Foiled #[nn]

In "Invito," a young swordswoman named Aliera reflects on her journey in fencing, where precision and aggression define the sport—yet she carries a quieter, more protective resolve in life. At sixteen, with five years of training behind her, she’s already outpaced her peers, her skill sharpened by discipline and a quiet determination.

In the quiet intensity of her fencing practice, Aliera finds little room for connection—until 10th grade brings Avery, the striking new student, as her biology lab partner. As their time together deepens, Aliera finds herself drawn to him in ways she can’t ignore, slowly opening up in a way she hasn’t with anyone else. But Avery remains an enigma—unusually popular, strangely distant, and just a little too perfect to be real.

In "Prise de Fer," Aliera navigates the quiet rhythm of her Saturday after fencing practice, sharing stories and games with her cousin Caroline. As their role-playing deepens, Aliera finds herself at a crossroads when a new romance begins to pull her away from a bond that’s long defined her.

In "Derobement," Aliera grapples with the pressure of fencing practice when her coach Chris challenges her to embrace risk as much as defense. Frustrated and determined, she heads to Grand Central Station for a date, her duffel bag heavy with gear and her thoughts racing—just as the city begins to shift around her.

In "Lunge," Aliera’s patience wears thin as a peculiar bird shadows her at Grand Central Station, until she finally puts on her fencing mask—revealing a hidden world of supernatural beings in vivid color, despite her color blindness. Hailed as Defender Xenda by a dazzling stranger, she’s thrust into an unexpected role, wielding her jeweled practice foil against the looming threat of Gridox, all while wondering if she’s part of some elaborate performance.

In "Counter-Riposte," Avery and Aliera face off in the echoing halls of Grand Central Station, where her seemingly harmless foil pulses with dangerous power—burning any monster that dares to seize it. As police forces close in, revealing their own monstrous nature, Avery urges Aliera to abandon the weapon and flee with him to the lower platforms.

In "Esquive," a quiet moment at a train station unravels into something deeper when Avery, drawn to the approaching light, reveals a truth he’s tried to outrun—his true form as a troll sent to steal Aliera’s foil. As the weight of his past and his unexpected longing for the light collide, she must decide what to do with a creature caught between two worlds.

In "Remise," Aliera rides the bus home, still seeing the hidden world in vivid color—the same world that once spoke to her through the magnificent Lady Xenon, now returning to reveal a truth long buried: Aliera is the Defender, the latest in a line of guardians, and her destiny is no longer a secret.