The next morning arrives with a grey, overcast sky. While the city is still waking up, Moto, Aemon, and Tanaka are already busy in the hotel room. Najo is still dead asleep, snoring softly.
"Okay, just touch my shoulder," Moto instructs. "I need to visualize the density." Tanaka places a hand on his shoulder. "Focus on the carbon structure. Don't just think 'hard,' think 'aligned.'"
Moto closes his eyes, channeling his obsidian smoke. He struggles at first, the smoke billowing without form, but after several failed attempts, he grits his teeth and compresses it. The black smoke solidifies, crunching into a jagged, glass-like longsword. "Yes!" Moto cheers, swinging the crude blade. "It worked!"
As they celebrate, Aemon feels a cold shiver in his mind. Grillet. The dark presence returns from its scouting mission, phasing back into Aemon's psyche. In the mental landscape, Grillet appears with a scowl, looking directly at Moto with disdain.
"The Snake boy was up all night," Grillet reports, his voice echoing in Aemon's head. "And it looks like he's going to be awake all day, too. Unnatural stamina."
Aemon relays the message to the group. Tanaka frowns, her expression darkening. "That confirms he's dangerous. No normal human—or even Day Dweller—functions like that without a cost." Moto listens, but he says nothing. He doesn't look surprised, nor does he look worried. He stares at his new sword, lost in thought.
Grillet retreats into the deeper recesses of Aemon's mind. As he fades into the dark, he glances at the figure of Aemon's true self—a restrained, glowing silhouette bound by heavy chains. Snap. One of the chains has developed a hairline fracture. Grillet does not smile. He stares at the break with deep, fearful concern. The seal is weakening.
"Alright, let's move!" Moto says energetically, breaking the silence. "Time to train!" Aemon follows him out, leaving Tanaka to deal with the sleeping Najo.
The sun is barely cresting the horizon when they arrive at the ruins of the arena. Lilly and Will are already there, stretching. When Lilly turns to greet them, the morning light catches her golden eyes. Aemon freezes. His breath catches in his throat, and his face burns a deep crimson. He looks down at his boots, unable to utter a single word.
"Morning!" Moto greets her confidently, flashing a bright smile. Lilly smiles back, warm and genuine. In that moment, a flicker of something ugly sparks in Aemon's chest.
"Look at him," Grillet whispers, his voice slippery and cold in Aemon's mind. "Charming her. As if he doesn't clearly see that you like her. You see how people's true nature reveals itself when you watch them long enough? Even 'friends' will overshadow you if you let them." Aemon's expression hardens as he continues to look at the ground.
"Nice sword," Lilly says, eyeing the black blade. "Where did you get it?" "I made it," Moto says, gesturing to his teammate. "Well, mostly thanks to Tanaka. Her power helped me stabilize the structure." "Interesting. Well, hand it over," she orders. She takes the obsidian blade, testing its weight, and tosses him a wooden bokken. "You're not ready for live steel yet."
Moto catches the wooden sword, testing the grip. "That's fine. I've done basic training with spears, axes, and kunai back home. The sword is actually the only weapon I haven't tried yet." Lilly raises an eyebrow, impressed. "Saving the hardest for last, huh? Alright. Let's start with footwork."
She turns to her brother. "Will, take the quiet one." Will sighs, beckoning Aemon over with a lazy wave. "Come on, kid. Try not to trip."
Back at the hotel, Najo finally stirs. He walks out into the main room, rubbing sleep from his eyes, to find Tanaka waiting at the table with breakfast laid out. The morning rays filter through the window, illuminating her light grey hair like a halo.
"Hey," she says, pushing a plate of eggs toward him. "Eat up. We've got a busy day ahead of us." She tucks a silver necklace, featuring a strange key symbol, under her shirt before Najo can get a good look at it.
They spend the morning attempting to cross the bridge into Flora, the lush, noble half of Sango. But at every checkpoint, the guards take one look at their lack of insignia and turn them away. "Restricted access," the guards sneer. "Fauna residents only."
Defeated for now, they retreat to a quiet rooftop overlooking the bustling, chaotic streets of the Fauna district. Najo leans back, chewing on a piece of dried fruit. He is surprisingly calm, lacking his usual abrasive edge. "So," Tanaka observes, amused. "Seems like a good breakfast is all it takes to keep you calm, huh?" Najo pauses. "..."
He looks out at the segregated city. "Why didn't you just use your name? You're Chandler's daughter. They would have let us in." "Why didn't you tell them you're Ginimbi's grandson?" Tanaka counters. Najo blinks. "It... didn't cross my mind. I don't use his name for favors." He pauses, then sighs. "But we can try it if it will help Moto get the intel he needs." Tanaka looks at him, genuinely impressed. "Mm. I like your loyalty." "Hmph," Najo grunts, looking away. "It's the least I can do."
His mind drifts back to the sparring match with Moto. He remembers how Moto helped him fight his father, how Moto reached out a hand when Najo was at his lowest and called him a rival, not a victim. "Moto is the one who's loyal," Najo says quietly. "In addition to my own goals... I'm going to keep getting stronger. So he'll always have a new ceiling to break through. I won't let him stagnate."
Tanaka smiles softly. "Okay. Well then, let's help you get your lightning back." Najo snaps his head toward her. "Really? How?" "We'll figure it out," she says, tapping her temple. "Let's start by understanding your power scientifically. Lightning is the rapid release of accumulated energy. However, my Grace Inversion allows you to sense the opposite—positive charges." She draws a diagram in the dust on the roof. "Instead of forcing energy out, you need to let your mind create an image of how those positive charges move in relation to the things around you. Like a scan. If you can refine your control over the charge, you can find your way back to your true power."
Najo stares at the diagram, scratching his head. "I don't get the science stuff... but we can try."
Back at the training grounds, the sun is high overhead. "Break time!" Lilly calls out. She wipes sweat from her brow and looks at Moto, who is panting heavily but still holding his stance. "You work hard," she says, handing him a water skin. "I've never met anyone with so much raw determination. Most people would have quit hours ago."
Moto grins, wiping grime from his face. "Can't quit. I've got a lot of catching up to do." Aemon watches them from a distance. Grillet continues his anti-Moto whispers, feeding the boy's insecurity.
Lilly walks over and hands Aemon a sandwich, then sits down between them, sharing her brother's lunch. "So," Moto asks between bites. "Why are you in this tournament anyway? You're clearly skilled enough to be a royal guard or something. Why fight for scraps in the arena?"
Lilly stops chewing. Her gaze drifts toward the distant, verdant peaks of the Flora district. "I need the money," she says simply. "A lot of it." "Gambling debts?" Will mutters, earning an elbow to the ribs. "No," Lilly says. "It's for a sword. Or rather... a chance at one."
She leans back, looking at the sky. "My ancestor was a man named Martin. He was a legendary swordsmith in the pre-Hwange era. They say he wouldn't eat or sleep once he started a project. He was obsessed with perfection." She lowers her voice. "One day, his son asked him to forge a masterpiece. Martin prepared a feast, ate it, and then began to hammer. He didn't stop for days. And then... the sky fell."
"The Hwange meteor," Moto realizes.
"It crashed directly onto his forge," Lilly continues. "He died instantly. But the sword... it survived. It lies at the center of the impact site, deep in the Flora district. It's where the scientists study the strange phenomena that still linger there thousands of years later." "The Glitch Blade," Will says darkly.
"Nobles, knights, anyone with status tries to pull it from the ground," Lilly explains. "But the blade slices whoever touches it. People have lost hands, arms... lives. Even now, you'll find severed limbs around it. They say it will choose its wielder, and no one has been found worthy yet."
Moto's eyes widen. "And you want it?" "It's my birthright," Lilly says with conviction. "I believe I can finish what my ancestor started. But the people of Flora won't let a 'peasant' from Fauna anywhere near it. Unless..." "Unless you pay the entry fee," Moto realizes. "Exactly. No one says no to money. If I win this tournament, I can buy my way into the site."
Lilly stands up, dusting off her pants. "Anyway, enough story time. Break's over. Moto, pick up your sword. If you want to survive the next round, you need to learn how to parry."