Sera leaned against the tree trunk.
"Take a look."
Raine nodded slightly.
"Alright."
Then he reached out not physically but with his Aura.
Luis felt it instantly.
Not aggressive nor overwhelming.
Just, present.
But the moment Raine's aura touched him, Luis had realized something. He couldn't stop it.
His body reacted instinctively. Luis tried to block the aura entering him. Nothing worked.
Raine's aura slipped into his body effortlessly, like water passing through open space.
Luis's eyes widened slightly.
'So this is what a mythical tier aura user feels like…'
The difference was overwhelming. It felt like the aura was entirely under their control even Luis's own aura.
Luis could feel his uncle's aura moving through his internal pathways, gently scanning his body like a calm observer.
Then it reached his cores.
Raine grew silent.
Seconds passed.
Then more.
Luis remained completely still.
Eventually, Raine spoke.
"Interesting."
Sera tilted her head slightly.
"What?" Luis asked.
Raine leaned back slightly on the branch, still observing internally.
"The Phoenix essence. It's spreading."
Luis's eyes widened. He knew the essence was increasing but spreading… that didn't sound good.
"It's spreading very slowly."
Raine's aura shifted slightly as he examined the cores more closely.
"It's spreading between the cores."
Sera frowned slightly.
Raine smiled faintly.
"But it isn't spreading toward the fourth core."
Luis looked down instinctively towards his chest.
"The water one?"
"Yes."
Raine withdrew his aura slowly.
The sensation vanished instantly.
Luis released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Raine leaned back against the tree trunk.
"My guess," he continued calmly, "is that the Phoenix itself is stopping the spread."
Luis looked up.
"The Phoenix?"
Raine nodded.
"It knows its own essence would be rejected by the water element."
Sera crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"So it's controlling the spread." Sera asked.
Raine smiled slightly looking at Luis.
"This process will help your body adapt."
Luis listened carefully.
"The Phoenix essence already exists inside you," Raine continued. "Your body needs time to adapt to it now that you have a water related blessing. If not for the Phoenix controlling its essence you would feel constant pain. But right now you would only feel it if the different auras mix together."
Raine gestured casually toward Luis's chest.
"The more your body experiences that conflict, the better it will adapt."
Sera smirked slightly.
"Which means he should keep training."
Raine nodded.
"Yes."
Then his expression grew slightly more serious.
"There's another good reason that the Phoenix essence doesn't spread everywhere."
Luis frowned.
"Which is?"
Raine looked directly at him.
"Because when the Phoenix eventually reincarnates…"
Luis felt his chest tighten slightly.
"…you don't want its essence rooted in every part of your body."
Luis swallowed.
"Right that would hurt more."
Raine chuckled quietly.
"Hurt?"
He shook his head.
"The pain should be the least of your concerns while the Phoenix is reincarnating."
Luis went silent. The breeze rustled the leaves around them softly.
After a moment, Sera stood up again.
"Well then."
She stretched slightly.
"Back to training."
Luis groaned quietly.
Sera grinned.
"You wanted to get stronger."
Luis sighed.
"…I do."
Two weeks later
Two weeks passed in steady progression.
Luis's control over water had improved noticeably. What had once collapsed instantly now held shape for several seconds at a time. Thin streams no longer dispersed the moment his concentration wavered, and maintaining a stable flow while reinforcing his body had gradually become instinctive. Luis was now able to easily form constructs of water in the shape of a shield and dagger, just as he had done with aura.
It was harder for him to make flowing streams of water than it was for him to make weapons. The further away the water went from his body the harder it was to control it.
Sera had watched quietly throughout those two weeks, occasionally correcting minor inefficiencies, sometimes saying nothing at all.
This morning though instead of taking Luis into the shadow prison to train, Sera told him that they would be going to a clearing outside the city to have a spar.
"You'll be sparring today."
She did not elaborate when Luis asked questions.
Now he stood near the edge of the clearing, faint ripples of aura circulating through his body out of habit rather than necessity.
Sera leaned against a nearby tree, arms loosely crossed, appearing entirely unconcerned.
Luis had learned that this usually meant she was very interested.
A presence approached.
Light footsteps.
Luis turned slightly.
The girl who entered the clearing appeared close to his age.
Twelve.
Her ears marked her Xoliti lineage, slightly pointed but elegant in shape. Her skin was pale, though not unusually so, and her hair fell smoothly past her shoulders without obstruction, moving only slightly despite her steps.
Her gaze shifted once across the clearing before settling on Luis.
She studied him quietly.
So this is him.
The boy people whispered about, she thought.
The vessel. The one the Phoenix would eventually reincarnate through. Rumors surrounding Luis had spread far in the high rankings of the Xoliti and Phoenix clans.
Some spoke with reverence. Some with curiosity. Some with pity.
His death is guaranteed. That was the part most people focused on. It was said so casually by the higher ups of the Xoliti clan. As though they spoke about inevitable rain.
He would not survive the Phoenix's return. His body would be consumed.
Destroyed.
That was the assumption.
And yet…
She watched his posture carefully.
He didn't look like someone awaiting or afraid of death. He didn't look like someone who had accepted their future, it didn't look like he was waiting for the inevitable.