Chapter 430: The Last Color
*Flip*
*Glow*
As Leo excitedly opened the [Sevenfold Revelation Codex], a soft pulse of golden light radiated from the manual, washing over his face with a soothing haze.
Words of wisdom began appearing from the top of the page, as the codex explained the seventh and final aura color.
—---------------
> "You have awakened the seventh color of revelation: Green."
> "Green is not strength. Green is not talent. Green is not fate. Green... is the will to survive."
> "To see Green is to answer death’s invitation with silence... and keep walking"
> "It is the cry of the soul refusing to be silenced. The heartbeat that continues even when the body has fallen still. The defiance that exists without reason or reward."
> "For the one who endures longer than they should have... longer than they were allowed to... longer than even they believed possible... becomes something more than mortal."
> "Those who see green are no longer merely alive..... they are alive with purpose."
> "For Green is the color of Life!"
—---------------
Leo read every line that appeared on the Codex with rapt attention, as he tried to comprehend the meaning of Green as best as he could.
However, before he could think too deeply about it, the text appearing on the codex changed completely.
—----------------
> "You have now mastered all 7 basic aura colors.
Maroon - Frustration.
Red - Bloodlust.
Blue - Hope and Joy.
Pink - Love.
Black - Lie.
Golden - Fate.
Green - Will To Survive."
> "You have successfully unlocked the ability to convert basic emotions to physical power.
The stronger the emotion you feel, the greater your strength output will be, as your body will now respond in accordance to the emotions you feel."
—------------------
The Codex revealed, as Leo stared at the fresh text in a stunned silence.
He did not feel a rush of knowledge flood his mind, nor did his body suddenly surge with power. Nothing obvious had changed.
And yet... something had.
His muscles felt exactly the same as before : trained, conditioned, reliable, but layered beneath that familiar strength was something new.
A second thread.
Not forged from mana or skill, but emotion.
His body had begun to echo the state of his heart, drawing subtle, amplifying power from his anger, his conviction, his defiance.
It was strange... to feel strength that wasn’t entirely physical, nor magical, but rather emotive.
As if his very movements now came with a resonance, a silent inner echo, shaped by what he felt rather than just what he could do.
"Interesting...." Leo mused, as he clenched and unclenched his fists a couple times, just to check this new power.
—-----------
> "You have completed the first stage of your training and are now ready to study the second stage, which graduates you from the realm of perceiving aura, to the realm of perceiving intent."
> "There is a cause attached to every emotion. There is an intent behind every action.
And once a warrior has mastered the perception of aura, the next step is to understand what motivates the birth of aura colors."
> "To spot intent, you must deepen your knowledge of each individual aura color to a level which is beyond the surface level knowledge you have gained so far.
And the method to do that is to spend as much time as you can observing that particular color."
> "The suggested method is to deepen your knowledge with one individual color at a time, with success being achieved when you can see a thread made of the same aura color connect the aura to its intent."
—----------------
The Codex explained, as Leo took in a long breath before exhaling it at once.
*Huff*
’Guess the Codex is back to its vague bullshit!’ Leo thought, as once again instead of giving him some proper guidance, the Codex assigned him an extremely vague mission to deepen his understanding of each aura color, and magically find this ’intent’.
Leo kept staring at the page, scanning through the words again and again, hoping for some hidden clue, some special guidance that he might have missed at first glance, however, found nothing.
The instructions remained as vague as they were profound, which basically translated to : you are on your own here! Good luck figuring shit out yourself.
’How long is this going to take me...?’ Leo wondered, his thumb gently running along the Codex’s edge.
’If perceiving the seven basic aura alone took me over a year, and even then I only managed it by risking my life... so how long will this next stage take?’ he asked himself, as the answer brought a dry laugh to his throat, one that never made it past his lips.
This was a manual that expected too much from someone who was just at the Grandmaster stage, as Leo could finally understand why almost nobody could ever complete it.
’Fuck it, I somehow completed the first stage, so I’ll find a way to complete the second as well–’ he thought, as he closed his eyes briefly, letting his turbulent thoughts settle as his grip on the Codex tightened just a little.
But even through the silent complaint in his heart, he couldn’t deny one thing—
The manual was teaching him something about life that no other technique in the universe could.
And although it was tough, once he mastered what it had to teach, he would truly be unparalleled.
’Is this what separates instinct from insight?’ he wondered, cracking his eyes open as he looked up at the sky.
It was still night.
Still clear.
Stars shimmered far beyond reach, like quiet reminders that there would always be more above him, more to grasp, more to become.
He let the Codex fall shut with a faint thump, holding it close to his chest—not with reverence, but with a kind of weary respect. As if acknowledging the bond they now shared, teacher and student, tormentor and guide.
Some distance behind him, Charles remained seated, resting against a half-buried crate with arms folded and one brow raised.
He didn’t speak, didn’t move, just merely observed, a quiet satisfaction playing in his eyes.
Because even without hearing Leo’s thoughts, he knew exactly what kind of conversation the boy was having with himself beneath that sky.
And it was the right one for his growth.