In the backyard of the yellow-roofed house, Rhona sat before a large mirror. Her reflection seemed unfamiliar; her face hadn't changed much, but the light in her eyes was different.

  ?Sewor's grandmother was busy tidying Rhona's hair—a stark contrast to the grueling training of the past few days. The old woman braided sections of Rhona’s hair with ribbons that matched her outfit, as if she were adorning the granddaughter she never had.

  ?Her third day in this house felt calmer. Sewor had stopped pushing her through exhausting physical drills. Instead, the focus had shifted to internal energy control and meditation.

  ?In between sessions, philosophical discussions with Sewor—or rather, Mist made flesh—became nourishment for her soul.

  ?Sewor was still the Mist she knew online. He always spoke in botanical analogies. This morning, before leaving, he had talked about greenhouses and weeds.

  ?"A little negligence allows weeds to take over the life of the main plant," Sewor had said. "I have to pluck the weed seeds every day so they don't steal the host's nutrients."

  ?Rhona pondered those words as she stared at her reflection. "Why are you doing this to me, Mist? I've only cultivated weeds in my heart. I don't deserve your trust."

  ?"Yes, you are indeed a weed to your father. But to me, you are Sandalwood, Rain," Sewor answered softly. "Young Sandalwood lives like a parasite; it looks like a weed clinging to other plants. You just need the right host, then grow as naturally as possible without engineering or force."

  ?"I don't understand," Rhona sighed.

  ?"Sandalwood doesn't want the strict guarding your father does—clearing all the underbrush around you just so you grow alone. You need a host to thrive. Make the Cygnus members your host. Befriend them, because now you are the heir to the White Knife. You are their future leader."

  ?Remembering the Cygnus members she had met in the forest made Rhona hesitate again. "How can you bequeath the blade to just anyone? What if they don't agree?"

  ?"That is the absolute rule of Cygnus. The owner of the White Knife has the sole right to pass it to whomever they choose. For a year, the new member will be guided and watched. If they violate the code, there are punishments. From light ones to the revocation of the knife."

  ?"How do you take a knife back from a member?" Rhona asked curiously.

  ?"The owner of the White Knife can summon the other eight knives into their grasp. Conversely, the eight other knives owners can summon the White Knife from their leader if the leader is deemed a traitor." Sewor looked deep into Rhona’s eyes. "The members might help you grow as a host, but remember, the essence of a leader is to live to protect their members."

  ?"Are you sure I'll be okay, Mist?" Rhona asked again before he left. "I don't know if I can be friends with Anex people."

  ?"Do you still hate the Anex?" Sewor asked back.

  ?Rhona looked at the young man, observing his red hair and yellow skin. The baseless hatred that had once been planted in her head had evaporated. She shook her head slowly.

  ?"Then, you will be able to befriend them."

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  ?Rhona's daydream was cut short when Nenek stopped combing. "Oh dear, I ran out of ribbon. Wait a moment, dear. Let me get another color from inside."

  ?The old woman hurried into the house. Rhona looked at the two finished braids in her hair. Her heart throbbed. This house was too comfortable, too warm, yet anxiety squeezed her tighter.

  ?This morning Sewor had said goodbye to go to work. Nenek might think he went to the city, but Rhona knew his destination was the Nirwana Core Forest. Wherever Sewor went, the reality was he wasn't here to protect her now.

  ?Maybe this was the time. Rhona needed space to think clearly without Mist's influence beside her. She had to decide if she could truly bear the burden of the White Blade or if she would only become a destructive weed to them.

  ?Minutes later, Nenek returned with a red ribbon in hand.

  ?"Rhona, look what I found—"

  ?Her sentence halted. The chair in front of the mirror was empty. The morning breeze only rustled the bamboo leaves gently. Rhona had vanished.

  ?

  ?In a hidden corner of the Cygnus HQ, Kafarupi was wrestling with rows of numbers and encryption. As the Cygnus data specialist, he was analyzing information he had obtained from the Nirwana State Intelligence Agency (NSIA) servers regarding the jeep and bomb incident.

  ?NSIA was an elite agency directly under the President's command. Only a few "ghost" numbers were allowed to access their data and give orders—and the Cygnus numbers were on that exclusive list. To the NSIA agents, Cygnus was just a shadow working for the state's interest.

  ?Kafarupi’s work paused when Sewor walked in. The Leader had just returned from Blue Village and recounted his confrontation with Rhona. Kafarupi was startled; the fact that Rhona remembered the incident in the Core Forest was an anomaly. Moreover, Rhona now knew about Nenek and Rufi—the weakest points in Sewor’s life.

  ?But Sewor’s next confession left Kafarupi speechless.

  ?"How could you choose her as the heir to the White Knife?" Kafarupi demanded.

  ?Sewor smiled faintly, as if expecting the reaction. "Didn't you say yourself that Rhona would be among us? You saw that glimpse of the future, didn't you?"

  ?"What I saw was nothing, Leader! I didn't see her holding the knife! I only saw her sitting in the meeting room with us, beside Sera and Winn," Kafarupi argued. He tried to recall the fragment of vision that had appeared for only a few seconds.

  "Why did I ever tell you about that vision...?" he muttered regretfully.

  ?"Don't worry. The inheritance can be revoked if she isn't worthy. I did it to bind her with a strong tie," Sewor said calmly.

  ?Kafarupi was stunned. "What do you mean?"

  ?Sewor sighed, looking out the HQ window at the lush forest. "The situation is urgent. I could have erased her memory again, but you know that erasure is never permanent."

  ?"Rhona is the daughter of Wils Dingzu, the man who wants to take our forest. But the girl is broken after her lover’s death—a death she considers her sin and her father’s. She wants out of her old world. So, I gave her a door."

  ?Kafarupi felt his chest tighten. "Leader, this is a high risk! What if she is just acting? She holds your family's secrets. This isn't just about us, Sewor. It’s reality!"

  ?Sewor laughed mirthlessly. "I know. I can't hide forever. Sooner or later, the enemy will stand before me. If Rhona is one of them, she already knows my weaknesses. But remember, if she came just to spy, we can eliminate her at any time, right?"

  ?Sewor stood up, giving a smile that was hard to decipher before leaving the room. Kafarupi was frozen. The last words sounded cunning and cruel, but he knew it was the rationality of a leader. Sewor might be thinking of political stability; the death of Wils Dingzu’s daughter on Nirwana soil could trigger an uncontrollable war.

  ?However, above all logical reasons, Kafarupi knew one thing: Sewor had a soft heart. He suspected the Leader couldn't actually kill.

  ?Kafarupi took a deep breath and returned to his laptop screen. But as his fingers touched the keyboard, another dimension suddenly dragged his consciousness away.

  ?Darkness. Gray.

  ?The atmosphere around him suddenly became wet with cold drizzling rain. The wind blew hard, carrying the scent of wet earth. In the dim light, a blinding white beam appeared. The light radiated from a white carving knife adorned with a majestic swan head.

  ?The blade was thrust into the sky, challenging the falling rain. The hand gripping it looked slender and small, yet stable. A girl with golden hair, soaked to the bone, stood there, her voice loud, splitting the silence.

  ?"I, Rhona Dingzu, swear...!"

  ?Whoosh!

  ?The vision snapped. Kafarupi jerked back in his chair. His face was deathly pale, his body trembling violently as if the cold from that dimension had followed him into the office.

  ?The oath... it shook his very soul.