Chapter 12: Aura
Chapter 12: Aura
The strength that had felt drained only moments ago returned with a burst of untamed force.
His arms, which had been limp with exhaustion, suddenly felt like steel. His body surged with renewed vigor, pushing against Oliver's hold.
In an instant, Ren shifted his body with the kind of speed and power that seemed to come from nowhere, breaking free of Oliver's chokehold with a single explosive movement.
He threw Oliver off, sending him stumbling backward as Ren's feet found purchase on the ground, planting him firmly.
It was then, in that single moment of clarity, that Ren felt it.
The faintest sensation—a presence—that had always been just out of reach.
In the dense air of the training room, charged with Aura, Ren felt it.
A pulse.
A weight.
The very essence of the energy that had eluded him for so long.
He felt it as though it were a part of him, something tangible, a force that coursed through the room and around his body.
For a fraction of a second, he was completely aware of it—the dense, almost suffocating aura that filled the space—and that brief awareness was enough.
He could sense it now.
Ren's mind raced as the world snapped back into focus.
The weight of the aura in the room, the flow of it, the pulse that had seemed distant before now felt closer than ever.
The connection he had been desperately trying to form was suddenly there. He could sense the energy inside him, the flow of power, the presence of the Aura around him.
And with that awareness, Ren knew one thing.
He wasn't going to lose.
Inside the viewing chamber, Selena glanced at Kai, an eyebrow raised in surprise. "You got a battle-based Codex user too," she commented, seeing Ren's explosive growth during the spar.
Kai shrugged nonchalantly, still observing the spar.
"Yeah, why do you think I agreed to something as meaningless as a spar? If he improved with just training, I would've just locked him up for more training."
Selena chuckled lightly, her tone laced with amusement.
"Who would have thought, the great HeavenFall having a mentee as a battle maniac."
"Yeah... I didn't expect this either," Kai said, ignoring the name given to him by the academy.
Both he and Selena kept their eyes on the sparring match.
Ren, now able to sense the aura inside of him, moved differently, his motions smoother and more controlled.
"Did you teach him aura theory even before he awakened it?" Selena asked, her voice filled with disbelief as she watched Ren, who had just begun to sense aura, somehow apply it to his body.
Kai didn't respond immediately, his focus shifting deeper into the match.
His eyes began to shift, the golden gears manifesting inside of them, a sign that he was fully attuned to Ren's progression.
He watched with a quiet curiosity, the gears turning in his mind as he analyzed Ren's unexpected ability.
Back in the arena, Ren, who had only just begun to sense his aura, now seemed to manipulate it effortlessly.
His movements became fluid, as if he had already known how to move the energy inside him.
For the past seven days, Ren had seen the warriors fight in his dreams countless times—those repeated clashes burned into his memory.
Something in him clicked. The way they used their aura, how it flowed and shaped their attacks, how it sharpened their weapons—it was all ingrained in him.
He could feel the pull of the energy, guiding his body to instinctively apply it, even though his training was still in its infancy.
A part of him already knew how to move the aura. It wasn't something he had been consciously taught, but something his body had learned through the dreams, the repetition.
The connection to his Life Codex was more than just a tool; it was a part of his being now.
And with that newfound awareness, Ren's movements shifted once again.
His footwork became more confident, his strikes sharper. The moment he began to focus his aura, everything seemed to click into place.
Oliver, who had quickly retrieved his bow, flashed a smirk as he somersaulted backward to create some distance between himself and Ren.
He landed gracefully, taking a moment to steady his stance. "I guess we're using aura now," he said, his tone casual, but there was an underlying edge to it.
With a focused exhale, Oliver let his aura surge from his body, surrounding him like a visible aura. He applied the energy to his arrow, infusing it with greater speed and power.
The moment his aura touched the shaft, the arrow seemed to hum with intensity.
He aimed quickly and fired.
The arrow flew toward Ren with an incredible velocity, its trajectory nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.
But Ren, now aware of his aura, felt the subtle shift in the air—the pulse of energy surrounding the arrow—and instinctively, his mind processed the information faster than ever before.
Ren focused on his legs.
He remembered the footwork from the warriors in his dreams—each step calculated, each movement intentional.
His legs powered with aura, enhancing his speed, and Ren moved, almost gliding, as he evaded the oncoming arrow with ease.
Thanks to his sharp intelligence, honed over the past several days, Ren was able to calculate the angle and speed of Oliver's shots almost instantly.
His body was now slowly catching up to the rapid pace of his mind, and his dodging was becoming smoother, more fluid.
As another arrow flew at him, Ren's body instinctively shifted, sidestepping with precision.
His movements were now synced with his mind, and he could feel the difference—the added weight and sharpness of the aura coursing through him made his reflexes sharper.
With every passing moment, Ren adapted to Oliver's rapid-fire attacks, keeping up with the barrage of arrows with a calm that only came from experience.
His feet moved like the wind, each step executed with the same flawless rhythm he'd seen in his dreams.
Even as the air grew thicker with Oliver's aura-charged arrows, Ren moved faster, his footwork carrying him further away from the danger and giving him just enough time to focus on his next move.
"Close range it is," Oliver muttered, a hint of excitement in his voice.
Without hesitation, he tossed his bow aside and drew two gleaming knives from his jacket.
The blades shimmered as they caught the light, coated in a faint, glowing aura that added a dangerous sheen to their already deadly appearance.
The moment the knives were in his hands, Oliver moved with unparalleled speed.
He closed the gap between them in an instant, his movements fluid, as though he were dancing around Ren.
His footwork was impeccable, and his strikes came in fast, unpredictable bursts. The aura coating his daggers seemed to amplify every slash, turning them into lightning-fast cuts that left shallow, burning marks on Ren's skin wherever they connected.
Ren, still adjusting to his newfound ability to sense and use aura, found himself on the defensive.
Despite his best efforts to react with his own aura-enhanced footwork, Oliver's speed was overwhelming.
Every time Ren thought he could block or parry, Oliver was already on the move again, his daggers slicing the air with deadly precision.
Ren's body was struggling to keep up.
His movements, though faster than before, were still not as swift or sharp as Oliver's. The flashes of aura around Oliver's daggers made each attack even more difficult to anticipate, and Ren could feel his strength and stamina waning as he desperately tried to defend himself.
The tips of Oliver's knives repeatedly grazed against Ren's body, leaving small cuts that stung like fire.
Despite his aura, Ren was barely able to avoid being overwhelmed.
His footwork, though improved, wasn't enough to keep up with the fluidity of Oliver's attacks.
Each slash left Ren a step behind, his own strikes too slow and too predictable in comparison.
His aura was being pushed to its limits as he struggled to dodge, block, and counterattack. He could feel his body growing tired from the constant barrage, and his mind was racing to calculate the next move.
But each time he tried to retaliate, Oliver was already a step ahead, his body a blur of motion as he continued his relentless assault.
Ren's breath came heavier now, his muscles burning from the effort, yet he couldn't afford to stop.
The aura was there, but it was as if the gap between his ability to sense it and truly control it was just out of reach.
His body moved instinctively, trying to keep up with the flow of energy, but Oliver's pace only grew faster.
Ren's greatsword, though powerful, was proving to be a challenge in close-quarters combat.
The blade was simply too large for the fluid, rapid movements required in this fast-paced duel. Every swing felt cumbersome, and the weight of the sword made it difficult to adjust his posture or angle quickly enough to counter Oliver's swift strikes.
The sheer size of the weapon limited his options, forcing him to rely more on brute strength rather than precision or agility, and that was leaving him vulnerable to Oliver's quicker, more calculated attacks.
...
Authors Note:
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