"Who is that guy...?"
"I don't know, but damn, he looks intimidating."
Whispers filled the room as the cadets gathered near the simpods. Loren stood apart, his sheer presence enough to quiet the chatter in certain corners. His tall frame and intimidating gaze exuded an aura of absolute authority.
Even without a word, everyone felt severely outclassed.
"Aww, man, I wish I could get trained too," Jason muttered, crossing his arms. "I mean, the resources from my family are great, but this? A Titan teaching you? That's next level."
Talon offered him a weak smile but didn't reply. Jason might've been jealous, but Talon wasn't sure this was something to envy.
"Get in," Loren's deep voice cut through the room.
The cadets hurried into their simpods without hesitation. Talon followed, his stomach twisting with a mix of anticipation and dread.
'Oooohhh boy..'
The familiar disorientation hit as the simulation loaded. Talon found himself on the grassy plateaus again, the endless expanse stretching as far as the eye could see.
Before they could settle, the world shifted.
Talon and Kieran blinked as they were teleported to a dense jungle. Massive trees loomed overhead, their thick canopies letting in only slivers of light. Vines dangled like natural traps, and uneven roots crisscrossed the ground.
Loren stood a few paces away, his expression unreadable.
"Today, I will train you," he began, his voice steady. "But first, we will fight."
Talon and Kieran exchanged uneasy glances.
"I will fight as an initial soldier," Loren continued. "A stage below yours. I won't use my abilities. You will use everything you have."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle.
"This ends when either I die... or you do."
Kieran's face paled. "Lethal? Why?"
Even in the sims, death wasn't something cadets sought out. The pain, the helplessness, it lingered, even after respawning.
"Because," Loren said simply, "if mistakes cause you to die, you won't make them again."
Talon shuddered. Kieran looked ready to bolt, but neither moved. The promise of strength, the chance to learn from a Titan, kept them rooted in place.
"Begin."
CRACK
The jungle came alive with a rustle of leaves. Loren vanished into the shadows, his form melting into the dense foliage as if he had always been part of it. The sound of shifting branches echoed faintly, distant but deliberate.
Talon's eyes darted around, his grip tightening on his sword. His heart pounded, the eerie silence amplifying his unease.
"Stick together!" Talon hissed sharply, his voice low but urgent.
"No chance!" Kieran replied, already scrambling up a nearby tree. His sniper rifle materialized in his hands as he perched high on a branch. "I can't fight up close. I'll cover you!"
Talon gritted his teeth but didn't argue. The dense underbrush made it difficult to see, the thick vines and sprawling roots twisting like a maze around him. His every step was cautious, his ears straining for the faintest sound.
A faint crackle of movement to his left.
WHOOSH
Talon spun, his sword slashing through the air with precision. Nothing. The blade struck only empty space. Loren was gone before the strike even began, his movement slow enough to track yet impossible to catch.
It didn't make sense.
"You're too predictable," Loren's voice echoed through the jungle, calm and detached.
CRACK
Talon barely had time to react as Loren emerged from the shadows, his presence sudden and overwhelming. Talon swung his sword with all his might, the arc powerful and swift, but Loren sidestepped before he even began to swing. His motion was deliberate, almost sluggish compared to Talon's speed, yet impossibly timed.
THWACK
Pain exploded in Talon's arm as Loren's palm connected with his elbow in a precise strike. Something snapped. Talon's sword clattered to the ground as his arm hung limp at his side.
"ARGH!" Talon stumbled back, his breath catching as agony tore through him.
BANG
Kieran fired from above, the sniper round slicing through the air with lethal intent. Loren shifted, putting a branch between himself and the bullet at the last moment. The shot buried itself harmlessly into the wood.
"You're both telegraphing," Loren called out, his tone almost bored. "I see your intent before you pull the trigger."
BANG
Another shot. Another miss. Loren moved toward Talon, slow enough that Talon should've been able to counter. But every swing of his remaining arm, every desperate lunge, was met with a calculated block or a punishing counterstrike.
Every move he made, seemed to be used against him.
THUD
Loren's knee drove into Talon's ribs. The impact sent him sprawling, his back slamming into a tree. The world spun as Talon gasped for air, his chest tight with pain.
"Your strength is wasted if you can't hit me," Loren said simply, his voice cold and unimpressed.
BANG
Kieran fired again, desperation creeping into his aim. Loren grabbed Talon by the shoulder, twisting him effortlessly into the line of fire. The bullet missed by inches, the motion throwing Talon into the dirt.
"Damn it!" Kieran shouted, his frustration mounting.
Loren vanished into the jungle again, his form disappearing like a shadow slipping between cracks.
The fight dragged on, an exhausting game of cat and mouse. Loren's movements were calculated, exploiting every hesitation, every mistake.
Talon's physical advantage, his superior speed and strength, became meaningless under Loren's precision. Every swing of his sword was countered with a strike to his joints, every attempt to close the distance punished with crippling accuracy.
THWACK
A sharp blow to his knee. Talon's leg buckled, sending him to one knee.
CRACK
A chop to his wrist. His sword fell once more, clattering against the roots below.
Loren didn't just outfight him. He dismantled him. Every movement felt inevitable, every strike inescapable.
He was almost three times as fast, how was he losing?!
BANG
Kieran fired from above, his aim shaky but determined. Loren shifted, disappearing from sight before reappearing behind Kieran. In one swift motion, he yanked Kieran from his perch and tossed him to the ground like a ragdoll.
"You're relying on your power," Loren said coldly, standing over the fallen sniper. "But you're fighting like children."
Kieran scrambled to his feet, only for Loren to sweep his legs out from under him. The rifle skidded across the ground, useless.
"Pathetic."
The end came quickly.
Talon forced himself to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest. His vision blurred from the pain, but he lunged one last time, his remaining strength pouring into the strike.
Loren sidestepped, his slow movement somehow perfectly timed.
THUD
A kick sent Talon flying, his body crashing into a nearby tree. The impact left him gasping, blood pounding in his ears.
BANG
Kieran fired again, but Loren grabbed Talon, twisting him into the bullet's path. The round tore through Talon's chest, the pain blinding and immediate.
Talon collapsed to the ground, his body limp. The jungle spun around him as his vision dimmed. The last thing he saw was Loren standing over him, calm and composed, his boot descending toward Talon's neck.
"Dead."
-- YOU DIED --