Private Heart of Fire: “Shun’s Dream”

The thundering that had shattered Shun’s calculated world died away as abruptly as it had begun. The heavy and physical sound of a mountain collapsing retreated into a hollow and ringing echo that pulsed behind his eyes for a few lingering seconds before fading into a heavy and absolute silence.

The oily darkness peeled away to reveal a sight that was hauntingly peaceful. He was standing at the jagged border of the village and the Forest of Death. The alchemical circle had vanished and left only the natural and damp soil of the forest floor. The five pillars of chakra that had dominated the sky were nowhere to be seen. It was a normal night with the air cool and the trees whispering in a gentle breeze. Yet the stillness likely felt wrong and it lacked the rhythmic pressure that Shun had used to ground himself just moments before.

As he would look around he would see a familiar scene. A few paces away a woman lay crumpled and unconscious on the dirt. It was Mitsuha and she was as still and silent as she had been in the waking world.

Standing over her was another man.

The man stood with a disciplined and upright posture. He had natural black hair that was neatly braided and pinned back. His eyes were a soft and unnatural grey and they were devoid of pigment like a pale morning mist. He was dressed in clothing that was functional and clean with sleeves rolled neatly to the elbows. This second Shun leaned down and his movements were fluid and precise as he reached for the girl on the ground.

The real Shun would watch as his double pressed a hand to the shoulder of the fallen Mitsuha. The double spoke in a voice that was low and even and it mirrored the controlled tone the real Shun had used in the clearing.

"If you can hear me regulate your breathing. Do not fight what you are seeing. Anchor to something familiar. Follow my voice."

The double paused for a moment as the medical seal began to glow beneath his palm. Then the stranger’s head turned with a slow and grinding precision that felt uncomfortably similar to the movement of the Rabbit. Those pale grey eyes locked onto the real Shun with a look of intense and protective fury.

The double shifted his stance and he lowered his center of gravity while keeping one hand firmly on his version of Mitsuha. He looked at the real Shun not as a comrade but as the very threat he was meant to defend against.

"I will not let you do this!"



Ooc: 10 ap actions please, I know your stuff is up to date so I will pull that… welcome to the mad house!!

Shun watched the scene unfold with a tightening in his chest that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with recognition. He was looking at himself - exact posture, exact composure, the braid pinned back neatly, sleeves rolled with deliberate precision. It was the version of him that stepped forward when others faltered. The version that did not hesitate.

And yet, where he stood now mirrored where the Rabbit had stood only moments before.

That realization sank in slowly, heavily.

His double’s pale grey eyes locked onto him with unmistakable fury - protective, controlled, absolute. Shun had seen that look before, though never directed outward like this. He had seen it in mirrors after long nights. In fleeting reflections when guilt pressed too hard against his ribs. It was the expression of someone who believed there was only one correct action left to take.

“I’m not your enemy,” Shun said, keeping his tone low and even, though a thread of panic slipped through before he could fully smooth it away. He cleared his throat, forcing steadiness back into place. “I want to help her. I don’t want her to get hurt either.”

The other Shun did not relax.

Mitsuha lay crumpled on the forest floor between them, too still, too quiet. Every instinct he possessed urged him forward - check her breathing, stabilize her chakra flow, assess for internal disruption - but rushing would only confirm the threat the other man already believed him to be.

So he didn’t move toward her.

Instead, he shifted into a defensive stance, subtle and grounded. His feet pressed into the damp soil. His shoulders remained loose. He drew in a slow breath, letting the cold night air seep through his skin and settle into his core, cooling his chakra rather than sharpening it. No flare. No aggression. Just readiness.

I won’t escalate.

He angled his body slightly away from Mitsuha rather than toward her, an intentional surrender of distance. His hands stayed visible at his sides, fingers relaxed.

“If you’re protecting her,” he continued carefully, “then we want the same thing.”

His pulse hammered anyway.

The accusation in the other’s posture felt personal in a way that unsettled him more than outright hostility would have. It wasn’t wild or chaotic. It was measured. Calculated. As if this version of him had already assessed the situation and reached a conclusion.

Threat.

The word echoed uncomfortably in his thoughts.

Shun swallowed and forced himself back into discipline. Observe. Analyze. Control what you can. Mitsuha’s chest rose faintly beneath the other Shun’s hand. The seal glowed with controlled output - no visible destabilization yet. The stance held steady. No immediate lethal technique forming.

Good.

“I won’t rush you,” Shun added quietly. “If I move, you’ll see it first.”

He didn’t know if this was illusion, manifestation, or something far stranger. He didn’t know whether reasoning would reach the man wearing his face. But he refused to become the first aggressor.

Even if that protective fury cut deeper than any blade.

Shun held his ground - defensive, centered, prepared to react if forced - but unwilling to prove the accusation right.

WC: 527
MFT
Shun speech
Shun thought

Spoiler: Actions:

1. Shun enters Silent Mist - Bloodline Style as Chakra Style | .5 AP (Haku Bloodline, spoiled below)

Spoiler

Silent Mist - Bloodline Style
This ancestral technique emphasizes the Yuki’s natural abilities to create a frozen mist around them, blending in seamlessly with the environment. Focused on silently tracking down their foes and finding the right moment to strike from the mist. With this technique a skilled Yuki can end a fight before it even begins.

Rank 1/2/3: When the user casts an Ice Technique, the user generates a "Clone" with HP equal to 10% of the CP used and -4 of their secondaries. If the “Clone” is destroyed, the remaining damage from the attack targets the user at -0/-1/-2 accuracy. The user may also enter any active Ice Mirror when a Ice Technique is cast.

Cost: 0.5 AP

Notes:

• If already occupying an Ice Mirror the user may switch to another Ice Mirror of their choice instead.
• Limit of one “Clone” at a time. If a new “Clone” is created, the “Clone” with the highest HP remains.
• This does not apply to the user's Clone technique Limit.
• Counts either as Chakra or Physical Style. Must be declared upon entering.

2. Shun uses Crystallize | 2.5 AP
3. Shun uses Tranquilize Rank 2 on himself | 2.5 AP
4. Shun uses Mime Box on the "enemy" version of himself | 2.5 AP

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