Chapter 13 - Recovery

"Yang, how many times I've told you to not mess around! This time you've really done it!" Tai said as he tried to calm himself down.

Even Qrow couldn't solve the mess they got themselves into. Of all things, she poked the nest of the fastest growing syndicate that even held a few councilmen under their thumbs.

She was lucky not to be convicted.

Not to mention the boy that got the worst of it.

Tai didn't know how to make amends after he wakes up. Thankfully, they had a contact with a healing semblance user that managed to patch Red up, otherwise his future as a huntsman could have ended right there.

The look on his daughter's face, he couldn't bear it.

"Whatever he asks for, even if he hates you. At least listen and don't blow up, alright?" He asked Yang one thing.

She nodded and looked at the floor.

When the doctors stripped him up, she realized how much damage she had done to him.

Internal bleeding, fractured bones, and even a bullet lodged inside his flesh. The doctors couldn't believe that someone without an aura survived that.

It became a miracle.

One that she was glad for. Tai kept berating her for another thirty minutes without taking a pause to take a breath.

She didn't get mad. The more he berated her, the better she felt.

Until he left, that is.

Because now she didn't face scorn in the form of words. Her own sister stood there, looking at Yang, before she looked down and passed by her.

"Ruby."

"I know, sis." Ruby said and went inside.

She slammed the door, leaving her outside. Anger, she wanted to feel it, but even that she didn't deserve right now…

What should she feel anger against?

…

Red felt the world get plunged into darkness. A similar feeling engulfed his body, along with that seductive voice that kept whispering to him.

This time, he had none of it. He didn't let his energy go away, grasping every single straw he could take.

A tug of war, he had no chance of winning.

But a certain force intervened. This time he felt it clearly. The one that helped him survive its strength dwindled each second.

The power it held could just struggle like he did.

He didn't wait and joined the forces with it, trying everything in order to keep himself whole.

They reached a certain resonance, slowing down the decay of his own being. At one point, some strength began to return, right before it got drained even faster.

This happened several times until he couldn't hold on.

Instead of the will to fight. His mind began to wonder why he tried so hard. What kind of purpose or goal would prompt him to try so hard?

It chipped at his own resolve, and it worked.

He began to think instead of fighting, just one or two seconds and the situation got much worse.

The tug of war became a losing battle. However, the force never gave up. It kept fighting with all of its might. It wanted him to go on.

And then a miracle happened.

He began to feel his own body and strength flooded his entire system.

The force caressed his cheek before it vanished.

Then, darkness got engulfed by light. His eyes opened to see a white ceiling.

"He's awake!"

A loud voice startled him. Memories began to flood inside his head as he remembered what happened.

"Are you okay?!"

He titled his head a bit to see Ruby standing there with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah." He said.

That's all he had the strength for. The nurse, along with the doctor, soon arrived.

Green aura engulfed his body and more strength returned.

"He'll be fine." Said the doctor and handed things to the nurse. She drove everyone out and let him rest.

Three days had passed since then.

A lot of time to spend three days straight thinking, but not enough time to come to a conclusion.

Except for one day, no one visited him. That being the entire family, Ruby, Tai and Yang.

The atmosphere didn't sit with him, even though Yang did apologize and swore to do anything to make it up.

He didn't know how to feel about this.

Did he hate her?

From his thoughts, not really, but he didn't forgive her either. Although he should have had some kind of thought or opinion about the situation.

His thoughts were simple.

He lacked the strength, and it came to bite him in the ass.

And while he wouldn't have experienced that if Yang wasn't so hotheaded and used to doing those things. He considered it the weight of friendship.

After the reality caught up to him. He had to reevaluate his thoughts of friends.

At first, he liked the idea of calling them friends as it gave him a fuzzy feeling and the time spent with them became very memorable.

It all stemmed from the fact that he considered her a friend. Due to that, she thought the same, at least on the surface.

Which in turn led to the skirmish, though that might have still happened solely by being acquaintances and knowing each other. After all, she didn't specify their relationship with each other.

In the end, he couldn't hate her. Those were her own thoughts and actions based on her personality and mindset.

He couldn't change that and he didn't have the right to.

So, the best way would be to just clarify the situation. At least that's what he thought when he met them.

Yang directly escaped while Ruby burst into tears.

Not the outcome he expected or desired. Tai seemed understanding, though.

Overall, he did wish to continue hanging out with them, or at least Ruby. But now, he had to prioritize his goals.

If he focused harder and put much more effort, then he might have already awakened aura which in turn would make him capable enough to handle the situation.

The if. A common regret that many people have.

One that usually leads to mediocrity and inaction. That he didn't wish for at all.

A week later, he already fully recovered thanks to the constant care of the doctor and the powerful semblance.

His muscles still had to wait before fully exciting them. So, he focused on designing his spear more.

Some small details, adding features and removing features. While it all sounded productive, without real testing and understanding the affinity between the spear and himself, the result would be mediocre at best.

Two weeks after leaving the hospital.

A new movement begun. This time, the syndicate showed its power, and it struck hard.

Ruby and her family had to hole up on the island. The syndicate couldn't act too rampantly outside the city.

Such a new problem arose.

Red entered the sights of the syndicate once again and already began snooping around to find information about himself.

He didn't frequent libraries anymore.

Instead, he focused on making his weapon more perfect. The progress stalled, and he knew he couldn't continue like this.

While he could train a bit. The place wasn't ideal for training.

And the suppression of the syndicate became a hanging axe that could fall at any moment if he didn't have aura enabled. Then the old man interfered.

Or rather, gave him options and an ultimatum.

Stay here, under the protection of the old man. The syndicate wouldn't be able to touch him, and after lying low for a few months, he'd be safe to move around the city.

After that, he'd leave with the last gift being the shop.

He may or may not appear in the future.

The other option would be to travel to other kingdoms and hone one's ability.

But the thing became complicated. Several restrictions, Red couldn't understand at all. First, he had to unlock the aura by himself through training.

Second, the amount of danger would equal the amount of investment the old man would give Red after he finished the task.

For example, he could just travel to Atlas on a ship.

In a month, the whole thing would be complete. But that would mean nothing. No training and no real growth.

Although Red didn't understand why the old man insisted on these things.

He didn't think he wanted to hurt him. After all, he gave him a very easy out if he didn't dare go through it all.

Moreover, it might be good for him in more ways.

The city nowadays reminded him of the things that happened. He wasn't 100% sure if he blamed Yang or not.

And in turn, limiting contact with Ruby. Books couldn't give him answers and maybe experience might. The one that couldn't be faked and had to be seen and felt.

Choosing the latter, he now got caught in a dilemma.

Which kingdom would he choose to travel to? What place would ensure relative odds of survival alongside with a challenge?