The only question on the youths' minds was what their master was doing there. The brown-skinned boy stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing here?"
In a cold tone, Jayden replied, "Did you seriously think you'd spend two weeks without training?"
Three of them nodded—none of them had truly believed it would be that easy to get time off. Francesca, more than dwelling on her master's sudden presence, immediately asked him to leave, pointing toward the nearby house. "My aunt could see you—you should go."
Without even turning around, the warrior pointed toward the place and answered, "Right now, there's no one here but you and me, so you can train without any unwanted audience."
Not convinced, Francesca walked to the house to make sure it was empty. She found a note from Carmen saying she'd gone out to buy groceries. Relieved that no one would see them, she returned to her companions.
The four teenagers stood before their master, waiting for orders. Jayden glanced at the remains of their lunch and smiled maliciously. "How long ago did you eat?"
"About ten minutes ago," Alexa replied at once.
Jayden raised his right palm and, at the same time, unleashed a powerful gust of wind that hurled them into the ocean. "Let's hope you don't get cramps while swimming."
They sank beneath the crystal-clear water, then quickly resurfaced, gasping for air. When they opened their eyes, they saw their master standing serenely before them.
"Is the water cool?" he asked.
"Why the hell did you do that?!" Francesca snapped.
Jayden walked around them a few times. Then they noticed something astonishing—he was calmly walking on the surface of the water, unaffected by the waves. With a stern expression, he said:
"Up to last week, you increased your internal Fiu reserves. Now it's time to improve your control. Power is useless if you can't wield it properly. To do what I'm doing, you must maintain a constant flow of Fiu that creates a stable support, allowing you to rise to the surface."
After the brief explanation—and watching Jayden walk back to shore and sit down—Francesca and Emily closed their eyes and focused on their Fiu while treading water. They placed one hand on the surface, but immediately caused a reaction: Francesca froze a small area, and Emily lifted a chunk of earth from the depths.
Instantly, Jayden struck each of them with a stone.
"I said constant, not powerful!" he barked. "The difficulty isn't releasing a large amount of energy, but maintaining a steady flow—no increase, no decrease—so your body can create support on the water without solidifying it or triggering your elemental affinities. That's how you'll truly make the most of your power."
They nodded, understanding, and began again.
Despite being the most experienced, Alexa found it nearly impossible—she could form a brief handhold for a few seconds, but not enough to lift herself out of the water. For Emily, the challenge seemed easier; with her strength, a small support was enough to raise her whole body. However, she couldn't keep the flow steady while exerting herself and fell back in.
Francesca found it slightly easier, managing to lift her entire torso by creating two points of support. Tyron did the same—except when he succeeded, he shouted excitedly, "Yes!"
Alexa immediately knew what that would cause. "Tyron, calm—!"
A massive discharge erupted, nearly knocking them all out—originating from Tyron. He laughed nervously as he saw his companions' hair standing on end from the shock, earning murderous glares from Francesca and Alexa.
Hours passed. By 6:30 p.m., their master called them back to shore. "You did very well today. That's enough."
"I'm sorry again about the discharge," Tyron said nervously.
"It's fine," Alexa and Emily replied.
Francesca smacked him on the head, furious. "What's wrong with you, idiot?! You almost roasted us! Learn not to fire lightning while we're training!"
"Ow! Okay, okay—I've apologized five times already!" Tyron protested, rubbing his head.
Emily asked curiously, "Master, are you going to travel back and forth to Guarly every day to train us?"
Looking out at the ocean with his hands behind his back, Jayden answered, "No. I rented a room at a nearby hotel."
Emily's eyes widened in alarm. "You left the city without protection?! Should we go back? How could you leave Guarly unguarded?!"
Jayden ruffled Emily's hair. "Calm down. I left your city in good hands. Now—"
At that moment, Carmen's car rounded the final bend toward the house. Jayden sensed it instantly and vanished in an instant, leaving only a small note floating in the air. Francesca grabbed it and saw a small map with words written on the back: I'll see you there tomorrow.
With nothing else to do, when Carmen arrived, Emily and Francesca went inside to help her, leaving Tyron and Alexa to pack up the day's things. Taking advantage of the privacy, Tyron asked, "Hey, Alex… do you know why that discharge slipped out when I was controlling my Fiu?"
Smiling kindly, Alexa replied, "It's because your energy control is still weak. When I trained with my grandmother, she explained that to truly master Fiu reserves, you need deep mental focus. That way, even if your emotions fluctuate, your flow stays stable."
That only confused Tyron more. "I get that, but it doesn't explain how I almost killed us."
Alexa laughed. "You got really excited when you managed to stand on the water. That emotion slightly increased your positive Fiu, which raised your available energy—and that boosted the flow you were using to lift yourself."
That explanation satisfied him; he nodded repeatedly, finally understanding. Carrying the supplies, they headed back to the house.
Back in Guarly, in the Sejuk mansion, Alexandre sat in a white-walled room with black carpet. On a white desk sat a state-of-the-art black computer and scattered papers. He finished signing documents authorizing the sale of new sports equipment bearing his name.
With nothing else to do, he turned his chair toward the window and watched the sunset.
Why did Fran invite a boy to stay with her and her friends? Is he her boyfriend? That would be stupid—she would've told me… unless they're planning—! His thoughts spiraled. That boy can't do that to my little girl!
He grabbed his phone, then stopped himself. "That's ridiculous," he muttered. "He's probably gay—that's why he's with the girls… unless they're all in some kind of group relationship!"
He imagined his innocent daughter being led astray by the other three and almost called his sister—then set the phone aside.
"Alexandre, stop worrying," he told himself. "Your daughter chose to have fun with her friends. You must respect that."
Minutes passed. He sighed, thinking of his relationship with his son, when the landline rang. Expecting his mother, he answered—only to be stunned when the city hospital spoke.
Alexandre rushed down the stairs, hastily straightening his jacket. He met Mario on the way.
"Is something wrong, sir?" the chef asked.
Angrily, Alexandre replied, "Mario, did you know Jerome was hospitalized on his birthday?! You'd better not be covering for him!"
Mario stared in shock. "No, sir—absolutely not."
"Tell me the truth!" Alexandre demanded.
"Sir," Mario said solemnly, "after twenty years of service—after caring for your children as if they were my own—do you truly think I'd hide something like that from you?"
Alexandre took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll go see what happened."
As he left, Mario removed his hat, clasped his hands, and looked upward. "Please, God… let the boy be okay."
At the same time, in the detectives' office, Jason reviewed the results of the unknown DNA sample from the rapist's body. He logged into the police database and pulled up records of every woman in the city who had reported sexual assault.
His eyes burned with determination as he examined their faces. "I'll find you, seventeenth victim," he said aloud. "You'll help me uncover how that bastard died. If others were involved, they'll get what they deserve. And if you killed him—justice will act regardless."
Night fell over the city. In a small shop, three armed thieves finished their robbery and fled before the police arrived. They ran into an alley, unaware they were being watched by a cloaked figure on a rooftop.
"I told you, guys—easy money!" their leader laughed.
Something flew past them. They aimed their .22 revolvers, but it was just a stone.
The leader laughed, picking it up. "What a scare, huh?"
The stone suddenly shot from his hand, slamming into one accomplice's face and knocking him out. As the others argued, the rock rose again, shot into the leader's stomach, then smashed the last man's head, leaving all three unconscious.
The stone floated back to the rooftop and landed in a tan hand. The hooded figure finished his apple and tossed it aside.
"How boring," he muttered. "How could Master leave me with such dull work? Those new students must be more fun."
He smiled beneath the cloak, called Matias, and laughed. "All right, I'm on my way. It's good to hear your voice again, José."
Gripping the hilt of a massive sword, he vanished, leaving only a faint breeze.
Alexandre returned to the Sejuk mansion, staring at the floor, clutching a paper in his left hand. When Mario asked what happened, Alexandre replied without looking up:
"According to the doctors… he might suffer from the same condition as his mother…"
He said nothing more and walked on, leaving Mario in tears.
In his room, Alexandre slammed the door, sat on his bed in the moonlight, and finally cried. After a moment, an idea struck him. He found a note with a handwritten number and dialed, hands trembling.
"Hello?" a voice answered.
"This is Alexandre Sejuk," he said shakily. "I'm sorry to call so late. I was once a patient of your father. Many praise your skills… could you confirm a diagnosis?"
After a pause, the voice replied, "No need to apologize. I understand. Yes, I can review it—especially for someone my father helped. Call me another day and we'll arrange a private consultation."
"T-thank you," Alexandre sobbed softly as he hung up and lay down to sleep, still clutching the test results.