Aura Training

Germa Kingdom. Capital City, Ironhearth.

Rain slammed against the spires of the Royal Castle.

Inside the Royal Chamber.

Seven nobles sat at a long, curved table. A map of the continent was in the center. A hole had mean scorched into the part labeled Luthadel.

The Strategist, Lord Velros, slammed down his fists.

"Seventy thousand dead. Flattened in under an hour?"

A younger noble stammered. "Th..The report says there were no warning signs. Just a quake and then destruction. The seal must've..."

"That seal was carved by thirteen archmages and six High Priests!" Velros shouted. "It wasn't some random accident."

General Umuya, stepped in. "We've had peace for ten years only by necessity. You all forget what the Bolt Kingdom is."

A mage coughed into his sleeve. "They're desperate. Their economy's strangling itself. Their king just announced a Power tournament in the kingdom, even opened training on Power Zones."

Velros narrowed his eyes. "They are preparing for something."

The Queen's Chancellor, old, finally spoke.

"They used the Colossal."

The room fell silent.

Velros sat down slowly.

"Why would they risk it?"

"Because they know we wouldn't survive two."

A trembling page burst through the doors. "A message from the border!"

He held a scroll sealed with bloodwax. Velros snatched it, broke the seal, read and paled.

"What is it?" asked General Umuya.

Velros whispered:

"The massive footsteps of the Colossal we've been tracking dissappeared."

"The colossal as well."

The room froze.

Velros looked up at him.

Silence.

Then the Chancellor said the words no one wanted to hear.

"We are already at war. We just don't know how many days we have left."

Red Spire Academy, Forest Training Grounds, Late Afternoon.

Cid and Elias stood at the edge of the clearing where Yuri was known to isolate himself. A shattered training dummy lay nearby, split clean in half without a mark.

Cid exhaled. "You sure he comes here?"

Elias nodded. "Yeah. He's scared of people watching him while training."

"...Convenient."

They waited in silence until,

Rustle.

Yuri stepped out from behind a tree, almost tripping over a root.

His eyes widened when he saw them.

"H..Hey," he muttered. "You're from Elite Class 1."

Cid crossed his arms. "Yeah. We want you to train us."

Yuri blinked. "...What?"

Elias grinned. "We saw what you did at the Assembly. You used Aura, didn't you?"

"I..I didn't mean to.."

"We're not mad," Elias cut in quickly. "We're impressed. And we want to get stronger too."

Cid added, "The tournament is in nine months. We won't survive if we don't learn what people like you already know."

Yuri fidgeted with his glove. "I..I really shouldn't. They told me not to use Aura around people. I'm too unstable."

Cid stepped forward. "That's exactly why you should teach us. So you are not the only unstable one."

Yuri hesitated.

"They think you are a weapon," Elias said gently. "But you're not. If you train us... maybe you won't be the only one to be a weapon. We will be weapons together."

Yuri's hand trembled.

"I..I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Then help us," Cid said quietly.

Silence.

Then Yuri took a breath.

"...Okay."

Both Cid and Elias straightened slightly.

"I can't promise I'll be good at teaching," Yuri said quickly. "But if you're really serious…"

He raised a hand.

"First, you'll need to fell what Aura actually is."

"Aura is like pouring out your Power from your body."

"You can use Aura to remove Power from your body and put on a weapon."

Cid raised a brow.

Elias's voice strained. "Then teach us how to do that."

Yuri smiled nervously. "Okay. But just remember…"

"I'm still scared of everything. So don't make me regret this."

Cid smirked. "As long as you don't kill us."

Red Spire Academy, Forgotten Courtyard Behind the North Tower.

Later that Evening.

Yuri stood with his hands behind his back, slightly hunched. His voice was soft.

"Okay... um... this is where we'll train."

Yuri fumbled around in a worn canvas bag and pulled out two water bottles. Both were the size of a normal flask… except they were made entirely of solid iron.

He handed one to Cid, the other to Elias.

"First lesson," he said, surprisingly steady. "Break the bottle."

Elias blinked. "With... our hands?"

"No," Yuri said, tapping his chest. "With your Power."

"You normally circulate Power in your body to enhance speed and strength."

"Now you have to push the Power outwards instead of inwards."

Cid narrowed his eyes in disbelief at the cold weight in his hand. "You want us to... push Power into it until it breaks?"

Yuri nodded. "That's the simplest way to feel your Aura. Push energy out, into the object. If your Power and will is strong enough... it will crack."

Elias frowned. "But what if we just crush it?" He raised his hand. "My Attribute is Crush."

Yuri shook his head. "That's cheating. No Attributes. Not this time."

Cid asked, "So this is just raw Power control?"

"Yes. If you can't push your Power into something and make it obey... you won't survive the next lessons."

Cid sat down cross-legged, staring at the bottle like it had insulted him. Elias did the same, muttering, "Alright then, you smug piece of metal…"

Yuri stepped back and sat on a crumbling stone bench.

"Don't force it too hard. Let your Power fill the object. It should feel like water pouring into a cup… until the cup can't hold anymore."

Minutes passed.

Sweat dripped down Cid's brow.

Elias's brow furrowed. His fingers tightened around the bottle. Crush sparked faintly in his core, instinctive, but he held it back. No cheating.

The bottle remained cold. Heavy. Silent.

Cid groaned. "I feel like i'm trying to a choke a rock with vibes."

Yuri laughed. "That means you are doing it wrong."

Cid's eyes didn't move from the iron. His breath slowed.

Then.

Crick.

A faint, thin hairline crack slithered down the bottle's side.

Yuri's eyes widened.

Elias blinked. "Wait... did you just..?"

Cid looked up, calm but sweating. "Almost."

Yuri stood up, shocked. "That was Aura infusion. Raw. You almost broke it on your first try."

Cid simply exhaled.

Yuri smiled. "You're not normal."

Elias grinned. "He never was."

Yuri handed them both towels. "Same time tomorrow. We keep going until that bottle shatters."

He hesitated before adding:

"And once you can break it without using your Attribute… then we'll move to Phase Two."