That morning, Rhona didn’t wake until nine. She remained lying in the guest room at Sewor’s house, staring at the wooden ceiling with no intention of getting up. To her, what had happened the night before felt like a nightmare too vivid to dismiss.

  Slowly, she began piecing reality together in her mind. If Cygnus had always sounded like a terrifying legend, then the man standing before her last night had been the pinnacle of that legend. Sewor was the Leader of Cygnus—the most sought-after and most feared man among them. And now, Rhona found herself at the very heart of his stronghold.

  A whisper stirred in the corner of her heart: If I go home now and tell Father everything, I’ll become a hero. He would shower her with praise and rewards. His path to seizing the Golden Forest would be wide open.

  But she quickly pushed the thought away. She knew that if she chose that path, Sewor would never let her walk out freely. That road would be a death sentence.

  When she thought more deeply about it, her declaration that she would stand with her father’s future victims had not been a strategy for self-preservation. It had come from conviction. She believed that was the only way to make her father see reason. She now stood on different ground than before.

  “I’m a Cygnus candidate now?” she murmured.

  The idea sent a chill down her spine. Standing with Cygnus meant facing again the people who had treated her so ruthlessly. Their faces rose one by one in her mind: Sev, who always acted like he was the coolest in the room; Regawa, whose expression was perpetually sour; Fata, towering and cold like a cliff of stone; and Farezu, the teenager with the unsettling gaze.

  She even remembered Winn Ardion—the President of Nirwana’s nephew—who had toyed with her by exposing her secrets.

  And the one who tightened her chest the most…

  Cyan.

  Rhona clenched her fists, recalling the moment he had pinned her down on the dipan and spoken those cold, cutting words. She pressed a hand to her racing heart. She would see them again—not as a captive, but as one of them.

  Her stomach twisted at the thought. She would even have to face that statue-worshiping youth again.

  A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Grandma’s gentle voice called her to breakfast. Rhona drew in a long breath, steadying herself before stepping out of the room.

  In the dining room, everything looked so normal—as though the harrowing events of the night before had never happened. Grandma greeted her with a warm smile. Sewor was arranging plates. Rufi sat cheerfully at the table.

  “Good morning, Rhona! Look, Nenek made my favorite pudding!” Rufi exclaimed.

  “Rufi, don’t eat the pudding first. Finish your porridge,” Grandma scolded affectionately.

  Rhona sat down awkwardly. The aroma of Nenek’s cooking tempted her empty stomach, but her thoughts remained fixed on Sewor.

  “After this, we’ll begin your training,” Sewor said, glancing at her briefly.

  “Ah… right,” Rhona replied.

  Her mind drifted back to the story Sewor had told her at dawn before they had gone to rest—the explanation behind Mist’s words that he lived off sin.

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  Sewor had been born carrying an immense concentration of destructive energy. It had nearly killed him when he was ten. A spiritual practitioner had given their parents a desperate suggestion: they must have a second child to act as a vessel to absorb Sewor’s negative force.

  That was why Rufi had been born.

  The energy did not harm Rufi physically, but his spirit gradually darkened. As he grew older, he began committing cruel acts without awareness.

  Terrified, their parents eventually planned to kill Rufi by drowning him in a river.

  Fate intervened.

  The young Rufi had killed their parents before they could carry out the plan.

  Unable to lose his brother as well, Sewor chose to seal that destructive force and erase parts of Rufi’s memory. That was what he had done the previous night when Rufi lost control—strengthening the seal so his brother could remain the “innocent Rufi.”

  Rhona exhaled heavily. Now she understood the weight Sewor carried. He seemed to deny himself happiness as though it were forbidden.

  Sewor had explained that a Cygnus candidate traditionally apprenticed under a member before being formally elevated. Their relationship had shifted. They were no longer simply online confidants—they were now teacher and student. Rhona felt strangely honored to learn from the person she had long admired.

  After breakfast, Sewor invited her for a walk. Desa Kuning was lush and shaded by trees. They encountered few locals along the way. Sewor explained that most were working in the fields or at workshops.

  Occasionally, they passed tourists guided by Anex locals. Rhona remembered the father and daughter she had escorted before. They had not been ordinary tourists. The father had been a scientist researching the unique ecosystem of the village.

  “Is this mainly a tourist destination?” Rhona asked.

  “Nature reserve and cultural tourism,” Sewor replied. “But many researchers and students come here as well. There’s even a large arts institute with international students.”

  “Really?” Rhona said in surprise.

  “But we’re not going there. This way.”

  Sewor led her down a narrower path. Rhona followed until they reached a more open clearing, surrounded by dense trees.

  He guided her to the center of the space. She stood quietly, lost in thought.

  “When I was in the forest, why did the Cygnus treat me like that?” Rhona asked. “It felt… unprofessional. Almost playful. Your comrades even showed theirselves. Don’t they need to protect their identities?”

  She stopped herself from mentioning Winn exposing her secrets, or Cyan cutting her hair and nearly kissing her.

  Sewor sighed. He remembered the bruise on Cyan’s face and the teasing laughter of his companions. He also doubted that Zinx had treated Rhona kindly, even while healing her.

  “I’m sorry if my friends went too far,” he said. “We intended to erase your memory of the incident in the forest. They felt safe because they believed you would forget everything. I still don’t understand why Sera’s potion failed.”

  “Sera?” Rhona asked.

  Sewor nodded. “She isn’t a Cygnus member. She’s my teacher’s daughter and lives with us.”

  Rhona’s eyes widened with relief. “So it was Sera who changed my clothes?”

  Sewor chuckled softly. “Yes. You had no reason to worry.”

  ?"I think my anti-toxin capsules kept my memory intact kept..." Rhona whispered.

  “Perhaps,” Sewor replied. “Or perhaps this is what people call fate.”

  They stood in silence for a moment.

  Then Sewor broke it, inviting her to begin.

  “The first lesson isn’t about striking,” he said, standing firmly before her. “It’s about sensing the energy around you—and the energy within.”

  He instructed her to take a basic stance. “Bend your knees. Feel your weight settle into the earth. Breathe through your nose. Imagine the air is not merely oxygen, but a current flowing into your center.”

  Rhona followed. Her legs trembled violently at first. Her thighs and calves burned.

  “Focus, Rhona. Don’t resist the sensation. Follow its flow,” Sewor guided, circling her and adjusting her posture.

  “Now feel your palms. Imagine a warm sphere forming there, rotating gently.”

  Rhona closed her eyes. It took time, but eventually she felt a subtle vibration in her palms—like a faint, warm electric pulse.

  “I feel it, Mist…” she whispered in awe.

  “Good. That is your inner current,” Sewor said. “In Anex martial arts, we do not rely on muscle alone. We align the force within us with the force of the world around us. Once you master that, you don’t need to be a giant to bring down one.”

  He then demonstrated a series of light defensive movements—hands flowing like water yet anchored with stability. Rhona continued practicing, sweat soaking through her clothes. Each time she faltered, Sewor corrected her firmly but patiently.