The chamber was heavy with silence, broken only by the faint hum of aura lingering from Javier Kato's final battle. Ishita, Rehan, Li Wei, Akira, Zahir, Ethan, and Hyejin gathered around the dying form of Arashi, their Aura Leader and mentor. The room smelled faintly of incense, a contrast to the devastation they had just witnessed.
Arashi lay on a simple cot, robes torn and frail, yet his golden aura glimmered faintly. His breaths were slow, each one a reminder that time was slipping away. Ishita knelt beside him, scarlet aura flickering in quiet homage.
> "Arashi… tell us… about the Joshi clan," Ishita urged, voice barely above a whisper. "Why… why does this curse exist? Why… why do Scarlet awakenings happen?"
Arashi's eyes flickered with a faint spark of life. His hands moved weakly, gesturing toward the ancient scrolls and relics surrounding him.
> "The Joshi clan," he began, voice raspy but steady, "was marked centuries ago… a pact, a curse, and a warning."
He paused, summoning what little strength he had to continue. "Every few centuries… a child is born carrying the scarlet aura. The awakening is not random — it is the universe's way of balancing the scales. Power comes… but always with a price. Each awakening reshapes the world, even if the world doesn't understand why."
Li Wei, standing behind Ishita, crossed his arms, listening intently. Rehan's golden aura flickered with curiosity and unease.
> "How many awakenings have occurred?" Ishita asked, scarlet threads brushing her fingers nervously.
Arashi's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. "Three. The first awakening… nine hundred years ago. The second… six hundred years ago. The third… three hundred years ago. Each one stronger than the last, each one a harbinger of immense change."
Ishita's hands clenched. "Then… I am the fifth awakening. Who… who was the fourth?" Her voice trembled, but her eyes demanded the truth.
Arashi's gaze shifted to Rehan. The golden aura around him shimmered faintly as Arashi's smile deepened.
> "You," he said softly, voice barely audible but filled with warmth and mystery. "You will know soon enough. Patience, Rehan… the time will come for you to understand your place."
Rehan's expression hardened, golden aura simmering quietly. He nodded, though questions and curiosity lingered in his eyes.
Arashi's chest rose and fell slowly, aura dimming with each breath. He looked around at the surviving wielders, pride softening the edges of his worn face.
> "Remember… the Scarlet is not a curse to fear. It is a tool… a weapon… a responsibility. Fear it, and you will fail. Trust it… and perhaps, just perhaps, humanity will survive the darkness to come."
He closed his eyes for the last time. A faint golden glow radiated from his aura as if the energy of centuries of wisdom and mastery were being released into the room.
> "Arashi…" Ishita whispered, tears mingling with the faint glow of her scarlet aura.
The Aura Leader exhaled one final breath. Silence enveloped the chamber. For the first time in centuries, the guiding presence of Arashi was gone. Peace settled over the weary survivors, but it was fragile, for the storm outside was far from over.