The training room was quiet except for the faint hum of energy. Crimson threads of aura swirled around Hyunwoo's arm, bending the air itself as if obeying his will. A table across the room shuddered, lifted a few inches from the ground, then settled back down gently at his command.
"Hyunwoo?"
The voice startled him. He turned, the red glow flickering out, and saw Ruby at the doorway. She was holding a familiar board game box tightly against her chest.
"I, um... left this in the library," she said quickly, lifting the box as if to prove her excuse. "But... honestly, I also wanted to check on you. You weren't at dinner. Again."
Hyunwoo leaned his spear against the wall, his expression calm but unreadable. "That's not unusual."
Ruby stepped closer, silver eyes sharp with curiosity. "Yeah, but... we're supposed to be enjoying the break, right? Everyone's together, laughing, having fun... but you're here. Alone. Training."
He didn't respond right away. Instead, he flicked his fingers. The aura shimmered faintly again, wrapping around the box in her arms. To Ruby's shock, it lifted from her hands and floated gently through the air, resting neatly on a nearby table.
The training area was silent again after their voices faded, dust motes floating lazily in the shafts of moonlight that spilled through tall windows. Hyunwoo let his hand fall back to his side, the faint red shimmer that had coated his fingers dissolving like embers dying out. Ruby's wide silver eyes hadn't left his hand once. She picked back and clutched the board game box tighter against her chest, nervous but curious, like she always was when facing something unknown.
Her lips parted slightly before she spoke. "Th-that... that wasn't your normal aura... was it?"
Hyunwoo tilted his head, watching her carefully. She looked both excited and worried—exactly like the first time she had confessed how much the responsibility of being a leader weighed on her shoulders.
He remembered the way she had whispered about her fears, about not being good enough for her team, and how she tried to smile through it anyway.
He exhaled slowly. "...Since you always tell me about your problems, about your weaknesses as a leader... I think I can tell you about this."
Ruby blinked, surprised at his honesty. She shifted her weight nervously, the box creaking under her grip. "So... what is it?"
Hyunwoo looked down at his hand again, flexing his fingers. For a heartbeat, crimson light crawled along his knuckles, wrapping his hand in a soft glow before dispersing like a fading flame. "I call it... my crimson aura. It's different from the normal one. It's more flexible—like a current I can bend, instead of a shield I can only endure with."
Ruby's eyes widened as she stepped closer, lowering her voice instinctively. "Flexible? What do you mean?"
"It's like... I can make it move without relying on my body alone. I can push, pull... almost like telekinesis. And if I focus and combine with my semblance , I can even... copy movements more perfectly . Borrow speed. The first time I saw your Petal Burst, I thought it was impossible. But now..." His eyes flicked to her, catching the faint sparkle of awe in her gaze. "...Now I can mimic it. Not perfectly, but close."
Ruby's breath caught. "You—you copied my Petal Burst?"
Hyunwoo gave a small shrug, as though it wasn't something extraordinary. "It's not about copying to be flashy. It's about understanding. If I can replicate, then I can prepare. That's why I train. Not because it's cool, but because if I lose control of this..." He clenched his fist tightly, the red aura flaring just for a moment, then vanishing. "...it could be dangerous."
Ruby didn't back away. Instead, she leaned forward, lowering the game box onto the table so her hands were free. "Do you... train it every day?"
"Every day," Hyunwoo admitted. "At first it slipped away from me, like trying to hold water. But I've gotten better. I can bend it now. Shape it. Use it."
Ruby's eyes shone, and she gave him the kind of smile that always seemed to cut through shadows. "That's... incredible. No wonder you're always gone training alone."
Hyunwoo chuckled under his breath. "It's not just about strength. It's about making sure I control it, and not the other way around."
Ruby tilted her head, thoughtful, then tapped her chin with a finger. Her expression shifted, from wonder to determination. "Then... maybe you shouldn't do it alone all the time. You helped me when I doubted myself as a leader. So... maybe I can help you with this."
Hyunwoo raised a brow. "Help me...?"
Ruby grinned, bright and unshaken. "Training partner. You, me, the red aura—let's figure it out together!"
He stared at her for a moment, caught between surprise and something warmer he couldn't quite name. Slowly, the corner of his mouth tugged upward. "...You'd really want to?"
Ruby crossed her arms and puffed her chest out playfully, though her smile was sincere. "Of course! That's what teammates—and friends—do."
Hyunwoo let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "You're stubborn, you know that?"
Ruby winked. "I learned from the best."
For the first time in a long while, the train area didn't feel so empty.
Hyunwoo stared at her for a long moment, the corners of his mouth tugging upward despite himself. Ruby's grin was too genuine, too stubborn to brush off.
"...Fine," he said at last, rolling his shoulders. "But don't complain if it gets dangerous."
Ruby's eyes lit up like stars. "Dangerous? Pfft, that's my last name! Well, actually it's Rose, but—you get the idea!"
Hyunwoo shook his head, amused in spite of himself, and stepped back into the center of the training yard. The floodlights overhead buzzed faintly as he raised his hand, letting the crimson aura flicker to life once more. This time, it wasn't just a faint glow. The air around him seemed to bend, shimmering like heat haze.
Ruby's smile faltered slightly as she felt it—an invisible pressure that rolled off him in waves. "...It's stronger up close."
Hyunwoo focused, pulling in a breath. The red aura stretched outward, reaching toward one of the practice spears set against the rack. With a subtle flick of his fingers, the weapon lifted smoothly into the air, hovering without a tremor. He turned his wrist, and the spear rotated as if an unseen hand gripped it.
Ruby's jaw dropped. "That's so cool! You could—like—fight without even touching your weapon!"
Hyunwoo let the spear drop into his hand, spinning it experimentally before planting the butt into the ground. "That's the idea. But copying semblance is harder. It takes precision."
Ruby tilted her head. "Like... my Petal Burst?"
He nodded. "Exactly. Watch."
He closed his eyes, the red aura sharpening, curling tightly around his legs. A faint breeze stirred, pulling loose gravel across the ground. Then—he moved.
In an instant, Hyunwoo blurred forward, scattering crimson afterimages like burning petals, his movement almost identical to Ruby's Petal Burst. He reappeared behind a dummy, spear raised, and stopped just short of striking.
Ruby gasped, clapping her hands together. "That—that was me! You totally copied it!"
Hyunwoo exhaled, sweat glistening on his brow. "...Close enough. But it drains me faster than using my normal aura."
Ruby bounced closer, practically glowing with excitement. "Still! That's amazing, Hyunwoo! With this... you could adapt to anything. Any enemy, any fight!"
He gave her a side glance, his expression more grounded. "Or lose myself trying. If I push too far, I don't know what'll happen."
Ruby paused, her grin softening into something more earnest. She reached out, lightly tugging his sleeve. "...Then that's why I'm here. We'll figure it out together. You don't have to do this alone."
For a long moment, Hyunwoo didn't answer. The red aura still flickered faintly around his hand, restless, but quieter now—almost... steady. He let it fade, meeting Ruby's gaze with the faintest hint of a smile.
"Alright, partner," he said. "Let's train."
Ruby brightened instantly. "Yes! Finally, someone who won't complain when I want to practice at midnight!"
Hyunwoo chuckled, shaking his head. "You're unbelievable."
She hefted her scythe off her back, spinning Crescent Rose into place. "Unbelievably awesome, you mean."
And under the pale glow of the shattered moon, the two of them squared off—crushes, friends, and now partners in a secret training that could change everything.
After a few hours training,
The training yard fell quiet again, save for the low hum of the floodlights and the faint creak of metal as Ruby rested Crescent Rose across her shoulder. Hyunwoo still stood at the center, his hand flexing once as if the red aura clung to him even after he dismissed it.
Ruby leaned on her scythe, watching him carefully. Not with awe anymore—but with curiosity, with thought. Her earlier excitement had dimmed into something steadier.
"You really weren't kidding," she said softly. "That's not something I've ever seen before."
Hyunwoo gave a small shrug, his expression guarded but not closed. "I told you. It's... different. Not my normal aura. Stronger, but harder to control."
Ruby tilted her head, her silver eyes glinting. "And dangerous."
He glanced at her. "...Yeah. Dangerous."
For a while, neither of them spoke. The night breeze carried faint echoes of laughter from the dorms, the kind of background noise that reminded them that everyone else was still living normal student lives. But here, under the moonlight, it felt different—heavier.
Ruby finally broke the silence, shifting her weight. "You know... you don't have to rush this. You're already strong, Hyunwoo. Stronger than most people here. Maybe even stronger than me."
Hyunwoo chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "You're underestimating yourself. And overestimating me."
Ruby puffed her cheeks in protest but let it go. She tapped Crescent Rose lightly against the ground, her voice turning softer. "Still... if you ever want to practice with it—" She hesitated, then smiled. "—I'll be there. No questions asked."
Hyunwoo studied her for a moment, the offer hanging between them. Then he nodded once, slow but certain. "...Thanks."
The red aura no longer glowed, but Ruby could still feel its weight in the air, as if the training yard itself had remembered it. She knew this was just the beginning, and that one day they'd test it together—but for now, it was enough.
Ruby grinned, the mood lifting again as she hoisted Crescent Rose back into its folded form. "Alright! But tomorrow, you're buying cookies if we stay out late again."
Hyunwoo let out a quiet laugh. "Deal."
With that, they started back toward the dorms side by side, the silence between them no longer heavy but... comfortable.
And though Ruby said nothing, she couldn't shake the thought:
If his red aura can already do that... what else is he capable of?
___
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