Growth

He decided not to go to school that day, as he was excited to restrict Aura itself.

-According to the Manual, Aura is naturally emanated from all things simply because there is no real barrier between the essence and the world.

-First ... I need to establish a barrier, this is essential.

Ralph, with his eyes closed, concentrated again.

The sun rose slowly, and so did Ralph's progress.

-The essence of Aura is the unique signature of a being, but that signature is nothing more than the being own existence.

Ralph thought and created a mental image of himself.

He can feel everything inside himself, the blood circulation, the heartbeat, the latent energy running throughout the body ... And his Aura.

His aura is like a stable flame, without waves, but every time he uses his tranced sense, Aura expands.

Slowly, Ralph began to withdraw his Aura into himself.

This is the easiest part, the most difficult is to establish a barrier between him and the outside world, to prevent the Aura from leaking.

-According to the manual, this barrier is not something well defined and, instead, it is something as illusory as thoughts ... It is an instinct.

-But what does it mean?

Time passed, and the night came just as it was.

Ralph opened his eyes slowly and took a deep breath. He is very sleepy, and he saw that it was already dawn, this was the second night without sleep, he needs to rest.

But he is satisfied, he finally understood what the manual meant.

"There is nothing really limitless in this world, because even something infinite can be represented by a unity. Don't let your thoughts and emotions disturb you, as they still belong to you." Ralph again remembered something Master Jin had said when he was suffering from an imbalance caused by stats points.

"Returning to the origins, the Aura returns to what gives rise to it. Aura's senses are my senses, and so they are part of my body."

Furthermore, he noticed that by restricting Aura itself perfectly, he gained a new level of control over it, and now he is able to see things more clearly with the transcendent sense.

Ralph got up and stretched, after that he ate something he had in the fridge and lay on the bed, this time to sleep.

***

On a plain in southern Russia, amid grass and starry skies, two men stared at each other.

One of them was Aoki Sai, the other was an elderly man but of strong physique, with a sharp look.

"Say, don't you think you're going too far?" The old man asked Sai.

Sai drew the sword from his waist, it was the same sword he had taken from Orochi.

"That sword ..." The old man recognized the sword and looked at Sai in disbelief.

"Did you kill my cousin !?" the old man shouted.

"The divine sword of the sacred mountains. Do you know what it means?" Sai asked calmly.

"I don't want to know! But don't think that I am just like Orochi, my strength comes from myself, not from an artifact!" The old man screamed, and a shock wave left him, devastating everything along the way, lifting the earth and creating devastating winds.

Aoki Sai created an invisible barrier with one hand and protected himself from the shock wave.

"Without that sword, I may not be able to beat you ..." Sai murmured.

The sword began to glow a golden color and the starry sky began to fill with clouds.

The old man was astonished by the appearance of the clouds and shouted:

"Impossible! How can the divine sword have recognized you !? Not even me and Orochi get the sword approval!"

Sai took a deep breath, kicked the ground, and like an arrow he ran towards the old man.

The old man ground his teeth and started to run.

Golden lightning started to appear among the clouds.

"Damn it!!" The old man shouted.

"Give it up! The time has come for your death, Amater!" Sai shouted.

A chase started from that point, with Sai and the clouds chasing the Old Man and approaching quickly.

The old man, who is called Amater, gritted his teeth and stopped running, he realized that he would definitely die.

"Even if I die today, I will leave a scar on your heart!" Amater screamed loudly and flames began to consume his body quickly.

"Stop!!" Sai was shocked and realized Amater's intention.

"Hahaha, listen, Aoi Sai." Amater was already gone, having been consumed by the flames, but his voice remained.

"Fate is inviolable like time itself, and he told me your dark future. Even if you achieve success with your dream, your most loved and most trusted person, will ultimately kill you while stabbing you in the back, a betrayal! After your death, not only will everything you build be in vain, but it will also be ridiculed by the future generation ... "Amater spoke in a low tone, and finally stopped talking, leaving Sai shocked in the middle of the plain.

Sai, with red eyes, gritted his teeth and shouted:

"Damn you, Amater !! You think I will give up just with a prophecy! I will defy destiny, and I will win!"

At the same time, the golden lightnings in the clouds fell to the earth, making everything tremble and leaving everything in golden color for a brief moment.

***

~ Sniff.

Ralph opened his eyes as he smelled a strange smell. He looked around but did not find the source of the smell.

After a moment, the smell disappeared, leaving Ralph confused.

Ralph then stood up and yawned. After looking at his cell phone, he saw that it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

He brushed his teeth and took a shower, after which he ordered a pizza by cell phone.

While waiting for the pizza, he decided to read the second part of the Aura Flow manual.

At this stage, he will learn to use Aura in a more sophisticated way and for various purposes.

But he also saw a disadvantage. He realized that nothing prevents others from strengthening their own Aura after they manage to restrict their own Aura within themselves. This means that in the future he will be left behind as to the power of the Aura in relation to others, at least until he progresses to his own stage and begins to strengthen his own Aura with the tradicional means.

Although increasing latent energy is a way to strengthen Aura itself, it is not very efficient.

The more he reads, the more Ralph realizes how complicated Aura control is, and even more complicated is how to use it, which requires a specific art for what the Aura Master wants.

Fortunately, Ralph already has a suitable Art, which he got from Touka, but he is not sure if he should practice it.

He began to analyze the two manuals, even while eating the pizza that arrived.

When midnight came, Ralph blew out a breath and decided to stop.

From what he understood, the Aura Flow Manual does not have a right path for him, and this second part of the manual seems more like an aid.

-It seems that I will have to practice these two arts at the same time.

Ralph came to a conclusion and went to sleep, waiting for a new day.

It was Wednesday, his was overcast, and the chill of the morning breeze was comforting to Ralph as he walked to the bus stop.

As Ralph walked, he kept his eyes closed and guided himself only in the outward direction.

He began to perceive the Aura in all things, and, unlike the Aura of an awakened one, the Aura of things around him was very reserved, almost restricted. The people's Aura did not emanate like a flame like his Aura, but instead only emitted a weak light around people's bodies, with the Aura completely inside the bodies.

Ralph found it strange the way that Aura restricts itself inside people, what does that mean? Why are awakened people different?

Ralph did not have an answer to these questions.

Upon arriving at the bus stop, he opened it and noticed that some people were looking at him curiously.

Ralph smiled weakly, he knows that walking with his eyes closed is strange unless the person is blind.

After taking the bus and arriving at school, Ralph pondered for a moment.

Should he openly show his progress in such a short time?

After thinking seriously, he decided to emanate his Aura out, as if he still hasn't made much progress.

He knows that some people have been watching him at school, and he doesn't want to draw any more attention.

In addition, he made a rule, he cannot use the sense of trance within the school, as this would basically be a magnet for problems.

He also decided to talk to Thomas Valor, simply because he finally has a card up his sleeve, he has the least confidence in getting away from an Aura Master, unless he is powerful enough to feel Ralph's Aura even with this being restricted.

Ralph knows that as a person's Aura becomes more powerful, the more powerful is the trance sense.

If before, with only the ability of illusion, Ralph was just above ordinary people and weak Aura Masters, now he has the confidence to head into Deep Sky.

Ralph walked calmly into the school, but he did not go straight to his office, he went to the office of Thomas Valor, who is a third year veteran.

Ralph ignored the strange looks of some people and went over to Thomas, who was sitting on solving some algebra questions.

"Excuse me, can we talk?" Ralph asked.

Thomas looked at Ralph indifferently and said:

"You finally got up the courage to come and talk to me, what do you want?"

Ralph activated his ability and isolated the area where he and Thomas were, making it look like they were having a normal conversation with anyone trying to spy.

Thomas noticed and said:

"This can be useful against ordinary people and some Aura Masters, but not for those who have opened up the trancent sense."

"I know, but I didn't come to say something secret." Ralph spoke.

Thomas crossed his arms and looked at Ralph.

"First I want to thank you for saving me that day, even though I know you didn't do it willingly. Second, I want to know what the ... society wants with me. Why do you pay so much attention to me?"

Thomas frowned and said:

"There are things you can only know if you join us ... But I don't think you're that kind of person, who joins an organization without knowing anything about it."

"So, I'm just going to say one thing ... As long as you don't hurt our interests, we won't be enemies. Also, an important reason for society's interest in you is the fact that you have an innate ability, which it's very rare ... that's all I can say. "

"Hurt your interest? I think that means obeying you?" Ralph asked.

Thomas frowned and said:

"Think as you like, but we have no use for you ... for now. Go to your office, I don't want to talk to you anymore."

At the same time, Thomas waved his hand, and Ralph was inexplicably pushed out of the room.

Ralph was surprised and at the same time understood the distance between him and a properly trained and strong Aura Master.

-He can kill me with a single blow if he wants to.

Ralph thought seriously.

But Ralph was not discouraged, he knows that he is progressing fast and it will not be long before he reaches this high level.

Ralph clenched his fists and went to his office, looking calm and determined.

-Now ... I need someone to teach me basic things that I don't know ... Old Hajime is out of the question, I can't trust him. Aoi must know a lot, but she seems to be her father's pawn ...

Ralph thought seriously as he took his place.

-Josef doesn't have a deep friendship with me ... Touka?

Ralph's eyes lit up.

Mirai Touka has already shown an interest in cooperating with him, and was quite sincere in delivering a manual that is precious to him.

The question is, what are the girl's ambitions? Can he trust her? Can it remain at the same height as it and not be used?

Ralph then remembered the 'Duality of Origin' art.

If he practices this art, he will be a great help to her, since art requires two people to achieve great achievement.

Ralph put his hand on his forehead for a moment and blew out a breath.

-If I want to progress fast, I need someone that I can establish a fair exchange relationship with. Touka is using me, and I am also going to use her.

After deciding this, Ralph started paying attention in class.

When lunchtime came, Ralph simply ate alone in a corner while listening to music.

After watching the rest of the classes, it was time for club activities.

Ralph went towards Gray Gate and there he found the other members talking to each other.

"Hey, Ralph, are you in the mood for drinks over the weekend? Some friends of mine who come from outside the country are going to visit me." Josef spoke to Ralph with a smile.

Ralph rolled his eyes and smiled.

"I am tempted to go, but I will only know whether or not I will go is on the day." Ralph replied.

"Don't tell me that you have an appointment with someone? Would you really trade your friend for a woman?" Josef joked.

Upon hearing this, Ralph remembered Ana for a moment and was distracted, but quickly returned to normal and just smiled.

"Hooo, don't tell me this is it?" Josef noticed and asked.

"Let's say I really have someone waiting for me, but that is not the reason for my uncertainty." Ralph answered calmly and sat down.

"I see ... In that case, how about telling me a little more about it?" Josef approached Ralph, clearly wanting to know Ralph's story.

"What about you? Isn't anyone waiting for you in your homeland?" Ralph avoided Josef's look and asked.

"... I did, but I don't think I do now. It's been so long since I spoke to her" Josef sighed and spoke.

"I understand how you feel." Ralph spoke with a bitter smile.

"What are you talking about with these bitter guys? Did you lose a bet or something?" Aoi suddenly asked, seeing that Ralph and Josef had bitter expressions.

"Yes ... We lost a bet with destiny, and he took our love away from us." Josef put his hand on his face and spoke in a poetic tone.

Ralph just smiled bitterly and I shake my head.

"Hmm ... Anyway, don't forget that we have work to do today ... We have to create a dissertation on the subconscious influence of meta-physics in the minds of ordinary people ... you understand me, right?" Aoi spoke and sat down on a chair.

-That is, the indirect influence of the supernatural on the behavior of ordinary people.

Ralph and the others understood.

Ralph looked at Touka furtively, but decided to speak to her only when the club's time was up.

"Touka-san, there is something important about what we had discussed before, we need to discuss it again." Ralph approached Touka and spoke naturally, to avoid misunderstandings.

Touka didn't look surprised and nodded.

Time passed quickly, and each one did his own dissertation, Ralph was the first to finish, having written three pages on the subject in just an hour, which surprised the others.

Frankly, Ralph felt he could write more on the subject, and without any pressure, but he decided to make only a "summary" of what he thinks.

He knows that this performance is the result of stats points, and he felt like a cheater when he saw the surprise of others.

-Well, it's not like I don't have talent even without those points.

Ralph took comfort.

When the time was up, most wrote just one sheet, and they were all clearly a little tense.

"As we decided before, I will be in charge of deciding impartially which dissertation will be delivered." Aoi spoke while collecting the dissertations.

No one seemed concerned about this, since no one really cared whether or not they would be chosen.

Everyone left the decision in Aoi's hands simply for convenience.

Even so, Aoi took this seriously and was determined to be impartial when evaluating dissertations. The one with the highest overall quality will be chosen.

Everyone started to leave after that, with only Aoi, Touka and Ralph staying behind.

"Please pretend I'm not here." Aoi spoke strangely to Touka and Ralph, while reading the dissertations.

Touka frowned slightly and said:

"It doesn't have to be that way, if you want to listen, you don't have to pretend."

Aoi pretended not to hear and continued reading the dissertation.

Ralph coughed and said directly:

"I want to make a deal with you."

Touka was interested and crossed her arms while saying:

"I'm all ears."