After a week, Francesca had fully mastered the balance between calm and effort required to keep her footing on a single rock in the middle of the river. Seeing this, the warrior set a new challenge: she was now to move across all the rocks along the river's course, with one strict condition—if she fell, even on the very last rock, she had to start over from the beginning.
It was a new week. At the waterfall, the blonde girl jumped from rock to rock, reaching the third one before slipping and plunging into the water again. Her face showed deep frustration, and her eyes shone with a burning intensity.
Jayden — sitting with his feet in the current: "Is that all? You took a week to finish your test—that's a record. But you're so stupid it took you two weeks to master the balance between emotion and serenity. You're pathetic."
Francesca — emerging from the water: "Pathetic? Look who's talking! Why don't you come and try it yourself?"
Jayden — pulling his feet out of the water and leaping onto a tree branch: "Of course I already did. How do you think I made the black marks on the rocks to show you the path?"
Francesca — balancing on the second rock, surprised: "Oh… sorry. It's just, with you, I wouldn't put it past you to have done it some other way."
Jayden — breaking a small branch: "I never do anything without knowing the best process for my students to reach their true potential. I make sure everything is as precise as possible…" He watched her jump to the fourth rock and then tossed the small branch at her head, making her fall into the river again. "…Besides, if I tried it now, the current would drag me over the waterfall."
Francesca — lifting her head from the water: "What are you talking about? I'm floating just fine."
Jayden — jumping into the current: "Look, pathetic."
Francesca watched closely as the man was instantly swept away and fell over the waterfall. She froze, speechless. She was about to ask if he was alright when, in the blink of an eye, the warrior jumped straight back up and landed on another branch.
Jayden — shaking water from his hair: "You'll be able to do that jump once you reach a higher level."
Francesca — ignoring the fact he had just jumped fifteen meters: "Then why am I still here?"
Jayden: "Your body shows exceptional talent. Once you've learned to enter a state of complete harmony, it can sustain it on its own—without you forcing it."
Francesca — thinking aloud: "I see…"
Her body suddenly drifted with the current, slamming her into a rock. But with remarkable leg strength, she pushed off and leapt back to the riverbank.
At that moment, the young athlete paused, focusing on an idea. "So… I can maintain that state without forcing it. Then I just need to control exactly how much emotion I channel."
With that in mind, she jumped back onto a rock, landing perfectly without wobbling. She had finally made real progress—surpassing her previous record of three rocks out of eighteen, now reaching sixteen. After another hour, Francesca could cross the entire path with incredible speed.
Jayden — jumping down from the branch: "Tell me, what time is it?"
Francesca — picking up her phone: "Five in the afternoon. Why?"
Jayden: "I think it's time to teach you the foundations of your style."
Before Francesca could respond, the man vanished—only to reappear a second later carrying a large log tied to a rope and a wooden sword. He handed her the weapon.
Jayden: "Alright. Take this and get on one of the rocks."
She wanted to ask how he'd disappeared and reappeared so quickly, but before she could, he vanished again. With no other choice, she did as he instructed. Once she stood on the rock, sword in hand, he reappeared—this time carrying a massive bamboo pole with four smaller ones attached to a wheel. He tied the log's rope to one of the smaller poles, then plunged the other end of the bamboo into the river. The log floated in front of her, and when she looked closer, she saw a painted target on it.
Jayden threw a punch that made the target begin spinning around her. He then stood on the riverbank and called out, "Watch closely—these are the movements of your sword style."
Francesca — interrupting: "Seriously? You're not even going to tell me how you just vanished? Or at least what a 'style' even is?"
Jayden gave her a cold, intimidating glare before replying:
"That trick—you'll learn when you've reached higher skill. As for a style, it's your first encounter with a weapon. It's the foundation from which greater techniques are born. The one I'll teach you is Ukunemba—a style focused on precision, elegance, and simplicity. Now, watch carefully. Memorize my stance and movements."
The man mimed holding a saber. He spread his feet slightly apart and spoke as he demonstrated:
"Once you've set your stance, move your less dominant foot backward by the same distance, extending it a little. Keep your dominant foot forward, bent slightly—this is your attack stance. For defense, do the opposite: dominant foot back, for better stability."
The girl copied the steps, then observed the sword movements—quick thrusts meant to strike with the tip or pierce straight through an opponent.
Francesca repeated the motions, training her body not to lose balance on the rock as she practiced. Seeing her execute the forms perfectly, Jayden said, "Good. Now focus on hitting the center of the target. That'll refine your control."
Francesca, more focused than she ever was during tennis matches, struck cleanly—right in the center. The spinning log shifted its course.
Francesca: "How's that? Nailed it."
Jayden: "No. You didn't."
Francesca: "What do you mean? I hit it on the first—"
Before she could finish, the spinning target slammed into her and sent her flying into the water.
Jayden: "Now do you get it?"
Francesca — crawling back to the shore: "Ow! That hurt! Tell me—why are you teaching me this anyway? I only want to do the movements you showed at the lake last time. I don't want to learn how to fight."
Jayden: "That's exactly the point, pathetic girl. A warrior doesn't master and refine techniques to kill more efficiently. He does it for the art itself—for the beauty of mastering combat without ever needing to use it. Now get back on the rock. If you want to move like I did, you need a solid foundation to stand on."
Francesca followed his order. Within minutes, she was hit again—and again. Two more hours passed before Jayden finally said, "Enough. Go home—we're done for today."
The girl nodded, gathered her things, and started to leave. But before going, she turned back and handed him the wooden sword along with a small ticket. Then she left for good.
Alone now, Jayden looked down at the items in his hand. A faint smile tugged at his lips—then faded as a memory of a young blond boy with curly hair crossed his mind. He glanced at the ticket, which read:
"Women's U16 Tennis Match — Europe vs. America."
He stared at it for a moment longer, then vanished without a trace—taking everything with him.