Blaze didn't remember walking back to the dorms. His mind drifted through the world like smoke, slipping past people without hearing a thing they said. Every step felt heavy, like the ground itself was resisting him. The campus lights stretched into thin blurs, and noise faded into a dull ringing behind his eyes.

Aurion wanted him.

Jason was fighting for him.

And the Titans… the Titans kept looking at him the way people looked at a disappearing landmark. Like they wanted to memorize him before he vanished.

By the time he reached the training hall, he expected it to be empty. Instead, every single person he didn't want to face was already there.

Lionel. Grim. Anastasia. Scarlet. Aya. Kenji. Diego. Mikhail. Ryuji. Zara.

All of them stopped talking the moment he stepped through the door.

And that silence hit harder than any blow he'd taken in combat.

Lionel was the one who stepped forward first. He always took the lead when the room felt like it was tipping sideways. "Blaze," he said quietly. "We need to talk."

Blaze forced a smile. It didn't reach his eyes, and everyone knew it. "Let me guess," he said. "You've all been waiting to stage an intervention?"

Scarlet folded her arms. "Intervention? You've been avoiding us for a week. You barely talk. You skip cooldown meetings. You vanish the moment training ends. We're not blind."

Aya's voice cut in, softer. "What's happening to you?"

Blaze opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His throat had locked. His pulse hammered behind his ribs.

The truth was simple:

He was slipping.

And it scared him more than anything.

Kenji stepped closer. "Is it Aurion? Did they threaten you?"

That broke something loose.

Blaze dragged a hand down his face. "It's everything," he whispered. "Aurion. Jason. The academy. This stupid pressure that never stops. I'm tired of being treated like a piece of equipment everyone wants to rent."

The team exchanged a look, one Blaze had never seen aimed at him. Worry. Fear. Uncertainty.

Grim cleared his throat. "So you're telling us you're not even going to fight this? That you're just going to let them take you?"

"Grim," Anastasia snapped, warning in her voice.

But Blaze shook his head. "No. He's right to ask. Because even I don't know."

He turned away, unable to keep eye contact.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

The room went still.

It was Ryuji who whispered, "That's the first time I've ever heard you say that."

Before Blaze could respond, a sharp knock hit the training hall doors.

One of the staff assistants, pale, breathless, rushed in. "Blaze. Director Jason needs you. Now. Aurion's representative has arrived early."

The air snapped.

Scarlet cursed under her breath. "That snake. Of course they'd do this today."

Lionel looked at Blaze, jaw clenched. "We're coming with you."

"No," Blaze said quickly. "This is between me, Aurion, and Jason..."

"Blaze," Diego said, stepping forward. "You don't walk into a lion's den alone. Not anymore."

It should have been comforting. It only made him feel worse. Because he wasn't sure he wanted them there when Aurion said whatever threats they'd prepared.

But before he could argue, Scar kicked the door open and marched out like the conversation was over.

The rest followed.

Blaze didn't have the strength to fight his own team, not tonight. Not when something inside him was already fraying.

He followed them to the administration wing.

And that was when everything went wrong.

THE REPRESENTATIVE

The hall outside Jason's office was packed with staff. Tension buzzed like electricity through the air. Whispered arguments broke out in clusters.

Blaze could hear phrases:

"He shouldn't be here without legal counsel…"

"Aurion is overreaching..."

"This could destroy our standings…"

"Jason should have stopped this earlier…"

Every word made the pressure inside Blaze tighten.

Jason stepped into the hall just long enough to spot them approaching.

He looked exhausted. Older than he had in years. But the moment he saw Blaze, something in his expression softened, and that hurt Blaze more than anything Aurion could have said.

"Blaze," Jason said quietly. "They asked to speak with you. I wanted time to prepare you first but…" He looked away. "I wasn't given a choice."

Scarlet scoffed. "Typical corporate thugs."

Jason didn't deny it.

He just pushed open his office door.

Inside stood a man in a sleek navy suit, posture perfectly straight, not a single imperfection on him. Everything about him felt… engineered. Polished. Controlled.

He turned with a cold, warmless smile.

"Blaze Fenmore. The Titans' prodigy. Finally."

Blaze's jaw tightened. "Who are you?"

"Elias Moreau," the man said. "Aurion Capital's Director of Talent Acquisition."

Lionel muttered, "He looks like someone built him out of ego and perfume."

Elias didn't react.

He stepped closer to Blaze, studying him like one might inspect a rare gemstone. "You're impressive in person. Your metrics, recovery rate, tactical intuition, psychological adaptability… all elite."

"Thanks," Blaze said flatly. "I'll add that to my resume."

Jason moved between them. "State your business."

Elias smiled. "Very well. Blaze, Aurion wishes to accelerate your placement in our Elite Ascension Program."

Blaze blinked. "Accelerate?"

Elias nodded. "You were scheduled to begin next season. But due to your recent performance and improvements, we want you now. Immediately."

A wave of whispers erupted among the staff outside the door.

Jason's voice cut in. "He's still recovering. He is not ready for something like that."

Elias ignored him.

"You would receive a personal training wing, a paid contract, relocation, specialized med-tech, and priority ranking in the upcoming Rift Trials. Aurion will cover every cost."

Aya whispered to Zara, "That's… huge."

"Too huge," Zara murmured. "Something's wrong."

Blaze swallowed. "And if I say no?"

The smile dropped.

"Blaze," Elias said softly, "you're too valuable to be wasted here."

That hit the room like a slap.

Jason stepped forward sharply. "Watch your tone."

Elias didn't.

He looked directly at Blaze.

"You stay here and you plateau. You join us and you ascend."

Blaze's pulse started pounding again.

He heard Scarlet whisper, "They're trying to turn him against us."

Kenji muttered, "Yeah. And it's working."

Elias leaned in slightly, lowering his voice just enough for only Blaze to hear.

"You think you're overwhelmed now? Just wait until the academy's politics crush you. With us, you don't have to drown."

That was the moment something cracked.

The pressure inside Blaze finally snapped like a wire pulled too tight.

He shoved Elias back a step. Not violently. But enough to shock everyone in the room.

"Don't touch me again," Blaze said quietly.

The room froze.

Jason grabbed Blaze's arm. "Stop."

Elias smoothed his suit like Blaze had dirtied it.

"So there it is," he murmured. "The emotional instability your medical reports hinted at."

That sentence cut deeper than anything else he'd said.

The team erupted.

Mikhail stepped forward. "You want to try that again?"

Ryuji: "Say one more thing about him and I'll personally escort you out."

Anastasia: "He's not unstable. He's under pressure from people like you."

Elias didn't flinch. He turned to Jason.

"We'll be filing a complaint regarding his behavior. And yours, Director."

Jason's face paled.

Zara whispered, "Suspension?"

Scarlet growled, "Over my dead body."

Elias walked toward the door. "Blaze has forty-eight hours to sign the contract. If he refuses, Aurion will pursue the matter formally with the National Council."

He paused once more.

"Think carefully, Blaze. The Titans won't win this fight for you."

Then he left.

The room stayed silent long after Elias was gone.

Jason turned to Blaze slowly. "I'm sorry. I tried to keep this from escalating..."

Blaze stepped back. "Stop. Just stop."

Jason froze.

Blaze's voice started to shake. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did I have to find out from him? Why did you keep acting like everything was fine when you knew it wasn't?"

"Blaze..."

"You keep saying you're protecting me, but all I feel is that I've been kept in the dark like a child."

Jason flinched like he'd been struck.

Scarlet murmured, "Blaze, breathe..."

"No!" Blaze snapped, louder than he meant to. "I'm done pretending I'm fine. I'm done pretending this isn't tearing me apart. Everyone keeps deciding things for me. Jason hides things. Aurion threatens me. The academy whispers about me. And this team..." He choked on the words. "You're all looking at me like I'm about to disappear."

Lionel stepped forward, voice steady. "Because we're scared, Blaze. We're scared of losing you."

That undid him.

The weight finally crushed down, and Blaze sank onto a chair, burying his face in his hands.

"I don't know what to do," he whispered. "I don't know what the right choice is. I don't even trust myself anymore."

Jason moved toward him slowly. "You don't have to make the decision alone."

Blaze shook his head. "I think that's the problem. I've never been allowed to make any decision alone."

Silence.

Heavy. Raw. Honest.

For the first time since the injury, Blaze wasn't holding anything back.

And that truth left the whole room shaken.

Lionel crouched beside Blaze. "Listen to me. Aurion wants to separate us. Jason wants to shield you. The academy wants to use you. But us?" He placed a hand on Blaze's shoulder. "We're your pack."

Grim stepped forward. "And packs don't abandon their alpha just because another pack thinks they can buy him."

Aya smiled gently. "We fight together."

Zara: "We choose you."

Ryuji: "Every time."

Scarlet: "Especially now."

Something warm cracked through Blaze's chest. Painful, but grounding.

Then Lionel stood, turning to Jason.

"What's the plan? Because Aurion is crossing a line."

Jason took a long breath, squaring his shoulders.

"We push back. Hard. Blaze isn't leaving this academy unless he chooses to. And I won't let Aurion bully him into anything."

Scarlet grinned. "Finally something I can punch."

Jason sighed. "Please don't punch anyone."

But Blaze…

Blaze finally lifted his head.

Tears rimmed his eyes but didn't fall.

He looked at all of them.

Then he whispered,

"I don't know what the right choice is. But I know this… I don't want to lose you."

Lionel smiled. "Then you won't."

But the storm wasn't over.

If anything, this was only the beginning.

Because Aurion would not accept no.

Jason was now a target.

And the Titans had just declared war on a corporation that never lost.

The next chapter wouldn't be about training or recovery.

It would be about survival.

And Blaze?

Blaze had finally snapped open the door he'd kept locked inside himself.

The world was about to feel the consequences.

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