Chapter:0.63 Frenzy’s Embrace – Red Moon Ascension
The artificial dome glowed a dim crimson as Naoko stood before Jin, her silver hair tumbling like liquid mercury, eyes narrowed and cold. Gone was the calm tutor; in her place, a primal tempest hooked into the essence of the Red Moon.
"Sit," she commanded, forming a chair from pure mana. Jin complied silently, hair now jet-black framing a face sharpened by earlier trials. His eyes glowed a steady crimson.
"It's time," Naoko continued, raising her voice until it echoed against obsidian walls. "You have touched the Red Moon's power—but you do not understand it. Today, you will feel it in your bones."
Naoko's posture straightened. A deep hush fell.
"The Red Moon," she began, her voice soft but firm, "is not for the faint-hearted. It is the moon of **fury**, of **raw emotion** unfiltered. Where the Blue Moon grants calculated destruction, the Red Moon gives you the flames of rage—the heat of the battlefield and the edge of the kill."
Jin's jaw tightened. "What's so different?"
Naoko answered and said, "The characteristics of the red moon."
* **Raw Strength**: It multiplies physical power tenfold, but unpredictably.
* **Emotion Feed**: Requires strong emotional anchors—anger, pain, even vengeance—to feed its fires.
* **Drawbacks**: Without control, its flames will consume you as easily as the enemy. It can burn your mind, leaving you hollow.
Naoko sat down beside him. "To use it, you must **direct your fury**. Not lose yourself to it."
With a sudden breath, she summoned red-hot mana. Veins of scarlet energy appeared beneath her skin; heat flickered through the air. The ground trembled beneath them.
Her hair flared, eyes flickered red. Soldiers of pure flame flickered around her, then exploded, filling the room with roaring echoes.
Jin recoiled. "M..Mother!"
She did not relent. "Feel it. Let it ignite, but **you must guide the blaze**, or it will burn you."
Naoko raised a barrier around Jin to protect him. She walked away, melting into darkness… then exploded into red light.
She became pure fury. Her voice dropped to a bestial growl: "If you let this rage loose willfully—you are uncontrolled. You are **beast**, not warrior."
Her form blurred. Claws of fire, wings of flame. Wall pillars cracked. The dome quivered like candlelight in a storm.
Jin watched wide-eyed, his heart pounded. Fear and awe bound him.
After moments that felt like lifetimes, Naoko lowered her head. The flame dissipated, revealing a composed woman exhaling.
"You saw that? That is the Red Moon's weight. It can crack nations—or humiliate you."
Still seated, Jin pressed his hand against the floor—small cracks spread red light.
"First: **Find your node**. What fuels your rage? I know yours is… ultimate loss. Your sister's death. Every injustice that died in silence."
Jin closed his eyes. Memory welled: Estelle, trembling, struck down… the shame, helplessness.
"Second: **Anchor** your will. This may mean closing off empathy in battle, and letting rage sharpen your blade."
Safer? No—more dangerous.
But Naoko nodded. "Danger is fuel."
"Third: You need a vessel that can handle the heat."
### 4. Weapon of the Red Moon – Elysion Aether-Core
Naoko summoned a swirling black-and-red vortex. From it emerged a blade of living mana—shape-shifting, shifting between halberd, glaive, whip.
"This is your **Elysion**, the Aether Infused with Red Mana. It molds itself to your emotions—angry slash, furious lunge, explosive tornado. Yet it is **sentient**. It draws your heat, disperses it into form."
She drew the weapon, its shape stabilized into a long black sword edged in bright red.
"Every time you strike: it draws out **excess emotion**, forging it into structure. Training will teach you how to temper your fury—how to hit hard **but avoid self-destruction**."
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[First Trial: Emotional Ignition]
Naoko gestured. "Stand up. You will attempt to ignite Red Mana."
Jin stood, hazel-black blade in hand. Heat pulsed around him. He shivered.
"Channel your fury," she said.
Battle memory: monsters at Estelle's side... That day, Jin could not help.
He forced the emotion in—feeling his core twist. A faint red aura enveloped him. His heart raced. Fingers tingled.
He surged the aura outward – a minor spray of sparks glowed. Enough to etch a line in stone.
Naoko grinned slightly.
"You have fire. But this… this is **beginner's flicker**."
---
[. The Diet & Conditioning]
Weeks passed. Naoko introduced a regimen:
* **Sunrise**: Red-mana water, mineral salts, raw meat for muscle endurance.
* **Midday**: Cold bath to build resilience vs. heat surges.
* **Before Sleep**: Healing balm infused with moon-green leisinar to balance cell regeneration.
Training became ritual. Jin learned to regulate heartbeat—not too calm, not too wild.
---
[Intermediate Trial: Guided Fury]
Next, Naoko orchestrated an attack drill with hollow constructs.
Jin invoked rage: thinking of his helplessness again, blade ablaze with red aura.
He lashed at constructs. Elysion responded—its edge flared scarlet and black. Each strike triggered small shockwaves of heat.
But with each swing, Jin felt throat constricting. Rage threatened to overwhelm him.
Naoko cried warning: "**Control**, Jin! Don't let it take you— **be flame**, not **flame-devoured**."
He retracted briefly. Took a shaky breath. Focused on rational purpose—"defend, right wrong, bring justice." The rage shifted—still fierce, but controlled.
He struck a decisive blow. The constructs disintegrated.
"Good," praised Naoko. "But know this: your mind must be your anchor, or red will drown your soul."
---
[Drawbacks & Side Effects]
Naoko pulled him aside later.
"This power **buffets** your mind. Temper it with other moons: Blue's calm, Green's healing, Silver's clarity."
Jin nodded grimly.
She continued, voice heavy: "If you maintain Red too long, you risk headache, irritability, blood pressure, hallucinations. Worse — you could develop a psychotic break."
He swallowed.
"In battle, channel it as a **burst**, not a blaze."
---
[Final Demonstration – Red Aether Fusion]
Night fell. Crimson light bathed the dome. Naoko stood at the center.
"Show me your fusion."
Jin inhaled. Summoned Red mana with controlled rage. The Elysion glowed—blue-red aura—a storm. He slashed air twice. Swords of flame exploded outward, burying obsidian pillars.
Shaking, he reined it in before collapse.
---
[. Where They Stand]
In silence, Naoko approached. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Enough. We will master the rest tomorrow."
Jin exhaled. Eyes still burning. Hair fully black, eyes bright crimson.
"Healing, Teleportation, Moon Silver remain. Seven paths await."
He stared up at his mother—mentor, warlord, rescuer.