29 29 - Ki Aura

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In the desire to achieve equilibrium,

To reject the downfall to infernum,

One must take caution

Unless the intention

Is to aid the black rose's bloom. 

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"Alright!" cheered Aisia as she pumped her fist into the air.

"For now, it would be easier if we sat down," Grisia said, sitting himself down on the snowy grass, cross-legged.

The two mimicked him.

"Now, hold the back of your dominant hand with your other hand and make them both face upward. Afterwards, place both of your wrists on your thighs without breaking that connection," he said while showing the two. "This is to create another bridge for the sensation that will flow in one direction. It doesn't matter which direction it flows, as long as it's unchanging."

Once they've done what he instructed and rested their arms on their legs, Grisia continued, "Close your eyes. Breathe in and breathe out, slowly now."

The two did as they were told, slowly inhaling and exhaling the cold air.

"You may breathe through your nose, your mouth, both simultaneously, or in alternate, it does not matter. What matters is that you're comfortable. Straighten your back and clear your head. Think of nothing. Only follow my voice." 

It took them a minute or so for the rhythm of their breathing to slow down to a pace that was acceptable to Grisia.

"Good. Keep breathing in and out slowly. Feel the stillness of the air and the involuntary motions inside your body. The beating of your heart, how it pulses out to your limbs. Feel the throbbing of your veins from your connected hands and the nerves in your head."

As they tried to follow his words, both of them started to quicken their breathing instead. This was not what Grisia intended, but it was within his expectations.

He advised, "Your breath is hastening. Slow down. There is no need to rush. You may fail and simply do it again. There is no pressure. We can stay in this phase for the remaining time we have left, and we have quite a lot of time."

Grisia's assurance helped them stabilize their breath and he was starting to see their faint ki replicate the calm rhythm of their breathing.

"Again. Breathe in, breathe out. Keep at it. Remember this feeling, this rhythm. This will help you get used to it."

He remained quiet for the duration of their meditation as it would greatly help them in their concentration.

As their ki aura grew, the more fickle it became. Every time it started to fluctuate for too long, he reeled them back in with his words. Otherwise, he let them deal with it on their own.

"You're doing great. At this rate, you'll awaken your ki early," he reported to them. He was surprised by how Aisia had the patience to remain still.

She always becomes restless and unruly whenever she gets bored, acting up whenever there wasn't enough stimulation. Her search for fun and adventure was endearing and healthy, but sometimes it came at the cost of a turbulent behavior and a mischievous nature. He thought about how he should've spent more time with her, which may have steered her away from seeking attention and purpose from thievery.

It seemed that even quiet activities like meditation can hold her lively energy down. He wondered if she was under intense focus because this activity was a part of combat training. He may be able to make use of this information in raising and dealing with Aisia in their day-to-day life.

He began to ponder about how Aisia would behave once she reached her rebellious phase as a young adolescent in a few years. Meditation and ki practice might curve the upcoming natural increase in rowdiness by giving her the opportunity to self-reflect more.

Days passed and they kept up their training. With no bakery duty to be distracted from, they progressed faster and faster with their training. All they did after warming up was sit and meditate, day in and day out, following Grisia's instructions, but none of them felt like they were aimlessly wasting their time. It was far from a leisurely hangout, they were sharply focused on heeding Grisia's guidance.

After a few more minutes of silence, they were finally managing the inconsistencies of their ki aura on their own, albeit barely. Their auras were still rough and scattered, and had yet to turn into a color. Currently, they were an empty canvas.

It was peculiar how Kairo's ki showed no color. He could understand why Aisia's ki was colorless, since she only recently became aware of this power, but he witnessed Kairo emanate a ki devoid of light coated in a thin, malicious red before.

Grisia also examined that Kairo was not as far ahead as he predicted. Or perhaps Aisia was simply catching up to Kairo's undiscovered proficiency despite her learning of and using it only recently, he thought.

Days turned into nights as the sun followed the moon. Every day was the same.

Day in, day out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Wake up, eat, jog, meditate, sleep, repeat. The two of them felt it, they were beginning to grasp something. They were so close. And so, one morning...

"It should be about time," Grisia finally spoke, disturbing their concentration by a small amount. "As you maintain the rhythm of your breathing and feel your heartbeat throughout your entire body, without moving, focus on your limbs. Reproduce the feeling of when you become cautious of your surroundings. I order you to intentionally get the shivers on your arms, legs, and back."

Deliberately have goosebumps? They could do that. And he knew they could at this point.

Once Grisia instructed them, they swiftly began to release ki from their pores as if steam was coming out of tiny holes. They successfully followed his instructions. Grisia noted their remarkable progress, he expected them to at least fail once first before having to try again.

Even he failed multiple times before he got the hang of it.

"Let me warn you, do not let go of your focus. We're done. You have awakened your ki," both of them slowly opened their eyes and looked around.

"Wow!" Aisia exclaimed in awe, examining her hands, arms, and body. She was covered in a colorless aura that made her body feel lighter. "Well, that was faster than I expected."

"Yes..." Grisia said with suspicion in his tone.

"So this is ki..." Kairo muttered, examining himself as well. No matter how much he waved his arms around and moved his body, the aura followed and didn't fade away. A nostalgic sensation.

"Do note that you should still keep most of your focus on keeping your aura," Grisia told them. "At your level, if you ever halt your concentration for even a second, your aura will vanish."

True enough, it felt as though if they ever completely stopped concentrating, they would lose their grip on it. Much like trying not to wake up from a dream while knowing you're in one.

"But as you get used to it, you'll be able to pay less attention to it. So keep on training by yourselves. While I will be training you formally, I leave what you do with your free time to your discretion."

The two voiced their agreement with a resounding "Yes, sir!" and a "Yes, pops!" in unison.

"Grisia, this feeling is... familiar," Grisia turned to Kairo, who spoke. "Ever since I got here, or rather, ever since I left my village, sometimes, I've been able to see something akin to this aura surrounding people. But unlike Aisia and my aura, they have their own colors."

"I see. That is quite peculiar. Forgive me, but I also do not have much knowledge about your anxiety. Regarding the color, it is said that it reflects the shade of your soul, your character. You will be able to see through others more clearly, and yours is currently colorless because you two have yet to define your morals and principles, which is natural. After all, you are still young. About your sight, I can only theorize that it is the same kind of sensory gift as Sia's sense of smell. A more evolved instinct, if you will."

Kairo pondered over it and felt like Grisia's theory was convincing enough for now.

"That is your ki aura," Grisia said. "The most basic usage of ki is coating yourself with it and augmenting your physical capabilities."

Indeed, they felt they could do more with this much power flowing through them. It's like their whole body was a mighty weapon.

"Earth: Stone Ascent," Grisia uttered, manifesting a huge, thick stone from the ground using chakra. The stone was large enough that Kairo had to completely look up to see the peak. Its width was about fifteen meters long.

"This is your standard stone," he knocked on it, and sure enough it sounded completely solid. "Try punching this pillar with all your might while your ki aura is still intact," he tapped on where he wanted them to hit the stone before walking away and saying, "Distance yourself from each other so the effects of your attack won't overlap."

Kairo and Aisia both inched closer to the tall stone. Them turning their heads to each other at the same time meant that they had the same idea: "This might hurt my hand."

But they knew to trust Grisia. If he said full power, then they better break their bones after punching it. Without saying a word, they agreed to follow his instructions, as they always had. On the count of three, they would both punch as hard as they could.

Three, two, one...

Aisia's fist penetrated the stone. Surprised, she pulled out her hand as it sunk deep into the stone without hurting her whatsoever. Kairo smashed his side of the stone, crushing an area of the pillar that surrounded his fist, also astonished by his unharmed knuckles.

They walked back to investigate each other's work.

Kairo left a small crater on his side, pieces crumbling off of the weak parts as cracks continued to form. Meanwhile, Aisia left a deep, narrow hole as if a thick spear was used to cleanly stab the stone.

"You could see that without any further instructions, you already have a preferred way to proceed. This instinctual act is pretty much your natural fighting style. Sia seems to prefer precise penetration while Kairo prefer crippling blows that bring ruin to an area."

The two of them looked at their own fist and then at each other's.

"But just because I mentioned your style does not mean you should box yourself inside that label. Kairo can still do piercing attacks as adequately as Sia, and it follows that Sia can devastate with blunt attacks just as much as Kairo can. But the flow of the attack and the speed in which you improve will differ, though it is not impossible to catch up with your own effort. Consider it your specialization. If you slacked off, it's possible for the other to become better than you at your specialty."

The two nodded as they bumped their fists together.

They panicked as they forgot they still had their ki aura intact, but it didn't seem to be any different from bumping their fists together without the aura.

Grisia told them that it was not their "will" to throw a punch, reminding them that powers essentially enact the will of the user. That was why they didn't hurt each other, they lacked the intent, therefore their ki was naturally in a defensive or passive mode instead.

Though, they were still told to take caution as the more powerful their ki became, the more control they had to exercise, because it was still possible to cause accidents with ki, just as it was possible to cause an accident and burn something down with fire chakra.

"Anyway, like I said, your principles and character make your ki. However, your emotions can also affect your ki, so do be careful of any outbursts or your ki might go haywire."

"Emotions, huh? Was that why Grisia asked that question before introducing「 Ki 」to us? He was gauging my emotional stability?" Kairo sighed. "I must not be fit to wield this power... no, I have to master this. I can't chicken out now! I must do what it takes to exact my revenge..." his thoughts started to wander off to vengeance once again.

Suddenly, Aisia and Grisia both turned to Kairo, whose ki was darkening, smoldering with malice.

Realizing what was happening, Kairo yelled, "H-How do I turn this off?!" his aura was considerably spiking. He could feel more power surging through his body.

He was starting to get an itch to use it.

Grisia spoke in a composed tone, "It's fine. You're going to be okay. Calm down and you'll find out how to turn it off yourself."

In his confusion, he remembered the breathing practice that Grisia taught them. He stopped thinking about his past and his future endeavors, he only sought to exist in the now. He then focused on his breathing and the pulse of his heart.

Breathe in, breathe out. As he followed the rhythm that was instilled in his body, the beating of his heart slowed down.

After a while, he successfully regained control and his ki aura was back to how it was. Kairo wiped the sweat from his forehead as he panted.

Aisia didn't get shaken up this time as she was already aware of this dark side of Kairo and was prepared for the next time it appeared. Though that distressing smell wafting through the air still caused her to be wary, even with Grisia around.

"M...Maybe I shouldn't use ki," Kairo spoke timidly.

"It's too late now," replied Grisia.

"What."

"Once you've awakened it, you're more likely to use it unintentionally in an outburst, since you've already come to know the feeling of using it," Grisia warned.

"O-Oh..." Kairo uttered with unease.

"And since your goal is retribution, well, you can put two and two together," Grisia added.

Kairo looked down and frowned, acknowledging Grisia's point.

"We'll help you through it, Kairo!" Aisia encouraged. "That's what training is for anyway, right? Better to make mistakes now than regret them later," Kairo's eyes brightened as he was convinced by her optimistic idea.

Grisia was surprised by Aisia's unprecedented response. He didn't expect this kind of maturity from her. "You took the words right out of my mouth."

"You could say that I learned a thing or two from reading books with Kairo," she smirked.

That was true since Kairo had a preference for heroic tales, that was what they'd been reading to make it easier to maneuver when helping Aisia figure out words unknown to her. Aisia may have gathered some sense of courage and urge to help others from reading such stories.

Grisia ruffled her head and she barked at him for ruining her hair. This made Kairo grin with relief.

"For now, your training will consist of maintaining your ki aura until you can't anymore," he proposed to which the two roared in agreement.

They stood beside each other and started their breathing meditation.

Soon, their ki aura dispersed and they both fell down on the ground, exhausted.

They lasted a total of eighteen minutes, gasping for air and drenched with sweat. They were still able to stand up and move around, albeit a bit wobbly with their legs, but they were in no state to access their ki anymore.

And so, when they came back early from training, Esmeralda was seen waiting for them at the manor's entrance to greet them.

"So, what did you learn?" asked Esmeralda with her innocent, close-eyed smile.

A drained Kairo turned to Grisia for help with his response. Aisia was too preoccupied weakly managing herself using Grisia as a crutch to stand. He didn't want to unnecessarily spill the beans, especially considering that they just learned about a strong power that was supposed to be a secret art.

Grisia remained silent as if waiting for something. When Kairo didn't answer, Grisia replied in his stead, "Nothing much apart from「 Ki 」."

Kairo's eyes widened, surprised that Grisia himself would reveal the secret art to Esmeralda.

When he turned to Esmeralda, she simply had a smile on her face. "Nicely done, Kairo. You truly heeded my words. You're now more cautious with revealing information compared to last time."

Realizing that it was a test, he grasped his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you knew about「 Ki 」after all."

Esmeralda nodded with an amused smile, teasing Kairo for being anxious. "Be sure to grow up unlike Lord Grisia, who pays little to no attention to how crucial information is," she playfully glared at her master. "I swear, it's going to be his downfall."

"I'm interested to see when that will happen," Grisia replied with a close-eyed smile of his own.