Henry leaned against the wall, chuckling to himself, muttering jokes under his breath and letting laughter escape in quiet bursts.
"Ah, the absurdity of it all." he said, shaking his head.
Cagaro swayed slightly, eyes glassy, dizziness tugging at his senses. Henry reached out, gripping his shoulders gently.
"Hey, wake up. Don't give up on me now."
Cagaro blinked rapidly, focus snapping back. "Did… did I miss something?" His voice was small, apologetic. "I—I'm sorry if I was… distracted."
Henry shrugged, smiling faintly, calm and effortless. "It's okay. You just went a little deeper than most first-timers. That's all."
Cagaro exhaled, gripping his arms as his legs steadied.
Henry let a slow, quiet breath out before speaking.
"Alright." Henry said, voice calm and deliberate. "Now I need to teach you something fundamental, Aura."
Cagaro blinked. "Aura…?"
Henry nodded. "Yes. Every Impaired, every operative, every person touched by the stones, you emit it. Not visible to the casual eye at first, but it is there. A living extension of your emotions. Think of it like a… biological reflection of your inner state, amplified and channeled."
Cagaro's head tilted slightly. "Amplified… how?"
Henry gestured loosely. "There are four main types, each tied to a set of core emotions. Blue, red, green, yellow. Simple but each have layers between them."
He held up one finger. "Blue. Ranges from loneliness to calmness. Not just one or the other—there's a spectrum. The deeper the calm, the stronger its effects. Blue stabilizes you. Boosts defense, reflexes, perception, clarity. It's the shield in your mind and body."
He raised a second finger. "Red. Rage to madness. Think fiery. Adrenaline, endurance, raw strength. But too far and it twists your mind. The closer you are to madness, the more unpredictable your power."
Third finger. "Green. Joy to love. Powerful, restorative. It increases healing, affinity with others, understanding. But remember that joy can turn to obsession, love can become fixation. Be careful how you feed it."
Last finger. "Yellow. Boredom to pride. Willpower, creativity, durability. It's subtle. Often overlooked, because it doesn't shout out like red or blue. But a steady yellow aura keeps you moving, inventing, resisting fatigue. Pride can become arrogance; boredom can be… dangerous if ignored."
Henry leaned forward slightly, resting elbows on knees. "Each emotion isn't just what you feel in a single instant. They are layers between each of them. Under loneliness, there's regret, hesitation, doubt. Under rage, there's frustration, envy, recklessness.
These layers feed the aura, shape it, and your body responds. Heart rate, reflexes, endurance, even comprehension changes depending on your aura type and strength."
Cagaro's eyes widened. "So… my body adjusts automatically?"
"Yes." Henry said, voice steady. "Your aura maintains your emotions, health and understanding. If you manage it, it's a tool. If you ignore it, it becomes a risk. Blue makes you clear-headed and defensive.
Red makes you strong and enduring. Green makes you healing and stable. Yellow gives you creativity and willpower. Simple, yes but mastering the layers… that's the real challenge."
Cagaro nodded slowly, absorbing each word, the weight of it pressing in but also the thrill of what was possible.
Henry smiled faintly. "You will feel it soon. Your aura will speak before I even need to tell you what's happening."
Henry leaned back, letting the weight of the explanation settle. "There are still many more pieces you need to understand." he said, voice calm but firm.
"Aura isn't isolated. These four types—blue, red, green, yellow and they can overlap. And when they do, the effects aren't just additive. They create… what I call conflicts."
Cagaro's brow furrowed.
"Conflicts" Henry repeated, "or temporary 'diseases' in your body and mind. They push your system beyond normal limits. Your muscles, your reflexes, even your thought patterns get rewired for a short time. Strength, speed, endurance, insight; they all spikes up. You become… extraordinary. But there's a cost."
He tapped the side of his temple. "Mental breakdowns. Physical strain. Nausea, hallucinations, paralysis… sometimes even death. Most people survive but only because the aura conflicts last for a limited time. Once the burst ends, the body collapses, recalibrates and recovers. if it can."
Cagaro swallowed hard, trying to process.
"These powers" Henry continued, "come directly from the diseases or disruptions caused by the Runic Flow. Each person awakens the powers in different level following their potential to handle it. Some get strength, some get speed, some… other abilities you wouldn't expect. It's messy. It also has numerous demerits as well. But that's how Organization members turn weaknesses into weapons."
He leaned closer, eyes sharp. "Your aura isn't just your emotions. It's your potential. And the conflicts? They're the price you pay to access it."
Cagaro nodded slowly, understanding the weight of what he had agreed to. The excitement was there but so was the fear.
Henry shifted his posture, voice dropping into something more careful. "Now comes the part most people misunderstand." he said. "Neurological Auras."
Cagaro straightened immediately.
"There are two main types." Henry continued. "The first is Migraine Aura. Sounds harmless. It's not."
He raised a finger. "Migraine Aura itself splits into four forms."
"Visual," he said first. "Where you see flashes, distortions, blind spots, absurd geometry where geometry shouldn't exist. Your brain misrenders reality."
"Sensory. Feeling of tingling, numbness, pain moving under the skin like a signal gone wrong."
"Speech or Language. You know what you want to say but the words come out broken or don't come out at all. Verbal comprehension in a way."
"And Motor. Loss of control, tremors. You feel weak at one side or part of your body. Your body hesitates when your mind doesn't in simple words."
Cagaro listened, jaw tight.
Henry exhaled. "Now the second type; Epileptic Aura."
He paused, letting the word hang.
"This is where the twist is." Henry said.
"Epileptic Aura is its own neurological branch… but it's also a sub-branch of Migraine Aura."
Cagaro blinked. "Both?"
"Yes." Henry replied. "Most Epileptic Auras exist because Migraine Auras exist. Same neural instability, misfiring patterns. Migraine laid the groundwork, epilepsy followed it."
He tapped the floor lightly. "But not all Epileptic Auras come from migraines. Some emerge independently. Different triggers and functions. That's why they're classified separately… and together."
Henry's eyes sharpened. "Epileptic Auras are more violent. Time distortion, sudden certainty, out-of-body sensations. Sometimes unnatural visions."
He leaned closer. "In Runic Flow users, these neurological auras don't just warn of an episode. They become abilities. Precognition-like flashes. Absolute focus. Impossible reaction speed."
Then, quietly, "And afterward… the brain pays for it."
Cagaro nodded slowly. This wasn't power. It was borrowing against the mind itself.
Henry didn't smile this time. He folded his hands, elbows on his knees and spoke like someone explaining a sin rather than a skill.
"My signature technique" he said, "is called Reverse Breathing."
Cagaro waited for his words.
"It doesn't activate because you want it to." Henry continued. "It activates when your body believes you are done. Stress, exhaustion and deep agony. The kind where your thoughts blur and survival stops feeling guaranteed."
He tapped his chest once. "Normal breathing pulls air in, pushes it out. Reverse Breathing traps it. You inhale inward continuously. Your lungs burn and turn bigger like ballon. Your diaphragm locks, eventually body panics."
Henry's eyes narrowed. "That panic is the key."
"In that state, your reflexes gets boost. Endurance skyrockets too. Your nervous system reroutes everything toward immediate survival. Movements around you slow down about twenty-five percent. Not because the world changes" he added, "but because your perception does."
"You might stop feeling physical damage." Henry said flatly. "All the damage you take, they register later. While the state is active, you can push far beyond your usual limits. More force and faster reactions."
He leaned back. "But it's borrowed time."
Henry held up one finger. "After roughly a minute, sometimes less; the state collapses. When it does, every bit of pain you endured in the state crashes into you all at once. If you took too much damage in that state, the shock alone can kill you."
He paused letting that sink in.
"And if you force it longer," he added, "the fatigue afterward is extreme. Most people can only use it for one to three minutes and only in situations where not using it means death anyway."
Cagaro swallowed. "Is it… unique to you?"
Henry shook his head. "No. That's the dangerous part. It isn't special. Anyone can activate it once their auras overlap correctly."
He gestured softly. "Agony, for example. It's a layer between Loneliness and Calmness—part of Blue Aura. When that emotional layer overlaps with others under like stress which is part of Red Aura, Reverse Breathing can trigger naturally if you are willing to use it. How much of it you can use depends on your runic flow output."
Henry looked directly at him now. "That is why I teach you this. Not so you chase it but so you recognize it when your body tries to save you without permission."
A thin smile appeared. "Reverse Breathing doesn't make you strong. It just removes the limits you begged your body to keep."
Silence followed. Cagaro understood one thing clearly; this wasn't a technique to master. It was a state you survived.