Chapter—Practice and consideration
The canopy of the dense jungle was so thick that only splinters of sunlight managed to pierce through, illuminating the floating dust and the shimmering silver mist that clung to the trees.
At the center of a small clearing, Auron stood with his legs braced, his arms outstretched as he channeled a concentrated flow of energy into a curved, translucent barrier.
Sweat beaded on his brow beneath the silver mask. He was attempting to mimic the frequency of the Earth's own resonant aura, a feat that required a level of focus that felt like trying to thread a needle while standing in a hurricane.
"How much longer are we going to do this?" Koru's voice echoed in his mind, sounding unusually sluggish. "We've been at this for hours. My core feels like it's been through a blender. I want to rest, Auron. I want to eat. I want to do literally anything else."
Auron let the shield dissipate. It shattered into thousands of silver sparks that faded before they hit the mossy ground. He let out a long, ragged breath and straightened his back.
"Well, Koru... if you say so. You're right. We've been pushing too hard for today."
He closed his eyes and whispered, "De-unify."
The silver majesty of Auron vanished, leaving Luke standing in the clearing. He looked smaller, more human, and visibly exhausted. He immediately reached into his bag, pulling out small portions of aura-infused food for Auru and Koru.
The two spirits manifested—Auru looking contemplative, and Koru diving into the food with his usual frantic hunger.
Luke sat against the gnarled roots of a banyan tree, drinking water in long, thirsty gulps.
"Is this training even working?" he asked, looking at his trembling hands. "I'm practicing these shields, but the Earth Shield is a million times larger. I'm just... preparing myself for the inevitable."
Auru paused from her meal, her glow soft and rhythmic. "You are refining your control, Luke. But a shield is only as strong as the pressure it can withstand. You can't simulate the weight of the world alone. Is there anyone... anyone you trust enough to help you?"
Luke leaned his head back against the bark, closing his eyes. He thought of Kaizen, but Kaizen was too busy with the Global Council. He thought of Evelyn, but she was overseeing the European sectors.
And importantly they do not know about the secret.
Then, a memory of a tearful promise on a balcony came back to him.
"I know one person," Luke said, his voice gaining a sudden edge of determination. "Someone who already knows the stakes."
With a sudden surge of purpose, Luke Unified once more. As Auron, he took to the sky, cutting through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds. He crossed the vast expanse of the ocean, the blue water turning into a blur of color until the coastline of India appeared on the horizon.
He descended into a quiet, rural area characterized by rolling green fields and modest homes. He was looking for Auramaster Mizu.
"I can't find him," Auron muttered as he hovered invisibly above a small village. "Auru, can you sense his spark? Is he in his 'personal' form?"
"It's likely," Auru replied. "Mizu is like you—he values the life he had before the Formulation. He doesn't wear his title like a crown."
"Namaste,Looking for someone?" a deep, calm voice asked from directly behind him.
Auron spun around in mid-air, his cape billowing. Standing on the roof of a nearby house, holding a basket of dried laundry, was a young boy age of Auron. He wasn't wearing armor or silver robes; he was in a simple traditional outfit, his sleeves rolled up.
"Who?!" Auron landed lightly on the roof. "I've been looking for Auramaster Mizu."
The young man laughed, setting the laundry basket down. He had a grounded, peaceful aura about him.
I think Mizu has seen you and soon arrive to you , you shoukd wait a little.
That boy leave out.
Soon Auramaster Mizu arrive, from behind.
He loudly jump.his hand on Auron,
"Hello, How can I help you?"
Auron scared and again spun around in mid air.
He looked behind and saw it was Auramaster Mizu.
He discended and said"What the problem with Indian people, why younalways surprise people from back."
Mizu said giving a appealing smile ,"I think it comman trait in India."
Auron ask "where was you?I was looking for you all along."
"I was in the middle of my household chores when I sensed a massive, silver aura looming over my village. I figured it was either a very polite devil or you. I thought it must be something important for the 'Great Auron' to come all this way."
Mizu replied.
Auron felt a flicker of embarrassment. "It's... it's not that important. And I am. Not great,Well You can finish your chores. I didn't mean to interrupt your day."
"Nonsense," Mizu said, his expression turning more serious as he stepped closer. He had always been one of the more perceptive masters. "I've been looking for an excuse to leave the house anyway. My parents have me folding clothes for three hours. Tell me, what's the matter?"
Auron looked at him, his voice dropping into a solemn tone. "I need to practice. For the Aura Earth Shield. I can't do it alone anymore. Will you help me?"
Mizu's eyes widened slightly, then a determined smile crossed his face. "It would be an honor. Let's go somewhere where we won't wake the neighbors."
They returned to the secluded jungle clearing where Auron had been practicing. The air was still, filled with the energy they were about to unleash.
"Here is the plan," Auron explained, his silver aura beginning to hum. "I will create the shields. I want you to use your Aura Spheres—your strongest ones—and try to break them. Don't hold back. I need to know the exact point of failure."
Mizu nodded, his own blue aura flaring to life, swirling like a powerful river around his hands. "Understood. Get ready, Auron."
Auron braced himself and manifested a shield. It was a shimmering, hexagonal wall of silver light. Mizu didn't hesitate. He fired a condensed sphere of blue energy that hit the shield with the force of a cannon shell.
**CRACK.**
The shield shattered instantly on the first hit.
"Again!" Auron shouted.
He manifested another, pouring more intent into the structural integrity of the aura. This time, it took two hits before it splintered.
The session continued for hours. The jungle echoed with the thunderous sounds of energy colliding. Auron was pushed to his limits, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his vision blurring. But with every failure, he learned. He learned how to weave the aura tighter, how to layer the frequencies so they absorbed the impact rather than resisting it.
By the time the sun began to set, casting long, purple shadows across the clearing, Auron's latest shield held firm through seven of Mizu's high-velocity spheres before finally cracking.
"Finally..." Auron exhaled, dropping his hands. The shield dissolved into dust. "That's enough for today."
Mizu sat down on a stone, wiping sweat from his forehead. "You're getting stronger, Auron. A few hours ago, I could break your defense with a flick of my wrist. Now, I actually have to try."
"Thank you, Mizu," Auron said, his voice full of genuine gratitude. "You should head home now. Your parents... they might be worried that you disappeared without saying anything."
Mizu looked up at the sky and smiled. "Don't worry about my parents. We can keep practicing if you need to."
Auron tilted his head. "But you said you were hiding your identity. Won't they wonder where their son went while an Auramaster was spotted in the area?"
Mizu stood up and walked over to him. "Auron... I hide my personality from the world. I hide it from the Guild and the reporters because they will always judge or expect something from 'Mizu the Guardian.' But my parents... they are my heart. They would never judge me. I told them everything the day I became a Master."
Auron went silent, the words echoing in his mind. *They know... and they don't judge.*
"They know who I am, and they support me," Mizu continued. "That's why I can fight so hard. Because I don't have to hide the truth at home. They even knew I was coming here to meet you."
Auron watched Mizu as he prepared to leave, his blue aura trailing behind him like a glowing tail in the twilight. "It was a pleasure practicing with you, Auron. I'll come whenever you call."
"Thank you, Mizu," Auron replied.
He watched the Indian Auramaster until he disappeared into the horizon. He stood alone in the clearing, the silence of the jungle returning.
"He's lucky," Auru whispered, his voice soft for once. "To have a home where the mask doesn't exist."
"Luke?" Auru asked. "You're thinking about what he said, aren't you?"
Luke (still as Auron) looked at his hands. "Mizu gave me a solution," he whispered.
"What is the solution?" Auru asked.
Auron looked toward the direction of his own home, toward the memory of his father reading the paper and Mother cooking food. "It's a solution under consideration. Mizu can withstand the pressure because he isn't divided. His two worlds have a bridge. If I'm going to survive the 98% death rate of the Earth Shield, I can't be a divided man. I can't be Luke and Auron. I have to be whole.If anything happen during Aura Earth Shield, atleast my parents should know about that."
"Are you saying you'll tell them?" Auru asked, her light flickering with a mix of fear and hope.
"I'm saying I want a further solution before we reach the ten-month mark,its just a last consideration for me now" Auron replied, his voice firming with a new kind of resolve. "But for the first time... the idea of showing my family the truth doesn't feel like a mistake. It feels like strength.And this all due to Auramaster Mizu."
He looked at the shattered remains of the silver shields on the ground. They were getting stronger. And so was he.
End of Chapter.