One month later
A month had already passed since Luis had come to the Xoliti clan headquarters, or city, some would say.
Each day blended into the next, Luis didn't notice the time fly by. He was just focused on training.
Trying to reach the next stage, his dad said the key to achieving the next stage was manifesting aura outside your body.
Luis had spent the past month just training to try and manifest aura outside his body. Luis had to make his aura tangible. Not just something felt inside his body.
Luis expected something grand to happen when he made aura outside his body. But all that happened was him making strings of aura.
After two weeks of practicing, all he could do was make tiny threads that floated off his hands, like spider silk. He wasn't able to move them or shape them, they just floated off his fingertips.
Translucent energy that wobbled with every breath he took. He was tempted to ask his dad for more help, but he couldn't.
His parents, Noah and Elena, always seemed busy these days. Day and night, they were out somewhere doing something for the Phoenix clan. Whenever they came back at night, it was either to introduce someone to Luis and his siblings, or they would come back and just go to sleep, looking very exhausted every day. Seeing the exhaustion in their eyes, Luis never felt like asking for more help, it didn't feel right.
It wasn't like Luis had anyone else to go and ask either.
Raien, Sera, Bane, Freyhart, Isabella, and many more strong people from the Phoenix clan had disappeared. Luis didn't know what they were going to go and do, but his parents just told him it was something important for the Phoenix clan.
Even though there were some people who were still here, they all seemed so busy, always having something to do, especially Rico and Mira.
Because of which all Luis did was keep practicing, not stopping. Practicing every day, Luis had started to make the threads start appearing a bit faster, but they still never did what he wanted them to.
Luis decided that tonight he was gonna ask his parents, he felt like he had made enough progress alone. He had increased the speed of the threads emerging a lot. Before, it took him a minute of concentration to make any aura appear outside his body, but now he could do it in twenty seconds.
Luis waited until nighttime because that was the ti his parents usually came home these days. He had planned to just wait by the door, but after he got tired a bit, he just laid down on his parents' bed and waited. Luis almost dozed off because of the warmth of the blanket on the bed when the door creaked open.
Luis's mother paused when she saw him.
"Luis?"
Luis's mother's voice was gentle but curious
Luis sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes.
"What's up, Luis? Did you want to ask something?" Then, with a smirk forming on her face, she said in a teasing tone, "Or did my baby have a nightmare? Don't worry, Luis, mommy's here."
Luis stood upright from the bed, slightly flustered. "No, I wanted to ask how to use aura outside of my body."
"Well"
She said while walking towards him and sitting on the bed. "Why don't you sit beside me and show me how much progress you have made. Your dad did tell me he told you to self-study for a while."
Luis sat on the edge of the bed, with his hands stretched outwards, fists closed. A second passed, then two, and so on until threads started appearing out of Luis's hands.
The threads swayed, floating like they were in an invisible breeze. Luis frowned because of the focus he had to use. "This is all I can do."
Elena chucked at the tense look on Luis's face because he was focusing on speaking and keeping the threads out at the same time. "That's very impressive, Luis."
Luis thought she was being sarcastic because of the laughter, but looking up and seeing her genuine expression of amazement, he realised she wasn't being sarcastic.
"You can stop now, Luis," she said while patting his head. "The reason your dad wanted you to practice by yourself was so you could just get used to bringing aura outside your body. And I know my little Luis tries his hardest, which means you have probably done enough."
After taking a small sign, "Since your father has been busy with clan stuff, I'll teach you the next step myself."
Luis nodded eagerly
"Outstretched your arms again, but don't project aura outside your body this time. Instead, just put as much aura as you can into your hands."
Luis did as told
As soon as Luid gathered as much aura as he could in his hands. His mother grasped both his hands at his wrists. "Now, Luis, don't try and reject my aura, I'm gonna use my aura to help you, you will understand what I mean. Also, my aura will feel weird and uncomfortable, but don't try to reject it, don't even think about it, because it's very easy to take someone else's aura out of your body."
Elena's aura flowed through Luis, it had a warmth to it, but it also felt weird, like something that wasn't supposed to be inside him.
"Don't resist it, just remember the feeling you're going to experience.
Then it happened, Luis felt what his mother had meant when she said you would understand.
His mother's aura surrounded the aura in Luis's hand. The aura guided Luis's aura. It took Luis's aura outside of his body, but didn't cut the connection from his body. Luis could still feel how his aura moved.
His aura slowly transformed into many shapes. A gauntlet, a dagger, a sword, a claw, and so forth. The transformations were very slow and deliberate. It was slow, so Luis could feel the way the aura moved to make each shape. Some movements are more intricate than others.
His mother's voice was calm and told him what part of his aura he needed to focus on.
"Focus on how the hilt is made, remember the difference in the shape between each weapon's blades. Don't lose focus or zone out, and close your eyes if it helps you focus on the aura more. With this weapon, pay attention to how the aura in the air interacts with your aura. How does your aura move out the aura in the air. The way your aura interacts with your surroundings and how it resists the air."
Luis closed his eyes, only focusing on the sensations in his hands, feeling the aura outside his body, the different shapes it took.
This was nothing like the small threads of aura Luis could produce. It wasn't like anything he had done before. The sensation felt so alien. And more than anything, the feeling of the aura in the air interacting with his own aura felt weird. Instead of absorbing aura like usual, he had to push it away.
Luis's heart was pounding when his mother let go of his hands.
Luis opened his eyes in awe, his breath caught in his throat. He had never experienced anything like this. "Wow," he whispered.
Elena smiled while ruffling his hair. "Now just remember this feeling and go to bed, it's very late now."
Luis wanted to protest so he could experience it again, he wanted to understand how it worked more, "But.."
"No, it's too late now, and look at how much aura you actually have left. Go to your room and sleep, I better not see you awake and practicing, I will go to your room to check."
Luis only pouted and didn't argue while walking back to his room because he knew she would actually check his room.
Even though he couldn't practice more, he still felt happy, it finally felt like he knew what to do next.
Back in her room, Elena realised she had forgotten to explain to Luis the next step. [" I guess I'll tell him tomorrow"]
........
Luis Tatcheton
Advanced Tier - 4 cores
Age 12
Height 5'5
Short Black Hair
Bright Brown Eyes
Host of the Phoenix Essence
Baby Rock Golem Blessing, Blessing name: Phantom Leather
Lightning Lynx Blessing, Blessing name: Tempest Flow