Chapter—The First Step as Auramaster
The masked figure stepped forward.
With every step Luke took, the air around the riverside grew heavier. His blue eyes burned softly behind the mask, glowing with a calm intensity that made even experienced aura users feel pressure in their chests. The faint crown of aura tied to his neck swayed gently, as if the world itself acknowledged his presence.
The crowd instinctively moved back.
The harasser clicked his tongue and tightened his fist.
"Who the hell are you?" he shouted, trying to hide the fear creeping into his voice.
Luke stopped a few steps away.
"You'll realize soon enough," he replied calmly.
That calmness terrified him.
In panic, the man gathered his aura and hurled a strong, condensed aura sphere straight at Luke. It was fast, violent, and powerful enough to seriously injure anyone below four-star level.
But Luke didn't dodge.
He raised his arm casually.
The aura sphere smashed into his forearm—and vanished.
No explosion. No recoil.
It was as if the attack had never existed.
A collective gasp escaped the crowd.
Shuri's eyes widened. Her mouth hung slightly open. The same Shuri who had been boasting just moments ago now stood frozen, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing.
"That… that attack…" someone whispered. "It disappeared."
The harasser staggered back.
"What—what kind of monster are you?!"
His partners reacted immediately, launching multiple aura spheres from different angles, hoping to overwhelm Luke.
Luke moved.
He stepped forward once.
The air vibrated.
Every incoming attack shattered midair, disintegrating into harmless particles of light. Luke didn't even look at them.
Fear finally overtook arrogance.
The harasser loosened his grip.
The woman collapsed, weak and shaking.
Before she hit the ground, Luke caught her gently.
"It's okay," he said softly.
She looked up at the masked face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Th-thank you…"
Luke placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. A warm aura spread from his palm. The pain faded. Bruises softened. Her trembling slowed.
Healing aura.
Gasps echoed again.
Luke guided her toward the crowd and handed her to a nearby woman.
"Take care of her," he said.
The woman nodded hurriedly.
Luke turned back.
The harasser had already begun retreating, aura flaring wildly around him.
"You don't know who I am!" he shouted. "You'll regret this!"
With a burst of aura, he leapt into the air, trying to escape.
Luke disappeared.
In the next instant, he reappeared above him.
The harasser barely had time to react before Luke dodged his desperate counterattack and sent a single aura sphere forward.
It struck.
The man crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact.
Groaning, he struggled to stand and quickly formed a thick aura shield, wrapping himself in layers of defense.
"You can't break this!" he screamed. "I'm Aura Destroyer Three!"
Luke landed in front of him.
He reached out.
And shattered the shield like glass.
With one hand, Luke grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him off the ground as if he weighed nothing.
Silence fell.
The harasser's eyes trembled with pure terror.
His remaining teammates tried to flee.
They ran.
Luke raised his free hand.
A translucent aura barrier formed instantly around them, sealing them in place. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't escape.
Luke turned back to the man he was holding.
"Do you believe," Luke said quietly, "that power makes you superior?"
The man couldn't speak.
"Do you believe," Luke continued, "that because you are stronger, you can take whatever you want?"
Luke's grip tightened—not painfully, but firmly.
"Aura is not a privilege," he said. "It is a responsibility."
A strange symbol flared in Luke's palm.
Aura Seal.
A heavy wave surged outward.
The harasser screamed.
His aura collapsed instantly, draining away like water through broken glass. His teammates fell to their knees, gasping as their power vanished.
In seconds, their overwhelming presence was gone.
Luke released him.
The man hit the ground, weak, shaking.
"From this moment," Luke said, his voice echoing across the riverside, "your aura is sealed."
"You are no longer above others."
"You will live as an average one-star aura user."
"This is your punishment."
Luke turned away.
The sealed men scrambled to their feet and ran, fear driving them faster than pride ever had.
Luke walked back toward the crowd.
No one spoke.
No one breathed.
As he passed them, whispers erupted.
"Who is he…?"
"That power… it's impossible…"
"Was that real…?"
Someone gathered courage.
"W-who are you?" a man asked.
Luke stopped.
For a moment, the wind stilled.
He turned his head slightly.
"Aura Master," he said.
The aura crown tied is neck flared brightly, rippling like a signal sent across the world.
Then—
Luke walked into the tall grass.
The twilight swallowed him.
Minutes later, among the stunned crowd, a familiar boy stood quietly, hands in his pockets, as if he had never left.
No one noticed him.
That night, the town buzzed.
Every conversation, every whisper, every dinner table spoke of only one thing.
"The Aura Master."
Shuri sat silently at home, staring at nothing.
For the first time, her pride felt heavy.
Luke lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
His chest felt tight.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked softly.
Auru's voice responded gently.
"No, Luke. What you did was right."
"Power exists to protect, not to dominate."
"If faith calls us again," Auru continued, "we will answer."
Luke closed his eyes.
"…If that means becoming Aura Master again," he whispered, "then I'll accept it."
The winter wind brushed against the window.
And somewhere, far beyond the town, something ancient stirred—aware that the Aura Master had taken his first step forward.
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End of chapter