Evening falls over Guarly. Emily sits at her desk doing homework for the next day. As she writes, she gently shakes her head to the music playing through her headphones. When she finishes, she closes her notebook and, before getting up, glances at a photo of two brown-haired girls hugging. She walks to the fridge for a glass of water; after hydrating, she heads back to her room. Joyful shouts come from the front door. Turning, she sees her little sister dragging their exhausted father by the arm. Camila releases his arm and runs into Emily's arms. They hug, then separate; the younger girl pulls a letter from her backpack and gives it to Roberto. He opens it, sighs, and says, "Great — I'll have to close the workshop one morning to take Cami to the Liz Tower next week." The teenager hears this and asks, "What's wrong?" He looks at her for a few seconds, then smiles simply: "Nothing — as long as my angels stay happy, skipping the workshop for a day is easy."
At the Wind mansion, the dark-haired girl stands still as shower water runs over her skin. She closes her eyes and endures the fact that she's spent six days living under the same roof as the woman who killed her grandmother. She steps out of the shower, wraps a towel around her body, dries her hair with another towel, and goes to her vanity. When she sees her reflection she only sees the child who couldn't save the person she loved most.
Dawn arrives in the city. Sunlight fills the dark-haired girl's room. She slowly opens her eyes, splashes water on her face, changes clothes, combs her hair, and goes downstairs to the dining room — but for the first time her mother isn't waiting to eat with her. Hesitant, she asks a maid, "Manuela, sorry to bother you — do you know where my mom is?" The maid with black hair tied back answers, "I think she went out to the patio." "Thanks!" the girl says with a smile. At the glass door she sees her mother doing yoga. She raises her hand to call her but immediately lowers it when she notices Valeria next to her; she turns and walks back to the dining room, smiling but with shadow in her eyes.
The walk to school is normal. At arrival she greets her friends. During the walk to class she smiles, but a thousand doubts churn in her mind: if her parents learn about Valeria and what she did, will they side with her, or will they see Valeria as a phenomenon — and her, too, for having abilities? Lost in thought, she doesn't notice class time passing. At the next break she walks with Tamara and Leslie, who notice her gloomy expression.
Leslie (whispering to Tamara): "Do you think it's because of what she saw last week?"
Tamara (whispering to Leslie): "Maybe. There's only one way to find out."
Leslie: "Oh come on, Alex! Don't worry just because the city's hero decided to stay with the blonde."
Tamara (nodding): "She's right. Don't let something like that affect you. You did well to leave an idiot like that behind."
Alexa (looking them in the eye): "What are you talking about?"
Leslie (a bit sad): "About you and Tyron?"
Alexa: "What about him?"
Tamara: "Weren't you two dating?"
Alexa (laughing): "He wishes."
Leslie: "That's the attitude."
Alexa: "Wait— what are you implying?"
The bell rings, returning everyone to class. The day proceeds normally, except that first-year classes B and C will finish earlier than usual. Alexa and Emily stand amid the crowd of students running happily from the school. The brunette notices Alexa's vacant look and suggests, "Hey, what if we train with the master now?" Emily smiles, remembering her grandmother's phrase: "When everything else fails, return to training — it's the only thing that will always be there for you." The two agree, retrieve their training clothes at the cascade, and head to the forest.
After getting off the bus the two girls walk quietly along the path toward the cabin; neither speaks. A few meters away Alexa suddenly freezes and her eyes widen. Emily asks, surprised, "Alex, what's wrong?" Alexa just smiles and says, "Nothing." Her friend accepts that and turns away. Alexa's gloomy expression returns; she reaches behind Emily's neck and, with the edge of her hand, sharply taps the nape of her friend's neck — catching Emily before she collapses. Alexa lays her down against a tree and then hurries ahead toward the destination.
Earlier that day at the bus station, Francesca and Tyron wait for the next transport. Tyron can't contain his eagerness to train and paces back and forth, which annoys Francesca. She slowly shakes her foot until she can't stand it any longer and snaps, "Can you tell me what the hell is wrong with you?" He's startled and replies, "Well… I'm afraid the master taught Alexa and Emily to fly or something and we're missing out." Francesca facepalms at the stupidity. She looks aside and sees a figure approaching — the pink-haired girl. Francesca arches an eyebrow as the classmate approaches. Tyron waves; Nya comes up and says, "Now I understand why Gregorio says you two like each other — you spend a lot of time together." Francesca shakes her head and Tyron scratches his neck. Nya continues, "By the way, Rubia, I suspect you don't just play tennis." Francesca, surprised, asks, "Why do you say that?"
Nya (smiling faintly): "Simple — you seem too trained in martial techniques."
Francesca (serious): "It's part of my training."
Nya (confident): "I thought so when you prevented someone from falling down the stairs. You surpassed simple martial practice enough to block the guy who almost killed him," she nods toward Tyron.
Tyron (whispering to Francesca): "She means Nick?"
Francesca (to Tyron): "Shut up," then to Nya: "Still, it's part of my athletic training."
Nya (confident): "Makes sense, except for him and the other two. It's strange someone as arrogant and serious as you hangs with three Forte kids, but what caught my attention was Gregorio saying your complaints about your new friends started around the same time those three vigilantes and Plata appeared."
Francesca (serious): "Are you saying I'm Plata or something? Don't be ridiculous."
Tyron (smiling): "Nice seeing you again, Nya, but we have to go." He takes Francesca's hand.
Nya (confident): "Then you won't mind if I come with you — it's wrong for two teens to go alone."
They exchange looks, thinking she already suspects something; they accept her company to avoid raising more suspicion. At the forest stop they walk the trail; Francesca thinks she could take a different path to lose Nya, but then Nya could get lost or find the cabin — and if Jayden catches her there he might hurt her. The group stops when Francesca notices tracks on the ground and feels a chill. She grips her backpack; Tyron positions himself in front of Nya. Francesca pushes through the underbrush following the trail, while Nya, confused, can't understand what they're doing. The plants shift and Tyron thinks, "Please let it be a bear and not the master." Suddenly Francesca and a puzzled Emily step out of the bushes; the three students exchange looks and sprint toward the cabin, leaving the pink-haired girl behind, equally confused.
The three hide behind the nearest tree and peer out. Tyron sees Alexa hiding at the side of the cabin, watching something in the backyard. Quietly they approach Alexa, who doesn't notice them. Francesca snaps her arm around Alexa's neck and covers her mouth; the dark-eyed girl struggles. Emily worries why they knocked her out but the worry disappears when Tyron sees, in the backyard, a girl wearing a Chinese-style tunic in green and blue — the striking, black-haired girl with golden tips that he finds very attractive — talking with their master.
Valeria (serious): "I ask it of you, Grand Master Jayden: lend your support to Confederation. You are against the Council's weakness."
Jayden (taking a sip of his cup): "Yes, I oppose the Council's actions toward the Director and your group, but you want to impose Confederation by force."
Valeria: "No — I ask for your support. I know that as Barrier of Power you hold great authority, and since you are close to the Barrier of Skill and the Barrier of Experience, if you decide to support us they will too. Then the Council will have no choice but to cede command. After all, if three Barriers agree, only a Supreme Master can deny that action."
Jayden (sipping tea): "And if the other Barriers refuse Confederation?"
Valeria (serious): "In that case we'll help you defeat the remaining two Barriers — with that you'd have what you need to be named Supreme Master. This is if you join us; otherwise we'll have to take down the Council."
Jayden (finishing his tea): "Interesting — beating Agatha and Michael would be fun. But if your plan is to trigger conflict at the first refusal, who said the Society of Users would accept Confederation's ideas?"
Valeria looks him in the eye; a vein stands out on her forehead. "It's necessary. If the Council truly had the situation under control, sword arts wouldn't be endangered. Rebels like the Director or Confederation wouldn't exist. The academies of the wise would control sensitive children — and groups like the Mercenaries Association wouldn't be allowed to do as they please—"
Jayden sets his cup down. "Kid — one thing is coming here arrogantly six times to get me to support your friends; another is coming and saying that name here!" He opens his eyes and fixes her with a deadly stare. "And you dared to shout at someone far above you not only in rank but in ability."
Three of the teenagers try to understand who the woman is and what Confederation means, but Alexa grips her katana tightly and slowly draws it. Francesca notices Nya has arrived at the cabin clearing. When the pink-haired girl steps in, Jayden vanishes from his conversation and reappears in front of her, knocking her unconscious with one blow. The warrior holds the girl, surprised at her presence, sighs, and disappears with her. In the backyard Alexa stares at her sister with shadowed eyes and slowly points her sword at Valeria. Valeria turns and sneers, "So the rumor was true, dear sister…" She smiles maliciously. "…put that weapon away in front of a Master, you damned student." She gestures dismissively with the back of her fingers. Suddenly a gust of wind hurls Alexa against a tree. The adolescent performs an agile flip and plants her feet on the trunk, resisting the powerful breeze and returning to the ground in the Chakama base stance. Valeria, whose hair tips are gold, steps off the porch and places a hand on her sword's hilt. Looking at her little sister she sneers, "So you want to finish what started eight years ago? I suppose I'll have to take another family member's life today — poor me." A dull thud sounds on the porch: Nya's head has fallen. Jayden pours himself more tea and says calmly, "If you draw a weapon against one of my students I will kill you."
Valeria (smiling confidently): "Your student drew first — pointing a blade at me is an insult from someone of inferior rank."
Jayden (sipping his tea): "Young ones act from emotion. Older people learn to keep emotions from overriding judgment. That's what maturity is."
Alexa raises her sword and shouts, "I CHALLENGE YOU TO A MORTA—"
In a millisecond Jayden clamps a hand over Alexa's mouth. "She challenges you to a practice match. You will use bokkens." He takes a final sip before her cup hits the floor. Valeria withdraws her hand from the weapon and accepts. Alexa sheaths her sword and puts it on the ground. Emily, worried, grabs Alexa's shoulder: "Wait — tell us what that whole argument was about with her and the master." Tyron also places his hand on Francesca's arm: "Who is she?" Francesca looks at the woman, who appears to be about twenty, and exclaims, "She said it has to do with her family." The younger Wind ignores their questions and goes to the cabin porch. The sisters kneel before the warrior; Jayden takes two wooden swords from his home and hands one to each. They walk to the combat platform.
Alexa assumes the Chakama stance, concentrating a warm sensation inside. Valeria simply holds her wooden sword with her left hand, the tip resting on the ground. Jayden and the others stand near the platform. The black-haired man jumps into the space between them and announces, "The rule is simple: the match continues until one is knocked out, surrenders, or can't stand. Killing is forbidden." He jumps back and stands with his hands behind his back.
Alexa sizes her rival up and knows the experience gap is large; every move must count. She slides left, lifts her bokken overhead, spins it horizontally at high speed, and tucks the tip to the ground. A disc of air forms like a spinning saw and flies toward Valeria. Valeria jumps and dodges; two more saws appear — one at her side and one behind her. When they touch the ground they collide and create a small explosion that shakes the tree crowns. Valeria looks for her sister and sees another wind saw aimed at her throat. She sighs at such a pathetic use of Fiu technique, ducks, and lets the saw pass, which slices cleanly through several trees. When she rises, Alexa's foot connects with her face in a powerful kick that cracks the platform's tiles. The younger girl is astonished that Valeria stopped the kick with a single hand at such close range. Before Alexa can react, Valeria grabs her by the foot and slams her to the ground; Alexa spits blood and becomes embedded in the rock. Valeria lifts and slams her again and then throws her off the platform; Alexa crashes into a tree felled by the impact. The others are stunned. Tyron asks, "What is that Alexa threw?" The warrior, still watching Alexa slowly rise, replies, "A wind technique called spinning blade." Tyron blurts, "When did you teach her that?" Jayden answers coldly, "I didn't. Your friend apparently hasn't told you everything."
Alexa aches inside, but fury remains in her eyes as she glares at her immaculate sister. She forces herself to her feet, legs and arms trembling from the blows. With her bokken in front of her body, she holds it with her left hand while stretching her right arm out with fingers raised. She concentrates her Fiu; a mass of air gathers in her right hand and she shapes it into a sphere the size of a basketball. Maintaining the spherical form, she fires several orbs toward Valeria. Valeria yawns and lazily places her right fist in front of the attack, extends her pinky, and knocks one sphere into the platform; it explodes into a crater the size of a tire, kicking up dust. The other orbs meet the same fate, swallowed by dust. Alexa seizes the moment and springs, driving her knee and bokken forward. Valeria stops the knee with her right hand and readies a full-force strike to Alexa's head, which the younger girl blocks with her bokken. Valeria uses the short distance to spin and elbow Alexa in the abdomen, sending her flying into the forest with such force that birds take flight.
Valeria thinks the fight is over, but a small whirlwind comes from a tree and Alexa dodges. Several spheres approach; Valeria deflects them with her bokken. Looking up, she sees Alexa leap from a branch. She barely reacts in time to avoid another wind saw, which grazes the sleeve of her tunic by a centimeter. Now surrounded by four whirlwinds, Valeria looks up again to see Alexa launch another wind saw. Realizing she must take the fight seriously, Valeria lifts her bokken with both hands and extends it forward, creating a huge air dome that destroys the minor attacks and sends Alexa rocketing meters into the air.
Alexa knows she has lost and the fall will surely kill her. She closes her eyes and utters small tears at having disappointed her grandmother and having to abandon her friends and family. A few meters from impact Valeria draws a circle with her index finger where Alexa will land and summons a powerful breeze that prevents the crash. She creates another circle above so a second air current keeps Alexa suspended. With the tip of her right finger she traces a large circle around the teen and encloses her. Valeria slowly closes her hand and the air begins to compress around Alexa, bones crunching accompanied by a scream of pain. Francesca and Tyron draw their weapons, but Valeria looks at them and both float helplessly. Emily grips her weapon despite her fear; she understands she must save her friend. When she meets Valeria's cold, murderous gaze she feels a terror unlike any before.
Jayden lifts his right hand from behind his back to head height, forms a fist, brings the middle and index fingers together, then separates them to create a small flame between them, and whistles, "Respect the rules."
Valeria stops and releases the technique. Alexa — unconscious — collapses to the ground. Francesca and Tyron put their feet back on the ground; Francesca trembles as she bows before the warrior while swallowing hard. Jayden extinguishes the flame between his fingers. Tyron seizes the moment and sprints at Valeria, but Francesca, who has sheathed her weapon, grabs his arm. She looks him in the eyes: "Stop. We're safe because of the master. Let's help Alex." He notices his friend's hand trembling and a chill runs down his spine. They avoid Valeria and carry the defeated girl's body. Jayden says boredly to Valeria, "I refuse for the seventh time to help you — now leave." She vanishes in a gust of wind. Emily forgets her fear and goes to the porch to prepare a place for Alexa to lie down. The three wait as the warrior sits beside the girl, places his hand on her forehead, opens his eyes slightly, and says, "This will take a long time. He put her skeleton through the grinder." Francesca looks at the others coldly: "We'll wait. She has many questions to answer."