{Jaune's POV}
Looking at Modred's face... it looks like I may or may not have gotten something wrong with Aura... but why does she say that Aura can't be focused on one spot? I'm clearly doing it now.
"Modred... I'm confused... because look at this." I show her my right arm before I focus my Aura on it, and it starts to glow.
Modred sighs. "Jaune... how about I explain it to you? I should have explained this to you long ago, but I never guessed you would have this kind of problem."
She sighs again after she finishes putting the cream on my ribs and screws the lid back on.
"Here, let me show you." I watch her close her eyes before her body gains a thin layer of red protective force field. "As you know... this is my Aura..." She grabs the roll of bandages and starts to unwrap it. "It makes me strong... more durable... it's basically a buff in all stats, except for your brain, I guess... but you can't just focus it on one spot of your body... and as you know, Aura is the manifestation of your soul."
I nod and look at her. "So why can I do it?"
"Let me explain it to you just like how Dad explained it to me when he unlocked my Aura... Aura is like an on-and-off switch. It's either on or off... but usually it activates a split second before a fatal blow hits you..." She continues explaining. "Aura can't be controlled in only one spot, if you get what I'm saying... and it's restricted to your body only..."
My eyes widen at her words. Restricted only to my body? That can't be right. I used my Aura on the sword... wait, the Circuits... If she's telling me that people can't control and focus their Aura on one spot of the body, then what about the Circuits?
"The Circuits, Modred... you know about the Circuits, right?" There's no way a dumb kid like me just magically became a pioneer in controlling Aura. I can't just... discover a different way to use it in the first minute I unlocked it.
"The Circuits? Yeah, you told me about the Circuits this morning... I'm confused about that, Jaune. Maybe the Circuits are your Semblance?" she asks, but I know for sure it's not my Semblance.
I shake my head at her. "No, it's not my Semblance, Modred. You told me that when you got your Semblance, you instinctively knew that it was your Semblance, right? Because it's stored in a part of your brain?"
She nods. "Yeah. A Semblance is stored in about the right front part of your brain, yes. That's why when a person awakens their Semblance, they instinctively know how to use it... and instinctively know that it's their Semblance, because a Semblance is just a more tangible manifestation of your soul." She spreads her fingers, and red electricity starts to course through them. "Like this... I instantly knew that it was my Semblance, and I instinctively knew about all of its uses. I can train it further and discover new ways to use it, but I instinctively know the basics, like how to increase the power."
"Yeah, well, the Circuits aren't like that. I don't know how to use it. Yes, I instinctively used it, but it's not like I know how to use it... it's more like common sense. Just like when I used the Circuits on my wooden sword... and I know for a fact that it's not my Semblance, and it's all made up of Aura," I explain.
"How about this? After I bandage you up, you can show me the Circuits. For now, just tell me what you felt when you used it." She starts to bandage my torso.
"Well... when I used it last night... I was confused, but I felt free... like my body wasn't being tied down... and love. I felt a lot of love." I hum, then flinch when she tightens the bandages. "Ow... and when I looked at my hand, there was this white circuit pattern crawling on it... and I just felt like I could flow it to my sword, and I did. The Circuits crawled onto the sword... it's not like there was anything stopping me from trying to transfer my Aura onto my sword..."
She starts to tie the bandages on my torso. "The feeling of freedom... that's normal. I felt that too when I unlocked mine... but love? I... I never experienced that. That is weird..."
After she finishes tying the bandages, she gently grabs my left arm and starts to examine it. "Shit, Jaune... it's broken. How about you try to focus your Aura here?" I nod, and my left arm starts to glow.
"This is weird... I never knew someone could use Aura like this... and what you said about transferring your Aura into your sword... that's impossible. Aura is the manifestation of your soul. You can't transfer it to anything other than your own body." She shakes her head, then looks straight into my eyes.
"What happened after you stopped using those Circuits?" My body shivers as I remember what happened.
"It... hurt... like my muscles were torn apart and my bones were breaking," I explain, and I see her brows furrow.
"...Which part hurt the most?"
"Well... everything, I guess..." She grabs my right arm and starts to massage it, feeling along my arm.
"Yeah, Jaune... your muscle is actually a little torn up, like you overtrained and some of it broke... but it'll be fine when your Aura heals you up." She nods. "But yeah... according to what I know, a Semblance can't physically hurt you. Like, I can't get electrocuted by my own Semblance, but I'll still get electrocuted if I get zapped by a taser, even though my Semblance is much stronger than a taser."
"Do you... want me to show you the Circuits now?" I ask her.
"Yeah, but wait a minute. Let me quickly put the stuff back into the medkit and store it back in its place before Mom accidentally discovers it's missing." I watch her quickly stuff everything inside before she leaves my room.
A Semblance can't physically hurt you... so what exactly is this thing? I know it's Aura, but from what I heard from Modred, she never knew things like this existed... and she goes to a combat school... a combat school that she always skips classes at, but she still gets pretty good grades from me helping her study.
Maybe it's stupid, but I can't exactly discover a new use for Aura, right? Aura has been around for thousands of years now... I think... but I'm just a stupid kid who does stupid stuff like going into the woods at night and getting attacked by an alpha Beowolf, and in Atlas there are hundreds of scientists trying to find new ways to use Aura, plus a bunch more stuff. I think I saw the news about some secret stuff being leaked by the White Fang, and it had info about Aura and other things... the news didn't exactly tell us what got leaked, but I know it involved Aura.
I sigh and put the sweater back on, hoping my body heals faster... it aches really bad... like really, really bad. I want to cry, and I want to curl up and weep.
After I lie down and just breathe for a couple of minutes, Modred finally comes back.
"Hey, Jaune, you're sleeping?" she asks before she sits on my bed.
"No... I was just trying to catch my breath... my whole body hurts." I slowly sit up.
"So you're ready?" I ask her, and she answers with a nod.
I raise my right arm and focus on it. I imagine filling my muscles with Aura, and then I create pathways for my Aura to flow through. It hurts making the pathways, but it won't stop me.
On my right arm, there are thin and faint circuit-like patterns.
"There... it's much weaker and thinner than last night, but it's the same..." I hold out my arm, and she immediately grabs it and starts to examine it.
"Wow... this is so cool, Jaune. How do you do it?" she asks while tracing the patterns with her fingers.
"Well, I first focus on my arm and fill it up with my Aura, and then I create pathways like the patterns so my Aura can flow through..." I explain. She lets go of my arm, hums, and closes her eyes.
Her body starts to glow as her Aura activates. I release my Circuits and let them disappear while I watch her try to do what I did.
After a few minutes, her Aura deactivates, and she lets out an annoyed sigh.
"I can't do it. It just won't work. Like, I can't fill only one part of my body with Aura, let alone create pathways for it!" She pouts at me, then leans her face close to mine. "Explain to me how you fill your arm with Aura, or I'll bite you."
I lean back slightly and raise my right arm in surrender. "Okay... okay... I did it just like I told you. I just focus and imagine filling it up with my Aura. That's it. Arc's honor."
She glares at me, then sighs. "...After you're healed, let's have a fight." She laughs under her breath.
Well... I just hope nothing goes wrong.
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