Bonding Through Flames

VI

The heat in my chest, which had been simmering for days, suddenly vanished without warning. It wasn't gradual—one moment, it blazed like an open flame; the next, it was gone, leaving behind only a lingering coolness. Like embers after a fire, it felt quiet but unfamiliar. I frowned, confused. Something had changed, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

If I were to use a metaphor, I felt like I disconnected from my power source.

"Strange doesn't even begin to describe it."

I had postponed this long enough. It had only been a couple of days since my breakdown—a messy, teary realization of just how far I'd fallen. But there was no more time for self-pity.

Standing in the open area I'd cleared earlier, I scanned my surroundings. The patch of dirt stretched out like a blank canvas, ready for experimentation. I'd prepared it, anticipating the need for a training ground.

Leon was close by, rolling around in the soft dirt without a care in the world. I sighed.

I couldn't leave him unsupervised for long. Not after what happened with the bamboo shower. He'd somehow managed to nearly blow it to bits, all while giggling like it was a game. Funny kid.

A sudden flash caught my eye, and I turned just in time to see Leon shoot lasers from his eyes, disintegrating a snake that had lunged at him.

"That baby boy might just be the death of me," I muttered, shaking my head.

As I watched him, a memory surfaced—a technique I'd written into my novel but never thought I'd try myself. It was a basic Seeker skill: channeling aura into the eyes to enhance perception. If nothing else, it might help me see what was happening inside me—or with Leon.

I closed my eyes and focused, imagining the flow of aura pooling behind them. Slowly, I opened them again, the world now bathed in faint streams of warm light. Leon, who was now snoozing peacefully in his crib, glowed with a soft but vibrant aura.

But something odd caught my attention—a faint stream of energy connecting the two of us. It flowed from me to him and back again, like a silent exchange.

"Hmmm… how do I classify this?" I murmured, narrowing my eyes.

This wasn't a simple transfer. It felt... symbiotic, like our auras were interacting on a deeper level. Could it be a skill copier? Or maybe even a skill taker?

Leon's aura was undoubtedly the key. His pure, untapped energy had likely saved me during the fall—not my own. I knelt beside him, examining the aura more closely with my enhanced vision.

His energy was unrefined, raw, and still developing. Yet it had managed to shield me.

That's when the pieces clicked together.

"My aura adapts to others…" I whispered, the revelation dawning on me. "It's not Leon's ability—it's mine."

As I spoke the words aloud, the implications sank in. I wasn't just a Dealer in the traditional sense. Dealers transferred their own aura or enhanced others', but mine worked in reverse. I wasn't giving; I was taking.

"The others support me instead," I muttered. That explained the heat I'd felt before—it wasn't my aura burning in my chest. It had been Leon's, sustaining me.

Standing up, I rubbed the back of my neck, my thoughts racing. This ability was both incredible and terrifying. On one hand, it meant I could draw on the strength of others. On the other, it made me dependent. Without someone nearby, I'd be vulnerable.

Testing this power would be difficult. I couldn't risk draining Leon too much—not when he was still so young. But this revelation was a game-changer. It meant I wasn't starting at zero.

I stared down at Leon, his tiny form rising and falling with each breath.

"Alright," I said softly. "How should I approach this?"

I needed to learn more—test the boundaries of this strange power I'd awakened. The faint stream of energy still connected me to Leon, though it had grown weaker since I'd first noticed it. I stared at it, feeling a tugging sense of unease. I was certain I could strengthen the connection and siphon more of his aura, but the thought made my stomach twist.

What if I accidentally hurt him?

The idea was unbearable. Leon had saved my life, even if unintentionally. Hurting him, even by mistake, wasn't an option.

I took a deep breath, focusing on the connection. With a mental nudge, I severed it, watching as the faint glow of energy faded. The absence of the stream left me feeling oddly hollow, but the relief of knowing Leon was safe outweighed it.

"Okay," I said aloud, mostly to myself. "What do I know?"

Auras had attributes—qualities that influenced how abilities manifested. They shaped the nature of someone's powers and determined how they interacted with the world.

Leon was clearly a Caster, with his fire-related abilities. That much was obvious from the way he'd incinerated that snake earlier. His attributes likely revolved around fire—destructive, raw, and intense.

But what about me?

I sat down on a smooth rock, letting my breathing steady. Drawing on the Seeker aura, I turned my focus inward. It was an odd sensation, like peeling back layers of myself to observe what lay beneath.

The first thing I noticed was my appearance—or rather, how I'd let it go. My beard had grown thick and unruly during my time in the mountains, a stark contrast to the clean-shaven look I used to keep. It wasn't the worst look, but it felt like a reflection of how far I'd drifted from my old self.

"Alright," I muttered, "I'll shave once I've got a handle on this aura stuff. That's the deal."

As I probed deeper, I finally caught a glimpse of my own aura. It was faint, barely perceptible, like a thin outline of energy that flickered in and out of view. No matter how much I tried to rouse it, it refused to grow.

Pathetically miniscule.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Leon has more aura than me, huh?"

The memory of the fall flashed in my mind—the desperate surge of energy that had kept me alive. That hadn't been my own strength. I'd borrowed Leon's aura, drawn on his power to survive.

The realization hit me like a cold wave. My survival wasn't thanks to some hidden reservoir of power within me.

"So that's my innate ability," I murmured. "I can borrow aura."

It was both humbling and daunting. My ability wasn't self-sustaining. It relied on others—on their strength, their aura. And yet, that dependency also made it versatile. If I could master it, I could adapt to any situation, drawing on the strengths of those around me.

But that raised more questions. How far could I push this ability? Could I draw aura from anyone, or were there limits? And most importantly, how could I ensure I didn't harm anyone in the process?

For now, I didn't have answers. But what I did have was a goal: to understand this power and to use it responsibly. I couldn't afford to fumble around in the dark anymore.

It looked like in the end, one way or another, I would have to borrow Leon's aura to experiment.

At this point, it was undeniable: I had the strongest affinity with the Dealer Aura.

The revelation left me both awed and uneasy. Awakening your Aura via artificial means was a difficult feat already, and to awaken with a special ability right off the bat? That bordered on the bizarre. Most people took years to manifest even a rudimentary ability after awakening their aura, yet here I was, fumbling through experiments like some untrained prodigy.

Over the next few days, I ran a series of experiments.

They were exhausting but necessary. I borrowed Leon's aura, used it for a while, and then returned it. At first, I was terrified I'd harm him, but as time passed, I realized I'd been overthinking it. Leon was built differently.

One time, a parasitic cryptid snuck into our camp—a wiry creature with too many legs and venomous fangs. Before I could react, Leon incinerated it with a laser shot from his eyes, then went right back to rolling in the dirt like nothing had happened. I stood there, stunned, wondering how I'd ended up raising a baby who was half genius, half chaos.

With practice, I improved my technique, refining my ability with each attempt. The process was draining, but every session taught me something new. To keep track, I started writing down my discoveries in a battered notebook I'd found in the cave.

What I Learned About My Aura Ability:

Borrow or Steal via Touch:I could borrow or steal aura through physical contact. Manifesting Strings:The borrowed aura manifested as strings, invisible to the naked eye but probably visible under Seeker Aura-enhanced vision. Distance Limit:These strings could manifest at a distance, but only if I'd touched the target within the past two minutes. Attribute Borrowing:I could specifically borrow an attribute of someone's aura, enhancing my use of aura in targeted ways. Low Aura Pool:My own aura pool was pitifully small, meaning I couldn't sustain aura usage for long without tapping into external power source. Dual/Partial Aura States:With practice, I could fluidly and partially switch between Aura States. For example, I could use Seeker Aura for perception while simultaneously channeling Fighter Aura for strength. This seemed to be a side effect of my low aura pool—transforming my aura as something flexible. Returning and Sabotaging Aura:I could return borrowed aura to its owner and even use it to disrupt or hijack their techniques. I'd managed to stop Leon from exploding the chicken I caught for dinner this way. Multiple Targets:I could borrow aura from multiple individuals as long as they qualified as life forms. Aura was generated by the collision of Soul and Life Force, which explained why I could borrow a chicken's aura. However, non-hunters like the chicken had such small aura reserves that they were easily exhausted, nearly dying in the process. Perception-Based Limitation:Borrowing aura was limited by perception. If Leon was asleep or distracted, I couldn't borrow his aura. Rule of Equality:Borrowing aura followed an absolute rule of equality. When I borrowed Leon's aura, it was divided evenly between us. Theoretically, this made me invincible in one-on-one combat—I could force my opponent into aura exhaustion by expending their aura while connected to them.

After jotting down these insights, I let out a long breath.

My ability was powerful, but it had serious limitations. The mental strain of using it, the reliance on proximity and touch, and the risk of exposing my dependency on others—all of these were glaring weaknesses. If I wanted to survive in the Hunter world, I'd need to address these flaws and learn to turn them into strengths.

For now, though, I focused on refining my control over the aura I borrowed. There was potential here, a vast reservoir of possibilities waiting to be unlocked. The more I tested it, the closer I came to understanding its full potential.

Dealer-type special abilities were unnecessarily complicated, but that was just the nature of them. My ability—one that allowed me to borrow aura—had a myriad of conditions and variables. It was a puzzle I'd have to piece together over time, one experiment at a time.

But I wasn't completely locked into this ability. While I lacked the raw specialization of a full-fledged Fighter or Seeker, I wasn't entirely limited. I could still tap into the basic applications of the other Seven States.

Or Seven Methods as some called it.

"This ability," I murmured, pausing for a moment. "I think I would call this Soul Link."

The name felt right—Soul Link. It captured the essence of my ability: the way I could connect to others, borrow their aura, their attributes, even their emotions. It wasn't flashy like Leon's laser beams, but it was powerful in its own way.

Soul Link had potential. I could adapt to any situation, depending on who or what I connected with. The trick, though, was learning to use it effectively. That meant mastering the intricacies of each State to complement my ability.

I turned to Leon.

"What are you doing?"

I just turned away for a second and Leon was already causing trouble.

"What's that?"

Leon was hugging a… bunny? The small creature squirmed in his tiny arms, looking thoroughly miserable. Leon, however, seemed overjoyed, babbling incoherently as if telling the bunny his life story.

"Bublablaga!" he exclaimed, nuzzling the poor animal.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think Leon was torturing the bunny judging by how fed up it looked. I sighed, stepping closer. "Hey, pal, you should let go of the bunny," I said gently.

I reached out to pry the creature from his grip, but Leon had other ideas. Without warning, he opened his mouth and unleashed a small burst of fire. I barely dodged, activating my Fighter Aura just in time to sidestep the flames.

"Leon!" I yelped, patting out a singed edge of my sleeve.

He giggled, completely unrepentant, and tightened his hold on the bunny. The poor thing looked ready to pass out from stress.

I crouched down, conflicted. I couldn't blame Leon entirely. I felt bad knowing I hadn't been able to buy him proper toys. This mountain life was tough, and I'd prioritized survival over anything else. Now, my baby boy was finding amusement in things like grasshoppers and bunnies.

I shuddered at the memory of Leon methodically pulling the legs off a grasshopper last week, giggling like it was the funniest thing in the world. If he did that to the bunny, I might just cry.

An idea struck me.

"Alright, let's try this," I muttered, activating Soul Link. The invisible thread of aura connected me to Leon, and I immediately felt the surge of his fiery energy flowing into me.

With a deep breath, I shifted my aura into Caster State. Fire gathered on my palm, flickering weakly at first but slowly stabilizing. Without Soul Link, this would have been impossible. My affinity with Caster Aura was abysmal—I couldn't even manifest a proper flame on my own.

Leon's aura, however, was a different story.

As I concentrated, the ember in my palm grew brighter. Slowly, I molded it into a small, sustainable sphere of fire. Leon's eyes widened, his attention finally shifting from the bunny.

I tossed the fireball softly into the air and caught it again, letting it land in my palm with a playful flourish. Leon's gaze followed the fiery sphere, his expression filled with wonder.

"Whoa~!" he gasped, finally releasing the bunny.

The poor creature wasted no time, darting away into the underbrush.

I exhaled in relief, then focused on creating another fireball in my other hand. It took me a full five minutes of intense concentration to form a second sphere with a solid shape. The effort was draining—my aura pool was pitiful, and even with Leon's help, this was pushing my limits.

Still, I managed. With a fireball in each hand, I began juggling them, letting them arc gracefully through the air.

Leon clapped his hands in delight, his earlier mischief forgotten. "Whoa~! Wah~!"

I dismissed one of the fireballs, deciding to conserve my energy. Instead, I concentrated on stabilizing the remaining sphere, making it more durable and less likely to explode. My Aura Control was decent, compensating somewhat for my lack of raw power.

"Catch!" I called, tossing the fireball in a slow arc toward Leon.

To my astonishment, the sphere curved mid-air, landing perfectly in his tiny hands.

"Whoa~!" Leon marveled, staring at the fireball with wide eyes.

I froze. How had he done that? Then it hit me—of course. It was his aura to begin with. I was just borrowing it.

"Hey, kiddo," I said, recovering from my surprise. "Why don't you pass it back?"

Leon glanced between me and the fireball, his little brow furrowing in concentration. Then, mimicking my earlier motion, he tossed it toward me.

I caught the fireball easily, feeling its newfound stability. The energy felt more refined, more balanced.

"Nice," I murmured, a small smile tugging at my lips.

For the next hour, Leon and I played catch with the fireball. Each throw and catch seemed to strengthen the connection between us, both literally and figuratively.

As I watched him laugh and marvel at the fiery sphere, a sense of warmth filled my chest—not from the fire, but from the bond we were forming.

This wasn't just training. It was something more. Something I hadn't realized I needed until now.

I was bonding with my baby boy.

~006