The sun had barely risen over the reconstructed streets of Paris. Scaffolding lined broken walls, rubble was being cleared, and the faint ringing of hammers echoed like the heartbeat of a city trying to live again. Survivors walked quietly, their eyes still heavy with grief, but their steps carried a fragile hope.
In one corner of the city, inside a training courtyard newly restored by aura barriers, Ishita stood silently. Her eyes were fixed on her hands—hands that trembled not from fear, but from a restless storm inside her.
She whispered to herself.
"Scarlet… why does it feel like it's eating me alive?"
Behind her, a calm yet heavy voice answered.
"Because Scarlet is not just power—it is hunger."
Ishita turned sharply. Standing there was Li Wei, the legendary Soul Wielder of China. His presence was overwhelming, not because of sheer strength, but because his aura was… silent. So silent that it felt like the world itself had paused to breathe.
"Li Wei…" Ishita muttered, bowing her head slightly.
He walked toward her, hands folded behind his back, his long black coat swaying with each step. His eyes studied her not like a warrior studies an opponent, but like a teacher watching a child ready to take her first dangerous step.
"You awakened Scarlet during chaos," he said. "That is natural. Rage and grief are the easiest keys. But if you keep using it that way…" His tone sharpened. "…you will burn yourself to ashes long before the demons kill you."
Ishita's lips trembled. "Then… teach me. Please. If I can't control it, I'll only hurt the people I love."
For a long moment, Li Wei didn't speak. Then, finally, he nodded.
"Very well. Your training begins now."
---
The Soul and the Flame
Li Wei raised his hand, and in an instant, the air around him shimmered. A faint white flame appeared in his palm—calm, transparent, yet infinitely deep.
"This," he said, "is Soul Aura. The rarest form of aura, for it is not drawn from bloodlines or elements, but from the very essence of one's spirit. Unlike Scarlet, it does not consume—it purifies."
Ishita's eyes widened as the flame pulsed softly, almost alive. "It feels… peaceful."
Li Wei nodded. "Exactly. Scarlet is rage. Soul is calm. Your task, Ishita, is to learn how to let calm guide rage. Only then can Scarlet obey you instead of devouring you."
He suddenly snapped his fingers. The white flame vanished. The courtyard around them shimmered, and in a blink, the world shifted.
Ishita gasped.
They were no longer in Paris. Instead, she stood in a vast illusory plain, an endless horizon of white sand under a sky with no sun. A training dimension woven by Li Wei's Soul Power.
"This place," Li Wei explained, "is cut off from the world. Here, your Scarlet cannot harm anyone else."
Ishita's chest tightened. She could already feel her aura stirring—like a wild beast inside a cage, scratching, growling, begging to be freed.
"Release it," Li Wei commanded. "Show me your flame."
---
Awakening the Scarlet
Her breath quivered. She closed her eyes, focusing on that raw storm in her chest. It surged forward—painful, heavy—until her eyes snapped open, glowing deep crimson.
Her aura exploded around her like wildfire. Crimson flames burst across the white sands, searing the ground, distorting the air. Her hair lifted, her heartbeat thundered, and in seconds she was enveloped in a storm of red power.
Her voice was ragged.
"I… I can't… control… it—!"
Her flames lashed outward wildly, like whips of fire threatening to consume everything. But before they could, Li Wei raised his hand.
The white flame returned, expanding into a translucent barrier. Ishita's raging aura smashed against it again and again, but the flame didn't falter.
Li Wei's voice thundered across the empty sky.
"Scarlet rages because you rage. Tell me, Ishita—why do you fight?!"
Ishita gritted her teeth, her body trembling against the weight of her own aura. Memories flashed—the face of her parents, the bunker, their twisted forms as demons, the betrayal of fate. Tears mixed with fire as she screamed:
"BECAUSE I WON'T LOSE ANYONE AGAIN!"
Her aura surged higher, the crimson storm roaring like an ocean of blood. But then, Li Wei's calm flame expanded, pressing against her chaos.
"Then breathe," he commanded. "Scarlet is destruction, yes—but even destruction can be shaped. Rage can be guided. Fire is not only death—it is also warmth."
---
The First Step
Ishita staggered, her chest heaving. She forced her trembling hands to come together, as if holding something fragile. Slowly, painfully, the wild red flames began to gather, compressing into her palms.
Her teeth clenched, her body shook, but she remembered Li Wei's words. Calm guides rage. Fire can be warmth.
The raging storm dimmed. From the chaos, a small, steady crimson flame formed between her hands.
Her aura stabilized.
Li Wei's eyes softened with approval.
"Good. Very good. This is your first step—the moment Scarlet begins to recognize you not as prey, but as master."
Ishita collapsed to her knees, gasping, sweat dripping down her face. But her lips curved into the faintest of smiles. For the first time, she had held Scarlet without losing herself.
Li Wei stepped closer, his voice low but resolute.
"Do not misunderstand. This is only the beginning. To wield Scarlet fully, you must suffer, break, and rebuild yourself countless times. But today… you proved you are not just a vessel for destruction. You are its wielder."
Ishita's crimson eyes dimmed back to their natural hue. She whispered, exhausted but determined:
"Thank you… Master Li Wei."
He turned away, his coat swaying in the white void. "Rest now. Tomorrow, we begin shaping Scarlet into a blade sharp enough to cut even fate itself."
The training dimension shimmered, fading back into the Paris courtyard. The world returned—but something inside Ishita had changed forever.