Titan Rumble Ch 39: Training Begins, Freefalling Through Darkness!

(Yuna)

Aurora and I didn't say another word to each other after the split. We didn't need to. The air between us was thick enough, the rivalry sharp enough, and we both knew this wasn't over. She marched off with Rika and Satsuki in tow, crimson eyes practically glowing with pride, while I gathered my three and turned the other way.

Emiko, Nao, Kaito. My team.

I studied them as we walked across the ruined courtyard, the broken stones crunching beneath my boots. They weren't the strongest in the dojo, not by any stretch. Emiko was talented, yes, but cautious—too cautious for her own good. Kaito had a sharp mind, but his doubts weighed him down heavier than any enemy ever could. And Nao... well, Nao carried himself with a quiet kind of confidence I liked. There was steel in him, even if the others hadn't noticed yet.

Still, these three were mine. My students. That was enough for me.

We stopped where the courtyard wall was mostly intact, the dust settling enough for me to draw a line in the dirt with my heel. I turned to face them, arms folded across my chest, and gave them a firm nod.

"Alright," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "You all know what this is now. A competition. My sister thinks she can turn her students into something greater than mine. I intend to prove her wrong."

The three of them exchanged nervous glances, their postures stiffening.

"But," I went on, softening my tone, "this isn't just about pride between me and Aurora. This is about you. It's my goal to bring you to a point where you can use aura—your own aura."

That word alone seemed to hang in the air.

Emiko shifted on her feet, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but Kaito beat her to it. He took a hesitant step forward, frowning. "Instructor Yuna... forgive me for saying so, but that... that doesn't seem possible. Aura is for Alphas. It's not something people like us can just... learn."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not possible?" My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't take it back. "Kaito, aura is an Alpha's greatest strength, yes—but it isn't something locked away from the rest of you. It isn't magic. It isn't divine. It's born of willpower, focus, and the strength of your spirit. Anyone who's willing to push themselves past the breaking point can find it."

He swallowed hard, his eyes darting to Emiko and Nao. Doubt still lingered in him, but I wasn't about to let it fester.

Before I could say more, Emiko finally raised her voice. She looked up at me with wide, uncertain eyes, her hands clenched together in front of her. "If... if it really is possible, then how long do we have?"

That caught me off guard. She was right, of course. Every competition needed limits, and Aurora would never let this drag on forever. A time frame. A finish line. I let the silence stretch a little as I thought, my gaze drifting upward toward the still-dim sky.

"...That's a good point," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'll leave that up to Cain when he returns."

I paused. The words felt heavier once they were out of my mouth.

Cain.

I frowned, glancing over my shoulder instinctively, as if the little fool would just... appear out of nowhere like he always did. Perched on my shoulder. Standing by my boot. Lecturing me with that maddening calm of his.

But there was nothing. Just the three students, lined up and waiting, and the quiet creak of stone settling after the fight.

"...I wonder where he is?" I muttered under my breath.

The thought lingered longer than I wanted it to, leaving me with an uneasy chill that even victory couldn't shake.

***

(Cain)

Sticky. That was the first thing I realized. My hands, my arms, even part of my chest—glued to this hot, slick wall of flesh that flexed and moved beneath me like it had a mind of its own.

It was dark. Almost pitch black except for the faintest slivers of light bleeding in through the folds of fabric above me. And gods, the smell. The air was thick, humid, saturated with a heavy musk that belonged only to Yuna. It pressed into my lungs with every breath, filling me with her scent until I felt like I was drowning in it.

"Dammit..." I muttered, twisting against the flesh, trying to peel myself free. My skin made wet, sticky noises as I tried to move. "This is insane..."

And the heat—oh, the heat was the worst part. It was getting hotter by the second, like being locked in a sauna where the walls themselves sweated against you. My body was tiny compared to hers; her warmth alone was enough to suffocate me. I couldn't shake the thought that if I stayed here much longer, her body heat would literally cook me alive. Either that or I'd keel over from heatstroke first.

I had to move. I had to do something.

I clenched my teeth and forced myself to concentrate, focusing every bit of willpower I had on the technique. My body flickered, the world around me tearing away for a heartbeat as I slipped in and out of existence. And then—gone.

Weightlessness hit me.

I was falling. Air rushed past me in the darkness—until something soft and unyielding slammed into me, shoving hard against my whole body.

The impact rattled me, and a deep rumble thundered through the space around me like the earth itself was shifting. It wasn't the earth—it was Yuna. She must have moved. The surface that had smacked into me pressed tighter, smoother than before. White fabric. Her underwear.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me—"

The whole world bucked and shifted before I could finish, throwing me backward like I'd been caught in a wave. My arms flailed helplessly before my body crashed into something warm, wet, and... liquid.

I sank. Immediately.

My mouth filled with the salty tang of sweat before I could even gasp. Panic ripped through me as the lukewarm liquid closed over my head, swallowing me whole. My limbs kicked, hands pushing against the slippery walls of the droplet that had engulfed me.

No air. No way out.

I thrashed harder, my chest burning, the heat of her body only intensifying the panic clawing through me. I knew exactly what I was trapped in—a single bead of sweat. One damned drop, and it was big enough to drown me completely.

Struggling wasn't going to cut it. I had seconds before I blacked out.

I clenched my eyes shut, forcing myself to focus again through the burning in my lungs. My body flickered once more, the suffocating grip of the sweat drop tearing away as I slipped out of it and into empty space.

The fall this time was shorter.

When I reappeared, my hands shot out desperately. My palm slammed against something solid—no, not solid. Sticky. Hotter than before. And pink.

I blinked up, my eyes going wide as they adjusted. Above me loomed a massive, ridged cliff of flesh, steaming with heat and radiating musk so strong it nearly made me gag. My hand was glued to it—actually stuck like resin—and no amount of tugging made it budge.

My stomach turned cold even in the furnace-like air as the realization hit me.

"What the hell..." I breathed, staring up at the endless, glistening pink wall that pulsed faintly with Yuna's every shift.

I didn't want to believe it—but I already knew exactly where I was.

***

(YUNA)

My students stood in a straight line before me, their backs stiff, shoulders squared, trying their best to look ready. Emiko, Nao, Kaito... my team. Not the strongest in the dojo by any measure, but they were mine, and that was enough. I wasn't going to let them fail.

I started walking slowly in front of them, my arms folded behind me, my gaze sharp. "Aura," I said, letting the word hang in the air. "Aura is what separates an Alpha from the rest. It's not just strength, not just speed—it's power made manifest, sharpened into something that can tear through mountains."

They listened intently, their eyes following me, but I could see the unease written in their faces. All except Nao, who looked almost... eager.

"The truth is," I continued, "no one really understands how aura awakens. It's not like muscle you can build with repetition. You can't just flip a switch."

I paused, frowning as I shifted on my feet. Heat coiled low in my stomach, spreading through me in distracting waves. My skin felt hot, too hot, almost feverish. My thighs brushed together unconsciously as I walked, and I nearly cursed under my breath. Why the hell was I getting turned on right now? It made no sense.

"Sensei?" Emiko's voice cut through my thoughts. She raised her hand nervously. "How... how did you unlock aura?"

I stopped in my tracks, blinking down at her. "Me?" For a moment, memories crashed back into my head—bloodied knuckles, burning lungs, sleepless nights. My jaw tightened. "I pushed myself to the edge. Thirty days. No food except scraps, no rest worth mentioning. I trained until my body gave out again and again. And each time, I forced it back up. I almost killed myself from the stress, but... that's what it took."

Emiko's eyes widened. She looked horrified. Kaito shifted uncomfortably. Nao only smiled faintly, like he'd expected nothing less.

"So... is that what we're going to do?" Nao asked, his voice calm, steady.

"Maybe," I said, my tone sharp but not unkind. I let the word hang for a beat before continuing. "It depends on you. Aura doesn't awaken the same way for everyone. Pain, discipline, desperation—it comes from something deeper than just training."

They shifted again, looking between each other. Emiko bit her lip. Kaito stared down at his hands.

I smirked faintly. "That being said... there might be a quicker way."

That snapped their attention back to me immediately.

"How?" Kaito asked, his voice breaking slightly as if he didn't believe me.

I didn't answer right away. Instead, I jumped back, my heel cracking the stone beneath me as I slid into a low stance, aura or no aura, ready to strike. The heat inside me burned even hotter now, adrenaline mixing with something else I couldn't quite name.

"We fight," I said, my voice sharp as a blade. "Not play around. Not spar for practice. We fight like our lives depend on it."

The three of them stiffened, their eyes wide. Emiko's fists trembled at her sides. Kaito swallowed hard. Nao smiled again, faint but sure.

I let the silence linger for a moment, the faint thrum of my heartbeat filling my ears.

"Only then," I told them, my eyes narrowing, "will we see who's capable of finding that power."