they known for their strength in battle. However, their mastery of sealing magic made them invaluable to the Phoenix Clan escape. The Xoliti Clan had long been allies of the Phoneix Clan.

    As the survivors of the Phoenix Clan fled into hiding, the Xoliti Clan used their magic to cloak them in powerful illusions, changing their identities temporarily until they could escape and making them untraceable by those who hunted them. It was the Xoliti Clan leader, Anara, who met with Isabella, Desmond''s wife, to ensure their safety. The two women, though grieving the loss of their loved ones, knew they had no choice but to preserve the legacy of the Phoenix Clan.

    "The world believes the Phoenix is dead, but the power it gave your bloodline is not lost , Durian(the husband of Anara) has sacrificed himself to make the Phoneix''s reincarnation hidden," Anara said, her voice low and resolute.

    Isabella nodded silently. "What will we do now?"

    Anara took a deep breath. "We will keep you hidden. For now, you will take new names. The Phoenix will reinacarnate I don''t know when right now, but you must stay hidden from the world you have too many enemies. No one can know who you are."

    Anara used her blessing to cast magic that enveloped them temporarily altering their appearances and hiding their auras from anyone who had detection blessings. The Phoenix Clan was no more in name. From this point on, they would live under the guise of the Veldrin Family, identites given to them by the Xoliti, to hide from the eyes of those who would seek them out.

    A Flame within Elena

    Before they left the hidden sanctuary, Elena felt something deep within her, a faint warmth that seemed to stir her very soul. It felt like the blessing of the Phoenix itself was alive inside her. But she could not understand what it meant.

    "You must live Elena," Anara said, sensing Elena''s unease. "The Phoenix''s blessing is dormant in you, but it is growing. It will one day be the key to the return of the Phoenix Clan, I don''t know how it will come back but you have to live so there will come a day where you can get revenge for this tragedy."

    Elena, was still unsure what it meant to have the Phoenix''s blessing. But she would live on if it meant that she could take revenge for her family.

    And thus, the Phoenix Clan began their life in hiding with their new identities as the Veldrin Family, scattered across the land. The Phoenix though dead had its essence transferred to Elena through Durians sacrifice but it was still unknown how the essence would help the Phoenix reincarnate.

    ---

    End of Prologue

 Embers of Life

    Four years after the massacre of the Phoenix Clan. During this time Elena and the remnants of her people fled into hiding under the guise of the Veldrin family (formerly the last name of the Phoneix clan being Tatcheton ). Now at 22 years old, Elena stood on the cusp of a momentous event, giving birth to her child 2 years after her wedding. In a small, village tucked deep within the Varlud continent in a small kingdom, this was something that should have been a joyous even but it was overshadowed by a dark fate.

    The birthing room was warm, the air thick with the scent of burning herbs made by blessings to help ease her labor. Elena''s cries of pain echoed through the space, her grip crushing Noah''s hand as he was kneeling beside her. "You''re doing great your almost there Elena," he said, his voice being a mix of encouragement and worry for his wife.

    "Take slow and deep breaths focus on your breathing, my dear," her mother, Isabella, urged gently from her other side. Though her tone was soothing, her eyes betrayed the anxiety she truly felt.

    Elena gasped, sweat dripping from her forehead her grip on Noah''s hand tightening even more as another wave of pain wracked her body.

    After one final push, the room was filled with the sound of a newborn''s cry. The midwife quickly wrapped the baby in soft cloth and handed her to Isabella, who with her hands trembling handed the child to her daughter.

    "It''s a boy," Isabella announced to everyone present, but her voice did not sound full of excitement there was more unease in her voice than happiness.

    Elena felt relief and love as she held her son for the first time. But the moment was very short-lived. The baby was dearly pale, his tiny frame trembling with shallow, uneven breaths. Nothing should have gone wrong all the checks she had done, they showed that the baby was healthy and she made sure to eat healthy not move too much, to not hurt the baby it didn''t make sense.

    "What''s wrong?" Noah asked, his voice filled with fear and anxiety.

    Isabella''s brow furrowed as she realized what had happened as she examined the child. "The blessing," she said gravely. "It''s gone from Elena to the baby, this shouldn''t have happened why would the Phoenix choose a child? The Phoenix''s essence¡­ it''s too powerful for his body to handle. Especially with the amount of its essence unlike when it was in Elena it''s more¡­ powerful."

    Elena''s grip on her son tightened, tears spilling down her cheeks. She could feel the warmth of the Phoenix''s blessing within her fading rapidly, transferring fully to the child. "No¡­ no, he can''t¡­"

    "Ther¡­.there has to be something we can do," Noah said his voice full of fear. "He''s too weak."

    Before anyone could speak, all the candles across the room extinguished. An otherworldly energy and pressure filled the air, and shadows started to flicker ominously along the walls.

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    A voice echoed in their minds, calm yet commanding "Do not be afraid. I have come to help an old friend."

    From the darkness, a majestic figure emerged a being cloaked in shimmering magic that concealed its true form. Its sleek, black body gleamed faintly, its two horns and massive wings radiating an otherworldly presence. It was the Alicorn, the guardian deity of the Xoliti Clan.

    Noah instinctively moved to shield Elena and the child, but Isabella stopped him with a firm hand. "It''s the Xoliti''s guardian deity," she whispered. "This is no enemy."

    The Alicorn''s glowing eyes scanned the room before settling on the newborn. "The Phoenix, your guardian deity, sacrificed itself for your people. Its essence now resides within this child, the essence went to the child because with the Phoenix being dormant, its only instinct is revival it sensed the new life and started to join it to try and revive, but his body is too frail to bear such power. Without intervention, he will not survive."

    Elena, despite her exhaustion, mustered the strength to speak. "Please¡­ help him. I''ll do anything."

    The Alicorn stepped closer, its horns beginning to glow faintly. "I will stabilize his body temporarily. My power will strengthen him for three months at a time. I will return regularly until his fifth year. By then, he must strengthen his body on his own. If he strengthens his body enough and grows into at least a high or master-tier aura user he should be able to survive the reincarnation of the Phoenix through his body. I can not be sure but depending on how much I can slow down the blessings awakening, it can take anywhere from 19-28 years for the Phoenix to reincarnate."

    The Alicorn paused, lowering its head closer to the child. "To ensure his survival, I will seal the Phoenix''s blessing. If it awakens too soon, it will destroy him. Furthermore, the Phoenix''s premature rebirth would alert your enemies, drawing them here. This child''s survival is paramount."

    The Alicorn touched the infant''s forehead with both of its horns. With both horns glowing different colors one color for sealing and one color for strengthening. A soft glow started to envelope the child, his pale skin gaining a faint warmth and his breaths evening out. Elena watched in awe, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.

    When the glow subsided, the Alicorn stepped back. "He will survive for now, but his path will be fraught with challenges. Protect him well, for he carries the hope of your clan and the legacy of the Phoenix. I will help the best I can as long as it does not mean endangering my clan to protect yours as people still don''t know that my clan hid your identities"

    The Alicorn turned its gaze to Isabella and Noah. "You must guard his identity. As long as the blessing remains sealed, his presence will not draw attention. But should the seal break prematurely, the consequences will be dire. Your enemies will be able to locate the Phoenix while it''s not in its full power I won''t be able to hide its energy either as it''s being reborn."

    Isabella placed a hand on Elena''s shoulder. "We will do whatever it takes."

    The Alicorn''s form shimmered, its presence fading into the shadows. Its final words echoed in their minds: "This child is the key to your future for the clan''s revival ."

    As the room fell silent once more, Elena cradled her son close, whispering his name. "Luis¡­ Luis Tatcheton. Why has the world given you such a hard fate."

    Noah knelt beside her, his hand resting gently patting her on the back. "We''ll protect him together."

    Isabella smiled faintly, her own tears glistening in the dim light. "The Phoenix''s legacy lives on."

    And so, under the guise of the Veldrin family (Tatcheton), Luis''s journey began a fragile ember destined to one day blaze into a powerful flame, carrying the hope and vengeance of the Phoenix Clan on his shoulders.

    ---

 Growth

    Luis is now 5 years and 9 months old

    It was a hot day the sun was still rising, making golden rays appear across the village. The sounds of children''s laughter could be heard around the village as they darted around, playing tag. Inside Luis''s home, Luis was impatiently standing by the door, his small fingers holding the door knob.

    "Papa, can I go nowwwww? Everyone''s already playing without meee!" Luis asked, his brown eyes shining with eagerness.

    Noah, sitting at the table with a calm demeanor, raised an eyebrow. "Not yet. First, do you remember what I told you about blessings and how they work?"

    Luis groaned, his shoulders slumping. "Papa, I know it already! Can''t I just answer later?"

    Noah chuckled, gesturing for Luis to come closer. "Humor me, Luis. If you answer now, you can play as much as you like today."

    Luis huffed in annoyance but complied, standing before his father with his arms crossed. "Fine."

    Straightening his stance, he recited, "Blessings are given by creatures. How strong they are depends on what the creature tier is." He paused, his small brow furrowing as he continued, "If the blessings were given for less than a month, the creature can take it back. But after that, it stays forever. And blessings can go to kids and grandkids, but they get weaker as the generation goes on, and if no one uses or trains them they also get weaker. Oh yes also you can um only get the blessings if it''s..... oh yes mutual consent which is when both parties agree to give and receive blessings."

    A smile spread across Noah''s face as he nodded. "That''s right, in simple terms that''s about it. Well done, Luis. You can go outside and play now."

    Before Noah could even finish his sentence, Luis bolted out of the house, shouting over his shoulder without fully looking back, "Thanks, Papa!"

    ---

    Noah watched his son join the other children playing, his small figure blending into the group. A soft sigh escaped him as he went around doing chores in the house, his thoughts turning inward.

    About Forty percent of this village which is around about fifty people are Phoenix Clan survivors. We''ve worked with the Xoliti Clan elders to keep our identities hidden, but the children... they''ve been our hope.

    His gaze followed Luis as his son ran around, his movements looked more coordinated and confident than most children his age and most of the children he was playing with.

    When the other parents and I planned to make the kids want to play more games, it was more than just about giving the kids something to do. It was about them building bonds, and strengthening their bodies. Luis, especially, was guided so that he would do more of that. Mixing in boring things like history lessons only made him want to play harder. And it worked he thinks physical activity is a game, not a chore or something he''s forced to do.

    Noah''s smile faded as there were more serious matters that he needed to work on.

    It was time for the next step for Luis helping him learn to harness and control aura. Luis needs more than just playing around to prepare his body to be able to withstand the Phoneix''s reincarnation. His body is already stronger than most children''s, but strength alone won''t be enough. He needs aura control because his body will never be strong enough to fully suppress the Phoneix reincarnations he will need aura control to make the energy reinforce his body and move in a way that won''t put too much strain on his body as the Phoenix is coming back.

    The children''s laughter filled the air, momentarily easing his worries. Tomorrow, I''ll start teaching him. Slowly, carefully. He''ll learn... he has to.

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    By the time the sun was setting Luis was coming home, dirt-streaked and grinning from ear to ear hopping his way back home. His hair was a mess and his clothes were dirty from playing. As he pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by the smell of herbs and spices coming from the kitchen.

    "There''s our little rascal," Elena said with a soft smile while looking at Luis, she was standing by the counter, chopping vegetables.

    Noah was stirring a pot over the fire, turning to glance at Luis. "Wash up first. Then you can help us."

    Luis blinked, confused. "Help? Since when do I help with cooking?"

    Elena went and crouched down near Luis saying "Because, my dear Luis, we really, really really need your help tonight your the only one who can help us save today''s dinner ."

    Luis grinned at the praise and puffed his chest. "Alright! Since only I can do it I will help save the day todayyyyy."

    ---

    After washing himself, Luis stood by Elena, who told him what to do and making sure to tell him to not snack on anything yet.

    Luis frowned when he was told not to snack but did as he was told, he was standing on his toes putting the vegetables into the pot Noah was tending. As he worked, he had a question to ask his parents.

    "Papa? Mama?" he said, his tone hesitant.

    Elena stopped working for a second and looked at him. "What is it, Luis are you confused about what to do next?"

    Luis fiddled with his fingers as he asked. "How do you ignore the whispers that come from the fire?"

    His parents froze glanced at each other and put aside anything they were doing and asked. "Whispers from fire? What do you mean, Luis?"

    Luis shrugged as if it was something normal. "It started recently. When I''m lying around or being lazy, I hear these whispers. They usually happen more if there is a fire lit around and if I am looking at it. But it''s weird they make me feel some sensation near my chest and it makes me want to get up and run around or do something."

    Noah crouched beside Luis as his brows furrowed. "Can you tell us what these whispers say? Can you understand the words?"

    Luis shook his head. "Not really. It''s like... I can''t hear the words, but I feel them like they''re telling me to move. Is it normal? Do you guys not hear them too?"

    Elena also crouched down, placing her hands gently on his shoulders. " No Luis we do not hear these whispers but can you do your mom a favor, can you make a promise with me, not tell this to anyone? Do you understand?"

    "Not even my friends?" Luis asked, confused

    "Especially not your friends," Noah said firmly. "This is something very private, just for us, okay only your family can know. I know your curious but we''ll explain what it means tomorrow morning, okay? But for now, it''s your bedtime after dinner."

    Luis pouted but never seeing his parents this serious, not even compared to when he broke 3 of his mom''s vases at once made him say. "Okay¡­"

    Elena smiled, ruffling his hair. "Good boy. Now let''s finish making dinner."

    ---

    Later at night, after Luis was tucked into bed and was sleeping the house was quiet, Elena and Noah sat together on the sofa in the living room. The soft glow of the fireplace bathed the room in a warm, flickering light.

    Noah leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, deep in thought. "What do you think we should tell him because well the whispers have to be from the Phoenix?"

    Elena folded her hands in her lap, her expression calm but serious. "We have to tell him the truth. The whispers must be from the Phoenix. It''s trying to guide him, even in this dormant state."

    Noah frowned. "But what if it''s not for his good? What if the whispers are pushing him toward something dangerous? His body was not able to handle the essence right after he was born what if the whispers want to make the essence stronger"

    Elena sighed, leaning back against the sofa. "Noah, I have listened to my father speak with the guardian Phoenix many times. Also, he has told me that its intentions are never harmful toward the clan. Its goal was always to protect and strengthen us."

    "That was the Phoenix before," Noah said, his voice low. "This is different. It''s reincarnating. What if its instincts have changed or what if it''s a different Phoenix a new one with no memories of its past?"

    Elena reached out, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Then we''ll just have to protect him ourselves. We''ve done it this long, haven''t we?"

    Noah let out a slow breath, nodding. "You''re right. I''m just¡­ unnecessarily worrying you. There''s nothing we can do now but help him grow stronger."

    Elena gave a soft laugh and leaned against him until she was laying on his chest. "It''s fine as parents we are always worried about our kids also you know you should worry about me some more are you not gonna protect me."

    Noah was caught off guard. "Wha¡­ protect you? You don''t need"

    Elena lifted her head to look at him, a playful shine in her eyes as she pocked his cheek. "Oh? Have you completely forgotten about me after getting a son I don''t need protecting anymore?"

    "I-I mean¡­ I didn''t mean it like that" Noah''s face flushing.

    Elena laid back on his chest giggling. "Alright, alright. I''ll stop teasing you now."

    The playful mood helped lighten both of their spirits and helped spark some intimacy. Outside, as the night deepened, the embers of fire were growing in Luis.

 First Steps

    A day later

    This was another hot summer day the sun cast a golden glow over the entire village. Inside their 2 story cottage, Luis sat with his legs crossed on a big soft but non-fluffy mat. Across from him sat his father with the house fireplace being on the right side of him. The fire crackled, casting flickering shadows across the walls. A stick was also placed next to Luis a sturdy stick that would not break unless it was bent.

    "Alright Luis," Noah said, his voice calm and enthusiastic, "today, we''re going to start your aura training. Are you excited?"

    Luis nodded eagerly. "Yes, Papa! I can finally learn to use aura just like the bigger kids"

    Noah smiled, "Good. Let''s start with the basics. You already know that everyone has aura, right?"

    Luis tilted his head, his brow furrowing. "Yes, I also remember all the tiers of aura there''s novice, adept, advanced, Intermediate, elite, master, grandmaster, legendary, and mythical, but isn''t aura just for fighting and blessings? Like what you and Mama use?"

    Noah chuckled softly. "Not quite. Aura isn''t just for fighting, Luis. It''s in everyone, every single person is born with the same amount of aura they can increase the amount or control of it with training. What makes the difference is how people use it. Even if someone doesn''t consciously train it, their body can still find ways to use aura for everyday tasks."

    Luis blinked. "Like what?"

    "Well," Noah said, leaning forward slightly, "take a woodcutter, for example. If someone spends their whole life chopping wood, their body unconsciously uses aura to make the task easier over time. They don''t even realize it''s happening, but it''s there, strengthening their muscles and movements."

    Luis''s eyes widened. "So even normal people use aura?"

    "Exactly," Noah replied. "Now, when it comes to training aura consciously or unconsciously there are many different methods thousands or hundreds suited for different Individuals but today we are gonna focus on one of the two main conscious methods of training aura, there are two main methods: physical and breathing exercises. Today, we''ll focus on the breathing ones."

    Luis nodded again, but a small frown tugged at his lips. "Why breathing? Isn''t moving around more fun?"

    Noah chuckled. "It might not sound exciting, but breathing exercises are important because they help you connect with your aura. They''re the foundation for everything else. Think of it like this: if you don''t understand how to sense and control your aura, how can you use it properly, it doesn''t matter if you have an abundance of aura if you can''t control it you can''t use it?"

    "Ohhh," Luis said, scratching the back of his head. "So it''s like learning the rules of a game before you play?"

    "Exactly," Noah said with a smile. "Now, do you remember when you talked about hearing whispers from the fire and feeling something inside you that made you want to move around?"

    Luis''s eyes lit up. "Yeah! That was so weird! It felt like... like something was trying to make me get up and do stuff."

    Noah''s expression grew serious. " Yes that''s what I''m talking about your mother and I told you not to share that with anyone but when we are training or alone together it''s fine. This morning, when we were checking you body for where you said you would feel the weirdness we realized that, what you felt was aura where you pointed to had more aura then the rest of your body."

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    Luis tilted his head. "Aura? From the whispers?"

    "Yes," Noah confirmed. "That''s why, today, I want you to focus on that feeling. I want you to focus on the flame in the fireplace in front of you. I want you to stare at the flame, feel that sensation inside you, and stay focused on it. Once you can sense it clearly, I want you to try moving that feeling to your fist. You''ll be holding this stick" he picked up the sturdy piece of wood "and if you do it right, you''ll be able to break it. It''s solid and shouldn''t break easily unless you are trying to bend it, but if you use your aura correctly, you''ll be able to break it without having to bend it."

    Luis''s brow furrowed as he processed the instructions. "Okay, so I just need to look at the flame, until I feel that weird feeling in my chest or until the whispers start, and make it so the feeling moves from my chest to my hand.?"

    "Basically but it is not necessary to hear the whispers do tell me if you hear them though," Noah said with a smile.

    Luis nodded confidently. "Okay, I can do that!" But then he hesitated. "Papa, I still don''t understand why can''t I tell people about the whispers. Is there something bad about them?"

    Noah''s expression softened as he placed a hand on Luis''s shoulder. "As your mother and I told you before, there are things we can''t explain right now. When you''re older, we''ll tell you everything. For now, all we need is for you to trust us. This is very important, Luis. No matter what anyone says or what happens, you must keep this a secret between the three of us, just our family okay? Can you promise me that again?"

    Luis looked into his father''s eyes, being able to see how serious he was with his stern expression. He nodded even though he will didn''t understand why. "I promise Papa. I won''t tell anyone."

    "Good," Noah said, feeling relieved. "Now, if you remember everything, let''s start!."

    ---

    Luis sat with his legs crossed in front of the fireplace, his face scrunched up in concentration.

    "Remember keep your eyes on the flame and focus on that feeling inside you, don''t listen to the whispers if they happen just focus on the feeling in your chest. Don''t try to rush take deep breaths and take it slowly even making a bit of progress will be impressive."

    Luis stared at the fire, making his breathing slowly and taking deep breathes as his father said trying to feel the sensation in his chest. At first, it was hard for him to focus his mind kept wandering to the stick, his friends playing outside, and the delicious smell of breakfast from earlier or other thoughts. But slowly, he started to hear the whispers again he was still not able to make out what they said but he chose to focus on the feeling in his chest instead.

    "I feel it¡­the sensation and hear the whispers" Luis murmured.

    "Good," Noah said gently. "Now, try to guide that feeling toward your fist, and don''t focus on the whispers. Imagine the sensation as a circle in which your aura is. Imagine there being a hole in the circle from where the aura flows like water to you fist. It''s fine if you can''t do it on your first try it is hard"

    For a few moments, nothing happened. But then, with a small jolt in his body, Luis felt the aura move in his body going toward his fist. The aura felt warm it made his focused mind ease up and without thinking, he clenched his fist the stick in his hand snapped cleanly in two.

    "I did it!" Luis exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. He looked up at his father, holding the broken pieces of the stick.

    Noah''s face broke into a proud smile. "You did. Well done, Luis."

    Luis grinned from ear to ear, standing up seeming excited to do more he asked. "Can we do more? Can I try to see if I can break something stronger? What other ways are there that I can use this?"

    Noah laughed, ruffling Luis''s hair. "That''s enough questions and that''s also enough for today, you little rascal one. You''ve done enough already on your first lesson let''s end it here, you don''t want to get too drained."

    Luis pouted but was still happy as he held the broken stick like a trophy. As Noah cleaned up some of the broken pieces of the stick near the fireplace he smiled thinking of how fast he had learned and the promise he showed. It raised his spirits making him believe even more that Luis will be able to survive the Phoenix reincarnating.

 Routine

    1 year and 3 months later, a month before Luis''s 7th birthday.

    Luis was disturbed from his dream by his father''s voice "Luis! get up dinners gonna be ready soon." His father''s voice came from outside his room sounding firm but familiar.

    Luis didn''t want to leave the softness of his bed just yet but this was already the third time he called him. Reluctantly he got up

    After waking up Luis went to the bathroom washed his face, brushed his teeth, and then went and, took a shower.

    Luis now being 6 years old was around 3 feet 6 inches tall. He had short black hair, and very bright brown eyes, Luis was very light-skinned, and he was also neither chubby nor slim he was fit for his age.

    As Luis was taking his shower he was humming the song he heard at the last village festival, he was excited since tonight there would be another village festival between the 7 neighboring villages.

    By the time Luis was done showering breakfast was already ready his father was pouring some tea and his mom was putting some fruits on the table.

    Luis sat down, ate some bread, and looked at his mother he asked in a curious tone.

    "Mama, how much longer are you gonna have a big stomach?" he asked, his words muffled as he

    said it while eating.

    Noah then said in a sharp tone. "Luis, I told you that''s not what you say did I? When people are pregnant you should ask them, ''How much longer will you be pregnant?'' Not about how much longer will you have a big stomach."

    Luis gulped. "Sorry, Mama."

    Elena chuckled. "It''s alright, Luis just don''t say that to strangers it''s considered rude. Also in Just two more months, you''ll have a baby brother or sister to play with maybe even both."

    Luis''s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really? Can they come to festivals with me in the future?"

    Noah smiled. " yes but not for this year, but maybe next year."

    After breakfast Luis had his morning aura training with his dad, he would have this 4 times a

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    week today they say outside under a tree on a mat.

    "Alright, Luis. Let''s do the same as always focus on your breathing try to guide your aura to at least 2 parts of your body and see how stable you can be while moving those parts of your body."

    Luis was now able to focus on his aura easier even if he was thinking about other things such as the festival or what to eat he would still be able to focus on the aura. He was also able to make some movements even though they were very stiff and it took a lot of effort for him to move while using aura it was impressive for his age.

    His father though was impressed by something else thinking inwardly "Luis''s quantity of aura is slightly more than kids his age. One of the ways aura capacity increases is by continuous use and with his aura helping his body grow stronger in areas with the Phoneix essence it has helped his aura grow, but what''s good is unlike most people who have to slowly learn to gather their aura in one spot from their entire body and then learn to move small bits of it, his aura is already gathered mostly in his chest, but it''s not a bad thing as it can help him progress. Still, he should have more aura to live when the Phoenix try''s reincarnating through him."

    Speaking out loud "Okay Luis In about four months, we''ll start working on increasing your aura capacity. But for now, let''s keep working on improving your control."

    Luis had asked many times what the training would be but his father would keep telling him to be patient.

    After the mediation ended Luis got ready to go to school. It would only happen 3 times a week, Luis didn''t partially love them but he did not hate them either as he could play with his friends and watch the older kids use aura, kids from the other villages also came to Luis''s village for the classes.

    Today in class one older girl with blue hair was showing her ability as a demonstration of blessing. She used her ability to form a mist that cooled the classroom and also cooled down everyone''s drinks it was a very useful ability.

    Luis had heard about how she got the blessing, she had saved a mid-tier snow fox cub, the creature appreciated this and had given her its blessing. Luis wanted to see the fox but the creature decided it was gonna go with its family the village also had rules to not make creatures stay if they did not want to if they didn''t like the climate or if they wanted to leave with their family. His mom did tell him that the girl was lucky because if the adult snow fox had seen her, it might have killed her sensing that it would have been dangerous for a village to know its position or that they might spot its kids and try to kidnap them for its blessing.

    Luis sighed, wondering when the lessons would finally focus more on fun stuff like more about blessings or aura because his parents had already taught him half the things they learned.

    After school, Luis was excited because he would be going to the festival with his neighbors because his mom said she needed to rest today and his dad was taking care of her but this meant Luis would be able to eat more snacks as his parents wouldn''t be there to stop him.

    "Ready, Luis?" the woman asked, smiling down at him.

    The neighbors he was going with were named Rico and Mira two older kids around 18 years old who were the son and daughter of their neighbors (their neighbors were all surviving members of the Phoenix clan).

    Luis was very excited while on the walk towards the village holding the festival, he knew today was gonna be an amazing day.

 Whispers and Black Talons

    "Okay Luis," Rico said, "First what do you want to do food or games?"

    Luis said excitedly. "Games! I want to win something cool like last time."

    Mira smirked. "Okay let''s go but don''t get sad when we win against you."

    Rico was tall for his age he was 6 feet tall and had a lanky build which made him look even taller. He had short black hair that would always be messy. He had amber eyes and always had a carefree expression on his face. He was a person who would always make jokes.

    In comparison to Rick, Mira was quieter she was 5''8 tall with a slim and athletic build, she also had black hair that was tied in a ponytail, and she had green colored eyes, unlike her brother.

    Both of them were adept level of aura users but that was what it was concealed at, they were a bit stronger than that because they always trained to get revenge for what they experienced at a young age, especially for their older siblings.

    Whenever they showed Luis their aura techniques he could tell they were strong even though they never showed it in public.

    The festival was very lively, with many different stalls selling food, trinkets, and carnival games. Rico and Mira led Luis through the attractions, trying different foods and challenging each other to the games.

    Most of the booths were won by Mira, at one of the booths the small dart even pierced the back wall hinting at some aura use.

    "At this rate, you will win every game," Luis said.

    Mira smiled, giving him the price of the booth. "I have been to many of these my experience comes from winning against Rico just keep practicing, and maybe one day you''ll win something cooler."

    Rico, on the other hand, was failing a lot at ranged games such as archery and dart throwing. "Hey, all these bows and darts are rigged man!" he protested, only to be mocked by Mira and Luis who laughed at his failed shots.

    As the night went on in the festival, Mira slowed down. "Rico," she said quietly while nudging him.

    Rico followed his sisters gaze until he saw 2 strangers who looked out of place. One was a man in his mid-twenties who looked like a seasoned warrior with big muscles and a bit shorter than Rico, and he appeared to be at the adept level. The woman did not look as menacing as the man but the brother and sister could tell she was stronger at least at the intermediate tier. They both wore clothing of the Black Talons.

    "They''re from the Black Talons," Mira whispered, her voice barely audible.

    The Black Talons were the forces from the 4 empires in the Varlud and Vostram continents. They were a group of soldiers 10,000 strong specialized in tracking down Phoenix clan members to get their blessings so their empires could grow stronger. The Black Talons were spread across in groups of 50 across the 2 continents made up of scouts, soldiers, and aura users.

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    "What are they doing here nothing should have caused them to come here?" Rico asked, his carefree demeanor replaced by a more serious expression.

    The woman''s eyes were scanning the festival crowds, until for a moment, they paused on Rico and Mira. A faint smirk crossed her lips, and she leaned in to whisper something to the scarred man and started walking toward them.

    "Don''t have a tense expression," Mira said, pulling Rico back. "Don''t give them a reason to suspect anything, they might just be traveling through here."

    A few seconds before Mira and Rico saw the soldiers, Luis had heard the whispers again instead of coming from his chest he felt them in the forest, urging him to go there.

    He hesitated and glanced back at Rico and Mira, who looked a bit dazed. The whispers were growing louder.

    "I need to go to the toilet right now you guys wait here for me" Not wanting to tell Rico and Mira of the whispers because of the promise.

    Snapping out of the gaze and looking at Luis heading off before they could say anything the female soldier placed a hand on Mira''s shoulder.

    "Excuse me kids I didn''t not know there were such talented young aura users here."

    Mira turned around and said "Hello nice to meet you, who might you be? I can see you are soldiers, is there a strong creature or some bandits in the area that there are soldiers here."

    "yes, we are soldiers from the Black Talons I''m from the Xeran empire and he''s from the Zhenqiu empire"

    Mira said in an apologetic tone " I''m sorry but can we talk later if you have questions about the festival, the kid we are watching went to the toilet we should make sure he doesn''t get lost"

    In an understanding tone, the women soldier said "Oh the kid was with you, I see I understand, but can one of you stay here, you see we just got here and we do have some questions, so as long as you don''t mind can one of you stay and talk with us"

    Mira gave a quick glance to Rico " Of course, I can stay here Rico can you go look for Luis"

    "Yeah, I will see where he went."

    Glancing at both the soldiers before asking "So what would you like to ask me and also why are you guys here again, I hope it''s nothing worrying that requires soldiers"

    "We are the Black Talons we go around the continents looking for Phoenix clan members, it''s our duty to make it so that they share the blessings with the populous as many people should be experiencing the benefits of the Phoenix''s blessing. We came here because we heard from a merchant that there were a few strong aura users in this village and that seems to be true."

    Mira replied in a tone that seemed understanding of why they were here. "Oh I see you guys must be talking about my parents, they were both soldiers of the Kendalith kingdom our village''s kingdom"

    The soldier replied in a friendly tone. " oh I see your kids of soldiers, your parents are lucky to have been able to retire and have kids but seeing your aura I thought most kingdoms didn''t allow soldiers to give aura training to their kids so I assumed you where Phoenix clan members in hiding."

    Mira replied in a surprised tone "Oh no our kingdom is fine with that, I didn''t know it was not allowed in the empire or other kingdoms but I can understand why, our kingdom is small and weak compared to the neighboring region so it would make sense why they would allow it, and I wish I had a blessing I have not gotten lucky enough to be able to get one from a creature yet."

    The soldier replied in a curios but friendly tone. "Oh, I see I understand that does make sense. I am sorry for confusing you with Phoenix clan members, you see I instantly approached you because whenever we find the Phoenix clan members they always end up disappearing or they kill themselves before we can get to them, it is always sad that we can never get them to share their blessing with our people through the next generation, and we haven''t ever gotten the chance to even torture them for questions" the soldier mentioned the death of some clan members to see if there would be a reaction from the young girl.

 First Fight

    Even though Mira was irked by what the soldier was implying they would do, she replied in a calm demeanour. " Oh it''s fine you don''t have to apologize but now that I have answered any questions you had, I am going to go look for my brother and Luis."

    "oh yes I am sorry for the hold up I hope he didn''t get lost"

    A few minutes ago when Luis had run out to the forest.

    Luis took some cautious steps as he entered the forest away from the sound of the festival. As he went further and further out he suddenly heard the clearest whisper he''d heard before "You''re too weak sheltered kid,¡­. Watch out" dazed by the whisper because he couldn''t understand if it came from someone else or from the whispers he heard because they have never been understandable before. He didn''t notice the two creatures approaching.

    Before he could react sand was flying at his eyes. Just barely closing his eyes after a bit of sand got in his eyes, to not let more in he winced in pain. "Ughh, my eyes sting". As his eyes were closed he suddenly felt scratches that were happening to his legs, having not experienced a lot of pain before he fell to his knees. As he fell down and was in pain he did what his dad had always told him if you need to strengthen a body part to defend or attack make your aura go there.

    Following that advice, he sent aura to his legs and eyes which made the pain subside a bit allowing him to open his eyes. What he saw was 2 sand rats, he remembered them because he had studied about them in school as they would show up in the forests near the villages, a reason why there would be adults if kids ever wanted to play in the forest.

    Still reeling in pain he remembered about what they did, they had a small aura pool so once every minute they would launch sand from their mouths to blind a target and then attack.

    Seeing that there were 2 he realised one did not use the sand attack yet. Luis saw one of them open its mouth he quickly used his hand while on his knees to cover his eyes. He blocked the attack but wasn''t able to block the other rat from scratching his arms. However, Luis had moved aura to his arms to fully block the sand which also helped in stopping the rat from scratching him.

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    As Luis quickly grabbed a stick to try and attack the rat near him, it moved out of the way and before he could try and even follow it the other attacked making him focus on putting aura just for defense. Making it so he was not able to attack them.

    A few more seconds after blocking 2 rocks came flying at full speed they crashed into the rats killing them.

    Rico who was in the festival having sensed the aura and knowing that the small amount had to be Luis''s instantly ran over. After seeing Luis he instantly grabbed 2 rocks channeled aura and threw them.

    While Luis was surprised by what just happened he heard Rico''s mad but worried voice right beside him.

    "Luis are you okay did you get any big injuries"

    Luis replied in a hesitant tone because he was not supposed to go into the forest. "Oh no they just scratched my legs but I was able to protect myself with aura."

    Rico after confirming Luis did not have any major injuries looked at him angrily. "LUIS why are you in the forest? You said you weren''t gonna go to the forest"

    Luis in an apologetic tone and not wanting to make eye contact " I saw something shiny so I wanted it to see what it was" The one thing Luis did not want to do was break the promise he made to his parents so he lied about why he went to the forest.

    Rico caught off guard stuttered a bit "Wha¡­ what just because you saw something SHINY!!!"

    Before he could continue Mira arrived, she arrived by using aura to strengthen her hearing one of her specialties. She had already heard half the conversation on her way to them.

    "Rico the one thing I tell you to is to go find Luis and you couldn''t even do that fast enough, (clicking her tongue") Never mind that Luis since when did you start doing dumb stuff like this, actually never mind that as well let''s treat your wounds first."

    "Rico go tell his parents what happened and about why, you and I let that happen okayyyy"

    Rico understanding that she meant both the reasons instantly went to inform the elders in the village about what happened.

    As Rico was leaving Luis said in an apologetic tone "Sorry Mira I should not have gone to the forest"

    Mira stared at him and smiled and said "That''s fine, we can discuss that later but first let me treat your wounds"

 Observer

    As Rico left to inform the rest of the Clan members that there was a member of the Black Talons here Maria focused on treating Luis''s wounds. The forest was very quiet while she was treating his wounds but after she finished Maria heard a crunch of some leaves. Tensing up because she could not sense anyone nearby she hurriedly looked toward the direction. She saw a tall female figure which oddly resembled her mother. It took her a second to realize it was actually her mother she was just hiding her presence.

    "Mom?" she said, following which her mom stepped out of the dark shade of the tree.

    "Took you long enough to notice me" Maria''s mother, Sera, replied with a blank expression, her green eyes scanning her daughter. " I was watching the entire time I was wondering when you would notice but it seems like all your training was for nothing."

    Maria''s jaw tightened in disbelief. "You were here this entire time and you didn''t help him!?"

    "Calm down," Sera said coolly. "Rico handled it just as I came I was also observing other issues at the same time so I just let you two handle the aftermath." In actuality she had been watching the entire time, she came because she sensed an unfamiliar intermediate aura energy. She saw the soldiers approach her kids and saw Luis heading into the forest.

    Maria on the other hand understood that the other things that her mother was observing had to be the soldiers. Meaning that she most likely had been here the entire time, for which she gave her mother a sharp glance because she did not help Luis.

    Ignoring the glance Sera stepped closer to Luis. "So Luis I know you are not that irresponsible to go in the forest alone was it because you heard the whispers, did they tell you to come here?

    Luis went a bit stiff, and while avoiding eye contact. "Y-Yes," he admitted after a pause. "They were telling me to come here but how do you know about them?"

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    Sera replied after crouching near him and putting a red liquid bottle in his hand. "First drink that, also did your parents not tell you not tell anyone about the whispers? Luis nodded his head with a guilty smile and then drank the drink. "Well in this situation it is fine your parents have told me about them, also Maria and Rico. I''m only telling you because your parents should tell you what these whispers are especially considering what happened here. I do think you''re not old enough but it''s probably better to tell you now before you start talking about it with other people."

    Luis hesitated, then looked up. "What are the whispers I still don''t understand are they helpful or not? Also what is this liquid it doesn''t hurt anymore I feel energized now"

    Sera''s eyes narrowed as she started thinking she had felt it a very small presence but it was familiar it was the Phoenix. It did feel like it sensed her as well that might have been the reason it led Luis to the forest cause there was someone strong here. " For your first question, your parents will answer that and for the second one it''s a bottle of water made with Phoenix blessing it helps with regeneration and fatigue."

    Luis replied in a shocked tone "What? Phnixoe blessing is this not rare then, I have heard from my classmates anything related to the Phoenix clan is very rare, wait is this not expensive then was it"

    Interrupting Luis Sera replied in a relaxed demeanour "It''s fine that stuff won''t be rare for you soon."

    After that Sera turned and looked at Maria saying with a disappointed tone. "And you what daughter doesn''t notice their own mother until she steps on some leaves."

    Maria quickly replied back without backing down. "What kind of mother uses aura to hide their presence from their own kid"

    Ignoring the question she replied, "Well I guess we have to do more training now, anyways let''s go back to the village now because my stupid son also did not notice me even though I moved closer to him so he would be running right past me."

    Back at the village Luis had met with his parents and Luis''s parents informing them of what happened, he was gonna apologize a lot for what happened to Luis but before he could.

    Elena replied saying "It''s fine your mother was there the entire time I can still sense her aura, she let Luis fight¡­" with a slightly more annoyed tone "It was probably to let him gain some fighting experience, also she let you guys talk with the soldiers to see how you would react in such a situation, so you can stop worrying" in an even more annoyed and angrier tone "it was all just Sera''s fault so you don''t have to worry little Ri"

 Truth

    When Sera arrived at Luis''s house with Maria and Luis, she saw that both his parents were there and Rio and her husband Bob. She gave a quick glance to Rio and then instantly left saying " I''m gonna see what the soldiers are doing"

    Elena did have some words to say to Sera but first she embraced Luis making sure his wounds were fine, realising that they were healing. Noah observed from behind with a hint of worry on his face.

    After talking to Luis and making sure he was safe. They asked Luis why he went into the forest but before he could say anything. Maria cut in and gave an explanation of what happened instead and also told them that her mother said they would tell Luis what the whispers were.

    After sitting Luis down and with a doubtful and worried expression about what she should say Elena spoke first. "Luis you may have heard from us and in the school about the Phoenix Clan. It was a powerful Clan that many people sought out for the blessings they had because any person who would marry a person from the Phoenix clan would have to leave their other clan.

    This did not allow the blessing to be passed down to other people who may have been a part of empires or kingdoms because the clan operated without any kingdom or empire. Most people wanted the blessing for their regeneration abilities, longer lifespans, and regeneration bottles made by blessings such as the ones Sera gave you. There are more reasons such as most of the warrior''s strength in the Clan and many other causes for jealousy but that''s most of the reasons simplified."

    Luis looked overwhelmed by all the information but asked "If the Clan was so strong how did it fall?"

    Elena continued softly explaining, "You see there are many jealous people in the world and most of them from 2 continents joined together to take the clan down."

    Luis noticed as his mother mentioned the fall of the Clan everyone in the room had a look of sadness on their face.

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    However, he was still mostly focused on the story "However to ensure the survival of its Clan both the clan leader your grandfather, and Phoenix chose to sacrifice themselves in the battle. The Phoenix single-handedly took down half the forces in a giant explosive that made it look like the sun was up during the night. However before it died because of the use of another powerful blessing, the Phoenix chose a body to reincarnate in" putting her hand on Luis''s shoulder " that was you "

    Noah takes over his tone firm but reassuring. "Luis as you grow older the Phoenix will get closer it reincarnating currently it should happen anywhere between when you are 19-28 or even later depending on if anything happens, but there is one important thing your body needs to be strong enough to handle the Phoenix reincarnating"

    Elena then explains. " Luis you see the whispers you hear they want you to move and grow stronger so that you can survive when it reincarnates.

    Noah then interrupts. "But Luis, you can''t blindly listen to what the whispers say. The Phoenix is a being that was very powerful and centuries old. It does want to help you and make you grow stronger but it does not know the limits of the human body. Like what happened today it made you fight the rats because it wanted you to grow stronger but it did not understand how dangerous that could have been, It might have sensed that there were strong people around with the Phoenix blessing but you never know what could have happened.

    Elena gently says, "Luis I know you are smart you should have guessed by now that people here are all members of the Phoenix Clan and there are other members here in the village as well. After the clan fell we got help from another strong clan the Xoliti Clan that helped conceal our blessing or suppress it and even provided us with new identities. The merchants that come to the village half of them are usually Xoliti clan members who come to conceal or suppress the blessing again.

    Luis''s face looked shocked but also showed a hint of realization. "So¡­ everyone in the Clan is hiding and they are gonna hide until the Phoenix comes back to life through me?"

    Elena nodded and said with her voice soft. " I know this is a lot to take in but don''t worry your family is here with you and Aunt Sera and Uncle Bob, also Maria and Rico"

    Elena gives Luis a tight hug "I know today was rough for you so come and get some rest I''ll put you to sleep. You can ask anything you want to know to me or anyone else that was here tomorrow okay?"

    Luis feeling tired from today and all the information nods his head, feeling comfort with his mother as he heads to go to sleep with her.

 Dangers

    Sera''s pace quickened as she went through the forest, her senses were enhanced with aura. She followed the footsteps of the soldier from before. Finding a small clearing, she found what she expected a temporary camp, with tents scattered around and fireplaces set up.

    Hiding in the forest Sera could tell that it was not an invasion force because of the lack of fortifications and haphazard setup, they looked like mostly scouts with 1 strong commander. Even though it was a good sign, it was still unsettling because soldiers never came this far out in remote areas. After not finding anything that seemed worrying a few hours later she retreated into the night.

    The next morning the village was full of activities as the merchants that would come every month arrived. Of course, there was a mix of some Xoliti clan members to help hide the Phoenix clan members presence again but there was more news than just that this time.

    There was a person who was moving through the crowd while making himself unseen. He kept moving across the village until he went to a house on the outskirts of the village. This person was a trusted member of the current Xoliti Clan leader and it was never a good sign when he came to visit.

    There were 5 Phoenix clan members in the house he entered one of them being Sera, Noah or Elena would also be in these meetings but right now they had other matters to attend to. All of the members were the stronger survivors of the Phoenix Clan disaster. With one of them was an old gentleman looking to be in his 80s with long white hair and a full white beard, he was the brother of the last Phoenix clan leader and the current acting leader as he was the strongest survivor, Bane a legendary tier aura user. His face was covered by the dim lights he was the first to speak. "There was no scheduled meeting for today did something unexpected happen"

    The man spoke without taking any pauses to quickly convey the entire message. " The Black Talons have stopped their operation in the other continent their entire forces are being to operate in Varlud now. This is because of their recent expedition into Svarenrh (Asia in real life,) as you know there are no human settlements there and it''s habited only by a strong creature. The expedition was led by many strong aura users, they most likely paid tribute a high tier creatures called the Svarogus''s they are known for their ability for detection on massive scales with their numbers. They tried to pinpoint the exact location of your clan members but that was unsuccessful because of our blessings to help conceal you. However, they decided to use all hundreds of the Svarogus''s to locate the Phoenix. Our deity was able to stop it but was only able to limit the region to the Varlud region, otherwise they would have found out that the Xoliti Clan was helping the Phoenix Clan."

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    In a husky voice, the old man replied "So they are intensifying their search here"

    In a respectful tone, the man replied "Yes but they are not gonna act rashly, the empires do not want to waste more resources as they lost some strong aura users in Svarenth. They have decided to make their groups smaller from 50 to 25 to cover more areas"

    This time Sera responded " I can start patrolling more, no one can detect me unless they have blessings specialized in that area. We should also inform the rest of the members here telling them to be more inconspicuous and careful."

    The man nodded in agreement, "Yes we will also have more eyes and ears for the Varlud continent with the merchants as we can also stop operations in the other continent."

    Bane''s eyes glowed red, "If they start getting too close to the Phoenix we can go on the offensive for distractions, I can destroy a thousand soldiers worth of troops in a night far away from this village, to help everyone relocate"

    Sera replied in a disagreeing tone "It won''t be that hard for them to figure out that it could be a distraction, for now we should just stay hidden and help train the rest of the members more and the kids, we can''t go straight to fights, even if we use our Phoenix blessings using them after a long time will lower our efficiency, I think it''s time we look more activity for creatures who''s blessings are compatible with the Phoenix''s blessing."

    Bane replied the red disappearing from his eyes "I agree, I was just mentioning the worst-case scenario"

    A few years later after the meeting, the members of the clan had all intensified their training and training of their kids. One of them was Luis who was now 12, being 5''5 tall nothing like the kid he was before, with a better understanding of what his fate was and already an adept aura user about to get his first blessing he could use, as he could not use the Phoenix one, in case of it getting located by detection blessings.

 First Blessing

    An unfamiliar sight stood before Luis, jagged peaks surrounded by barren terrain, a stark contrast to the forests that surrounded his village. There were natural pathways formed and obstacles formed out of rocks coming out of the ground. He took a sip of water as he was sweating because of the hot weather. Beside him Sera seemed perfectly fine not a bead of sweat on her, looking fully relaxed while waiting for Luis to finish drinking so they could keep moving forward.

    Luis broke the silence first " Aunt Sera this place is supposed to have creatures that grant blessings it doesn''t look like anything can survive here"

    Sera''s eyes gazed at Luis''s eyes having a hint of disappointment, appearing like Luis asked a very dumb question. "Looks can be deceiving, the creatures here are not strong, but their blessings are fundamental for every aura user. Everyone starts here for a reason."

    Luis sighed as he kicked a pebble while walking "But why a defense blessing it seems so boring¡­ I want something coollll like breathing fire or flying or lifting HUGE weights"

    Sera smirked, "Luis boring doesn''t mean useless, these are the blessings every soldier has, they don''t make you invincible but they help you strengthen your foundation allowing you to build on that"

    As they continued walking Luis recalled everything he had learned about blessings from his parents and in school, especially in painstaking detail from Aunt Sera.

    Blessings are said to be gifts, bonds, agreements, and, rewards between creatures and humans. The creature gives you a piece of its powers if you can gain its favour or trust.

    The stronger the creature the stronger it''s blessings being but the stronger the creature the smarter it is meaning the harder it is to gain its trust or favor.

    You also cannot get however many blessings you want, compatibility is a key aspect to consider. If you want multiple blessings they have to align with each other you can not have opposing elements as blessings at the same time, like fire and ice, they don''t instantly start destroying each other but the stronger blessing will replace the weaker one, this process is painful to endure though.

    A creature has a one-month time slot where if it gives a blessing during that time frame it can choose to just take that blessing back and if the creature dies before a month has passed you also lose the blessing. This is why it''s important to protect low-tired creatures after you get their blessings, making there be mutual dependency at least for a month.

    Blessings like the ones Luis is getting from baby rock golems are considered by scholars to be universally applicable. Blessings that strengthen the body like the strength of defense without elements, almost never conflict with other blessings, it is theorized that these blessings enhance your natural aura rather than changing its structure making them universally compatible.

    The one he would get from the small baby rock golems is said to increase your defense by 20%.

    Luis remembered when all he wanted was a blessing he never considered the challenges that it might bring.

    The first group of baby rock golems Luis found matched the description he had heard and read about. Small 7 inches tall, round, and, unsteady, they looked like big pebbles for tiny stubs as legs. They walked clumsily as their legs were short, very often tripping over rocks and falling.

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    Luis watched as one baby rock golem fell and hit another one causing the entire herd to fall and all of their short legs kicked the air helplessly as they had no hands to stand up and very short legs. " these are supposed to give me defense blessings"

    Sera chuckled, crouching to make the fallen golem stand up. "Don''t let their appearance trick you, They might seem helpless, but their blessings are really helpful. The defense from them is not linked to an element so it won''t interfere with a blessing for you in the future, that''s why it''s so popular for beginners."

    Luis looked at the tiny scratches all the baby rock golems had. "If they''re so helpless, how do they survive, because some of these seem like they will crack on there next fall."

    "They reproduce very quickly," Sera explained, gesturing to a nearby rock formation. "When a baby rock golem falls and his face is on a rock for 1 day they fuse with the pebble to make a new, baby golem, around 50% of the time they end up producing 2 new baby rock golems. That''s why there''s hunting seasons because if their population is not controlled it can become a hassle. Luckily there are predators here the birds play with the baby rock golems here and this usually ends up with them falling and cracking but still there are hunting seasons for them, but that does not happen for a while so we have time for you to get your blessing. For now, do you see the 3 baby rock golems on the ground with their faces on rocks? The baby rock golems that appear from them are the ones you are gonna take care off. It is faster if you take care of more of them because there''s a higher chance one of them gives you a blessing."

    During their first two weeks, Sera taught Luis the basics of survival, how to divide tasks into groups, and how to do them alone.

    She shows him edible berries, patterns on leaves to watch out for, and how to use a fishing rod and fishing net.

    She also showed him how to interact with the baby rock golems. It was a very tedious and painstaking task. The creatures were clumsy and prone to hurting themselves in every way imaginable.

    "How do they fall every second I look away they can never stay up straight even when they are not moving?" Luis complained on the first day, struggling to lift a golem that had wedged itself between two rocks and one that had trapped itself in a dead bush.

    Sera smirked. "They fall a lot because their bodies are not made off balance, the legs are too short and their bodies are too heavy but it''s a good thing because this also helps you learn patience.

    By the end of the first week, Luis had already drained his arms, back, and legs ached. His clothes had holes in them, but he was getting more confident, he was better at anticipating when they were gonna fall and helped guide them better.

    On the 8th day he had been there it finally happened one of the baby rock golems he had just helped stand straight up, lit with a white glow that passed through the golem to him. After that Luis could instinctively feel it his aura was waiting for him to reject or accept the blessing.

    After accepting the blessings, Luis is felt it his body felt naturally more stronger. It was not like he was bursting with power. It just felt like it would take stronger hits to take him down.

    "You got lucky it usually takes 2 weeks before one of them gives out a blessing," Sera said sat by the campfire. "But now it''s time for you to protect it for a month and you can''t make it feel restricted because then it might take away the blessing from you, you have to let it roam naturally. Also in 6 days, I will be leaving and you are gonna have to manage on your own from there no help from me."

    Luis froze, bringing the food away from his mouth. "Wait, you are gonna leave that early ?"

    "You''ve got this," she said, with a smirk on her face. "If you learned properly you won''t die."

    Luis knew that with him being the person who the Phoenix would reincarnate through meant that, Aunt Sera would still watch him but "she''s not gonna come out unless I''m about to die, with the way she is, she will force me to suffer, I actually don''t even think she might help me when I''m in trouble, the stories Maria and Rio told me about their training sounded so bad¡­."

 1 Month

    It had been 3 weeks since Aunt Sera left. An entire week of that was Luis adjusting to surviving without her, he hadn''t realized how much he relied on her until she left. Additionally, it was getting harder and harder day by day to keep up with the baby rock golem antics, they never learned, and Luis never got a chance to rest, having always to make sure the baby rock golem was safe. The worst part was setting up camp alone as he would have to set up camp near to where the baby rock golem would move.

    However, it was not all bad Luis had learned how to survive by himself just off fruits and fish. "This is finally getting easier, this last week should be the easiest, but if what Maria and Rico said is true whenever they got used to their training it would get harder, that means Aunt Sera might just make me suffer more."

    2 days later Luis found out that his hypothesis was correct. In the form of an adolescent rock golem a rank 2 low-tier creature(1 rank above the sand rats and the baby rock golems). Adolescent rock golems would form when 10 baby rock golems all fall down on the same rock fusing with it. This is a very very uncommon occurrence but a dangerous one. The adolescent rock golems are 4 feet tall with hands and feet that support their body weight. Being made entirely out of stone they are hard to cut or break. Their biggest threat is that they perceive anything or anyone near any baby rock golems as predators.

    Luis had spotted the adolescent rock golem before it saw him but the only problem was that the baby rock golem Luis had gotten the blessing from was headed in its direction.

    Taking a big sigh Luis spoke out loud just enough for the golem to not hear him. "Aunt Sera I know you are the one who made it appear because you think the training is easy for me now, but I don''t have any way of defeating it can you at least give me hints"

    Luis did feel crazy talking out loud while no one was there and it didn''t help that even after a few minutes he did not hear a response back.

    Thinking inwardly "Well I guess I''ll have to deal with it myself. What would Aunt Sera say when I can''t win a fight? Hmmmm oh right set traps, run, and negotiate if possible. I guess I can''t negotiate, they are said to be low intelligence meaning communication is not possible. Wait are its legs injured he''s not moving a lot. Maybe Aunt Sera isn''t that bad after all. It''s still walking though but slowly, maybe there''s other stuff she did to help me."

    15 minutes later

    A slope 30 meters away from the adolescent golem. "Okay the terrain is littered with uneven rocks, there''s also big pieces of dislodged rocks on top of the hill I can throw down, this is perfect"

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    Luis started off by launching small pebbles at the golem he imbued them with aura but they only left scratches on the golem. However, it did the job of distracting the golem as it came rushing towards Luis it would tumble and fall because of the uneven terrain further damaging its legs. When it got close enough Luis mustered all the strength in his body while using aura and threw down the dislodged big rocks.

    Rumbling sounds echoed and a dust cloud arose where the golem was "Its¡­. Immobilized let''s gooooo" Luis yelled loudly. "Now let me test something else out, I wonder if I could have destroyed him with an aura punch" Luis stood above it closing his eyes gathering all his aura in his fist, and swung with full force. Leaving a gaping hole in the golem.

    Unable to contain his grin inwardly thinking "It takes me about 15 seconds to charge up but I can destroy one with my fist. That was easier than I thought. There are only 7 more days left let''s go. Oh, wait shi.. I forgot about the baby golem. Luis ran full speed towards the baby golem it was luckily only stuck in a dead bush and had not fallen over.

    Luis thought the rest of the days would be easier but the numbers of the golems kept increasing every 2 days. His new plan was to just grab the attention of all the golems and run until they got far enough away from the baby golem, which is when he would use the aura in his legs to quickly run out of the adolescent golems eye line. This would leave him more and more tired every day as on the 29th day 5 golems but luckily all of their legs were still injured.

    Sadly the last day was different, Luis was a mess drained from running every day, which would exhaust him, and making sure he did not run in the same directions as other golems he led astray also limited his options, making it so on some days he had to run even further away. Luckily while he was not with the baby golem it had not received too much damage, it looked as if it could still survive 5 falls.

    As Luis woke up on day 30 to face off against another 5 golems, to his surprise there were only 2 but unlike the rest, they were not injured. "Oh no, I can''t outrun 2 of them and it looks like all the bad terrain I saw on the path here all just disappeared overnight¡­.. I have no advantages"

    Luis had about 30 minutes where he would have to stop following his golem because then the other 3 older ones would spot him. Making him have a minimum of 30 minutes to come up with a plan. "This is bad"

    The thing that scared Luis the most was not the golems but it was the thought that Aunt Sera might make him do it all again if the baby golem dies.

    "That is a dumb plan but that might be my only chance."

    With what Luis had observed over the last few days the baby golems fell twice an hour and looking at how damaged his was he had 2 hours to make it back here on time. Otherwise, it was gonna fall and kill itself.

    "Okay I can do this there are about 9 other adolescents surviving golems, with their legs being injured they are more clumsy, and when there were more they were causing more harm to each other than I was too then. I just need to hope that I can make the golems with working legs crash at high speed into the golems with injured feet"

 Brawl

    Luis hid behind a boulder, his heart rapidly beating. The three adolescent golems roamed the terrain near the baby rock golem he had to protect.

    Behind Luis were the 9 golems that were injured from the previous days. Their movements were very slow and unsteady because of their legs, making them act only like obstacles in the terrain.

    "The three with no injured legs will be very fast compared to the injured ones. I just have to get their attention and make sure I run in a straight line through the injured golems without them hitting me and hope they smash into the other golems because they are not smart enough to run in not straight lines. I need to do this really really fast."

    Taking deep breaths, Luis looked from behind the boulder with rocks in his hand, grabbing many pebbles in case he missed.

    Even after all this running while using aura to strengthen his body and be less fatigued. Luis had not run out of aura he still had half his reserves, he was just not efficient enough to utilize all the aura properly he could only imbue two of his limbs at a time.

    The pebbles glowed with a white glow of aura, It took him seven throws to get the attention of all the golems.

    Two golems were already halfway to Luis and because of how long it took Luis to hit the third.

    "Alright... come on Luis yelled, taking off in a sprint.

    Luis sprinted toward the nine injured golems, the three golems behind him shook the ground with their footsteps.

    As Luis got closer to the injured golems, he slowed down a tiny bit scanned the ground to make sure he would not trip on anything, and zoomed past the first three injured golems zigzagging his way through, being fast enough to avoid the swinging arms.

    The golem behind him was not as nimble as Luis it collided full speed with the slow-moving golem sending shattered rocks flying.

    As the rocks were flying Luis was already running past the next three golems, which also missed as they tried to grab him. The second golem then smashed into two of the injured golems as well with its single minded pursuit. However, its moment carried it to the next one as well.

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    Now Luis was on the final three he zigzag dodged them again but unlike previously the missed punches ended up hitting each other, making them all knock each other out.

    Luis had not looked back this entire time, focusing on solely running and dodging.

    After running past all nine golems Luis came to a halt on a small steep hill, his legs felt like they were burning, and his breathing was heavy but the sounds Luis heard made him believe his plan worked.

    Looking back as the dust disappeared, the injured golems all seemed immobilized or reduced to rubble. One of the three golems was completely destroyed, one had cracks on its body, and one of its arms was destroyed but its legs were fine

    Sadly the last golem was completely unharmed.

    The golem''s eyes glowed as it climbed up the hill. Luis''s legs wobbled from exhaustion.

    "I¡­ can''t run anymore" he muttered as he wiped the sweat from his forehead."

    The completely non-injured golem reached Luis first it swung its fist in a wide arc. The stone arm smashed into Luis''s arms as he got his fists to block the attack with aura.

    But he was not fast enough in using his aura he heard a crack as he was sent stumbling backward, and his arms felt like they were exploding in pain.

    Had he not have had the baby rock golem blessing right now, both of his arms would have been completely shattered.

    "Shit!" he cursed while gritting his teeth.

    The Golem then pinned Luis against the boulder with its bulk. Mustering all his energy Luis pushed the golem back as his body was screaming in pain. With his left hand not moving properly he used all his aura on his right hand and punched the golem in its head, the golem shattered in pieces.

    But before Luis could relax the golem without a hand came at him next, before Luis could defend the golem punched Luis in his ribs, he heard a sickening crack as he rolled down the small hill.

    Luis gasped for air, he could only get up to his knees, his vision blurring and both his arms not moving.

    By now Luis had lost all belief that Aunt Sera would help him and he had run out of patience all he wanted to do was take this golem down even if he had to go down with him.

    As the last golem lunged at him, Luis used his last remaining strength to launch at the golem head first, he was taller than the golem so even without being fully upright as he lunged, his head matched the golem''s head level. Using as much aura as he could on his head Luis smashed his head against the golem, the head of the golem shattered, and its body fell lifeless to the ground. But so did Luis right afterward.

    Luis''s body trembled in pain and exhaustion, his arms felt useless, and he bled from his mouth and arms. But before he hit the ground an arm wrapped around him making him lean against something on the ground. A liquid was being poured in his mouth that made the pain lessen and put him at ease. Right before he went to sleep he heard a sound.

    "Good job Luis, you should rest now you earned it"

 Rest

    Luis woke up feeling like his entire body was on fire. His arms, his ribs, everything felt like it was in pain. He opened his eyes to the darkness of the night sky, hearing the crackling of fire.

    "You are finally awake Luis," he heard a voice say.

    Slightly turning his head, he saw aunt Sera roasting meat at the campfire."Ah¡­ it all hurtssss" Luis groaned as he winced in pain when he tried to move.

    "I gave you a healing potion but don''t try to move yet, you''re not fully healed, and you have also been asleep for more than a day," Sera said "Oh ya don''t worry about the golem I took care of it and it''s been more than a day, meaning it''s been more than a month so it doesn''t matter if it dies now."

    Luis let out a deep sigh, feeling more relaxed. "Finally I thought I failed and would have to do it again"

    Sera smiled "You didn''t fail but honestly I''m surprised you were able to defeat them all, I thought I would have to kill it after you got knocked out."

    Luis froze, "huh¡­.you were not gonna help me unless I was knocked out?"

    Sera smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah but it worked out didn''t it, Luis you defeated them, a great battle experience I would say"

    Luis dropped his head back to the makeshift bedding. Thinking inwardly "This demon might have actually let me die"

    "Anyways," Luis said aloud with relief in his voice, "at least I can finally go home now."

    Sera looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Who said we are going home, I thought you wanted some cool blessings, we are gonna go get your second blessing now."

    There was complete silence as Luis was more stunned than before.

    "But my parents said I was only gonna get the golem blessing and would come back," he finally said staring at Sera.

    Sera moved the meat stick in her hand dismissively. "Oh don''t worry about that, they should understand."

    Luis sat up or well he tried to but the pain wouldn''t let him. "What do you mean, they¡­. they don''t know?"

    Sera smiled looking at Luis "Stop worrying so much, here eat up" she said as she gave him the grilled meat." you should get your energy back we are gonna in a few hours"

    Luis''s jaw dropped, and he wasn''t sure if there was anything left to shock him anymore. "Wait, so¡­I am basically being kidnapped?"

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    Sera looked at Luis and placed a hand over her heart giving an exaggerated look of hurt, as she said in a sarcastic tone. "Luis, how could you say such a thing? I though we had a bond, I thought you looked up to me, you''re strong, reliable, and trustworthy Aunt Sera, you have changed so much I remember when you used to follow me around wanting to know more about aura and blessings."

    Luis couldn''t be bothered responding anymore, he just resigned himself to his fate. "When are we gonna leave"

    "In about 4 hours," Sera said sounding very cheerful. "So eat up and do whatever you need before then."

    "What but I can barely move right now," Luis said complaining.

    "Don''t worry about that your reliable aunt Sera will carry you," Sera said with a smile.

    Luis sighed heavily again, inwardly thinking. "Papa¡­Mama¡­please save me from this demon. She''s actually gonna get me killed."

    A few hours later, as Sera carried Luis in her bag, her pace fast but steady, she started to speak. "Okay, Luis let me tell you about your second blessing as we head there. As you know you don''t have Phoenix blessings because the Phoenix essence consumed them. So we are gonna get you a blessing compatible with a Phoenix blessing if you ever get one. A low-tier lightning blessing."

    Barely keeping his eyes open Luis groaned as he responded "Lightning?"

    Sera continued "You should already know this but lightning blessing can help increase the destructiveness of fire. But the one we are going after today is a bit different. It''s a creature that uses lightning to increase its speed. It''s perfect for you since you can''t rely on brute strength always especially with your small body and bad aura control right now"

    Luis a bit intrigued. "What''s the creature called? And¡­ do I have to fight again?"

    Sera chuckled. "Don''t worry about how you are gonna get the blessing just yet. The creature''s called a lightning Lynx. It''s a feline beast about the same size of a large wolf, with silver fur that has zigzags of lightning marks on its fur. The marks also glow in a yellow color and you can hear a faint sound of lightning crackling as it moves. Its eyes are also yellow and they look like they can stare into your soul. Its tail is fairly sensitive so if you attack you should aim for that, but it does have lightning arcs surrounding its tail, so hit the tail without hitting the lightning arcs.

    Luis shuddered at the thought of fighting it. "Sounds like there''s no way I can defeat it."

    "Don''t worry" We are going after low tier rank 2 ones they are not that smart just think of them as 5-year-olds. They also roam in groups so it would be good to isolate one. You can subdue it, blackmail it, negotiate with it, or help them fight off predators, whichever way you think is best to gain their trust so they give you their blessing."

    "Use blackmail or trust," Luis muttered, laying his head against Sera''s shoulders. "As long as I won''t have to fight again, it''s fine"

    Sera smirked, adjusting his weight slightly so she could continue running steadily so as not to pain him more. "It all depends on how you approach it, which will decide if you fight or not but for now you should rest up some more."

    Luis closed his eyes as the exhaustion took over him again. His breathing became steady.

    Sera spoke again. "Oh yeah let me remind you of all the things you did wrong and could have improved against with the golems. First of all¡­" she paused noticing he wasn''t responding anymore.

    "... already asleep again" she muttered.

    She smiled faintly. " I didn''t even tell him it would take 8 days to get to the next place, well I guess he''s earned his rest, sleep some more Luis, you''re gonna need your strength."

 Aura

    A few days after Luis got the baby rock golem blessing he had spent the time focusing on how the blessing worked. While practicing the breathing techniques his father taught him.

    His dad''s lessons were easy to understand. Aura was something that grew the more you used it, or you could grow it by focusing on breathing and imagining pulling in the energy from your surroundings.

    His dad''s lessons had helped Luis become an adept aura user. He was told everyone visualizes auras in their body differently. Luis had imagined his as a circle as told to do by his dad. Every time someone reached a higher tier in aura their cores would multiply by two. Their initial cores would split into two. Which would then slowly need to be filled up with aura to be at its maximum capacity. This is why most people imagined their cores as circles because it was easier to visualize their cores splitting up.

    "Focus on the circle, your aura always follows from there" Noah had said.

    Now Luis visualised his two cores as glowing circles. The first one burned with a faint red glow, because of the Phoenix essence that was in his body. The second circle which Luis was still filling because of how much he had to use recently up glowed a faint brown grayish hue. Together the two blessings used up 40% of Luis''s aura with the Phoenix essence being most of it. His aura would go in his chest where the Phoenix essence was located, always passively strengthening that area so his body would not collapse.

    The number of blessings you could get was dependent on the number of cores you had. But for Luis, he could get another blessing because the Phoenix essence was dormant in him. All it did was make his body consume aura not actually give him a blessing which made it so he could have another blessing.

    During the 8 days of traveling Sera had told Luis how to keep his blessing active and turn it off, because passively it will always use aura to maintain an invisible veil of aura around his entire body. Using more aura whenever the veil was damaged at certain parts. "Don''t expect the blessing to make you invincible, it''s a very common blessing amongst soldiers that increases your defense by 25% just think of it as leather armor. When you are low on aura make sure to deactivate it, so you can focus more on attacks or fleeing by using your aura in your legs or arms."

    They had finally entered the forest an hour ago. Luis and Sera ventured deeper into the forest, with aura enhancing their ears so they could listen better.

    Before Luis could keep walking Sera raised an arm in front of him, making him stop. The sun was low which was making it harder for Luis to see.

    The sound of rustling started to be heard in the forest. A creature emerged from behind some trees.

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    It was a lightning lynx but it was battered in blood. Despite all the blood, its yellow eyes glowed with defiance. Small arcs of electricity crackled along its body.

    "A Lightning Lynx," Luis whispered.

    Before they could discuss what to do three more creatures appeared. They had dark fur with red eyes which shone in the darkness, they were slightly larger than wolves and their movements seemed fluid. They slowly started to circle the injured lynx.

    Sera muttered. "They are low tier rank 2, defensively weaker than the adolescent golems but stronger with their attacks."

    The lynx looked too injured to run away but was not backing down. "Luis what do you want to do, you could use this opportunity to gain its trust, let me give you another hint between those wolves and the Lynx''s a lot of territorial disputes happen here. The lynx might or might not give you its blessing."

    Luis didn''t want to fight against but this was the only situation he could see where he will be able to gain its trust.

    "Let''s help him fight"

    "I''ll help you this time, I will take down one of them," Sera said

    Luis and Sera stepped out from behind the bushes. Just before stepping out Luis closed his eyes and focused on his rock golem blessing activating it. Luis could feel the aura envelope a tiny invisible barrier around his entire body.

    The wolves and Lynx didn''t move, judging what the two new individuals would do.

    Having two daggers behind his back, that he practiced using with Sera whenever he was trained by her. She had not given them to him for the golems but had for the Lynx.

    Luis enveloped the right one with aura and launched it at one of the weaker-looking wolfs the dagger pierced into its head killing it. Instantly the two other wolves dashed at Luis. Sera disappeared from beside Luis and kicked the other wolf miles away and then sat down.

    The other wolf lunged at Luis, he awkwardly side steped swinging his stick at the wolf. The dagger hit but it didn''t deter the wolf, which snarled and went for his legs with its claws.

    The wolf felt resistance because of the defense''s blessing but its claws still put a not-deep claw mark on Luis.

    Luis felt a jolt of pain and the wolf not giving him any second lunched at his face with its teeth. Luis barely rolled out of the way.

    Luis scrambled to his feet and focused aura on his eyes to better focus on the wolf.

    This time Luis was able to dodge its claws when he lunged at him again but the wolf was relentless. Not giving him an opportunity to attack.

    The wolf finally managed to get another attack in on Luis''s legs making him fall to his knees.

    Without wasting a second the wolf jumped on Luis tacking him to the ground. Sinking its claws into him as it stood above him. Its front claws dug into his chest its back claws dug into his legs.

    Luis couldn''t attack back he was focused on using his last dagger to stop the wolf from biting his face off.

    The Lynx seeing this from the sidelines finally acted. With a sudden burst, it leaped, its claws slashing at the sides of the wolf.

    The wolf yelped and retreated back. The wolf''s instincts told him that it would not win this fight so it, turned around and ran full speed into the forest.

    Luis and the Lynx stared at each other, Luis had the dagger in his hand not knowing if the Lynx would think he was on his side. While the Lynx still seemed apprehensive about approaching Luis as it took a few steps back.

 Persuasion

    Sera had told Luis that he would need to rely on intuition and body language to communicate with the Lynx, such as the lightning Lynx a creature with higher intelligence, that is known to understand emotions and intentions.

    Luis dropped the dagger he was holding to try to make himself seem like he was not a threat.

    The Lynx limped closer a bit, leaving a 5-meter gap between the two. Its yellow eyes locked onto Luis. Luis could feel the creature assessing him to see if he was a friend or a foe.

    Luis looked towards where the wolf''s disappeared and used his hands to intimate the wolf''s claws. Slashing at his own body then he made a hand movement making it seem like he was pushing the wolf away.

    The Lynx''s gaze never left Luis on him the entire time.

    Luis knew the Lynx would not understand its intention but spoke in a soft tone as he kept gesturing. "I will help you beat the wolves if you offer me your blessing." Luis then pointed between himself and the Lynx trying to make it seem like they had a connection. Then he made it look like that both of them would push the wolves away together.

    The Lynx slowly moved forward, its tail wagging in understanding.

    The lightning arcs around it grew dimmer. Luis extended his hand and opened his palm, and let the Lynx put its nose on it.

    A surge of energy spread from the Lynx to Luis, he could feel it the Lynx had given him its blessing.

    The Lynx''s eyes looked into the distance not towards where the wolf ran but in the opposite direction. The Lynx used its mouth to tug at Luis''s clothes, in the direction it was looking.

    Luis understanding it wanted to show him something, walked in the direction of where the Lynx looked, with the Lynx right beside him. Sera walked a bit farther away from the two of them following from behind.

    While following the Lynx, Sera asked "So how does the blessing feel?" Luis responded with a hint of confusion. "I don''t know unlike the Phoenix and Rock Golem one I haven''t activated it, so I don''t know how much aura it''s gonna use but I did look at my cores and there are streaks of lightning going around my core."

    Sera asked "What about your wounds, do they hurt"

    "Compared to the rock golem ones they don''t hurt and they stopped bleeding as well"

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    Sera then handed 2 bottles "Drink this and give one to the Lynx when you can."

    The Lynx moved slowly through the forest with its of its steps seeming deliberate. Luis and Sera followed closely behind weaving through the thick forest.

    They emerged into a small clearing surrounded by jagged rocks. The air was heavy with the smell of blood.

    Luis''s eyes widened at what he saw. Lynx''s and wolf''s bodies littered the ground their blood stained the ground.

    The Lynx let out a mournful growl seeing the devastation.

    After the howl, rustling was heard from near the bushes. Luis reached for his daggers, but Sera told him "There''s no need"

    Two small cubs came from behind the clearing, with faint sparks of electricity dancing around them. They howled quietly their eyes staring at the Lynx and strange figures beside the Lynx.

    "The Lynx must have lured the 3 wolfs away from here," Sera whispered.

    The Lynx let out a low comforting howl, hearing it the cubs rushed to the Lynx. The Lynx nuzzled them checking for any injuries.

    Sera looked at the surroundings and then whispered to Luis. "The Lynx and wolves all live in many different groups in the forest. Each group is independent from the other. There are a lot of territorial disputes but this one seems like a massacre, the wolfs seemed to have greatly outnumbered the Lynx."

    Luis swallowed hard, his eyes scanning all the dead bodies. "Why did they not try to run?"

    "Lynx''s are very territorial" Sera explained. "This one probably ran after seeing that it was the only way to protect the young one, it is possible more ran than just him to lead the wolves away, but they might not have survived."

    The injured Lynx started dragging all of its kin''s bodies into the bushes, not for a burial but it seemed like it did to conceal them. After that, it hid most of the wolf bodies as well and ate the rest.

    After the Lynx finished eating it lay down near the cubs who were next to the fire that Luis and Sera had set up. The Lynx seemed more relaxed but still wary.

    Sera leaned back against a rock, "The Lynx looked like it wanted revenge, after a few days of rest it''s gonna chase down the wolves until then, you should focus on testing out your blessing, getting more used to it."

    Luis replied while cooking up some wolf meat, "You know I don''t think I like fighting"

    Sera replied sarcastically with a smile, "Oh really? I personally think people should do things they don''t find comfortable, it helps broaden their horizons."

    Sera and Luis spent the next few days resting while helping the Lynx gain its strength back.

    Sera had explained more about the wolf and Lynx dynamics in the forest. "The wolves and Lynx are always clashing there are dozens if not hundreds of groups in this forest. What you saw was just one of the skirmishes that happened."

    Luis frowned. "So the wolves are gonna keep attacking"

    Sera nodded. "That''s why the Lynx is recovering quickly, it''s not planning on defending though, it''s preparing to attack, it''s been looking for a place to hide the cubs and it''s taking a risk relying on our strength to take out the wolf group that lives near here"

    Just as Sera had said on the 6th day. The Lynx dragged the cubs to a small cave nearby and paced around the forest looking for marks left by the attacking wolves.

    After that, it went and bit Luis''s clothes dragging him with him.

    Sera sighed as she stood up. "Looks like the rest is over."

 Hesitation

    The wolf Luis had killed with the dagger had been unexpected for him. In the moment wanting to help the Lynx to get the blessing his adrenaline had not made him realize what he did.

    When Luis and Sera followed the Lynx it didn''t immediately go to the wolves'' camp. It spent the next 8 days slowly picking up small groups of wolves with Luis and Sera, maximum numbering four, then heading back to camp and repeating.

    Unlike before when Luis had killed the wolf with the dagger though. He was hesitating now, while Sera and the Lynx moved tirelessly, like this was usual business for them.

    Every time they encountered a lone wolf or pairs of lone wolves now Luis hesitated. He didn''t want to put a dagger into a living being. Unlike the golems, the wolves showed more emotions and intelligence, which made Luis more compassionate towards them. The thought of killing the wolves made him feel uneasy. His strikes wouldn''t be accurate, he wouldn''t channel aura properly.

    It was on the second night after the Lynx would go hunting lone wolves with Sera and Luis that Sera called Luis out on what he was doing.

    They had found a lone wolf drinking from a stream in a clearing. Sera patted the Lynx and put her hand in front of it from stopping it from going forward. She looked at Luis "Kill it, Luis"

    Luis gripped the daggers in both his hands, slowly moving forward, the blessing activating making small arcs of electricity appear around his body periodically. He felt his speed double.

    However, Luis didn''t move fast enough the wolf turned to face Luis. Luis knew that the wolf was dangerous and that it would kill him, but he believed in this situation his life wasn''t in danger making him hesitate. He knew the wolves would keep fighting with the Lynx and kill more but he still couldn''t bring himself to do it he couldn''t kill a living being, especially when he was not in danger.

    It seemed as though the wolf''s instinct sensed his hesitation, it lunged at him, but Luis barely dodged its claws even with his blessing. Before the wolf could attack again Luis struck it not in any vital spots, just surface-level wounds. The wolf tried to attack again but Luis did the same and more surface-level wounds.

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    Luis kept doing this until the wolf decided to run away. But before it could even run 5 meters away Sera appeared In front of it kicking it towards Luis''s feet, the wolf whined in pain, until it got knocked out by the pain from the aura kick.

    Sera started at Luis with sharp eyes her tone firm. "Luis, what was that? Why are you letting it live, you have the upper hand, you could have finished it many times."

    Not being able to look into her eyes, he spoke in a whisper his voice barely coming out "It feels wrong to kill the wolf"

    Sera sighed as she walked closer. "Luis listen to me, you are protecting the Lynx right now and if you hesitate to kill the wolves, they might retreat and then regroup and come together to attack. We are not getting blessings just for fun okay, your parents should have told you what the fate of your future will be if you''re not strong enough, right"

    Luis nodded

    Crouching head level to Luis speaking in a kind tone. "Luis it is not bad to be compassionate, I understand that you think it''s wrong to kill it when the wolf hasn''t done anything to you, but right now hesitation will get you killed. It is not a weakness to have compassion, there''s actually a low amount of people who are good-hearted enough to have compassion for others, but you need to have it in the right situation. Your hesitation right now will not only put you in danger but everyone else, remember that okay? It''s fine for today and tomorrow I will kill the wolves with the Lynx but you will still fight I want you to take this time to think over it okay, for now, it looks like the Lynx still plans to hunt more wolves for the next few days."

    The next eight days were grueling for Luis. Each time they hunted a wolf it was a test for him, a test for him to overcome his doubts and hesitations. He had to act decisively. Sera would leave a wolf for Luis after the third day for him to kill, the daggers still felt like they weighed more whenever he went for the kill, but as each day passed the weight on his dagger felt less and less.

    After eight days, it seemed as though the Lynx had thought it was time to go after the main wolf camp. Luis wasn''t sure if the Lynx knew that he had become less hesitant in killing or not but Luis knew he would be able to fight against the wolves in the main camp. Before that though the Lynx went back to its camp and took a 2 day rest before waking Luis and Sera up and making them follow it again.

 SPEEEED

    During the eight days that Luis was helping the Lynx hunt wolves in pairs or lone wolves. Luis was beginning to better control his lightning blessing. The 2x speed was exhilarating but hard for him to control sometimes. During intense battles when facing more than one enemy, he would end up stepping too far close or back. Sera also helped him focus more on activating the blessing when he needed to move instead of having it on the entire fight because he would run out of aura after 10 minutes of continuous activation. This also didn''t account for Luis putting aura in his hands or legs to strengthen them to punch or kick harder.

    Luis had sparring with Sera where he also gained experience in controlling his aura. Luis also watched how the Lynx battled, how it used it quick speed to attack enemies.

    By the time they headed to the main wolf camp, by now Luis had greatly improved, he was better able to control and calculate his moves conserving more aura.

    After 2 days of rest, the Lynx took Sera and Luis to where the thickest smell of wolves was. As they walked in the forest the Lynx and Sera slowed down, Sera signaled to Luis, her eyes scanning ahead of the bushes into the clearing "We are finally here the main camp" she whispered

    Luis peered through the bushes, getting nervous about the sight he was seeing, there were more wolves here than they had faced before. They also seemed on high alert scanning their surroundings.

    "There are eleven of them," Sera said, her voice low. "This is what we''ve been preparing for, I will take three. The lynx will take two. You will take on six."

    Luis stared at her, with disbelief for a second before his facial expression turned into acceptance. "How am I supposed to take on six"

    Sera spoke in a nonchalant voice. "You have plenty of experience now, use your speed, keep moving, keep striking while not letting them come close. Move in a way so they can''t surround you"

    Sera then turned to the Lynx she used her hand to gesture to the Lynx, pointing at the Lynx and then the 2 more separated wolves in the camp. The Lynx growled softly, its yellow eyes glowing, seemingly unable to wait any longer.

    Sera turned to Luis and patted him on the back "You got this Luis, this should be easy for you."

    Luis took a few deep breaths trying to get his nerves down, he then nodded his head telling Sera to begin, with his will resolved.

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    The wolves were split into 4 groups in the camp. There were two separate on the east of the camp, three on the north, two on the west, and four in the south the direction they were coming from.

    Sera signaled for Luis to go first to attack the 4 wolves to draw the attention of all the wolves. Right after Luis moved the Lynx moved heading east to where Sera pointed. Sera disappeared from where she was standing appearing in the middle of the three wolves in the north.

    The Lynx''s speed made it approach its enemies before Luis began his fight. It moved with purpose. Launching attacks on its unsuspecting targets.

    Sera engaged with the three wolves after Luis began his fight with the four. She used just a branch, seeming very bored that she had to do this.

    Luis on the other hand darted full speed towards the 4 wolves. Making sure he could take them by surprise. The first wolf barely reacted in time, as Luis slashed at its neck from the side, using aura in his arms to strengthen them being able to cleanly slice its neck off. The other 3 wolves quickly organized forming a semi-circle and launching attacks at him.

    Luis focused on the far-right wolf. He dodged its claws going to his sides. He slashed the sides of the wolf once with both daggers horizontally, as he was dodging the attack. He tried to turn it to follow it up but the wolf from the middle jumped above the wolf Luis was attacking.

    Luis dodged to the side while blocking the side swipe from the wolf claws. The 3rd wolf however came from where Luis dodged to. Luis quickly dashed back, moving his hands to block the wolf''s attack. He was able to block with his daggers but not fully the claws nicked at Luis''s fingers through the small gaps in Luis''s defense with the daggers drawing blood.

    After dashing back, The wolf Luis slashed horizontally looked like it had difficulty moving. The other two wolves next to it went in a defensive stance. Instead of focusing on them, Luis focused on the footsteps coming from his sides to watch for the other two wolves.

    After he heard the footsteps, he used the blessing to run to two wolves coming at him from the side instead of the ones in front of him. He knew he was faster than them.

    Charging straight at the wolves. The wolves in response both lunged at him. He didn''t focus on dodging he just made sure their claws wouldn''t hit any vital spots or go too deep. He took the hits and focused on attacking the legs of the wolves. Being able to cleanly slice off one of the front and one the back legs of the two wolves.

    Luis felt a stinging sensation on his side and shoulder but he didn''t have time to wait. He kept running forward after the exchange for a few more meters. Turning around and seeing the two initial uninjured wolves 10 meters away from him. The injured wolf bleeding from its side also made a beeline towards, seeming filled with rage, 30 meters away.

    Instead of lunging straight at him, the wolves sidestepped, lunching at him diagonally from his left and right. With both the wolves coming at the same time Luis took one step back and got into a defensive stance.

    When the wolves lunged at him they spread their claws to the sides with their mouths open. Luis used this opportunity to launch one dagger into the wolf''s head as his claws were not protecting it. He then gathered as much aura as he could on his left hand, which was about 3%. Using the power boost he jumped into the wolf''s face. Slicing vertically through it front to back.

 Helplessness

    Blood spattered all over him but he had used his right hand the hand he threw the dagger with to cover his eyes.

    Luis knew from Sera''s hellish spars and training that he couldn''t lose focus. And not to his surprise the injured wolf was less than 2 meters away coming at him with ferocity. It lunged to claw and bite Luis''s head off.

    Luis blocked the left incoming claw with his dagger. He empowered his right fist with aura but he wasn''t able to gather a lot of it. Luis punched its other claw intending to punch its claw back into its face and sending it back.

    But with not enough aura the wolf relented, but because it still took the hit it missed Luis''s head and instead chewed a chunk of his shoulder''s flesh off.

    Luis jumped back instantly reeling in pain. But he couldn''t relax the wolves were one leg each where coming at Luis. They would jump a tiny bit forward with their three legs go in the ground head first and then instantly, do it again. Becoming a terrifying sight because even without one leg they were coming at him with resolve.

    Luis switched his dagger from his left hand where his shoulder flesh was bit off, to his right hand. He still had 30% of his aura reserves left which was more than enough.

    He instantly dashed at the wolf he had punched which seemed fully recovered ready to lung at him. Luis dashed forward as well sidestepping last second to the left to dodge the wolf''s lunch and slash it horizontally on its other side. Causing it to whine in pain.

    Luis glanced at the two leg-less wolves but to his surprise, the Lynx was there bloody it seemed like it had taken them by surprise being able to finish two injured wolves off. It was currently rushing to his aid.

    "At least the Lynx helps me"

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    But there weren''t any worries the wolf now with slashes from both sides looked wobbly while it was standing on its fours, not being able to run to attack. Luis faked a run at it but stopped halfway, twisted his body, and threw the dagger full speed at its face.

    Luis dropped to the ground after the six wolves were taken down, the Lynx had gotten its two wolves which meant that it was safe now.

    Sera appeared in front of Luis, he wasn''t surprised by her instantly appearing he knew her speed and strength because of the spars he had with her. She had a smile on her face, grabbing two small vials from her pouch, she threw one at Luis and made the Lynx drink the other one

    "Not bad Luis, see I told you, you could do it. Took down four wolves and badly injured two even if the Lynx wasn''t there you could have taken them down. Let''s head back after we go to the camp with the wolf."

    Luis replied in hesitance. "What but it hasn''t been a month since I got the blessing what if more wolves attack the Lynx"

    Sera picked him up with one hand placing Luis on her shoulder. "You don''t have to worry about that, I''ll leave you at the camp and then go kill any nearby wolves of the Lynx camp. After that, I''ll sedate the wolf with a tranquilizer that can keep it unconscious for 2 weeks."

    Luis replied in an even more shocked voice "Wait what, but what about the small cubs they won''t have food to eat and the Lynx might still die from a stray wolf, and what about it we can''t just let it die, it''s not gonna have food when it''s sedated, how is it gonna wake up and survive. Also what about"

    Sera interrupted Luis her voice firm "We did not come here for you to get a pet or get attached to something, we came here for a blessing. You have the blessing now and I can make a safe way for the Lynx to not die for at least 2 weeks no one will find it. That''s gonna be more then enough time for you to keep your blessing. I''ll place food for the cubs and Lynx so won''t starve and I''ll place them in a really safe space, don''t worry I''m not so evil. Well you see Luis, the main reason we are going back a bit earlier is to make sure your mom and dad don''t kill both of us"

    Luis replied hesitantly "But can''t we take back the Lynx with us"

    Sera replied with a hint of annoyance "And what you want the Black Talons to question why a small village has lightning Lynx in it"

    Luis understood why Sera was saying that but he was still a bit sad, but he just closed his mouth letting her do what she wanted. Mainly because he couldn''t do anything.

 Doubts

    It was two days before Luis and Sera would return to the village.

    The forest was quiet, only the sound of the campfire crackling and meat roasting could be heard. Luis sat on a log near the fire, looking at the dancing flames, though it seemed his mind was focused elsewhere.

    The night sky was visible through the canopy of trees above them, stars lighting up the darkness. It had taken several days of travel to reach the village.

    "Aunt Sera," Luis said, his voice hesitant, "why do you think the Phoenix chose me?"

    Sera paused, glancing at him, her hand stopping for a moment before continuing her task. "That''s a big question, Luis. What made you ask it now?"

    Luis sighed, his gaze still lingering on the fire. "It''s just that¡­ I don''t think¡­ I don''t feel like I was the right choice. Everyone else in the Phoenix clan, like my younger brother and sister, has blessings from their parents. They were born with them or will get them when they unlock more aura cores or when they try to awaken specific blessings in their lineage. But¡­ the Phoenix essence inside me consumed all the blessings, and it''s dormant, so I can''t even get any Phoenix blessings. I have to spend months getting blessings, but they all have most of the blessings they will ever need. And I haven''t even been able to reach the advanced stage."

    Sera watched Luis closely as he continued to speak, his voice slightly trembling.

    "My little brother and sister are already at the adept stage¡­ and they''re just six¡­ just six years old. I didn''t even know how to use aura when I was that age. I wasn''t able to reach the adept stage until I was ten. It''s not that I feel jealous of them. I don''t know how to say it, but I think I feel proud whenever they accomplish something. But the Phoenix will reincarnate through me."

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    Luis''s voice dropped lower. "I have to be stronger for when that happens, but¡­ I feel stuck. Progress feels so slow. I can almost feel the next tier, but it also feels so far away. No matter how hard I try, I can''t get my next aura cores to split and form into new ones."

    Clenching his fists, he continued, "I want to be like you. I want to be strong. I see how hard my parents work, and how much they worry about me. I thought everything they taught me was what everyone knew, most kids in the village don''t even know how to cook or take care of themselves. And¡­. I don''t know why, but I can tell that the other clan members in the village have high expectations of me, but they never show that. They are always so kind and trying to help me. It feels like they don''t want me to think I have to work hard, but I can still see the expectations they have of me."

    "Their kindness makes me want to work hard and get stronger. I¡­ want to survive the Phoenix reincarnation. I want to be strong so my parents don''t have to worry about the empires, but I just feel so stuck, it''s so exhausting."

    "I have 2 blessings, which is the most I can have right now¡­ but compared to clans or soldiers who inherit the blessings that can be perfectly suited for each other, mine don''t compare in comparison. I have to earn all my blessings because the Phoenix one is dormant."

    "And the Phoenix¡­" He hesitated. "It hasn''t spoken to me in years, and the last thing it said to me was¡­ calling me a sheltered brat¡­ I don''t know¡­ if it even likes me."

    Sera''s brows furrowed, but she let Luis keep speaking.

    "My little brother was born as the clan''s proxy. He''s already chosen to be the next leader by the Phoenix. He has two strong blessings already, and because they''re not elemental, he can use them without any suppression. And my little sister¡­ She wasn''t born with any blessings because the Phoenix essence made it so I got most of the blessings that would be passed down to kids, and with my brother being chosen as the proxy by the Phoenix somehow while it''s dormant, all the other blessings from my parents during my siblings'' birth went to him. Which made it so my little sister had no blessings, because of which the Xoliti clan deity chose to give his blessings to her because it is rare for people to not be born with blessings."

    "I feel useless as an older brother. They both already have ways to become stronger, but I don''t even know what I''m gonna do."

 The strict, cold hearted, Sera actually giving compliments???????

    Setting the meat down, Sera moved and sat beside Luis, her tone warm as she ruffled his hair. "Luis, I usually don''t say this because I don''t want people to think they slack off because they get too proud of their abilities."

    Luis blinked in confusion.

    "You know I have trained your mother, Maria, and Rico, and I have seen a lot of people grow stronger. But you''re special, Luis not because of the Phoenix essence but because of your resilience. No one in the village forced you to do anything. You could have taken their kindness for granted and made the clan members bring you subdued creatures so you could just focus on raising your aura cores. But you haven''t done that. You work hard for everything you get. Sometimes I think you should ask other people for help instead of only wanting to rely on yourself and proving yourself."

    "You haven''t given up when your blessings were too difficult to control. Even when it was annoying and frustrating, you kept going. It takes strength, you know, Luis, to keep going like that. And you know what you just told me? It shows how mature you are. You can understand emotions better than most people older than you."

    "Also, don''t think I have not noticed how much you train alone. Even after a long day of training with me, when I go and tell you to rest, you stay up practicing by yourself. Luis, I have seen you push yourself harder than anyone I have trained. You should be proud of yourself and how strong you are. Luis, you may not think so because of your high expectations, but you are powerful for your age."

    Luis stared at her in surprise. "So you knew whenever I sneaked off to train more?"

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    Sera smirked. "Of course. Did you think you were sneaky enough?"

    Luis rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, but Sera kept going.

    "Your resilience and compassion are your greatest strengths. You try to do everything yourself and never want to rely on another person too much. Most people, when they get their blessings, don''t focus much on the creatures, they just care about the new power they got."

    "You never give up if you''re doing something challenging. Luis, you don''t know how rare that is. Some so many people wouldn''t put in the effort for something that could change their life or train more, thinking that they have already worked hard enough and that they deserve rest. Luis, you always push yourself even when no one asks you."

    Gazing down and giving Luis a warm smile, she said, "And Luis, whenever I see you grow strong and accomplish something, it makes me proud. I don''t have any doubts about you, Luis. I know you will reach all your goals."

    Luis darted wide-eyed at her until a grin slowly spread across his face. "Aunt Sera, can I tell Mom, Rico, and Mira that you actually complimented me?"

    Sera snorted. "No, Luis, you can''t tell them."

    "But it''s not fair if you do that," he said, sitting straighter. "Maria and Rico always look sad when you don''t compliment them after they train hard and accomplish something. I won''t tell anyone if you start complimenting them too pinky promise?"

    Sera raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms. "Fine, Luis, pinky promise."

    Luis beamed in surprise while hooking his pinky finger around hers. "I can''t believe I got you to agree to that. It was way too easy."

    "Oh really, Luis?" Sera smirked. "Well, I can''t just let you get away with that then, can I?"

    Before Luis could react, she lunged at him, her fingers darting to Luis''s sides. She tickled him mercilessly until he was laughing so hard that he couldn''t breathe.

    The sound of laughter echoed under the canopy in the quiet forest. Sera felt a sense of pride as she watched Luis because she truly meant every word she said to him.

 Home Sweet Home

    Two days later

    The sun was setting by the time Luis and Sera made it back to the village. On the walk to his house, Luis did a big stretch, spreading his arms out wide and taking a big yawn. The journey made his entire body feel sore but the thought of his comfy bed brought him a sense of relaxation. Luis looked over to Sera who would be taking a different path to her house.

    Looking straight ahead while walking on the village pathways before they diverged into two different paths. " I won''t be dropping you off, you can go back by yourself."

    "Won''t Mom want to know why getting the blessing took longer than a month? She will probably want to talk with you."

    "And that''s why I am not going to drop you off"

    "Oh, that makes sense." As the pathway diverged Luis did a slight jog heading to his house turning around and waving. "Bye Aunt Sera."

    Sera waved back "Bye Luis"

    Stopping in front of his house, the familiar sight brought him a sense of relief. Upon opening the door he was greeted by the excited voices of his younger siblings.

    "Big Brother!" Kael and Lira yelled,

    both were six years old and were born as twins. Kael was chosen by the Phoenix to be the next clan proxy, meaning the next clan leader. No one knew how the Phoenix did it while it was dormant, and since it hadn''t spoken to Luis in a long time, it did not look like they could ask it. Kael had taken his looks from their dad, with black hair and dark green eyes. Kael is 3 feet 8 inches tall and has a slim build.

    Lira on the other hand resembled their mother more. She had brown hair and brown eyes. She was taller than Kael 4 feet tall and had more of a healthy build not slim or overweight. The Xoliti clan deity when visiting to seal the Phoenix essence from leaking out, saw how Lira had no blessings in her, none that had been passed down to her. The deity attributed this to the Phoenix being born in Luis and choosing Kael as a proxy. It then offered to pass off its blessings to Lira.

    The Xoliti clan being a clan who''s blessings are not made for battle have a lot of blessings in their lineage that are just meant for supporting and enhancing their main blessing abilities. The main reason for this is that the Xoliti clan like a few other clans is a clan whose blessing is not compatible with any other blessing that is not a support blessing. This means that they need to have perfect support blessings.

    Of course, as the years went along the clan found better and better creatures to receive support and blessings from. This caused their current problem since everyone is born with 1 blessing from their lineage. It hinders the clan being able to get the perfect blessings which all support each other perfectly. Though it will be slowly possible as people start using the worse blessing less and less, the process is too slow. Within a months time of when they get a new core, they will have to get other blessings, so blessings from their lineage don''t appear. This gets harder and harder as a person reaches a higher aura tier because they gain multiple aura cores. The deity wants to see how strong a person with the perfect support blessings would be. This is why it chose Lira when he saw that she had no blessings.

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    Noah and Elena, unlike the other clan members, did not reject this idea. They believed that having the support of a strong clan deity would make their daughter safer, which led them to agree with the Xoliti clan deity.

    Kael and Lira both crashed into Luis, their faces lighting up with excitement.

    "Big Brother!" Kael and Lira, both five years old and born as twins, rushed toward him, their small arms outstretched. They crashed into him, their faces lighting up with excitement.

    "Did you get the blessing?" Kael asked eagerly, his eyes wide.

    "Yeah, what did it look like?" Lira chimed in, bouncing up and down.

    Luis couldn''t help but smile. "I''ll tell you in a second, alright?"

    He heard footsteps coming from the house and turned to see his mother, Elena, walking out of the kitchen. She furrowed her brows slightly.

    "Your home later than, you were supposed to be, Luis," Elena said crossing her arms. "You were only supposed to be gone for a month. Why did it take so long?"

    Luis hesitated, " I actually ended up getting two blessings, Aunt Sera said I should get another blessing."

    Elena spoke in a sharper tone "Did she tell you before or after you left because I had to go to Uncle Bane and find out why you were so late"

    Luis responded in a quick and earnest tone. "Mama, it wasn''t my fault she told me after we left, I had no choice it was by force I couldn''t do anything"

    Elena''s tone softened a bit "Oh I see, I thought she told you but you didn''t tell me," with a bit of frustration in her voice, "I''m not surprised she did that but don''t worry you won''t have to do something random next time. Well, all that matters is your home now, so what blessings did you end up getting." Elena said with a smile on her face.

    Before Luis could respond, Kael and Lira tugged at his sleeves, their voices filled with excitement.

    "Big brother show us your blessings! we wanna see"

    "Yeah! What can they do, we wanna see"

    Lira added eagerly.

    Let''s go outside I''ll show you, Luis said as he smiled down at them.

    Elena watched with a smile, before interrupting them. "Let your older brother have some food before going. Also Luis there''s going to be a village event next week. It''s a blessing showcase where everyone from the nearing village comes to show their blessings, it will be a good chance for you to show off yours and see other cool ones."

    Luis froze surprised, "I thought that wouldn''t happen for another 2 months, they always happen at the same time every 2 years."

    "Oh that''s because after 2 months the kingdoms have a succession ceremony, so everyone has to get ready to celebrate that"

    Luis replied more confused now "What''s a succession ceremony what''s that"

    "Well it''s when the king has gotten too old or thinks one of his sons can lead the kingdom better, so that''s why he''s gonna be the new king"

    "Wait, does that mean it''s like another village festival? Will there be good food and games when the celebration happens?" Luis responded in a more curious tone.

    Kael and Lira chimed in excitedly at the same time "Wait, Mama! You didn''t tell us there would also be food?"

    "Yes, there''s gonna be food and games. But for now, Luis, come get some food, and all your questions can be asked while you''re eating."

 Play Fight

    The moon shone light on the forest clearing as Luis stood in the center with small arcs of lightning crackling around him every few seconds. His father stood by a tree with his arms crossed while his mother stood near his younger siblings smiling while Luis demonstrated his new speed and improved defense from his new blessings. L

    Luis glanced at his younger siblings, Kael and Lira, standing opposite him. Both of them had their auras faintly glowing, a mix of determination and mischief in their eyes.

    "You have been showing your new blessings but why not give more of a proper demonstration" Noah said his tone calm but challenging.

    Luis tilted his head. "What do you mean papa"

    Noah smiled. "Practice with Lira and Kael. A sparring match. But no kicks or punches you can''t hurt them. You can only grab them or make them tap out. And Lira and Kael can do whatever they want. All of you can use your blessings fully."

    Luis glanced at his younger siblings who both looked eager to spar. "That''s fine with me"

    They finally moved deeper into the forest away from the village. Into a much bigger clearing surrounded by tall trees and soft grass, perfect for a private sparring match.

    Kael and Lira stood opposite of Luis 30 meters away. Both channeling their auras to activate their blessings. Luis stood on the opposite side with faint sparks of lightning flickering around him every few seconds, doubling his speed.

    "Ready?" Noah called out.

    "Ready!" Kael and Lira responded.

    Luis gave a small nod, his stance relaxed but focused.

    "Go!"

    Kael charged forward first, his movements steady and precise. His eyes glowed a faint white hue with the effects of his blessing Undying will. A non-elemental Phoenix blessing that helped sharpen his focus and mental clarity in battle. Kael didn''t use his other blessing resistance that damped the effects of heat or cold and even mental attacks. These were 2 of the many blessings the Phoenix can give.

    Lira stayed back, her hands glowed as she used her first blessings received from the Xoliti clan deity called illusion.

    Luis''s eyes widened as a veil of darkness rose around him from which four Kaels emerged each moving in sync with each other.

    "Not bad" Luis spoke as he was genuinely impressed by the illusions and their coordination.

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    The veil of darkness fell as soon as the four Kaels appeared from behind it. They attacked in unison aiming at him from all sides. Luis relied on his reactions and reflexes. Sidestepping the first strike ducking under the next. The speed from his lighting blessing allowed him to quickly dodge all the attacks but he still had to focus and anticipate them.

    The coordination of the Kael''s made it hard to pinpoint which one was the real one and as Luis could not attack them, he could not do anything to find out which one was the illusion. If he defended the wrong illusion he might get punched by the real one. Additionally, Lira could then dispel the illusion and cast a different illusion to distract Luis.

    While dodging Luis caught something at the corner of his eye, grass flattening near the tree-like. A footstep.

    Luis smirked widely. "You should watch your steps, Lira."

    With a burst of speed, he dashed by the Kael''s towards the spot. His blessing doubled his speed and a bigger build than Kael didn''t let him catch up.

    He had caught Lira off guard with his speed. He reached out his hand brushing against something invisible.

    Lira yelled as her invisibility from her second blessing given by the Xoliti clan deity dropped. Luis grabbed her wrist gently but firmly.

    "Hehe got you," Luis said while grinning. "Dispel the illusions you would have lost in a real fight."

    Lira frowned but nodded as she deactivated her blessings. "Fine" she muttered.

    Luis turned to face Kael who now stood alone since the illusions dissipated.

    Kael stepped forward with determination pointing at Luis with his right hand. "Brother no more tricks stop running away, let''s settle this with a test of strength."

    Luis raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You sure about that Kael my lighting blessings don''t raise my strength, but¡­ I''m still pretty strong"

    Kael said with determination from his blessing. "It''s fine I can win"

    The two brothers walked closer locking hands their grips firm both their hands outstretched forwards. With Luis towering over Kael.

    Undying will sharpened and bolstered Kael''s determination. His muscles tensed as he used all his might to push, locking eyes with Luis.

    Luis held his ground with a relaxed expression. Luis was impressed with Kael''s strength but him being older and more athletic gave him the edge in this test of strength.

    Kael gritted his teeth straining his muscles more as he tried to overpower his older brother. "I''m not giving UP!"

    Luis chuckled. "I know you won''t"

    With a controlled push, Luis forced Kael''s hands down, his movements deliberate. Kael stumbled and fell slowly backward on his bottom with a hint of frustration on his face.

    Luis helped Kael up and patted him on the shoulder. "That focus of yours is impressive Kael but you can''t beat me yet"

    Kael sighed and then grinned "I''ll win next time"

    "We will see next time then"

    Noah stepped forward with Elena a smile on their faces "You all did well" said Elena

    Noah then spoke "Lira your illusions were convincing and your coordination with each other was very good. And Kael that resolve is impressive and your aura control is also very good I noticed the punches you were throwing with aura when attacking with the illusions."

    Lira crossed her arms "You won''t see my footsteps next time."

    Elena smiled, "And Luis you handled yourself well. You already have great control over your blessing, it''s good to see how much you have improved after your training with Sera when getting the blessings.

    The family began the walk back to the village, the forest illuminated by the moonlight. As they walked Luis felt a sense of pride seeing his siblings grow stronger and felt more confidence in himself to grow stronger.

 Routine 2

    The sun''s light shone through the window blinds in Luis''s room as he woke up. Luis''s room was on the second floor and so were all the other rooms in the house. There were four rooms on the second floor: one for his parents, one for his two siblings shared, and one room in the corner of the floor that Luis had. The room was 130 square feet, with one bed along the wall opposite the window. There was a desk under the window for natural light. The closet was built into the wall beside Luis''s bed on the window side. Next to the window, there was a small vault where Luis kept his training gear and the daggers he was given by Sera for training. Luis had the smallest room on the floor, but it was cozy for him, so he didn''t mind. There also was an attic that had stairs going to it from the second floor.

    There was a toilet and bathroom on each floor as well. After Luis washed and brushed his teeth he went to the first floor. Where he saw his dad eating an apple. After seeing Luis, Noah tossed him an apple which he caught.

    "Morning, Luis. Here, eat this while we head to the training place out in the forest today."

    "Morning, Papa. I need some water first," Luis said while rubbing his eyes.

    The clearing was quiet today as Luis sat cross-legged on a mat. Kael and Lira only trained once every other day, which made the sound of their usual chatter absent today.

    Luis started by focusing on his aura. He didn''t need to concentrate when looking at it because when you make new cores and stabilize them, they stay like that. He channeled the aura from his cores, his brows raising in frustration.

    "I''m stuck," Luis admitted, breaking the silence. "I can''t split my cores into halves and form two new cores. Every time I try, they just break apart and form back into two cores. I can''t keep them stable. Also, I remember splitting my core into another one before, but I can''t quite remember how much it increased by."

    Noah stepped closer, intently watching Luis as he channeled his aura. "It''s normal to struggle. When cores split into two new cores, the sizes of the new cores are 1.5x bigger, which is what makes it even harder to stabilize them."

    Luis looked up, surprised. "1.5x? I thought it was less. No wonder it feels harder to control and stabilize the new cores."

    Noah nodded thoughtfully. "The current issue is just related to control. Right now, you can channel aura into two of your limbs while moving fluidly. If you can increase that number to three or four, you''ll be able to improve the control of your aura when trying to split your cores. For now, try to always imbue your aura into one of your arms throughout the entire day and increase the count as you go on."

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    Luis exhaled and nodded. "I''ll try my best."

    After the training session, Luis joined his mother and younger siblings for breakfast. They still looked sleepy but also excited.

    "What''s got you excited?" Luis asked as he gazed at them.

    "We''re learning about how blessings are inherited today," Kael responded in an excited tone.

    "Oh, I remember that. It''s a lot of information, but it''s still pretty fascinating."

    Lira tilted her head. "Is it complicated?"

    Luis chuckled. "No, it''s not complicated. It''s just a lot of information you have to remember. I can tell you guys the basics right now because it''s better than instantly learning everything. Well, if you want."

    "Tell us!" Kael said in an excited voice.

    Lira nodded. "I want to know too!"

    "Well, you know usually everyone is born with one blessing, but there are very small, rare cases like Lira. That''s because whenever a person gets a new core from their lineage, a blessing takes root in it. A person has one month to decide if they want to keep it. Sadly, it isn''t that simple. In the one-month time, the only way to not keep the blessing is to receive a blessing from a creature. This gets complicated when you get multiple cores at once when reaching a new aura tier because you''ll need to get multiple creature blessings in a month and have to make sure they actually give you the blessing for the month. If they decide to take it away before it''s been a month since your new core formed, that core will take a blessing from your lineage. The complicated part is that the blessing is completely random. There''s more, but that''s the basic stuff you''ll need to know to better understand today''s class."

    Kael''s eyes widened. "So blessings are just randomly chosen from our lineage? What if we don''t like them? What if they''re not good?"

    Luis nodded. "Yeah, that''s why it''s important to decide what you''re gonna do and why you should rely more on your aura control than just blessings. It''s just a risk you have to live with. Well, there are some ways to get rid of elemental blessings. The explanation''s too long, so you can just learn in class today."

    Lira asked in a curious tone, "I got my blessings from the deity, but why did we risk Kael getting a random blessing?"

    Kael responded in shock. "Wait, that''s true! Why didn''t I get a different blessing in case it was bad?"

    Instead of Luis responding, Elena answered while wiping her face with a cloth. "Kael, your blessings were going to be fine. We are from the clan, as we''ve told you. Our blessings are mostly made to support each other, and you know when we said you are a proxy, that means you have a higher chance of getting a better blessing because of our clan deity."

    Kael sighed in relief. "Oh, I don''t have to worry that much about bad blessings."

    Noah responded in a strict tone. "For now, you don''t. But don''t forget, both of you, you''re not allowed to talk about being in the clan. Well, the Xolit Clan seal won''t let you, but still, don''t even think about telling other people."

    Kael responded in a casual tone, "I can''t even talk about that thing not letting us, you know... we''ll be fine."

    "That''s good," Elena responded.

    As breakfast finished, Luis grabbed his bag and got ready to head off to class. He was excited because he would learn about different aura breathing techniques.

 Different Aura Training Methods

    The school was located in the middle of the village. It was the only school in the region that taught children from all five villages. The school was a modest two-story building. It had eight classrooms, each teaching students from three age groups. Each class had only one teacher who taught everything.

    Luis''s classroom was on the second floor, where older students in their teens studied. Luis sat in the middle of the classroom between two of his friends while the teacher, Eldrin, started the class.

    "Good morning, everyone. For today''s class, we are going to learn more about aura control and development," Eldrin said as he started taking out circular objects from a box and handing them out. "As you already know, there are two main methods of increasing aura: physical and breathing¡ªor as some say, meditating. Today, we will learn about some more techniques for each method."

    Luis sat between two classmates: Taran, a boy from a neighboring village with black hair and fair skin, and Aelina, who was taller than both Luis and Taran. Aelina''s blonde hair seemed to catch the sunlight coming from the window. Her hair had been red when she was born, but a Xoliti Clan blessing permanently changed it so she wouldn''t be seen as someone from the Phoenix Clan.

    Taran leaned over, whispering, "Feels like this is gonna be boring again."

    Luis smirked and fiddled with the circular device placed on his desk. "Maybe, but this looks interesting."

    The teacher stopped at the front of the class after giving out the circular objects. "Before we start, let me remind you why we focus so much on aura and aura control in classes. Back when humans were slaves to strong beasts, we focused on it to grow free from them. However, now it is to grow stronger than other humans. Unlike most other kingdoms and empires, our kingdom, Altheris, focuses more on aura and aura control than education. Why do you think that is?"

    A student in the front row raised his hand and answered, "Isn''t it because our kingdom is weaker compared to our neighbors?"

    Eldrin nodded. "Yes. To be more precise, it is because we don''t have any strong clans. We have a bunch of weak clans and one strong high-tier creature clan. To combat our neighbors, who have multiple strong clans, we focus on aura. Aura can equalize our power and give us a chance at survival."

    A few seconds after the class fell silent under the weight of his words, Eldrin softened his tone and changed topics, picking up the item on his desk. It was a flat circular object with branching lines etched on its surface, resembling a spiderweb but more intricate.

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    "This," he explained while lifting it up, "is called an Aura Conduit Disk. It''s a tool used to improve aura control. When imbued with aura, it lights up because it is made out of a tree that reacts to aura. The goal is to only light up specific parts of the branches and not light up other parts. If your control is better, you can light up multiple different parts that don''t touch each other. Beyond that, you can start moving the aura through it. You can imbue small dots of aura and move them across the branches separately without touching each other. Add more dots, and the stronger your control is.

    "This not only improves your aura control but also enhances your ability to sense aura from your surroundings. This is an item most aura users have."

    He set the disk back down on the desk and continued, "You can practice with it at home. For now, we''re going to learn about another method to train aura¡ªtraining in aura-rich environments. These places allow you to absorb aura faster, which is useful when advancing to a higher tier. When you split your cores to reach a new tier, you typically lose 35¨C40% of your aura."

    After pausing, he added, "Luis, you reached the Adept tier recently, right? How much aura did you lose when splitting your core?"

    Luis straightened in his seat. "I lost about 32%."

    Teacher Eldrin nodded approvingly. "That is better than average. Minimal aura loss is also a sign of a skilled aura user. Staying in aura-rich environments, meditating, visualization, and elemental exposure are all ways to replenish aura faster. We''ll learn more about the latter in future classes."

    The rest of the class focused on learning how to imbue aura into the disk. After the class ended and everyone was packing up their things, Luis, Taran, and Aelina were conversing.

    "So the training with your dad helped you reach the Adept tier. What blessing did you get, Luis? Is it anything cool? Your first one is already cool¡ªyou can move aura through your body faster¡ªbut what about your second one?"

    Luis hesitated for half a second. "I got a baby rock golem blessing. It''s like leather armor, but slightly weaker."

    "Oh, that''s lucky. I wish my second one was cool like a defensive one. My first blessing just lets me make the air as strong as a hand fan only. It''s the weakest elemental blessing I''ve ever seen anyone have. I wish I got something cool like yours."

    Aelina joined in. "Yeah, Luis. Both your blessings are pretty cool."

    Luis smiled. "Yours are also pretty cool, Taran. Whenever it''s really hot, I wish I had your blessing. Or your elemental resistance one, Aelina. Not feeling the heat or cold on really hot or cold days sounds nice."

    Taran stretched after putting on his bag. "I can''t believe how much your dad has taught you. Everyone says he was a soldier from another kingdom. Your dad married your mom and moved here so they could teach their kids more about aura. No wonder you''re ahead of everyone else."

    Luis shrugged as they started to walk out of the class, with Taran a few steps ahead. "Yeah, I guess."

    Aelina leaned closer, whispering to Luis, "Surprised you didn''t stutter while lying. I didn''t think you''d get better at it."

    Luis replied with a faint smile. "So are you. I don''t even know what your actual second blessing is."

    "Well, I can''t just say it in public places," Aelina whispered.

    As Aelina and Luis lingered back while talking, Taran shouted, "What are you guys talking about? Hurry up!"

    Luis responded, "You''re walking too fast. Slow down for us!"

 The Day of The Blessing Showcase

    Luis was in his room with the Aura Conduit Disk, practicing his aura control. He was able to imbue aura to form three dots and move them across the intricate spiderweb design simultaneously without losing control and having them dissipate. However, it required his full focus, so any distractions would cause the aura to dissipate. Still, the disk allowed Luis to lose only a small amount of aura when losing control compared to imbuing his limbs or trying to reach the next tier.

    As Luis started imbuing aura to form a fourth dot, the sound of his mother calling made him lose focus. He heard her yelling from downstairs.

    "Luis, your friends are here get down!"

    Luis quickly dressed and headed downstairs, where he saw Aelina playing with his younger siblings and her younger brother, Ardyn. Aelina wore an elegant white dress, while Ardyn her younger brother, a year younger than Luis''s siblings was dressed in shorts and a plain white shirt.

    Luis greeted them, "Morning. Is it already time?"

    "It''s already one," Aelina responded. "The showcase is gonna start in two hours, and it''s not morning anymore."

    "Oh, really? I think I was too focused on the disk," Luis replied in a surprised tone.

    "Oh, Luis, this is Ardyn. I think you''ve only met him once when he was a bit younger," Aelina introduced.

    "Hello, Ardyn. Also, I have to say, you really resemble your dad," Luis said, surprised.

    "Hello, Luis. I do hear that a lot," Ardyn replied.

    "Are you excited for today? What''s your blessing?" Luis asked curiously, smiling.

    "Ardyn''s blessing can''t be shown. It''s Phoenix Wings, which is also what my second blessing is," Aelina explained. "He''s gonna say the same as your siblings that he has support blessings that help make the body stronger."

    "What? I want that! Flying seems so cool," Luis said, envious.

    "It''s not like we can use them, though, so there''s no point," Aelina said in a disappointed tone.

    Before they could continue the conversation, Taran arrived with a broad grin through the front door. "Morning, everyone! Am I late?"

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    Aelina shook her head. "There''s still time until the showcase. The stalls should be open right now, so let''s go."

    "Let''s go, then," Aelina said, motioning for everyone to follow along.

    It took the group ten minutes to get to where the stalls were set up. Vendors chatted, children ran around, and everyone talked about seeing cool blessings during the showcase. Luis''s twin siblings and Ardyn also ran around, pointing at anything they thought was interesting.

    Luis was keeping a close eye on them, but his focus shifted when he noticed a man in a cloak moving toward them. His steps were so quiet that Luis didn''t notice him until he was right behind them.

    Unknown to the Xoliti Clan and Phoenix Clan, when the empire went to get the Savrohgous blessing, they had brought Black Talons members with them. These operatives had received the Savrohgous blessing to help detect Phoenix blessings and a blessing from a creature called an Umbracryn a jet-black entity with claws for feet and hands, standing on two legs but with no head. It relied on temperature to locate enemies. What made it terrifying was its ability to turn into mist and remain undetected even by high-tier creatures.

    Only people with blessings from unclassified creatures could detect them, but this was only the case if they were on high alert. Over the years, with nothing significant happening, the vigilance of the three elite-tier Xoliti Clan members in the village had waned. The Black Talons had formed a new division in their ranks that possessed both these abilities. They roamed alone, exploring places. If they found any Phoenix Clan members, they would initiate extraction and notify all nearby squads through their communication devices.

    As the man approached, his attention locked onto Ardyn and Kael, whose auras unmistakably resembled those of the Phoenix Clan. His decision was made in an instant.

    No one was able to react fast enough. The operative stepped forward with unmatched speed, grabbing Ardyn and Kael by the backs of their shirts with one hand.

    "Let go!" Aelina shouted, pulling at the two, but the operative''s grip was too strong.

    Luis yelled, "Let go of him!" and charged at the man.

    The operative glanced at Luis, sensing no Phoenix blessings in him. He swung his free arm not forming a fist, just swinging but as soon as it connected with Luis, it sent him flying back, rolling on the ground twenty meters away.

    After glancing at Aelina, the operative took out a small black device. "There are three PHOENIX CLAN members here kid ones. That means there are more. Send in all nearby members. I will extract with two of the smaller ones."

    Putting down his communication device, he glanced at Taran, who was taking deep breaths, panicking as he tried to loosen the soldier''s grip.

    "Let go, kid. Just like the other one, you''re not a part of the Phoenix Clan. If you don''t want to die, let go. It''s none of your business."

    Seeing that there were eyes on him and that Taran wasn''t letting go, the soldier sprouted wings, preparing to fly. "I told you to let go," he said, summoning claws and stabbing Taran in the heart with cold, indifferent eyes.

    Transforming his claws back into a hand, he proceeded to hit Ardyn and Kael on the back of the head to knock them out. Then, looking at the scared girl Aelina he tried flicking her head with his finger to knock her out, his finger imbued with aura. "Just nicely stay here for me."

    To his surprise, he hit nothing but an illusion. "I see a blessing."

    One thing Lira had always been taught by Sera was to use her illusions and run to get help in scary situations. Aelina had given the scared little girl a look, signaling her to run, and had gone behind the soldier, hidden by Lira''s blessing. But he could still sense her aura. Turning around, he punched Aelina, who was about to strike the soldier''s head. The punch to her stomach sent her flying. Before she was punched she had infused aura in the feather in her pocket. The feather turned from white to red and then disintegrated.

    The entire exchange had taken less than 35 seconds. It was enough time to attract attention from people nearby but the soldier had made sure to be louder when saying Phoenix clan members. He did this because everyone knew the Phoenix clan was being hunted down there were big bounties for them but above all else everyone knew what would happen to places that helped harbor Phoenix clan members there was already news of many such places being destroyed even if residents left were not members of the clan. Afterward, as the soldier flew off at max speed, thinking inwardly, "The kids actually fought back. They must have been trained. There might be a strong member here."

    "Ardyn!" Aelina screamed, trying to get up, watching helplessly as her brother was taken away.

    Luis got to his feet a few seconds after being sent flying. With his vision blurred, he saw his brother being taken away, unable to do anything as the operative vanished into the sky.

 Defeat

    Luis staggered back to his feet, his chest aching and his breath uneven. His head still spun from the hit, but his eyes remained fixed on the shrinking figure in the sky carrying Kael and Ardyn.

    Helplessness overwhelmed Luis, he fell to his knees, his teeth clenched in frustration because he hadn''t been able to do anything.

    "Kael," he muttered in a hoarse voice.

    .

    .

    .

    Kael''s thoughts raced as the grip on his shirt tightened, lifting him off the ground. He turned to see who it was, but instead, he saw his brother being thrown to the ground with a single swing.

    "LET GO!" he shouted, instinctively activating his blessing and trying to compose himself as he attempted to loosen the grip. But it was too strong. When neither Taran nor Aelina could loosen it, he began to panic, thrashing around wildly. Suddenly, his vision darkened. The last thing he saw was Taran''s body collapsing, his eyes lifeless.

    .

    .

    .

    Ardyn''s frame trembled as he turned to see who had picked him up from behind. Something about the man terrified him.

    He tried to move, to escape like Kael was trying, but his body refused to cooperate. He opened his mouth to call for help, but all that came out was a choked whimper.

    .

    .

    .

    Taran''s heart pounded as he watched the soldier drag Kael and Ardyn away. His mind screamed at him to do something, but his body froze in fear. Finally, Taran forced himself to do something he rushed forward trying to loosen the man''s grip.

    Taran had heard the soldier''s warning he knew what would happen if he helped Phoenix Clan members. But he still gripped the soldier''s hand, desperately trying to make him let go.

    When the soldier told him to release his grip if he wanted to live and that this wasn''t his concern, Taran''s heart raced. Panic left him unable to speak, but he held on because Luis and Aelina were his friends.

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    Taran didn''t even have time to react to what came next. The soldier gave him a chance, but after Taran refused to let go, his claws pierced Taran''s chest. Pain exploded through him before it quickly faded, his vision darkening as everything around him disappeared. Taran had questioned if he had made the right choice.

    .

    .

    .

    Lira trembled as she watched everything unfold. She had always been told to use her blessing to run when in danger, but right now, she couldn''t move. She had seen Luis get struck, and now she was watching the soldier pierce Taran''s chest. Uncertainty and fear overwhelmed her.

    She glanced at Aelina, who gave her a look one that told her exactly what to do. Guilt churned inside Lira as she turned and ran, tears welling in her eyes. She had been told that getting help from strangers was useless; she needed to find Phoenix Clan members.

    Before fleeing, she created an illusion of herself and Aelina, then used her blessing to make them invisible. Placing the invisibility on Aelina completely drained her aura, leaving her physically exhausted as she ran.

    .

    .

    .

    Aelina''s body trembled as she tried to get up. Pain radiated from her stomach. She screamed her brother''s name, but she couldn''t do anything. She couldn''t chase after him¡ªthe feather had drained all her aura. All she could do was hope her father would arrive in time.

    Luis slowly walked over to Taran''s unmoving body. His skin was pale, his eyes lifeless. Luis couldn''t bring himself to stand beside him. He was frozen in place.

    He turned to see Aelina on the ground, clutching her stomach, her eyes staring into the sky. Time felt like it had frozen. The chattering of the village had stopped. There was nothing but silence.

    .

    .

    .

    Ten kilometers east of the village, Freyheart, Aelina''s father, was on a hunt. He stood at 6''8", his muscular frame intimidating, his blond hair falling just past his ears. His black eyes appeared cloudy, making it impossible to tell where he was looking. He wore a simple cream-colored tunic, dark-fitted trousers, and sturdy leather boots.

    Freyheart had been sent to kill a high-tier creature that had wandered too far from its territory. Sera had sensed it earlier, and since Freyheart was the fastest person in the village, he was chosen for the task. However, without blessings for tracking or reconnaissance, he had spent significant time searching for the creature.

    He could have handled the task faster, but he couldn''t use blessings connected to the Phoenix Clan, which slowed him considerably. Freyheart had a rough idea of what to look for, as he knew the high-tier creatures in the nearby regions.

    Before he could continue his search, his wing''s blessing activated automatically. For a split second, he was confused, then he felt it a feather had returned to his wings.

    His eyes glowed red, his hair turned crimson, and all the blessings the Xoliti Clan had used to disguise him vanished. His wings outstretched, he disappeared from where he had been standing.

 The Former Assassin

    The instant Freyheart felt the feather return, he knew something was wrong. With his wings fully extended, he streaked through the sky at incredible speed, the village growing closer by the second. Halfway there, with 5 kilometers left, he raised his aura.

    The intense wave of aura radiated outward like a beacon, designed to alert the people in the village. The first to notice this was none other than Sera, one of the four legendary-tier aura users in the village.

    Sera always had her blessing active that would scan her surroundings. The blessing was called *Ecliptic Awareness,* from a creature that was near the Eltheris Kingdom.

    There were three Xoliti clan members in the village, but they were only in the elite tier. They could not match Sera''s aura output, which allowed her to use her blessing over a larger area. The blessing had a simple function: Sera could designate the aura she sensed and assign names to them. The blessing would record the aura of the specific name given. Whenever she focused on an aura in a five kilometer area with her blessing, she would see the name of the person. The blessing also allowed her to know when any new auras popped up in her radius.

    Noticing the aura was coming from Freyheart and that he was heading toward the village, Sera focused again on *Ecliptic Awareness.* She sensed nothing wrong at first, but Ardyn and Kael were moving too fast alongside the aura of a sand rat. She immediately activated one of her blessings, *Shadow Veil,* a legacy of her time as the head assassin of the now-destroyed Kingdom of Eltheris.

    Eltheris had been a kingdom of innovation and war, where Sera rose to become a legendary-tier assassin at the astonishing age of twenty. Sera was also one of the seven Phoenix clan members whose identities were known to all Black Talons. Her identity was taught because she was a prime target, and there was an order to immediately call for reinforcements if she was seen.

    Her eyes widened. The sand rat wasn''t moving naturally; its shadow revealed an entirely different story.

    Sera stepped into Kael and Ardyn''s shadow, her form disappearing instantly. She reappeared beside the shadow but found the ground empty. Glancing up, her eyes caught the horrifying sight: a Black Talon soldier, carrying the boys high above the treetops.

    "Disguised as a sand rat," she muttered, her voice cold and deadly.

    Though Sera lacked flying abilities, she was far from helpless. Activating her Gravity Blessing, she wrenched massive chunks of rock from the ground and sent them spiraling upward, forming a jagged path toward the soldier. Her aura flared, dark and suffocating, as she closed the distance with astonishing speed.

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    The soldier, an elite-tier Black Talon operative, felt the oppressive weight of her presence. He had studied Sera, the infamous former head assassin of Eltheris, back when he was still a novice. He knew he had no chance against her in direct combat.

    Realizing escape was impossible, he made a ruthless decision. With one sharp movement, he hurled Kael and Ardyn in opposite directions, each sent flying at deadly speeds.

    Sera moved faster than thought. Her shadows stretched unnaturally across the sky as she teleported to Kael''s shadow first. She leaped upward, catching him securely in her arms before vanishing into another shadow to intercept Ardyn. Her timing was flawless, and she caught the second boy midair before putting them both in her shadow.

    However, this brief exchange gave the soldier just enough time to activate his communication device. His voice crackled through the air:

    "Target identified: Sera of the Phoenix Clan. Requesting immediate reinforcements."

    Sera''s cold gaze locked onto the fleeing soldier. She whispered, "You won''t escape."

    Spotting the shadow of a low-tier Ember Hare darting through the forest below, she vanished again, reappearing directly in the soldier''s path. Her aura surged her speed on the makeshift stone platforms outpacing his frantic flight.

    The soldier tried to evade her, but she was relentless. In a blur of movement, Sera severed his limbs with precision, each strike leaving him unable to react. She didn''t use a weapon but instead pulled apart his limbs with her bare hands. Before he could even process the pain, she used her shadows to drag him down into her *Shadow Prison,* a space inside her own shadow, binding him with tendrils of darkness.

    As she secured the soldier, Sera methodically worked. The Shadow Prison was also used for storage. Pieces of cloth, stored within the prison and manipulated by her blessing, bound the soldier completely. She tightened the bindings around his arms and legs, ensuring there was no chance of movement.

    Using another shadow tendril, she forced open his mouth and restrained his jaw to prevent him from biting his tongue. All the while, she stopped the bleeding from his severed limbs, keeping him alive for interrogation.

    Without slowing, Sera began moving back toward the village, the soldier trapped in her shadow.

    By the time Freyheart landed in the village, his fiery aura extinguished as his wings folded behind him, the sight that greeted him filled him with dread.

    Aelina sat on the ground, clutching her stomach, her eyes red from tears. Luis stood frozen near Taran''s lifeless body, his fists clenched in helpless frustration. The air was thick with silence, the earlier chaos now replaced by grief. The nearby villagers stared at the children with fear in their eyes. Not because of the children but what the empire would do knowing there were Phoenix clan members here.

    Freyheart''s eyes clouded further, his fists tightening. Aelina looked up and whispered through trembling lips, "Father... they took Ardyn."

    A wave of fury passed through Freyheart, but before he could respond, a familiar shadow appeared on the ground. Sera emerged, her expression grim, her voice steady.

    "I''ve recovered Kael and Adryn," she announced, gently setting Kael and Ardyn down. "But we need to talk. Reinforcements are coming."

 Regrouping

    Freyheart''s fiery aura flickered with restrained fury as he stood in the aftermath of what happened in the village. Right as Sera arrived, two more powerful auras swept the surroundings, signaling the arrival of Isabella (Luis''s grandmother) and Bane.

    Isabella descended gracefully as her Phoenix wings disappeared. In her arms, she held a sleeping Lira. Bane landed next to Isabella, his energy feeling heavy, seemingly exuding raw power.

    Isabella spoke, "Freyheart, Sera, what happened here? I saw Lira running in the streets, panicked, and then sensed yours and Sera''s aura from afar."

    Freyheart stepped forward, crouching down to comfort his daughter. "Black Talons they came in undetected. They took Adryn and Kael, but Sera managed to recover them."

    "I captured the soldier, but he was able to call for reinforcements," Sera continued.

    Isabella''s gaze softened as she saw the figures of Luis and Aelina, who looked like they had been hit hard, their clothes messy and dirt-streaked from the ground. Her gaze darkened a bit when she looked at the lifeless body of Taran, feeling guilt that an unrelated person had to be involved in the Phoenix Clan''s mess. Isabella moved near Aelina and signaled for Luis to come to her. "Come here, my dear, let me help."

    Luis didn''t hesitate and moved forward. Flames danced around Isabella, golden and gentle. The fire exuded a sense of warmth that made Luis and Aelina calm down.

    "The fire won''t burn; it will heal you and help you feel more relaxed," she said as the flames moved to them.

    The flames stopped all the pain in their bodies. The flames felt like a warm embrace, momentarily making them forget all their worries. They felt a sense of renewed strength within themselves.

    Luis looked at her with a flicker of hope. With slight hesitation, he asked, "Grandmother¡­ can you help Taran?"

    Isabella''s expression darkened as she placed a hand on his shoulder while still holding Lira. "I''m sorry, Luis. His spirit is already gone."

    Bane stepped forward before Luis or Isabella could continue speaking. "Sera, let me interrogate the soldier. Send one of the Xoliti Clan members with me. We''ll figure out how they were able to get in undetected. Also, get the rest of the clan members into your shadow prison. We need to get out of here."

    Sera nodded and looked at Freyheart.

    Freyheart''s voice rang out. "Flameborn Connection." An invisible pulse radiated out of him in a two kilometer radius with clear instructions. "Everyone, please don''t be afraid of the shadows clawing at your feet. Enter them voluntarily. We''ve been discovered, and we need to leave. Spread the message outward. If you have the Flameborn Connection blessing, use it as well and repeat everything I said."

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    Sera''s shadow prison was very weak at pulling enemies in herself. She could cover the entire five-kilometer radius and try to drag everything in, but after 10 meters, unless it was voluntary, she wouldn''t be able to drag anyone in. This was why Freyheart needed to inform everyone.

    Freyheart''s blessing would only contact those who were part of the Phoenix Clan or those he had designated to inform. He was only able to designate ten individuals who were not Phoenix Clan members, but he didn''t need more than ten right now.

    Inside the Shadow Prison

    The shadow prison was an endless void of darkness, shaped into multiple rooms with different designs and sizes. Two men appeared in a dark chamber. It was surrounded by walls made of shadows on all sides. There was a soldier bound in the middle of the room, black tendrils holding him immobile.

    Bane''s eyes glowed red, and the room lit up slightly as he sent out a fire that formed a semicircle in the air behind the soldier. The flames were suspended in the air but moved as any normal fire would.

    The Xoliti Clan member stood on the side, having done nothing, waiting for Bane to instruct him.

    The soldier''s eyes darted in fear as Bane approached him. Bane activated a golden flame, the same as Isabella''s, that flowed and healed the soldier''s wounds, mending his broken limbs. The soldier felt the pain go away, but unlike with Luis and Aelina, there was no warmth¡ªonly a sinister feeling because he knew the Phoenix Clan''s torture methods.

    Bane had a childlike, wide grin across his face. "We can''t have you passing out before the fun begins."

    The soldier couldn''t keep his composure and started trembling, the weight of the shadows and Bane''s sadistic gaze making him panic more and more.

    Isabella crouched near Luis and Aelina as she placed Lira on the ground with Luis supporting her. "The shadows won''t hurt you. They will take you to your parents. You''ll be safe with them."

    Luis and Aelina glanced at each other but allowed the shadows to envelop them. They reappeared in a large room next to both of their parents, who seemed to have already entered before them. Luis''s parents held Kael, and Aelina''s mother held Adryn. Both their parents rushed toward them when they saw Aelina, Luis, and Lira appear.

    Sera''s focus remained razor-sharp as she made sure everyone was entering the shadow prison, her aura slowly draining. "I can maintain this for 10 hours with everyone inside. Also, Freyheart, there are three kids not going into the shadows four kilometers east. Go and make them go in."

    Freyheart quickly got up and flew east at full speed. Isabella placed a hand on Sera''s shoulder. "Ten hours is enough. We should head south near the Wrift Caverns. There are two towns on the way that have some more clan members. After taking them, we can regroup at the caverns and set up barriers with the Xoliti Clan members."

    "I have the clan members recorded from the towns you''re talking about. We shouldn''t use any blessings in those towns. I''ll teleport to them one by one and get them into the shadow prison. We shouldn''t leave much evidence."

    As Sera noticed the last kids enter the shadow prison, she also used her blessing on Isabella and Freyheart, signaling them to enter as well.

    Before entering, Isabella made the golden fire move to Sera, making her feel refreshed and charged with energy. "Good luck."

    Sera nodded and waited for them to enter. Sera did a headcount in her shadow prison one last time before moving, making sure all 80 members across the five villages were there. Sera grinned inwardly as she felt a rush of adrenaline spike.

    "It''s been a while since I''ve had to run. The chances of a legendary or mythical-tier person chasing me¡­ make it exciting."

 Tear in the Sky

    The village was a ghost town. With the disappearance of eighty Phoenix clan members across all five villages and the villagers residing in all the villages fleeing after the news that there were Phoenix clan members left the village deserted even though it had only been an hour. This was because of the stories of what the Black Talons would do when they found out that places were hiding Phoenix clan members. There was absolute silence in the villages, not a single sound could be heard.

    The silence was broken.

    A faint vibration, like a low hum, began to spread through the air. At first, it was gentle, easily mistaken for a trick of the wind. With every second the hum grew stronger and stronger until a small black dot appeared in the sky smaller than a grain of rice exuding an overwhelming amount of power.

    Above the village, the tear in reality began to grow. The air seemed to crackle and twist around it as if space itself were rebelling against what was about to happen. The small tear widened unnaturally, revealing a void of utter darkness dotted with shimmering lights that looked like distant stars.

    Then the hands appeared.

    Massive, veined with strength, and radiating an aura that crushed the very air around them, they gripped the edges of the tear. Slowly, deliberately, the hands tore the rift open wider and wider. The darkness beyond grew, spilling an oppressive energy over the land. The hands belonged to no ordinary human this was a feat no legendary-tier aura user could achieve. Only one of the mystic-tier warriors of the Drakarion Empire could wield such raw power.

    Through the rift stepped General Drazan, one of the twelve mystic-tier aura users of the allied enemy empires. Standing nearly eight feet tall, his body was a fortress of muscle and power. He wore black armor inscribed with runic symbols, each one pulsing faintly as if alive with energy. His eyes glowed a faint gold, and his presence alone made the air suffocating.

    Drazan glared into the ruined village, his gaze scanning the area as if searching for something. "Move, you worthless maggots!" he roared over his shoulder, his voice deep and filled with authority.

    From the rift behind him, a force emerged: thirty legendary-tier aura users, each wearing the emblems of the Drakarion Empire, their armor pristine and gleaming. Following them were 150 more soldiers, adepts, and advanced-tier warriors, their disciplined movements betraying their ruthless training. They spread out quickly, forming ranks in the destroyed village square.

    Drazan held the rift open for them, his hands radiating mystic-tier energy. "Hurry the fuck up!" he snarled, his golden eyes narrowing. "You think I''m doing this for fun? Move before I lose my patience!"

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    When the last soldier had stepped through, Drazan released the rift, letting it collapse in on itself with a soundless implosion. The sky returned to its previous state, but the air remained thick with the aftereffects of the tear.

    Drazan stepped forward, his towering frame exuding menace. He turned to the three figures standing apart from the other soldiers his commanders, legendary-tier warriors known only as One, Two, and Three.

    "Listen up," Drazan ordered. "One, you''re in charge of the search. Find her, Sera. The rumors say she''s legendary-tier but capable of killing mythical-tier fighters. I want to see if that''s true."

    Commander One, a tall, gaunt man with sharp features and a silver spear strapped to his back, nodded. "Understood, General."

    Drazan smirked, his voice growing louder, uncaring of who might overhear. "But make no mistake those old bastards in the empire aren''t going to waste my time tracking down a bunch of cowards. Find her, deal with her, and bring me somewhere to sleep, food, and women. I didn''t claw open space itself to starve in some godforsaken village."

    Commander Two, a burly man with a battleaxe resting on his shoulder, hesitated before speaking. "General, can you tell us what the aura traces here reveal?"

    Drazan tilted his head lazily. "Oh, right. Guess I should do what only mystic-tier aura users can."

    He closed his eyes, spreading his arms wide. The air around him began to ripple, and the aura in the entire region moved unnaturally, drawn toward him as if he were a vortex. The faint traces of blessings used in the village and the residual energy left behind began to glow faintly, visible even to those without high-tier sensory abilities.

    "Hmmm," Drazan muttered, his voice dripping with condescension. "Phoenix Clan blessings, no doubt about it. They''re faint but recent. There are also traces of an assassin''s blessing¡­ and something else. Faint. Disguised. I can''t decipher it."

    He chuckled to himself, the sound both amused and dangerous.

    Commander Three, a woman with dark eyes and twin swords at her back, stepped forward cautiously. "Did you discover something useful, General?"

    Drazan''s laugh grew louder, almost manic. "No, no. Not useful." He licked his lips, his golden eyes gleaming. "But I have heard there are some good-looking women in this kingdom. Make sure to bring them to me."

    As his laughter echoed through the ruins, Drazan''s internal monologue began.

    These idiots wouldn''t understand even if I told them. There''s essence here something unclassified. A creature''s presence lingers, something they must''ve tried to contain or hide. Could it be the Phoenix itself?

    If I reveal this, those old bastards back at the empire will force me to open more portals and send me on endless missions. What a waste of my time. I don''t need the Phoenix''s blessing for a longer life I''m young, strong. They''re the ones clinging to scraps of power. I would''ve taken the empire for myself if not for that damn old bastard at the mythical-tier

    Drazan scowled, the memory of his rival stoking his irritation. He glanced at his commanders, his expression hardening.

    "Get to work," he snapped. "I''ll be resting."

    As he strode toward the largest building in the village, his aura rippled outward, suffocating even the legendary-tier soldiers around him.

 The Shadows

    The sensations Luis experienced from going into the shadows were not what he expected. As he was being pulled into the shadows while holding his sister, the shadow hands pulling him sent tingles throughout his entire body. He felt as if hundreds of insects were crawling on his legs. That sensation didn''t last long, though, as after he entered the shadows, the sensation disappeared. Instead, he felt himself falling. His sister wasn''t with him anymore, and he couldn''t move. He was in the same position he originally was. Even though there wasn''t any air resistance and it didn''t feel like his speed was increasing as he fell, Luis could instinctively tell that he was falling further and further down. He wasn''t able to feel anything except the falling sensation. All he saw was darkness, heard no sounds, and smelled nothing. Since he couldn''t move, there was no sensation of touch either.

    He wasn''t able to tell how long he was falling because he couldn''t feel anything, which disoriented him a lot. Luis lost his vision for a split second. If before it felt like he could only see darkness, now he felt like he truly couldn''t see anything¡ªnot even darkness, just absolutely nothing, as if he passed out for a second. After that split second, the feeling of falling disappeared.

    Luis was surprised when he opened his eyes. He expected there to be more darkness, but to his surprise, the room was brightly lit with flames flying high above, illuminating everything. Luis was in a big circular hall with a ceiling that seemed to endlessly stretch upwards, along with the walls.

    Even though the flames illuminated everything, the room had no color. Everything in the room was black, seemingly made out of shadows. The scenery was unexpected: when Luis appeared in the hall, he was surprised that he wasn''t on hard ground, but on a soft sofa. The sofa also looked like it was made out of shadows and had no color except black, but it was surprisingly comfy.

    While Luis was still taking in his surroundings, one second after Luis appeared, so did Lira, on the couch next to him since it could fit two people. She was sleeping, sitting straight with her head resting on the couch. Before Luis could look at his surroundings further, he felt someone hug him from the front while he was looking at his sister.

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    "Luis! Lira!" His mother''s voice pierced his ears, confirming who it was.

    Her arms outstretched, pulling both Luis and Lira into a hug. Elena squeezed them both tighter. "Luis, I''m sorry I wasn''t there to help both of you. Sera told me what happened. You did well to fight and survive to protect your siblings," Elena said in a voice full of worry and relief.

    Before Luis could speak, he felt a pat on his head. He looked up to see his dad, who held Kael in one hand while he patted Luis on the head with the other. "Your grandmother said she put Lira to sleep because she used too much aura and she used her healing on Lira. I can sense it on you, so don''t worry about any injuries. You will be fine. I healed Kael, so he''s also fine."

    Luis felt a bit of worry when he first appeared in the hall because of the unfamiliar surroundings, but to his surprise, it all disappeared when his mom hugged him. He didn''t notice it, but it was because of the same ability his grandmother used. Elena was sending golden flames directly into both Luis and Lira. This consumed more aura, and you wouldn''t be able to see it because it wasn''t on the outside but sent directly inside. These flames were much more effective than what Isabella did, helping ease pain and calming them down much more. However, being a grandmaster aura user, Elena had already used 30% of her aura.

    With the flames in effect, Luis started to feel drowsy. He leaned on his mother''s shoulder, feeling like he could sleep at any second. Before he did, though, he moved his head back up from his mother''s shoulder. Surprised by the sudden movement, Elena lost concentration of the blessing for a short second, which made the drowsiness from Luis disappear. "Mom, Aelina was right next to me, but she didn''t appear like Lira," Luis said with a hint of worry in his voice.

    Noah spoke in a calm voice while continuing to pat Luis''s head. "Don''t worry about that. Aunt Sera can teleport people to different spots. I can sense her aura. She''s with her mother. You should just rest for now. Just close your eyes."

    Luis also wanted to say what he experienced and what happened with Taran. As he was thinking about that, he felt less and less scared about what he had just experienced. His thoughts seemed to have cleared, making him think about what he could have done differently in the situation. All his emotions related to worry and anxiety about what happened were disappearing, and before he knew it while blinking, he had fallen asleep on his mother''s shoulder. Everything that happened started to just feel like a bad dream before he slept.

 Self Doubts

    Five hours later

    Luis woke up to the feeling of a thick warm blanket draped over him. His mind was still sluggish from the chaos that he experienced.

    He moved slightly before noticing the weight of something on his sides. Resting on his shoulder, he leaned back on the couch, where his younger brother and sister nestled against him.

    Luis slowly sat up straight raising his head from the back of the couch making sure not to wake up his siblings. Looking around he again realized how big the space was the ceiling and walls stretching endlessly. Looking around he could see that countless figures filled the hall, some of them who he knew were Phoenix clan members in the village, some who he had seen in the villages but didn''t know were Phoenix clan members, and some who he had never seen before. Luis also felt like the hall had grown bigger than when he last saw it, now it was big enough to fit more people. He could see groups of people all having hushed conversations around the room.

    His eyes moved across the room until he spotted the backs of his parents in a bigger group near the center of the hall. All the people in the group seemed to have intense expressions and even from a distance, he could see the tension in their stances. While Luis was still looking around a figure from the group where his parents were turned around and gazed at Luis. With a subtle movement,t he gestured to Luis''s father that Luis was awake.

    By the time Luis looked back at the group where his parents were he was surprised to see his father was right in front of him a few steps away. Noah kept walking and crouched in front of Luis until they were at eye level.

    "What''s up, kiddo" his father''s voice was quiet but it carried the same warmth Luis knew.

    Luis swallowed his throat dry, he wanted to say something but he didn''t know what to say and how to say it, the words lingered in his chest.

    Noah''s gaze softened as he looked at Luis "How are you feeling?"

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    Luis''s hands tightened around the blanket, letting out a slow breath, Taran''s lifeless form haunted the edges of his thoughts.

    Taran.

    "I¡­" His voice caught, barely a whisper. He clenched his jaw, forcing the words out. "Taran''s gone."

    Noah''s expression didn''t change, but something in his eyes did. A flicker of grief, of understanding.

    Luis swallowed again, his hands curling into fists against his lap. "I couldn''t save him." The words felt bitter on his tongue, an admission that burned like fire. "I tried. I really tried, but" His breath shuddered, his voice breaking. "I wasn''t strong enough."

    Noah didn''t speak immediately. Instead, he sat down beside Luis, his presence solid and unwavering. Noah placed a hand on his son''s shoulder, a firm grip. Noah didn''t console him saying it was his fault or he did his best. He simply let Luis have his silence, allowed him to sit in the weight of his own grief.

    After a long moment, Noah exhaled. "You did everything you could." His voice was quiet, steady.

    Luis shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "But it wasn''t his fault Taran wasn''t a Phoenix clan member but bhe was just trying to help but because he was friends with me he''s gone. I¡­ wasn''t strong enough to help him."

    "It doesn''t matter if you are strong or not there are times when it will never be enough." Noah continued. "Not in war. Not in survival. No matter what we do, there will always be people we can''t save." He paused, his voice quieter. "That doesn''t make it your fault."

    Luis bit the inside of his cheek, the ache in his chest refusing to ease. He wasn''t sure he could accept that not yet.

    His father sighed, shifting slightly. "When I was younger, I watched people I cared about die, too." His voice was distant, his gaze fixed on the fire across the cavern. "I thought the same thing you did that if I had been stronger, if I had been faster, maybe they would''ve lived." He glanced back at Luis. "But that kind of thinking will eat you alive."

    Luis clenched his fists. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

    Noah was quiet for a moment. Then, he reached out, placing his hand over Luis''s. "You remember them. You carry them with you. And you keep moving forward."

    Luis exhaled slowly, his gaze looking at the floor. His grief wasn''t fully gone yet but his father''s presence did help make it a little easier for him to bear.

    "I don''t want to forget him," Luis murmured.

    "You won''t." Noah''s voice was certain. "You carry him with you, in every step you take." He tapped a gentle hand against Luis''s chest. "Here."

    Luis stared for a long moment before nodding his pain didn''t ease yet but the support of his father made so he didn''t feel alone anymore.

 Change of Focus

    Sera ran.

    For five hours, she had been in constant motion, her body a blur of shifting darkness against the landscape. She had already reached two towns, pulling every Phoenix Clan member she could find into her shadows. Now, with 146 people safely hidden within her *Shadow Prison*, she was making her way toward the Wrift Caverns.

    But she had one last stop.

    Her blessing *Shadow Clones* created twenty-five clones of her they had already scattered in every direction, weaving through forests, cutting across riverbanks, and even scaling rocky cliffs. Each one moved with erratic, unpredictable patterns, designed to confuse and mislead anyone following her. These clones couldn''t fight or attack, but they didn''t need to. They only had one job: to distract. If the Black Talons were tracking her, they would have to split their forces to chase each clone, making it harder to pinpoint the real Sera''s location.

    It wasn''t a perfect plan. Nothing ever was but it would buy her time. And time was the most valuable thing they had right now.

    Ahead, the final town before the caverns came into view. Unlike the larger towns she had visited before, this one was quieter, the streets nearly empty save for a few flickering torches swaying in the night breeze.

    She found a dark alleyway between two buildings where she let out a Xoliti clan member from her shadows.

    He didn''t speak after coming out he simply nodded and headed away.

    Isabella had spoken to Sera earlier through the *Flameborn Connection* the Xoliti clan member already knew what to do. His task was simple but crucial. To warn the Xoliti Clan that the Black Talons had developed a way to detect Phoenix Clan members.

    Her work here was done.

    The Wrift Caverns were waiting.

    With a final glance toward the town, Sera vanished into the night.

    Luis sat still, the weight of everything pressing down on his shoulders.

    Taran''s gone.

    The thought lingered, suffocating in its finality. He had been powerless to stop it to save him. That helplessness dug deep into his chest, a wound that refused to close.

    His father, Noah, seemed to sense it.

    Instead of pushing, he changed the subject.

    "Sera''s *Shadow Prison* is impressive, isn''t it?" he said, his tone casual.

    Luis blinked, drawn out of his thoughts. "Yeah¡­ it is," he admitted. Then, after a pause, he added, "I never really understood how she moves like that, though. It''s like she just appears in different places. It always looked like teleportation to me or her moving really fast."

    Noah smirked. "It''s not her moving fast."

    Luis frowned. "Then what is it?"

    His father leaned back slightly. "She''s teleporting it''s a blessing she got as the head assassin of the Eltheris Kingdom."

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    Luis stared at him. "¡­What?"

    Noah chuckled at his reaction. "Yeah, the head assassin. No one saw her coming unless she wanted them to."

    Luis struggled to process the information. Sera had always been dangerous, sure she carried herself like a seasoned warrior but the top assassin of an entire kingdom? That was on a completely different level.

    "So¡­ is that why she joined the Phoenix Clan?"

    Noah laughed. "Oh, no. Not even close. She was completely dedicated to her role as an assassin. She had no intention of leaving."

    Luis tilted his head. "Then why did she?"

    Noah grinned. "Because her next target was actually her future husband."

    Luis''s jaw almost dropped. "Wait what? She was sent to kill him?"

    "Yep," Noah said, clearly enjoying Luis''s reaction. "But when she found him, she fell in love at first sight and abandoned her mission. She left the kingdom behind and never looked back."

    Luis''s mind raced. That didn''t sound like the Sera he knew someone so pragmatic, so controlled. "But¡­ wasn''t everyone suspicious of her? I mean, she was an assassin. That''s not exactly someone you''d just trust right away."

    "Oh, absolutely," Noah confirmed. "The Phoenix Clan was very skeptical of her at first. But her husband, Caius, vouched for her. And together, they fought off every assassin that came after them."

    Luis absorbed that in silence.

    "¡­Why was she sent to kill him in the first place?" he asked.

    Noah''s expression darkened slightly. "Back then, the Phoenix Clan was powerful stronger than we are now. We had a lot of enemies. It''s likely that someone we defeated had deep enough pockets or something valuable enough to convince the Eltheris Kingdom to carry out the assassination."

    Luis let out a slow breath. "Aunt Sera never told me any of this. Are you sure it''s okay that you are?"

    "Oh yeah," Noah said, completely unbothered. "If anything, it''s better that you know. We probably won''t be staying in one place for long. It''s important you understand the abilities of the people around you."

    Luis nodded slowly, taking it all in. "¡­What happened to the Eltheris Kingdom?"

    Noah smirked. "They brought that on themselves. They went to another continent to subjugate an unclassified beast. Turns out, it was stronger than they expected. It followed them back here, destroyed their kingdom, and left."

    Luis blinked. "¡­That''s it? It just left?"

    Noah shrugged. "I guess it didn''t see the point in staying."

    Luis didn''t know whether to be impressed or terrified.

    Sensing the conversation was getting too heavy again, Noah smoothly changed topics.

    "If you still feel tired you should go back to sleep"

    Luis shaked his head "I don''t feel sleepy I don''t know how long I slept for but I don''t feel sleepy right now"

    "Well then Luis, you''ve been practicing your aura control, right? Want to show me how much you''ve improved?"

    Luis straightened slightly, nodding.

    "Good," Noah said. "Try imbuing aura into your eyes, ears, legs, and fingers. It''s harder to keep aura focused on smaller areas rather than spreading it across your whole body."

    Luis did as instructed, channeling aura into the four spots. He remained still, Kael and Lira were still asleep against his shoulders so he blinked slowly to indicate he had done it.

    Noah observed him for a moment, then switched to telepathic communication.

    [We should probably talk in our minds so we don''t wake your siblings.]

    Luis flinched slightly.

    [This is called *Flameborn Connection*. It lets you speak telepathically with another person. Just think what you want to say to them and you will be able to communicate.]

    Luis nodded mentally.

    Noah summoned small golden flames on each of his fingertips. The flames slowly condensed into perfectly circular shapes, floating just above all his fingertips.

    Luis expected them to be hot but they weren''t.

    "¡­They don''t burn?" he asked, surprised.

    Noah grinned. "Nope. No heat at all."

    Luis stared as the golden orbs floated toward him.

    [These flames will press against your skin just enough for you to feel them. When you do, send aura to that exact spot. It''ll make them disappear. They are made out of very small aura amounts and when they come in contact with another aura they will disestablish which is what makes them disappear.]

    Luis focused. As the flames touched him his arm, then his shoulder, then his calf he responded instantly, sending aura to each location.

    [This will make aura control more instinctive. When I first did this with my father, I didn''t think it would help. But over time, it made it easier to channel aura without thinking about it. It became natural. And when I reached the next tier, I realized I could feel my aura more clearly. It felt connected to me not like I was trying to forcefully move it.]

    Luis listened intently, determination burning in his chest. He didn''t want to feel weak anymore.

    Noah subtly used Luis''s own golden flame to keep his darker thoughts at bay, minimizing the effect so it wouldn''t interfere with his focus.

 Bonds

    Luis took a deep breath tired from using his aura. Luis could already tell what his dad meant using aura with the Aura Conduit Disk always felt rigid but using aura this way felt more fluid he was able to use it with more ease.

    ["That should be enough for now"] Noah''s voice spoke through *Flameborn Connection*. ["How did that feel? It was more fun than just focusing on a disk right?"]

    Luis nodded. ["I''ve been using the disk for a while, so this was more fun."]

    Noah chuckled. Then a thought struck him Luis probably didn''t have another Aura Conduit Disk since he would leave it in his room. With a flick of his wrist, a flame appeared in Noah''s hand, the flame started to hardened and change shape until it started to become a circular shape until it started to look like the shape of Aura Conduit Disk and then it started hardening, glowing with a deep red hue.

    Luis''s eyes widened in surprise. ["How did you do that?"]

    ["It''s made using a blessing I have called *Smithing*."] Noah held the disk up to Luis, letting Luis inspect it. ["It''s not from the Phoenix blessing, but from another beast a four-legged, eight-armed creature that forges anything into weapons. It could even shape elements like water, though it took longer to make them durable."]

    Luis ran a finger along the surface of the disk, feeling a slight warmth from it.

    ["I used a lot of aura while making this one so it won''t break easily. When you infuse your aura, the red color will dim where you focus it. When you''ve practiced enough it will break completely. When that happens, I''ll just make another one for you."]

    Luis gripped the disk tightly and looked at it thoughtfully. ["Thanks, Dad."]

    After a moment of silence between them Luis spoke again. ["Dad¡­ what are we going to do now? Where are we going?"]

    Noah answered his expression softening. ["We''re heading to Wrift Caverns. It''s at the edge of the kingdom. The Xoliti Clan will set up barriers so we won''t be detected."]

    ["And after that?"]

    ["We''re still discussing that. We have some plans, but we need to finalize them."]

    Luis nodded, digesting the information. Noah reached out and ruffled his hair. ["I''m going to keep talking with the others."]

    ["Alright."]

    ["In the meantime, you should talk to Mira and Rico."]

    Luis blinked. ["Mira and Rico?"]

    ["Yeah, I called them over. I''ll be back when Kael and Lira wake up."]

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    [Bye kiddo] Noah turned and left after saying that leaving Luis alone with his thoughts. He looked to his sides to see the twins sleeping beside him their breathes filling the quiet place.

    A few seconds after Noah left Mira and Rico arrived.

    Luis''s eyes immediately flicked to them. Both Mira and Rico looked way more mature than when he had seen them as a kid with them now being 23 years old. Mira hadn''t changed much, her hair had changed to red hair catching the soft glow of the cavern. But Rico¡­ Rico was almost unrecognizable. He had once been lanky, standing at six feet tall, but now he was broad-shouldered and athletic, his presence much more imposing than before.

    Rico grinned. "What''s up, Luis? How you doing?"

    "I''m fine."

    Mira gasped. "Oh my god, you looked so cute sleeping together!"

    Luis frowned slightly at that, but before he could respond, Rico chuckled. "Aren''t you tired? Don''t you wanna sleep more?"

    Luis shook his head. "No, I just slept. I feel fine¡­ I don''t know, though. It feels like I slept for a long time, but I can''t really tell in here."

    Mira tapped her chin before snapping her fingers. "Wait, I''ll ask my mom."

    She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them with a nod. "We''ve been here for five hours. We should be out of here in another five."

    Luis tilted his head. "Did you use *Flameborn Connection* to talk to her?"

    Mira smiled. "Yeah. That was my eleventh blessing. Pretty useful, right?"

    Luis blinked, then said, "Shouldn''t we be talking using that so Lira and Kael don''t wake up?"

    Mira and Rico froze before looking at each other in embarrassment. They both nodded sheepishly as if realizing they had been making an obvious mistake.

    ["Well,"] Rico finally said through *Flameborn Connection*, ["We came here to check on our cute little Luis. Our parents are all busy discussing what to do next with everyone else."]

    Mira''s expression softened. ["Luis, your dad told us what happened."] Her voice was gentle, careful. ["We know he talked to you about it, but if you need anything, just ask us, okay? We know how it feels to lose close friends."]

    Luis remained quiet not really knowing what to say and just nodded his head.

    Mira continued, ["We never told you, but we lost three of our older siblings. And Luis, you''re like our younger brother. We''ll help you with whatever you need."]

    Luis swallowed, then nodded. ["Thanks¡­ but I know what I want to do. I want to grow stronger."]

    Rico smirked. ["Well, we''re here, aren''t we? We''re both at the Master tier. Just ask us whatever you want to know. We remember what it was like going from Adept to Advanced it wasn''t decades ago for us like it was for our parents. It was only eight to ten years ago. We can help you more."]

    Luis smiled. ["Thanks."]

    A brief silence settled between them before Mira hesitated, then asked, ["Luis¡­ if you don''t mind, I want to ask you something. Were Lira and Kael with you at the end? Were they awake?"]

    Luis shook his head. ["They weren''t awake."]

    Mira exhaled her expression contemplative. Then she looked at him seriously. ["Luis, your dad told us to let him know when your siblings wake up. But¡­ I think it would be better if you lie to Kael and Lira."]

    Luis frowned. ["Lie?"]

    ["Tell them that Taran was fine. That Isabella was able to heal him, but he couldn''t come with the Phoenix Clan, so he''s still at the village."]

    Luis looked down at his siblings in thought

    Mira continued softly, ["It won''t change the fact that Taran will always be in your memories. But Kael and Lira are young. They don''t need to experience something like this yet. I don''t know what your parents will decide, but if they want them to learn about loss¡­ it''s better if it happens in the future."]

    Luis thought about it. Slowly, he nodded. [" I think the same. I''ll tell Dad that I said that to them."]

    Mira smiled. ["Okay. Now, do you want to tell us how you feel about being stuck at this stage? What''s the hardest thing for you right now?"]

    Luis glanced down at his hands, tightening them into fists.

 Wrift Caverns

    Whispers started to spread throughout the room. It was faint at first, but then they became louder and started layering over each other. Everyone had been told through *Flameborn Connection* that they had reached their current destination.

    Luis'' vision darkened again for a split second, like when he had first entered the *Shadow Prison*. Even though Luis wasn''t chained in the *Shadow Prison*, it felt like an invisible weight disappeared from him as his body was being released by Sera.

    Luis knew the name of the place they were going, but he didn''t really know what the caverns were. All he knew was that it was like a cave but bigger and underground. When coming out of the *Shadow Prison*, he had expected it to be dark, but to his surprise, it was fully lit up, brighter than the *Shadow Prison*. Looking around, Luis noticed that there were gems on the walls lighting up the cavern. The gems were all the same shade of blue, illuminating their surroundings. The gems were called Azurin Crystals. They were the main source of trade for the kingdom Luis''s family was in.

    Standing up and taking a breath, Luis could feel the weight of the world again¡ªthe pull of gravity on his body and the air pushing past him. The invisible force that had kept Luis in Sera''s ability had disappeared.

    The cavern was vast. Rock formations jutted out from the floor like fangs. A small stream ran through the cavern, disappearing into a narrow hole in the wall that only a child would be able to fit through. The ceiling also had rock formations protruding like fangs. It was high enough that if any of those rocks fell, it would be fatal.

    Luis then noticed a thin blue barrier starting to appear on the walls and ceiling of the cavern.

    A few feet away, the two Xoliti Clan members who had traveled with them had already moved into action.

    Luis watched as the Xoliti Clan members moved to different sides of the cave. They had both raised their hands, palms open to the walls. Aura spread around their bodies, glowing in a bluish hue outside their skin.

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    The air in the cave shifted it started to feel more breathable and less cold. The blue film surrounding the cavern walls faded after fully enveloping the cavern. As the blue barrier disappeared, small symbols appeared instead, glowing faintly on the walls and ceiling.

    The barrier was set up to seal the cavern entrance and act as protection, stopping people with abilities that could locate them.

    While Luis was still focused on the Xoliti Clan members, his mother approached from behind. She placed a hand on his head to make him realize someone was behind him.

    "Luis, everyone''s already been told what to do by Bane. We are gonna help set up tents. Do you wanna come watch or help out?" Elena asked in a gentle and soothing voice.

    Luis raised his mother''s hand from his head. "I''ll help out, but how are we gonna get tents?"

    "Oh, don''t worry about that. Aunt Sera can also carry supplies in her shadows it''s easier than carrying people," Elena replied.

    Elena pointed to her right, near one of the corners of the cave, where Noah and his siblings were already setting up tents. Although his siblings were just sitting on a rock and watching.

    "I told you with *Flameborn Connection* that we were gonna set up tents, but it looked like you were too focused on the barrier around the cave, so I told your dad to go first while I told you."

    Elena gestured for Luis to follow her. While following Elena, Luis looked around to see kids of similar ages to his siblings. Some were having fun, some were confused, and others were scared, clinging to their parents. Luis noticed that the older a person was, the more distressed they looked.

    Luis looked at his siblings once more. They appeared better than before. Once they were told that nothing had happened to Taran and that no one was harmed, their expressions eased. It also helped that Mira and Rico had lightened the mood when talking to Kael and Lira. Mira did leave halfway through to talk to Aelina and Ardyn.

    Getting closer to where people were setting up tents, Elena turned around and said, "Sorry, Luis. Looks like we have a change of plans. Can you take your siblings and head to that man who was setting up the barrier earlier? The tall, skinny man over there." She pointed at the man sitting near the stream, writing something on another kid''s arm.

    "He will place a protective barrier on you. It will also help stop people from detecting you. It''s what we have used to hide our Phoenix blessings, but way stronger. Also, Mira, Rico, and another person from a different village you don''t know are gonna be rounding up all the kids, so just ask them if you have any questions. Also, tell this to Kael and Lira, okay?" Elena said, smiling at Luis.

    Luis just nodded instead of responding.

 Protection Barrier

    Luis walked with his siblings, their footsteps being quiet. The Azurin crystals on the walls cast shadows on the ground as they moved. All around them were Phoenix Clan members setting up tents or moving supplies, while some were discussing plans.

    Luis was walking ahead to a group of children who were gathered in a loose circle. Mira and Rico were among them. Rico and Mira''s voices carried in the caverns as they played a game to keep the kids distracted.

    A few feet away from the loose circle of kids, a Xoliti Clan member sat on the ground, inscribing glowing symbols on the arm of a kid. He wore a relaxed expression as he placed protective markings on each kid one by one.

    Luis and his siblings'' steps slowed as they observed the process. Then, he gestured for the kid to go away and looked at Mira and Rico to send another one. His eyes flickered to Luis and his siblings for a brief second before going back to inscribing. Mira and Rico noticed Luis after they followed the man''s eyes. Mira excitedly waved at them while Rico gave a smile.

    Before they could continue walking towards the circle, another person appeared before them. He was a tall man, six feet tall, with black hair that looked tousled, and his dark eyes reflected the cavern''s light. He had a daunting frame, but the smile on his face made him look friendly and more approachable.

    "Well, looks like you''re here for your turn," he said, his voice relaxed. "Welcome, my name is Sylas, and what you''re gonna be doing is putting protection inscriptions on your arm. They will help protect you if you are in danger. Also, I will tell you guys when it''s your turn. Got it?" he said in a rehearsed tone.

    "You''re not gonna get any inscriptions for now. You can just relax, maybe play with the others." He looked towards Rico and Mira. "Mira and Rico have been keeping everyone occupied."

    Luis, Lira, and Kael exchanged glances with each other before turning back to him.

    Kael''s brows furrowed. "We have never seen you in the village before."

    Lira nodded. "Yeah, how have we never seen you at the village before?"

    Sylas laughed. "Well, do you know Sera?"

    Kael and Lira perked up instantly. "Of course, we know Aunt Sera!" Kael said.

    "I''m her disciple," Sylas replied.

    Luis''s eyebrows rose in confusion. Aunt Sera''s disciple? He thought he would have seen him if he was her disciple.

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    Easily able to see the thoughts on the kids'' faces, Sylas chuckled and moved his hands, forming an intricate shadow dragon about a meter tall. Each of its dragon scales was easily visible, and its mouth showed its fangs. Luis and his siblings were surprised by the complicated design of it and how effortlessly Sylas made it. "See? I''m using shadows just like Master Sera."

    Luis didn''t move, but Kael and Lira instantly tried touching the dragon. However, as soon as they touched it, the shadows broke and fell. "The shadow was weaker ''cause I focused on design rather than stability."

    "Wait, if you''re Aunt Sera''s disciple, why have we never seen you before?" Luis asked.

    Sylas crossed his arms, still smiling. "I was in a different village, so you wouldn''t have seen me. Also, I am eight years older than Mira and Rico. Master Sera trained me since I was a kid, so I don''t need more training. Okay, that''s enough talking." Sylas then pointed to Luis. "You''re up first. The rest go group up with Rico and Mira they will keep you entertained."

    Kael and Lira listened and headed toward Mira and Rico. Sylas then took Luis to the Xoliti Clan member while making sure to keep a watch on the kids'' shadows.

    Luis followed him in silence, listening to his footsteps as he stepped on the cavern floors while staring at the glowing Azurin crystals.

    As Luis arrived with Sylas, the Xoliti Clan member who was sitting on the floor looked like he was just about to finish putting a barrier on the kid before him.

    "Okay, Luis, just follow what this nice man says and then head over to the circle, okay?" Sylas said while raising a fist towards Luis with a thumbs-up gesture.

    Luis nodded and stared at the Xoliti Clan member. He had a fierce look with a sharp gaze, but it wasn''t a scary or unkind look. As the kid before Luis got up, the Xoliti Clan member gestured to him. "Come sit down here," he said, pointing at the same spot the other kid sat.

    "Extend out your right arm all the way and turn so you''re facing away from me while the right side of your right arm faces me."

    Luis did as he was instructed, and then he looked to his right and saw the man''s fingertips glowing. After they started glowing, he slowly started to trace a few patterns on Luis''s arm. Luis could feel the strange sensation of the energy on his arm. It wasn''t anything that felt too gross or weird that would make him tingle, but instead, it just felt warm.

    The man spoke as he worked. "What this does is protect you from attacks multiple weak attacks and even one strong hit from an elite-tier aura user. But it will break after the attack, and it doesn''t last long either only one day. I can make it stronger, but then the aura usage amount increases too much, and I won''t be able to put one on everyone. Another thing it does is help you hide from detection blessings."

    As the man finished the sentence, he raised the finger he was using to trace on Luis''s arm. The symbols still glowed for a few seconds before disappearing. "And that''s it. You now have a barrier for one day, but don''t rely on it too much."

    "That''s it?" Luis replied in surprise. He hadn''t expected it to end so fast it only took a minute or two.

    "Yep, that''s it. Now go join the rest."

    Luis stood up, still a bit surprised at how fast it was. He couldn''t even feel the barrier unless he really focused on it, which surprised him more. When he did focus on it, the barrier felt like the rock golem blessing but more complex. He didn''t know how to explain it, but it felt like they had the same principles, except one was way more advanced.

 Practice

    Two days passed with nothing happening. Both the days had the same rhythm helping set up tents, and staying with Rico, Mira, and Sylas because they weren''t allowed to not be in a group. Luis had just spent the last two days using his aura disk and trying to advance to the new tier.

    On the second day, he was almost there. Luis was able to split his two cores into four cores but he was not able to keep them stabilised. When the core increased in size after splitting it took too much concentration from Luis to keep their shape. It felt like the aura was going against him not wanting to become a core. In the end, Luis was able to keep the four cores for five minutes but after that, they broke apart. Luis wasn''t able to try again as when the cores broke the aura dissipated outside of his body.

    Luis planned to also practice today as he felt that he was almost there, he felt that he needed a tiny step more. However. today Luis could feel anticipation for something in the air, he realized what it was when he overheard two adults having a conversation.

    He heard them talking about finally leaving the place tomorrow morning. Luis was excited to finally leave the place. The realization placed a sense of urgency on him but it also felt uneasy to leave there, it felt like it was a calm before the storm.

    Luis was looking at the glowing crystals on the wall while moving a small box to the temporary cooking area set up when someone lifted up the box from his hands from beside him.

    Luis looked to his side realising it was his dad. "Let me help you move this kiddo." His dad said as he grabbed the box with a smile on his face.

    "I could have done it myself," Luis said to express that it wasn''t tiring to lift it.

    "Yeah yeah I know you can Luis, I came over for a different reason. I saw how hard you have been practicing the last two days and how you were so close yesterday. So I came to ask if you wanted to try something different today for practice."

    Luis nodded in excitement "I can do it right now" he said because of how monotonous he was feeling the past two days.

    "Well, kiddo it will be a bit challenging. We are gonna have some first-hand experience fighting a low-tier creature. Are you sure you''re up to it?" Noah said in a serious tone.

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    Luis tensed up a bit because his thoughts went to the last time he had fought but he still said with a small pause "Yes I can do it"

    Noah not speaking seriously anymore replied in a kind tone while smiling "Okay let''s drop this off first and on the way I''ll tell you what we are gonna be fighting."

    Luis nodded in agreement.

    "We are gonna go after Sand Strikers. They are the same shape as sand rats the ones that were near the villages but these are more agile and smart. They only move in groups and can launch sand multiple times in succession instead of just once in a few seconds. And there''s something special about their sand. Their sand attacks can pierce the skin. So you''re gonna have to have great aura control to move your sure to guard against the attacks. Their attacks are not strong enough to go through your golem blessing but they all start targeting the same place if they can''t pierce the skin of a creature. So you''re gonna have to move the aura in your body to make your skin more durable where they are attacking. The fight is gonna test your reaction time and some practical experience for your fight. So you ready?"

    Luis didn''t immediately respond he felt anxious at the thought of fighting again but he also felt a strange sense of excitement to be able to finally have some practical experience instead of just training. Looking at his dad''s calm demeanour he got the confidence boost he needed. "They don''t sound too strong I can do it" Luis replied.

    "Okay let''s go then."

    Luis had expected to walk out of the caverns but after he and his dad took the box to the cooking area his dad told him to stand still. Which is when they were engulfed by shadows and teleported outside the caverns to the middle of a forest. The sun shone brightly through the leaves above them.

    Luis had expected the area to be surrounded by jagged rocks like where the golems were but to his surprise the area was lush with greenery.

    Taking Luis out of his thoughts Noah started explaining about the surroundings. "I know it''s surprising but all the caverns are below this forest. There are small caves that lead to the caverns all around this forest. This forest is also dangerous it mainly has mid-tier creatures or tier two creatures depending on what you call them."

    "The sand strikers are one of the only low-tier creatures here and that''s only because they hunt in groups. There are even some high-tier creatures that roam around in the forest. Well you don''t have to worry about that Aunt Sera said she will pull any creatures higher than tier one away from here so you don''t have to worry about encountering them."

    Luis replied by nodding as he was still taking in the surroundings.

 Airborn

    After taking in his surroundings, Luis spoke, "So how are we gonna look for the Sand Strikers."

    "Oh, you don''t have to worry about that. You''re gonna fly right in the middle of them," Noah said casually

    "WHAT?"

    "Don''t worry. I asked your Aunt Sera to place a net ahead it''s made out of shadows it will catch you," Noah replied as he grabbed Luis from the middle of his shirt on the back and the top of his trousers. Lifting him up in the air at a 90-degree angle.

    "Wait, wait, wait the trees!!"

    "I won''t miss. Just activate your golem blessing and move your aura to cover your head and arms you will survive. And I will be taking care of any strong creatures near you so fight without worries."

    Luis tried to still argue for his dad to not throw him but before he could get his words out his dad threw him full speed in the air.

    Instead of words coming out as he was thrown, unexpectedly to himself, Luis made a yelp out of fear.

    The wind slammed into his eyelids, almost closing them shut, but instinctively, Luis moved his arms above his eyes to stop the wind.

    From the peripheral vision around his arms, which Luis used to block the wind, he could see he was getting closer and closer to the top of the trees. He didn''t fully know if where he was being flung through from had branches covering the sky or not but he still activated his golem blessing and moved aura in his head and arms for protection.

    Luckily or by precision from his dad Luis went past the small clearing at the top of the trees leaves and branches.

    Normally Luis may have taken in the view but today he didn''t have the luxury. It had taken only a few seconds to go from the ground to above the trees. Which was not enough time for Luis to compose himself.

    Suddenly the wind pushing his arms stopped normally it would have been a could thing but it had only stopped because Luis wasn''t going up anymore. He had reached the apex of how high he was flung where he stayed for half a second before falling down again.

    Looking down, all Luis could see were leaves. The amount of leaves hid the branches; he couldn''t tell if he was gonna fall through leaves or leaves and branches.

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    As he started the fall downwards, Luis wasn''t even able to get the words out to scream; he just screamed ("nooooooooooo") in his mind as he fell.

    Unlike when going up, Luis didn''t have his body straightened. Instead, he was on his back as he was not able to change directions mid-air and was spinning uncontrollably.

    Luis believed that he didn''t have fear of fight but he felt that it might have changed because of today.

    Luis didn''t realise when he was about to hit the leaves of the trees becaus he was spinning but luckily he didn''t hit any branches and only fell through some leaves.

    Luis tried swinging his arms and legs to try and stabilise himself to see properly where he was falling, but it just wouldn''t work.

    He expected to fall down much longer but to his surprise he hit something. As he had spun to face down when he hit it. He realise that it was the net made out of shadows that his dad told him about.

    The net was attached to five different trees in a pentagon formation where there was a small clearing below.

    Luis was about 35 meters off the ground when the net caught him. The net didn''t abruptly stop him. The net fully stretched from where it caught him till the ground fully reduced Luis''s fall.

    The net floated just a few centimetres above the ground when it reached the bottom before dissipating and dropping Luis very slightly.

    "Ugh," Luis groaned from the fall, not because it hurt but because of the entire experience because it felt like a lot to him.

    Luis slowly stood up to get the leaves off his shirt, but before he could get them off he heard rustling coming from in front of him.

    Looking towards the sound of movement, Luis noticed six creatures emerging from behind the trees in front of him. Their bodies were dust-coloured, and leaves seemingly clung to them, helping them blend in with the surroundings. Their black eyes gleamed as they locked onto Luis.

    Luis tensed up

    The creatures weren''t running away

    They were stalking

    One of the creature''s mouth twitched

    Whoosh

    A blast of sand shot towards his chest. Luis barely dodged to the right, making the attack hit his shoulder instead.

    A dull stinging pain ran throughout his shoulder

    Then, less than a second later another one attacked

    Whoosh

    This time, he got hit in the ribs, which knocked the breath out of his lungs.

    Luis instantly activated his Lynx blessing

    None of the attacks had pierced Luis''s skin because of the golem blessing, but the pain was not bearable.

    With the Lynx speed blessing activated, he rolled to the side, being able to dodge the attack in time.

    Luis also noticed something the attack that hit him in the ribs didn''t hurt as much as the first one. The only difference he could see in the two attacks was the distance they were launched from.

    Luis assumed the longer the range, the less damage it meant.

    Then, the six rats all moved in closer, slowly spreading around Luis in a circle.

    Luis would have moved forward to attack, but he didn''t have a weapon on him. His daggers were left in the village.

    His eyes darted around, trying to find something before the Sand Strikers fully circled him.

    Then he noticed it a stick on the base of one of the trees. It seemed forty centimetres long.

    Which was perfect because he needed to increase his range of attack.

    Luis darted to his left across the clearing to the stick.

    The rats hadn''t formed a full circle around Luis. It was only a semi-circle.

 Instinct

    As Luis ran, five Sand Strikers launched attacks on him from behind him.

    Luis had expected this, so he ran along a zigzag path. Narrowly avoiding the attacks.

    Two attacks hit him in the arm and leg, but Luis endured the pain and kept running, just focusing on his balance.

    There was one Sand Striker in the direction Luis was running in, but it hadn''t launched an attack.

    It waited and waited until Luis was close to it. As soon as he was only three meters away, it launched an attack on him.

    Luis quickly raised one of his hands to block the sand attack.

    This time, the pain rattled his bones.

    Getting closer, Luis used his other arm to try to hit the Sand Striker, but it was too agile, dodged his fist, and retreated back.

    It didn''t matter to Luis, though he lunged for the stick and then hid behind the tree.

    Luis waited a few seconds, catching his breath, and slowly peeked from behind the tree to see that all the Sand Strikers had moved forward now in groups of two.

    As he peeked, he was instantly shot at by two of the Sand Strikers.

    Luis barely moved back behind the tree, seeing the sand attacks pass by where his body just was.

    Luis looked down, grabbing another two sticks from the ground. He took a deep breath to relax and then tossed the sticks to the left of where he was standing behind the tree.

    And then he dashed to the right of the tree. Two of the sand attacks were launched on the sticks.

    Another two were shot at Luis.

    They hit him in his legs.

    Both attacks were aimed at his legs, making him almost stumble. The attacks went through the golem blessing. There were tiny dots on his skin below the knee where small amounts of blood started pouring out from.

    The pain was even more intense this time, but Luis still propelled himself forward, going to the two closest rats.

    Luis hadn''t seen the blood on his leg, but he noticed from the last attack that they were now aiming for the same spot, and if he didn''t move his aura to strengthen his body where the attacks would land, he wouldn''t be able to survive.

    As he got within three meters again, the two Sand Strikers launched two more attacks at him. Both aimed at his head.

    He made aura go to his head, and with the golem blessing, he was able to withstand the attack.

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    Then thinking to himself that he finally had some reach. He clenched the stick tighter in his hand and swung at the Sand Strikers.

    Luis swung horizontally. Since they were lined up, he hit the first one, but the second one was able to dodge.

    The first one was sent flying and crashed on the ground, not getting up.

    Right after the attack, Luis was hit by another barrage of attacks four this time.

    Two were aimed at his head and two at his left leg where he was bleeding from.

    Luis focused his aura on his head because it was easier for him to move his aura to a place he had just moved it, but he was a second too late to move it to his leg. They hit the same spot he was bleeding from right below his knee.

    Luis stumbled to the ground, groaning. He glanced at his foot, finally noticing the blood that ran to his ankle. Seeing the blood intensified the pain more.

    Before he could get up to go on the offensive, five more attacks were launched at him three on his leg and two to the left side of his stomach.

    He was able to block the attacks on his legs, but the open wounds were not strengthened enough, causing him more pain.

    He also wasn''t able to block the attack on his side, causing more tiny holes where he bled from.

    Luis was in a lot of pain, but it wasn''t as bad as when he fought the golems. He knew if he didn''t get up, he would continuously be pummeled by attacks.

    Luis expected more attacks as he was getting back to his feet, but they didn''t fire any more.

    One of the sand strikers just joined the group of two, making it a group of three, and the other group just distanced itself from the group of three.

    After he didn''t get attacked when standing up, Luis could only assume one thing. They can''t continuously launch too many attacks.

    He dashed forward to the group of three with his leg stinging with pain.

    As he dashed at the group, another five attacks were launched at him. Two aimed at his leg and two at his head. And one at his right arm, the one holding the stick. Luis was able to move the aura to his head and leg to protect them. But not his arm.

    The arm exploded with pain, even though it didn''t pierce the golem''s blessing.

    Luis kept going, and as expected, more attacks were not instantly launched at him. Luis closed the distance to twenty meters before more attacks were launched at him. Two at his left leg and two at his right arm, and one at his injured leg.

    Since there was a second for Luis to react before each attack hit, he first focused on moving his right leg slightly so the attack wouldn''t hit the injured part, and then he moved aura to his arm and legs.

    He blocked the attacks and was able to close the distance further, but fighting and moving at full speed while controlling his aura was taking a toll on him. Worst of all, even if he blocked the attack,s he would still feel pain from the force of the attack.

    With the speed blessing from the Lynx doubling his speed, he was able to close the twenty-meter distance very fast. This time, he swung the stick vertically down on the middle sand striker. It wasn''t able to dodge fast enough and got crushed into the ground.

    The other two sand strikers moved to the sides of Luis and launched more attacks. Luis knew they launched attacks on his sides, but he was focused on the other group another twenty meters away because they had launched an attack at his injured leg.

    Luis was struggling mentally because of how much he had to move his aura focused only on the injured leg.

    Luis''s aura flared. Luis had only focused on defending the leg. But instincts also wanted to block the attacks on the sides.

    Luis hadn''t noticed it, but instead of focusing intensely two block both of the sides of his stomach which was were the other two attacked. His aura moved there instinctively.

    Luis didn''t know why the attacks on the sides felt so much less painful because he hadn''t noticed it, but he just focused on attacking.

    Luis focused on the one too his right side. He knew he had a few seconds of pause before the next attacks, so Luis went on the offensive.

    Throughout the fight, Luis hadn''t been using aura to strengthen his legs, arms, or other body parts so he could run faster, but instead just focused on using his aura to defend since he couldn''t do both.

    But he had been thinking about it. Those instincts were helping him now. It felt like a weight had been lifted off him. Luis felt faster. He struck the sand striker on his right side more easily because his body moved faster because of the aura he was now instinctively moving through his body. Which he would have done before if he had perfect control over his aura in his body.

    Luis''s speed was very slightly increased in comparison to when he used his Lynx blessing. But the aura brought out power in his body, and it was currently travelling through every part of his body not just a few limbs.

    After taking down the sand striker to his right easily because it didn''t expect the increase in Luis''s speed.

    Luis turned back to target the other Sand Strikers. They launched three more shots at him, but because of the golem blessing and now his aura, he remained unharmed.

    But to Luis''s surprise, as he was about to attack, the Sand Strikers turned around and started fleeing.

    Luis decided not to chase them as it seemed unnecessary.

    They scurried back into the woods, and Luis was finally able to use aura throughout his entire body.