A few days passed until Naoko reminded me of how impatient she was to learn.

—Hey, Zein, — she called, with a mix of excitement and disappointment.

—What's up? —

—When are you going to teach me what you know about using a sword? — she asked, leaning over the table.

—Hmm, I don't know... —

—Come on, you told me you'd teach me. —

I paused for a moment. I want to teach her, and I can, but... where?

—Zein, — Alexander interrupted us, while he was cleaning some glasses. —There's a backyard you can use. If you want, I can lend it to you. —

—Really?! — Naoko exclaimed, radiating happiness. —Thank you so much! —

Alexander instantly tossed me a set of keys.

—Here. These are the keys to the back door; it's under the stairs, right in front of the kitchen. —

We headed to the place. Although I had only been at the café for a short time, I had explored most of the building, but this corner was one of those I had never visited.

The backyard turned out to be a somewhat neglected space. It was "outdoors," although technically it only lacked a roof, because the tall buildings around it blocked almost all the sunlight.

The grass was too high, there was a withered tree in one corner, and the white paint on the walls was peeling over time.

—Well, let's get to work, — I said, going into the café to ask Alexander if he could help us with some tools.

Naoko and I got to work. We painted the walls, cut the grass, and did what we could to bring life to the old tree. In no time, we managed to transform the place. I even set up some straw dummies to use as targets for practice, making the whole space look more "decent."

Finally, the backyard was ready, and we could start practicing.

—Alright, Naoko, the first thing you need to learn is strength, precision, and patience. All of that is summed up in one training session, a pretty difficult one, — I told her as I handed her a wooden stick. —I reinforced this stick, so it won’t break. The first thing you have to do is... —

I paused intentionally to add a bit of suspense.

—What is it? — she asked, leaning forward with curiosity.

—You have to split that dummy in half with this wooden stick, — I replied, pointing to one of the straw dummies I had set up earlier.

—What?! — she exclaimed, completely surprised. —That's practically impossible! —

—Zein, don't you think it's too soon for this? — Kiomi intervened, visibly concerned.

—No, in fact, that was the first lesson Thailon gave me when he started teaching me everything I know. —

—That's strange, I was taught that after two years of training. —

—Now that I think about it, I think it took me two months to do it. —

—Two months?! — Naoko shouted, distressed. —If it took you two months, I’ll take at least half a year. —

—Don’t think like that. You already have fencing knowledge; you just need to polish a few details. —

And so, the first exercise began. This training wasn’t only challenging but also a quick way to make significant progress in power.

For an entire week, Naoko dedicated herself to hitting the dummy relentlessly, with admirable determination. Meanwhile, I explained the basic principles of Anima, and little by little, it seemed she was understanding.

While she practiced, Kiomi and I decided to train together, making the most of the time. Mei, with her usual kindness, brought us drinks, towels, and food to keep us in shape. Every day, Naoko progressed a little more.

One day, she finally achieved something significant: she slightly lodged the stick into the dummy’s shoulder. Although she didn’t know exactly how she’d done it, she was beaming with happiness.

—Zein, Zein! — she shouted excitedly.

—What’s going on? — I responded, intrigued.

—Did you see?! I managed to make a small cut! —

She jumped for joy like a little girl, despite being only two years younger than Kiomi and me. It was as if, somehow, someone had stolen her childhood, and now, she could finally release it.

The year slowly came to an end, and Naoko was getting closer and closer to finding the way to completely cut the dummy in half. Meanwhile, I continued teaching her about Anima: that energy that governs everything, that gives life to everything, and can alter the parameters or aspects of objects. I explained how, through Anima, a simple wooden stick could be sharpened enough to cut someone in half.

—You're improving more and more, — I told her as we both rested after a long day of practice.

—Thanks, — she replied with a smile, visibly happy.

—You might even surpass me. —

—Really?! — she asked, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.

—Of course, just keep it up. —

A big smile spread across her face, as if, for the first time, she was truly proud of herself.

—Well, it’s getting dark. Time to head inside. —

—Just one more try, — she asked determinedly, though her hands showed signs of fatigue from so much training.

Something about that attempt felt different. Kiomi and I stayed alert, watching every movement. It was most likely just another attempt, like the many we had already witnessed. Nothing special, I thought.

But the moment Naoko positioned herself, the unexpected happened. With a precise movement, she made a perfect diagonal cut from the dummy's shoulder to its hip. I was completely stunned. In less than a week, Naoko had managed to surpass the most difficult test, the one that guaranteed a significant increase in the skills of anyone who completed it.

She stood still, not saying a word.

—Naoko...? — I asked, worried about her silence.

—Yesss! — she finally screamed, jumping with excitement. She ran from one side to the other and then threw herself at Kiomi with a hug.

—I did it! Hahaha! —

—Congratulations, — Kiomi said, returning the hug with a smile.

—Congratulations, — I also said, unable to contain my own smile.

—I did it, master," Naoko said, wiping the tears of joy from her eyes.

—Guys! — Alexander called us from the house, who knows for what.

While we continued congratulating her, we entered together. As we crossed the door, Mei surprised us with a "surprise" party in Naoko's honor.

—To be honest, I didn’t think you'd do it so fast, but I’m glad I managed to prepare everything in time, — Mei said with a smile.

The "party" was more of a small celebration, but it served its purpose perfectly.

—Zein and Kiomi told us how hard it is to achieve what you just did, so we thought it would be a good idea to celebrate, — Mei added.

—Guys... — Naoko seemed on the verge of tears, this time out of happiness.

We waited a bit longer before starting the celebration, and even Naoko’s grandmother joined in to congratulate her. There we all were: Mei, Alexander, Lyra, Kiomi, Naoko’s grandmother, and me, celebrating such a difficult milestone to reach.

From the bottom of my heart, I was happy for her. I couldn’t help but think about how I would have wished for a celebration like this when I first passed this test. Of course, Thailon had given me a sword as recognition back then.

—Speaking of... — I murmured as I approached Naoko with something hidden behind my back.

—We have a gift for you, — Alexander announced with a smile, —from both of us. —

I held my hands out in front of me, revealing the object I had been trying so hard to hide.

—Here, for passing this test, we want to give you this. —

It was a sword, perfectly forged and well-maintained. Naoko froze for a moment, her eyes wide open and a look of astonishment that only grew.

—I know having weapons can be a bit tricky here, but I trust you won’t misuse it... —

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Before I could finish the sentence, Naoko leaped toward me, hugging me with all her strength.

—Thank you. —

—You're welcome, — I replied with a smile as I returned the hug.

Then, she threw herself at Alexander to hug him as well.

—By the way, how did you get the sword? — Kiomi asked curiously, tilting her head.

—I made it, — Alexander said with a smile.

—You?! — we all exclaimed, surprised.

—Yes, I don’t think you know that in my youth I was a great blacksmith. In fact, that’s how I met Thailon. He supported me in everything. —

—Impressive, — Naoko said, letting go of the hug to look at Alexander with admiration.

—But still, thanks to everyone, — he continued, grateful.

After finishing the celebration and cleaning up, Naoko and her grandmother went home. We agreed to celebrate the New Year together at the café.

On the morning of the 31st, everything was going normally. That day, the café wouldn’t open, so we were just waiting for Naoko and her grandmother as guests.

Naoko kept training with Kiomi in the back. Kiomi was teaching her how to move correctly during a fight, focusing on speed and precision.

While I helped Alexander clean the place, three men in suits entered through the door. Alexander received them, but his face showed clear signs of distress. With a gesture of his hand, he signaled for me to go to the back, where Kiomi and Naoko were, and interrupt them.

I obeyed. I went to them so they would stop training and put away the weapons.

When we returned to the main room, the men were sitting, the blinds were down, and the atmosphere was much more tense. Alexander had a serious expression.

—Please, sit down, sir... —

—Zein, — I replied, somewhat confused.

—Alright, Mr. Zein, we want to speak with you, and we would like your friends to stay as well, — said one of the men in an authoritative tone.

We sat down, the four of us, and the atmosphere became even heavier. I didn't know who they were, but it seemed like Alexander and Naoko did.

—Alright, Mr. Zein, we have some questions for you, and if possible, also for your friend... —

—Kiomi, — she responded, visibly nervous.

—You two... — the man began, pulling some papers from a briefcase he had brought.

— About a week and a half ago, you two and a little girl appeared out of nowhere in some random alley in this city. There are no records of you, you're not registered with the government, you don't have birth certificates, passports, driver’s licenses, nothing. It's as if you never existed. You don’t even have documents from any other nation. And out of nowhere, you appear in this café, working illegally. —

—Excuse me, sir, I am the... the official guardian of both of them, — Alexander said, trying to ease the tension of the situation.

—But are they of legal age or not? — asked one of the men, with an inquisitive tone.

—Well, yes... — Alexander replied, somewhat hesitant.

—It would be a shame if this place were to be shut down due to various issues, — the man said, his words heavy with threat.

—Are you threatening us? — I asked, evaluating whether to draw my sword or just keep it hidden.

—No, of course not, — he quickly replied, as one of his companions handed him several papers he had kept in his jacket. —In fact, I’m here to ask for your help. —

He carefully slid the documents across the table. Among them, there was a handwritten paper, images, and maps.

—We saw how you managed to eliminate that monster that appeared a week ago. You killed it with some ease, — said the man, and one of his companions interjected.

—Currently, in northern Siberia, our nation has launched a military aid operation to the Free Federation after they requested assistance. But... —

The third one also spoke, interrupting the second.

—The creatures we are facing are not from this world. Bullets don't harm them, and their common weapons can penetrate tanks as if they were made of paper. Little by little, they are gaining ground. —

—That's when you arrived, — the first man resumed, looking at the others before continuing. —That monster was with them. They are from no nation we know of. Look at this. —

He showed us an image of what seemed to be a flag. It had a black background, and in the center, large and prominent, there was a black sun. The rays of the sun were a dark red, extending toward the edges. Above the black sun, there was a white eagle, with an imposing design.

—This is their flag. The monster also carried it with him. Do you recognize it? —

At least, I didn’t recognize the flag, but that black sun, I knew it. I would never forget that black sun that rested on the helmets of those soldiers.

—We wanted to ask for your help in eliminating them. We know it’s a full army, but...—

—We’ll do it, — Kiomi said with much confidence.

—Are you sure, Kiomi? — Alexander asked, trying to persuade her not to do it. After all, he knew the dangers we might face.

—We’ll be fine, Alexander. Trust us. —

—Perfect, — said the man in the suit, apparently satisfied with our answer.

—By the way, how should we refer to you? — Kiomi asked.

—You can call me Paul, — the man replied with a slight smile.

After that, he explained how everything would go. As soon as the New Year arrived, we would take a direct flight to Siberia, where we would give a small training session to the troops, anything that could help them in combat. After the training, we would head to the front.

It would be a trench zone several kilometers long. They estimated that the enemy army had about 50,000 soldiers. With just the two of us and a few other soldiers, we could wipe them out in a few days.

—Zein, — Naoko interrupted me while reviewing the documents.

—What’s wrong? —

—Let me go with you. —

—I can't do that. —

—Why not? —

—Because it's dangerous. —

—I can be of help. I won’t be a burden. I want to help you. —

—No, I’ve already told you no. It’s too dangerous. You don’t know anything about these people. —

—Then what good is all this training, huh? — Naoko started to get upset, her voice shaking with frustration. —I want to be of help! Let me go with you. —

—I’ve already told you no... —

—Please, I don’t want to see again how one of my loved ones goes off to war and never returns, — she said, gripping her hands tightly, almost pleading.

—Alright, — I said, touching her shoulder. —But there will be precautions to make sure nothing happens to you. —

The agents left and left us alone. Kiomi and I understood what this meant: those sons of bitches had set their eyes on this place, and I was afraid they would take it from us.

Before we left, we prepared for everything. Alexander gave Kiomi a light armor that would protect her. Meanwhile, Kiomi and I took out our things that we had kept since arriving at this place.

The idea of Naoko coming with us still didn’t convince me, but her face told me something that her words never could. There was something in her gaze that made me understand that I couldn’t leave her behind.

Night fell, and we were all having dinner before the new year arrived. We all went outside to light fireworks to celebrate the new year’s arrival.

—Zein, — Naoko was kneeling, lighting a very small one, merely visual more than anything else. "Thank you for letting me go. —

—You’ll need to be very careful when we go, okay? —

—Of course, I know how to take care of myself. I’m not a child. —

—Sure, whatever you say. —

I looked at the others. They were happy, playing, resting. I saw Kiomi with Lyra, Lyra running around Kiomi with the fireworks, as if she was trying to put them out while running.

The colorful lights from the fireworks subtly illuminated Kiomi, her face filled with happiness, which stood out against the lights. I felt relieved to see her smile, but I also felt a heavy pressure in my chest. I feared losing everything. All of this. My loved ones. I must do everything I can to prevent those with the black sun from taking this planet.