Earth Bet March 2012 - present day.

"So you learned how to fight with a sword? That is why you have that." Her father pointed at her, Tachi lying on the table before them.

"Yes, though it was not an easy path. As Master Kai-fi said, we began immediately. He would teach me the basics of each form for the next month. I would do a grueling physical fitness regimen in the morning and evening when temperatures were no longer a problem. At noon, I would learn about the philosophical aspects of each form. And then, between that, we would hunt monsters in the desert." Even when describing what should bring discomfort to a normal person, she smiled the whole time.

"That pattern continued each day; it was hard work, but She never regretted it and never will." Danny had never seen her this lively since Anette died. Even when what she described concerned him greatly, he could feel glad that Taylor was far happier than before her disappearance.

"So now you are a master swordsman?" he asked, smiling.

"What? No," she said with a slight chuckle. "Me a Divine Blade? No, I still have a long way to go until I reach that level. At this moment, I am at intermediate level." She answered. "But you flatter me, Dad," she added.

The conversation steered towards more trivial matters. It didn't surprise her that, according to her father, Brockton had not changed much. The situation between gangs and PRT was a stalemate, as it always had been, and her father still worked at the Union.

"You know there is one thing. Emma took your disappearance pretty hard. I don't know the exact details, but she was committed not long after you disappeared. If you want to visit her, I can talk to Alan." Said her father. That surprised Taylor. Why would Emma, of all people, take her being gone to the point they had to put her in a mental institution? Sure, Musse suggested during one of their conversations that Emma's sudden switch of personality would probably be a result of some psychological trauma. Yet, would it be enough for such a reaction?

"Not at the moment, Dad. Maybe later." She said, "Firstly, I want to acclimatize myself back home before I decide."

"Apropo that, tomorrow we will need to go to the police and inform them that you returned, and I am pretty sure they will want to know where you have been this whole time.." Her dad was right. They officially declared her missing, but she would have to straighten it out first.

"I don't really have any cover story that would hold to any amount of scrutiny." Telling the truth would involve PRT, but she didn't see any way to avoid it. "I think I will simply tell the truth."

"Are you sure?" Asked her father. " We could simply lie, that you were kidnapped or something."

"And the police would like to know everything about my so-called kidnappers; sooner rather than later, I would make a mistake and contradict myself or something like that. It would only bring even more scrutiny on myself. I prefer to rip a bandaid right off." I understood what my father was thinking. He wanted to do what we always did: keep your head down and avoid problems.

But Principal Le Guin beat out of me this kind of timidness. I would stand with my head high and face it head-on. I wasn't this scared and lonely girl anymore; I was Taylor Hebert, a member of class 7, a disciple of Eight Leaves One Blade school, part of great Radiant Wings, that ended the war before it truly began.

"Well, then it is decided. I think we should get some sleep. It's already getting quite late," said her father as he stood up and walked towards the stairs. I kept your room clean. Good night, kiddo."

"Wait, Dad, " she said, walking to him as he stopped. As soon as she reached him, Taylor hugged him tightly. " I love you, Dad."

Her dad smiled at her while returning an embrace, "I love you too."

The sound of the ringing alarm woke him up. It was time for him to go to work. Right, he was going to the police with Taylor today. He will have to make a call that he is taking a day off. For a second, he thought what had happened the previous day was just a dream. But it was not. Taylor was back. He knew that he was a terrible father. Danny broke when Anette died and a second time when Taylor disappeared, but she was back, and he would do everything in his power to be the best dad he could be. It was something he promised himself yesterday.

He walked out of his room and headed toward Taylor's. Gently opening the door, he looked inside, expecting to see Taylor sleeping peacefully in her bed. But her bed was not empty; it was like no one slept there. The bed was neatly made.

His heart sank as he turned around and opened an empty bathroom. Rushing downstairs, he checked every room; Taylor was nowhere to be found. Finally, he heard a sound coming from the backyard. Danny entered the kitchen to reach the back door. He felt relieved; here she was in the middle of the backyard.

With her sword in hand, she was… training. It looked like training. Truth be told, he was amazed; she was so fast moving around, slashing and parrying nonexistent strikes. It kinda looked for him like she was dancing. Suddenly, it caught on fire as she put her sword above her head. He already wanted to warn her, but before he could utter a word…

"First Form: Helix," she said, making two slashes in quick succession. Once again, Danny was speechless. Two slashes somehow connected midair, making a giant flaming x. Soon, the flames disappeared, and Taylor sheathed her sword.

"Hi, Dad. I hope I didn't wake you up. I was just doing my morning routine, " she said, smiling.

"No, no, I didn't even know you were here until I reached the living room. Is this something all practitioners of your sword fighting can do?" he asked.

"Well, all those who practice Eight Leaves One Blade style." She walked to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Dad, let's eat breakfast; we have a long day ahead of us."

After breakfast, they left the house, entered Danny's car, and drove to the police station.

"So first we inform the authorities that you are back, and then we go shopping for clothes. " She needed a new wardrobe. Unfortunately, she grew up during the year she was away, and now all her old clothes were too small. That left her with only her uniform, and he could say he didn't like that skirt; it was far too short.

"Yeah, that's the plan, dad," she said.

"And have you thought about what you will do after?" Taylor knew what her father meant. She was back after a year of absence and doubted that anyone would accept her education at Thors Branch Campus as valid.

She sighed loudly before answering, "I don't know, Dad. It is that…" she hesitated for a second " damn it. I promised myself I would be truthful to you, so… At one point, living there, I gave out. About Earth Bet, about searching for a way to return. I… I was content there. I made great friends. I attended one of the country's most prestigious schools, but most importantly, I already planned what I wanted to do after graduation. I wanted to be a Bracer. And now? My life was overturned again, and I don't know where to start to pick it up." as she finished, they just stopped at the red light.

"Taylor, you are not alone. You have me. We will take it slow so you can adjust. Know that I will help you every step of the way. I promise you that." He tried to console her.

"Thanks, Dad," she answered as a traffic light changed to green.

"So, who are Bracers?" He clearly tried to change the subject.

"It is hard to compare with anything that exists here. The closest way to describe them is that they are like a combination of Guild and PRT but are independent and do not answer any government. But it is still a gross oversimplification. Maybe like that; imagine an independent hero team with hundreds of members operating in every country in the world. Their members are respected enough to have a limited ability to make arrests and investigate crime. They are great."

"And that's what you wanted to do? Be a hero?" He said, turning right on the intersection.

"Yes, but it would be another year before I could graduate…" The car stopped as Danny parked it in front of the police station.

"Here we are. Are you ready?" He asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, let's go," she said, opening the car door.

Well, she clearly underestimated the reaction to her story. Here she was, sitting for a fourth hour in this room. Firstly, it started pretty standard. They met with the officer responsible for her case. She explained what happened to her, and then it all began. Police informed PRT following some protocol. It took an hour before two protectorate heroes walked into her room; at least an officer offered her water as she waited. Then she had to repeat the whole thing again to Armsmaster and Miss Militia. After that, Armsmaster left, and now she had to wait for Panacea to arrive to check on her and see if she hadn't brought any dangerous pathogens with her. She learned patience; she had to survive the Professor's lectures, but this whole thing was getting on her nerves. Half of her day was ruined. If they will make her wait another half hour… The door to the room opened, and Miss Militia entered, followed by a small girl wearing a white robe.

"I'm sorry it took so long. This is the Panacea. She will check you to ensure you didn't bring anything harmful from another dimension. We already checked your father and the people in the station who interacted with both of you. They are clean, " said Miss Militia. The girl moved closer to Taylor.

"Do I have permission to check you for the existence of dangerous pathogens?" She asked in a monotone voice.

"Yes, yes, sure." As soon as Taylor agreed, Panacea touched her hand. It took 8 seconds, and she still was touching Taylor.

"Panacea, is everything okay? " asked a concerned Miss Militia. The sound apparently woke her from her stupor, and she finally retracted her hand.

"She has no diseases, she is healthy, and actually, I would say she is in great shape, " said the healer.

"Thank you, Panacea, for your help." the New Wave cape only nodded and left the room.

"Miss Taylor, thank you for your cooperation. We are terribly sorry about what happened to you. It must be really hard to adjust. But I am sure that everything will be alright in the end." Miss Militias opened the door, showing her with her hand that she was free to go. "Your father is waiting for you downstairs in the lobby. I wish you a good day."

As Miss Militia said, her father was waiting on one of the benches in the lobby.

"Well, at least it is over," he said, seeing her approaching.

"Yeah, let's go. We still have things to do." As they were ready to leave, one of the corridor doors opened violently and shouting could be heard even in the middle of the lobby.

"You cannot leave it like that! That's not fair!" The young woman's voice was clearly audible. "That's my sister you are talking about! What if it was your sister?!" From the room exited, a young Asian woman, or rather, an older women of similar features, dragged her. "Why are you stopping me, mom?!. Taylor couldn't hear the older woman, who was apparently the mother of the younger one. Following them from the room, the cop entered a corridor and started to talk to both of them. Moments later, the younger woman freed herself from her mother's grasp and ran towards a lobby. Pulling a small photo, she started desperately asking people if they saw someone on it. But everyone denied ever seeing that someone. Soon, she reached Taylor and her father.

"Please, have you seen my sister? She didn't return home a week ago. Please, help me; I beg you." The photo showed an Asian-looking woman in her mid-twenties. She had straight brown hair reaching her shoulders and pleasant facial features. You could even say she was pretty attractive.

Danny felt profound sadness as he heard a woman plead, "Sorry, but we didn't…"

"Can you tell me what your name is?" Taylor interrupted him.

"Aiko Takemi, and my sister is Akiko," she answered.

"Can you tell Aiko what your sister was doing before she disappeared?"

"She was returning home after work. She always called when she was leaving to say that she was on her way. There is a 15-minute walk between her work and our house. But she never arrived. We tried to call her, but her phone goes straight to voicemail."

Looking into Aiko's eyes, Taylor continued, " And what path did she walk that day."

"We live in the south docks area near Winslow High."

Aiko would describe to Taylor the exact route her sister would take back home.

"Thank you, Aiko. Can I have one request? Could you give me this photo? I may be able to ask around the area; maybe someone saw her." Said Taylor.

"Will you? Thank you, thank you. I will write my number on the back of the photo. If you hear anything, please call me." The woman's face clearly brightened as she pulled a pen and wrote her phone number on the reverse of the photo.

" Of course I will. Do not worry," said Taylor as Aiko gave her the requested item. Then, she and her mother left the station.

"I don't know if giving her that hope was a good idea." Taylor turned around, hearing a voice behind her.

"I know that you wanted to help her, but giving her hope now will only crush her later. The unfortunate truth is that it is not the first disappearance of young women in ABB territory. As much as we try to stop them, they are like a mythological hydra. Cut one head, and two will grow in its place." Said Miss Militia, with an expression of sadness on her face.

"So you will do nothing? Is it an official policy or simple pragmatism?" Taylor snapped back.

"If her sister was taken a week ago, chances of finding her are about 5, maybe 10%. She is probably already out of the city in a place we will never be able to find. That is a sad reality we live in. There are too few of us and too many of them." Looking at her, Taylor finally understood.

"You gave up, all of you." Miss Militia's face told her she was at least partially correct. "Then I will have to disagree, and hope is far stronger than you can imagine. I have seen it with my own eyes. Those with hope can accomplish what even geniuses among us could not see. Sure, pragmatism is sometimes necessary to hold evil at bay. To buy a shining sword of hope, a time to strike at the heart of the problem. Then so be it, stand as a guard against evil, be our mount and bailey. But do not try to sniff hope from the world, for when it is gone, we will truly lose." and not wait for her answer. Taylor turned around and, together with her father, walked out of the station.

"I cannot believe it. 'Shining sword of hope' what was I thinking? Thank God Musse or Ash didn't hear me; they would never let that go. Or Altina, for that matter too." Taylor wanted to curl up and die already. That whole speech was so cheesy, "I blame Instructor Rean." she muttered, embarrassed about the entire situation."

Danny could not stop himself any longer and burst laughing. Immediately after entering the car, Taylor's demeanor changed. From the silent defiance she presented in front of the protectorate heroe to a clearly embarrassed teenager, wanting nothing but to forget what she said a few moments ago. It was good to see that under this very mature side of Taylor, there was still this spirit of youth that reminded him of the times when they were all together. From how Taylor looked at him, he could tell she was unhappy with his reaction.

"So, who is Instructor Rean?." He asked in an attempt to change a topic.

"Ow, he is… was my… homeroom teacher, you could say. He was great, the best teacher I ever had." did she blush? He could not see clearly as he was focusing on driving. But he could swear he saw a red blush appear on her cheeks. In anger, he grabbed a steering wheel with much greater force.

"Did he do anything inappropriate…" he started.

"NO!! Instructor Rean would never. It is just that I may have developed a… small crush on him," she quietly muttered in the last part, but he could still hear it.

"A teacher, Taylor?" he said.

"I know," she said, looking quite vulnerable, "It was just that… he was the first who truly cared, and not just about me, about every single one of us. We lived in a dorm, and if there were any problems, he would help us. If we needed help with studies, he would sit with us during his own free time, helping us review material, and he would want nothing in return. When we had a personal problem, he would be there to offer help. His door would always be open for us. Truth be told, he reminded me a little of Mom. He had the same warmth." He did not know what to say to that, but before he thought of an answer, Taylor continued, "There was nothing there; the whole thing was a stupid one-sided crush from my side. When I finally revealed it to him, he said that he was flattered, but that would never happen, and that was that. The whole story."

He could do nothing anyway, and it looked like that matter was already settled.

"So what do you blame him for anyway?"

"O, he would always do those cheesy speeches, and we would make fun of him for that. Now I did one. I must have gotten it from him," she sighed.

After an additional twenty minutes, they arrived at the shopping arcade. It was time to buy a new wardrobe. She wanted it done fast. It was not like she liked spending time shopping for clothes. Before arriving in Zemuria, she hated it, and after, Thors took care of this, providing for them in that regard. Later, she would get her outfit in Eryn, so once again, she wasn't one to buy it. Sure, at one point or another, both Juna and Musse tried to take her on the shopping spree in Heimdallr and Crossbell. She couldn't say that she hated it, but at the same time, she felt no enjoyment either.

Yet, one thing changed. At first, she hated her uniform, mainly a skirt, but she started to enjoy wearing one during the school year. So now, here she was, looking at a bunch of different skirts hanging in front of her, trying to pick a few to try on.

"Hi, need any help"? She turned, and a 17 or maybe 18-year-old blond girl stood to her left. "You would look great in this one." She said, giving her a lovely blue skirt. What truly caught her attention was a significant red scar tissue on the girl's left arm. The girl clearly saw her staring as she said.

"O this," she raised her left arm. "Yeah, got a nasty accident in the kitchen a year ago; let me tell you if you mop a floor and then decide to make yourself a nice homemade french fries. Do not try to walk around with a pot full of hot oil," she said, smirking. "By the way, I am Lisa; nice to meet you."

Taylor shook her hand. "I am Taylor; nice to meet you too." After that, they spent another hour searching for clothes and talking. Lisa was fun to be around, reminding her, at least at the surface, a little of Musse, to be honest.

"That was fun. We should do it again sometime," said Lisa. "What do you say should we meet tomorrow?" she continued.

"Tomorrow I can't, but the day after? Sure, just maybe not shopping. I don't think I would have enough money for another day like that," Taylor answered.

"Great, that's my phone number. See you later, Taylor, " said Lisa, giving Taylor a piece of paper with her number on it.

"See you." as soon as Lisa left, her father walked out of the store.

"Well, have you got everything you need? And I see you made a friend; that's nice, " he said.

"Yeah, let's go home. It was a long day."