"I don't have much time left, my little girl," an old man lying on a bed spoke in a weak tone while holding a little pink-haired girl's hand.
"Don't say that grampy," the little girl said in a trembling tone as tears ran down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry to leave you so soon. I wish I could have stayed with you longer, but this body of mine is failing me."
"I don't want you to go!" the little girl exclaimed as she buried her face in her granddad's chest and hugged him tightly while crying. "Please stay with me…"
The old man gently caressed the little girl's head.
"Listen to me, my little girl, the path ahead of you won't be an easy one. Life will try to bring you down many times, and sometimes it will succeed. You can't win every battle, you will probably lose a lot of them. But, no matter how tough it gets, no matter how battered and tired you feel, you must always get back up. You carry the hopes of those who came before you."
The old man gently brushed the little girl's hair and looked at her. Her eyes were completely red from crying.
"Promise me, Stella, that you will protect this family."
This memory played in Stella's mind as she was getting ready to leave her room.
'I won't let you down, Granddad,' she thought.
Stella had been very close to her grandfather when she was little. While her parents worked, it was often him who spent time with her, playing, telling her stories, and teaching her about the world. One year before he passed away, he had fallen extremely ill. He refused to receive any treatment, believing he couldn't be cured. He spent his last year in bed, with his beloved granddaughter by his side.
When his time finally came, the whole family gathered to say their goodbyes and hear the last words of the family's head. Stella couldn't be present since she was at school at that moment.
Once she got home, the news devastated her. However, she remembered the promise she made to her grandfather.
Ring Ring Ring.
The sound of an alarm brought her back to reality.
"Time to go," she said as she left her room.
For the past few days, Stella had been staying with the other two recommended espers at the HSA tower until the tournament ended. However, they weren't just waiting, 80% of their day was spent on training from morning to evening. In their remaining free time, they could do as they pleased. The HSA tower had all kinds of facilities, from training grounds and gymnasiums to recreational facilities like libraries, pools, and gaming centers.
They had a lot of freedom inside the HSA tower, but they had to follow two key rules to avoid immediate expulsion and even jail time. First, they couldn't enter the floors they hadn't been allowed into. Second, they couldn't contact the outside world.
After a couple of minutes, Stella finally arrived at the training room where two boys were already waiting, sitting on the floor.
"Hey, Stella," said an orange-haired boy with a cheerful smile.
"Hi, Isaac. Has Executioner Leywin already shown up?"
"No, we're still waiting," answered a black-haired boy with a serious face.
At that moment, Executioner Leywin suddenly appeared in the room. The first time she had done that, it had taken the three of them by surprise, but they were used to it now. She moved so fast that, in their eyes, it seemed like she had teleported.
"Sorry to keep you waiting; I had to take care of some things. However, I brought a sparring partner for the three of you," she said, as a man with a white mask also appeared beside her.
"This is Delta; he is the current supervisor of the tournament's first phase," Executioner Leywin introduced the man.
"Nice to meet you, sir," said the three recruits in unison while bowing.
"Today he will be helping you with your training," Executioner Leywin explained.
'Shouldn't he be supervising the first phase right now?' Stella wondered.
"Normally, he should be supervising the first phase right now, but he kindly decided to spare some time to help you train," Executioner Leywin clarified.
Delta remained silent, making the three recruits nervous.
"Very well, this is what we will do: each one of you will do one-on-one spars against Delta, with the objective being the same as always – landing a hit on him. I've brought a different person to train with you today because I want you to get familiar with different high-level combat styles. Any questions?"
The three recruits remained silent.
"Okay then, Chase, we will start with you; get on the training ring."
Chase picked up a dagger with a curved form and several engravings lying beside him and walked to the ring while Isaac and Stella sat down to watch the spar.
Swoosh!
In a swift motion, Delta suddenly disappeared and reappeared at the other side of the ring, leaving his sword outside the ring.
After both of them were in place, Executioner Leywin spoke.
"Delta, you are limited to the maximum speed and power of a step 1 manipulation stage esper. You are also not allowed to activate your ability. Now begin!" she started the match.
Delta and Chase immediately dashed toward each other.
"Executioner Leywin, Chase is a step 3 manipulation stage esper. Shouldn't Mayor Delta's limitation be the same? Shouldn't he be using a weapon too?" Isaac asked.
"If I had limited him to a step 3 manipulation stage esper, none of you would be able to lay a single finger on him. As for the weapon, Black Guard operators don't wield their weapons unless they are going to kill," Executioner Leywin replied plainly.