"Are you out of your mind?!"
Just as he expected, his father was not happy with his decision.
"I know what I'm doing." Corvus argued but the man wasn't having it.
"Oh you do, do you?!" He yelled back. "You have no idea what you've done! You are now a lure for those foul creatures!"
"Well right now you're doing a far better job at that with all this yelling." Corvus shot back, already fed up with the argument.
His father, Kairo, slammed his hand on the table between them. "Are you talking back to me, boy?!"
Corvus rubbed his temple in silent exasperation. He wasn't surprised at the man's reaction but it was more tiring to hear than he initially thought.
"You knew my stance on this and still, you went behind my back and unlocked your aura anyway. I am so disappointed in you." Kairo said, a solemn look on his face.
He would be lying if he said those words didn't sting but ultimately, he would move past it. One childhood was enough, he didn't need that luxury a second time nor did he need more parenting.
Whatever Kairo expected Corvus to say didn't come. Instead, the boy simply retreated to his room in silence.
Xx-Xx-Xx
The next few weeks were tense, as expected. The father and son pair barely spoke outside of the medical center, Kairo still reeling from his perception of his son's 'betrayal' and Corvus coming to a realization.
His real father was gone, the man who raised him, in a far away universe he would never be able to reach. He'd almost forgotten that.
Kairo was more akin to a caretaker. While he was grateful to the man, he didn't truly register as his father, he never did. And now he never would.
Pushing those thoughts aside for the moment, he carefully examined the patient on the bed in front of him. Prodding his muscles and joints was more convinced that unlocking his aura was the right choice.
He vaguely recalled that unlocking one's aura granted them a minor sensory enhancement. Minor for huntsmen but amazing for medical purposes.
It felt like he was touching the tendons and bones directly.
"Alright, you're in good shape. Come by next week and I'll see if you've recovered enough to use your arm." He said to the man who let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks kid, I don't know how much longer I'd have been able to keep this on." The man said, caressing his bandaged arm held upright by a sling.
He'd fractured his arm in a bar fight, something that happened more often than you'd expect from people who knew that grimm are attracted to negative emotions.
"Don't mention it. I'm just happy to help." As the man left, Corvus' eyes Kairo's for a quick moment before the man looked away.
Shaking his head, Corvus moved to attend to the other patients. While aware that Kairo was unhappy with his decision, that didn't stop him from trying to learn what he could about how to manipulate his aura.
The fighters of the village were too busy to be very helpful so he was left to self experimentation using what he remembered.
Progress was slow but it was progress all the same.
**********
Year 18
I was wrong. It took me months to realize it. With every day that passed since I unlocked my aura, I found myself gaining a better understanding about living organisms when in close proximity.
I asked Stannis about it.
Apparently, while every living thing has aura, the ability to feel it as intimately as I do is uncommon. Uncommon, in the sense that he hadn't heard of anyone being able to do that.
That only left one other possibility; a semblance. Though, the term used in this era is 'aura ability'. I speculated that it would take me years to discover it if I ever did.
Despite how useful it is, it feels like there is more to it. Whenever I make contact with someone I can feel every process that happens in their body, their genetic information and such others. That is much more than what even 20th century technology can do.
Still, it feels lacking. I have a theory on how to move forward but only time will tell if it will be fruitful.
*************
Closing the tome, he bound it by its strap as usual. It found its way into the satchel as he sat at the edge of a wide field.
He'd taken the day off to relax and get a break from the hectic medical lifestyle. Despite that thought, he wouldn't say he disliked it. He just needed some time to unwind once in a while.
On the field, young children of varying ages ran around, frolicking and having fun with each other. Some parents could be seen nearby, watching them with content expressions.
The cool breeze and the cloudy sky only added to the wonderful atmosphere.
It was peaceful.
'If only it could always be like this.' He idly wished in the recess of his mind, shifting his satchel behind him to use as a headrest for him to lay.
He allowed the sounds of excited children and nature to fill his ears and the sight of the clouds to relax his mind.
His view of said clouds was soon blocked by a figure standing over him.
"You know, I think this is the first time I've seen you outside." The person said, arms crossed in confusion.
Tula, he recognized. The farmer's daughter.
"I tend to keep to myself when I can. What are you doing here?" He asked, not getting up.
"I went to visit my father at your medical center. He sends his thanks."
He'd heard it many times over. Gratitude for his services. Though initially satisfying, years of being unable to do as much as he really could due to the lack of environmental and technological development made it feel hollow after the first few years.
Now, he just swallowed it with a nod.
"Also, your father has Boran looking for you." She added.
Boran was another of the settlement's experienced fighters alongside Stannis. He and Corvus had patched the man up at different points in time.
"It's not like I'm trying to hide." Corvus scoffed, looking back to the sky.
It was silent for a while before she spoke again. "Are you two still feuding?"
At the look he gave her, she continued. "Something happened between you two, that much is obvious to those of us who are familiar with you."
"Well you're not wrong. He's unhappy with some of my decisions so he treats me like I'm barely there." He explained as she lowered herself to the ground beside him.
After the numerous times where she brought her father to their center, the two had struck an odd friendship, being the two closest in age either could find.
"Have you tried explaining it to him?" She asked, prompting another scoff from him.
"Trust me, he wouldn't believe me if I told him." He said.
"Why not? He is your father after all." She queried, looking confused at the notion.
"It's more complicated than that. Sometimes, some things are best kept hidden. Ignorance truly is bliss." He paused his mini rant with a sigh.
Salem.
He wished he could forget and at the same time he was glad he knew about her. Having a face to put to the fear made it easier to focus on staying alive.
"You're not making any sense." Tula said, interrupting his thoughts.
Pulling some grass from the ground, he allowed the breeze to blow them away and into the air, his eyes following their flight into the wind.
"Yeah, I guess I'm not."