A Friday morning begins in Guarly. The long-haired detective exits the forensic lab with a sheet of paper in hand. Thoughtful, he enters the office he shares with the other officer and pins the paper to the center of his corkboard. Reading the result again, he blurts out loud, "Why were there pavement residues in the trunk?"
He walks to his desk and picks up a folder containing the photo taken of the empty trunk of the vehicle stopped a few days ago, placing it beside the lab report. He connects them with a red thread and thinks, Alright—apparently the Director's soldiers plan to use C4 somewhere on Guarly's streets… but where, and why? How would blowing up a street help them advance their objective?
Once again, Matías places a city map on the board, trying to reveal what's hidden. With a focused gaze, he marks the two highways that cross the city with a red marker, murmuring, "If their goal is conquest, the last thing they'd want is the military—or other people like my grumpy friend—ruining their plans. So this could be meant to stop government aid from arriving… Their biggest problem would be people like Jayden…"
Scratching his chin, Surgiri tries to make sense of the C4 combined with pavement traces in the trunk the vigilantes stopped. Somewhat startled, he grabs a blue marker and circles all the city entrances—also exits—thinking, It could be that they don't want people coming in, but rather no one leaving. Jayden told me the Director's main reason for conquering provinces is to increase soldier numbers—enough to strike the government of that so-called Society of Users…
Suddenly, the brown-haired detective's eyes widen. He writes on the analysis result and exclaims, "C4?" He remembers there was only one box the day they recovered everything after the warehouse battle. He theorizes quickly: There are two possibilities. First, there could be more boxes already set aside for this phase of the plan. To prove that, I'd need all the forensic results from the warehouse and the entire neighborhood—but that'll take at least a month. And even then, I'd have no way to tell whether they're different from the box the court's special force took… Which leads to the second possibility: could the enemy have people inside the city courts?
He sits back, staring at the ceiling, until footsteps approach the office. He stands, yawns, opens the door, and lets the dark-haired detective pass. Stepping aside with an idea forming, he thinks, I'll have to check all the city entrances and take samples.
Jason looks, mildly puzzled, at Welter's investigation board. Shrugging, he sits at his desk, pulls a folder from a cabinet, and lays out all the information he has so far. "Alright. Time to analyze the facts and possibilities to identify the vigilantes—and possible accomplices on the last day of the rapist Marcelo Álvarez. I just need to find one of those four among Guarly's three hundred thousand residents… Well, if I subtract the half who arrived because of the events and the vacancies at Liz Tower, that leaves one hundred fifty thousand… Better start with my timeline." He removes his jacket and opens his laptop.
In the forest, a leaf falls to the ground, crushed beneath the warrior's foot as his hands rest behind his back. He steps right, evading a falling slash from his golden-haired student. Using the momentum, he lifts his right knee to strike her face, but she deftly steps back. That allows the green-eyed girl to close in with a sweeping attack to knock him down. With precision, he jumps in time and lands a low right side kick to her face, using the rebound to plant his left foot and avoid the blonde, then heads toward the brown-haired girl who's trying to trap him with earth control.
The black-haired and blonde girls chase him, but the adult inhales deeply and releases a powerful blast of flame toward the brown-haired student. Alexa counters with a tire-sized wind sphere, deflecting the flames—only for the master to land a right side kick that sends her crashing into a tree.
The brown-haired girl smiles. "I've got him now, Fran!"
Jayden glances down and realizes his feet are trapped. From behind him, the light-blue-eyed girl, her blade gleaming, unleashes a Flying Edge that races toward him. With skill, the warrior concentrates Fiu in his feet and leaps, shattering the earth binding him and avoiding being cut in half. The green-eyed girl ducks as her teammate's concentrated energy slices cleanly through the tree behind her, taking several strands of her hair with it.
Francesca braces for the counterattack—but she's not fast enough to block the descending left heel kick that slams her to the ground. The master rushes Emily; she raises her arms to block, but a right knee lifts her off the ground, followed by a left guillotine kick that smashes her into the earth.
Jayden: serious, surveying them "Is that all? Three hours of training and you've only managed to trap me twice."
Alexa: in pain "But, Master—we spent an hour and a half boosting our Fiu, then another hour and a half refining control."
Francesca: struggling to stand "Don't make excuses. We still have to fight back."
The warrior watches the three disciples rise with difficulty, without helping each other. He sighs heavily, sits down, and says, "Rest, then leave."
The brown-haired and green-eyed girls bow and head back to the cabin in silence. The blonde strikes the ground, starting to protest—only to freeze under the man's murderous glare.
Left alone, he murmurs to himself, One is slacking off, and the others—trying to keep going—still haven't gotten over failing. Maybe they didn't care that much about the one who died… but knowing you failed someone you knew is the heaviest burden. He looks up at the sky, sighs, and smiles faintly. You'd know what to do now, wouldn't you, Master?
His eyes widen. He points a small light-blue sphere at the ground and releases it. An amorphous shape emerges, then takes form and waits silently for orders. Jayden whispers something—and both the clone and the original vanish.
At the small lake beneath a waterfall, the three girls emerge from the trees, now in more casual clothes, carrying their karategi. They place them in a small wooden chest along with their katanas. No one speaks. The blonde leaves first, staring ahead. The green-eyed girl locks the chest and hands the key to the brown-haired one, offering a faint smile before heading home, eyes downcast.
Emily remains, thinking, It's so cold… none of us want to talk—about anything. She imagines the four of them back when they got along, smiling at the memory—until the image fractures, leaving them as they are now, each alone. She sighs quietly. "It even feels like the Master knows… He told us not to train tomorrow. That makes twice this week…"
Emily arrives home and opens the door slowly. "I'm back."
"Welcome, Emi!" her little sister calls, hugging her tightly. Emily notices a large pile of envelopes by the door—mostly bills. She sets them on a small table for her father to see and heads to her room. Dropping her backpack on the chair, she collapses onto her bed, staring at the ceiling as her eyes moisten.
I failed my friends… If only I hadn't shown mercy—if I'd cut that man's head off when I saved Ty… maybe we would've saved Antonio, and none of this would be happening. She buries her face in the pillow, letting out a small, inaudible sob. Minutes pass before she stops crying, smiles faintly, and whispers, "I wish I were as strong as you…" Her gaze rests on a small frame on her desk—two brown-haired girls hugging.
FLASHBACK
A five-year-old girl, slightly overweight and bundled up against the cold, walks into her elementary school gym. The room is heated; students line up in sportswear. A heavyset man blows his whistle and points to four popular boys, who start picking teammates. The girl stares at the floor—she knows she'll be picked last because of her weight. As expected, she's chosen reluctantly.
"Today we're playing dodgeball," the teacher announces, then sits far from the action.
Balls fly back and forth. With no friends, the brown-haired girl stays quiet, watching from afar. Eventually, one team wins. The next match begins. Two boys collide with young Emily, and she takes the hits. Annoyed, the boys shout, "No! Why didn't you hit the fat girl?" and leave the court.
By sheer luck, Emily remains with her team leader and another brown-haired girl. Remembering the insults, she tries to catch a ball to prove herself—but fear takes over. She closes her eyes and braces. A soft thud is heard. She opens her eyes to see the other girl had stepped in and saved her.
Class ends. Outside, amid the noisy crowd, Emily trips. Someone tries to catch her but fails, and both fall. They meet eyes. Blushing, Emily looks away. "S-sorry for making you fall… and thank you for saving me today."
The other girl stands, brushes herself off, and offers a hand. "I'm Mónica. What's your name?"
"M-m-my n-name is E-Emily."
"Nice to meet you," Mónica smiles—just before a teacher calls them back inside.
END FLASHBACK
Emily wipes her face, sits up smiling softly, and goes to greet her father as he arrives.
Elsewhere, in a large house, Nya plays an intense shooter game upstairs, shaking the desk with three huge monitors. Despite her headphones, her thoughts drift back to what she discussed with the blonde earlier. When a small frame falls, she instantly lunges to catch it—even at the cost of losing the game. It's a photo of two brown-haired girls hugging.
She looks out the window at the city lights and murmurs, "No matter how I look at it… you haven't changed much," then returns to playing.
At ten p.m., in the Forcer home, Roberto sorts a stack of mail in his small office. Bills to one side, thank-you notes to another, a few complaints. He yawns. "How do they expect me to fix anything without parts?" Only one envelope remains—no name, just a postcard. The handwriting is familiar. Reading it, his face hardens.
"Hello, Roberto. I need money. Deposit it into my account—don't take as long as last time, or there will be consequences. —Elisa."
He crumples the letter, walks to the kitchen, lights a flame, and burns it. "How can you be such a terrible mother?" he whispers.
At the Wind mansion, Alexa and her mother finish dessert. The maid clears the table. Silence—until Alexa smiles. "Mom, have you spoken to Dad?"
"Yes," her mother replies. "He called yesterday. He'll visit in a few weeks."
Alexa beams inwardly—as long as Dad comes alone. Her mother studies her. "Is something wrong? You rarely ask about him."
"No… I just miss him," Alexa lies gently. They hug and wish each other good night.
In her room, Alexa opens the window, pockets her phone, and collapses on the bed. How can Ty think I wouldn't understand? I lost someone far more important than a friend… and he gave up. A tear falls. I'm sorry, Grandma.
Behind the Sejuk mansion, Mario hears heavy impacts and sees bright lights. Francesca trains furiously against a ball machine, returning every shot with ease. Sweat beads fall. The last ball launches high and fast. She sprints, spots Mario in her path, leaps over him using her right leg, twists midair, and smashes the ball into the lower wall with crushing force.
Mario: applauding "Fantastic, signorina! As always, it's a pleasure to watch you practice."
Francesca: serious "What are you doing here, Mario?"
"Watching your incredible tennis skills."
She gathers the balls. "Don't stand in my way while I'm training."
He helps her. "Anyone who cares wants to know if you're okay. Even if you don't want me watching—I'll stay. Sometimes the important thing is following what the heart tells us."
His words leave her thoughtful. Suddenly, she hugs him tightly. Surprised, he hugs back. They head inside together.
"Why practice after dinner?" he asks.
"Nothing important," she replies calmly. "I just did what my heart told me."
Tears well in Mario's eyes—she'd taken his advice so simply. They walk on in silence.