Gabriel stood at the edge of the obsidian pool, the air thick with the cool, misty breath of the Crimson Cascade. For the first time since the "reboot" of his existence, the roar of the waterfall wasn't just noise—it was a symphony of distinct frequencies that his mind cataloged with effortless speed.
He leaned over the water's surface, and for a moment, the Analyst froze.
The reflection staring back was an apex predator designed by a master architect. He was 6'2", his frame a masterpiece of dense, corded muscle that looked as though it had been polished from marble. His Carmel-toned skin was flawless, but it was the architecture of his torso that drew his analytical gaze. Running up the sides of his well-chiseled obliques and wrapping around his forearms were Midnight Black Scales, each one interlocking with the precision of high-end ballistic plating.
Gabriel reached up, his fingers tracing the line of his jaw. It was serene, fixed in a sharp, lethal geometry that looked capable of cutting diamonds. He parted his lips, his tongue brushing against canine teeth that had elongated into predatory points—efficient tools for a world that no longer respected the soft laws of man.
Then, he looked into his own eyes.
The startling electric blue remained, but the pupils had shifted. They were no longer human; they had narrowed into thin, reptilian slits that flickered with every change in the light.
"Biological restructuring: Complete," Gabriel murmured. His voice had dropped an octave, vibrating with a draconic depth that made the very air in his chest feel heavy. "Appearance deviates from baseline human by 34%. Intimidation factor: Optimized."
The Sensory Flood
The "static" in his veins—the raw, unrefined mana of his Nephilim heritage—began to pulse in rhythm with the waterfall. Suddenly, his hearing spiked. He could hear the friction of insects crawling on the damp moss, the drip of limestone a hundred yards away, and then… something else.
Clang. Scrape. A sharp, feminine grunt of exertion.
Gabriel's head snapped toward a dark aperture behind the veil of the waterfall. His Kinetic Calibration immediately identified the sound of steel hitting bone and the frantic, irregular breathing of someone nearing total exhaustion.
"Variable detected," Gabriel said, his reptilian eyes narrowing as they switched to thermal vision. "Distance: 120 meters. High-intensity conflict in progress."
He didn't hesitate. He didn't feel fear; he felt a sudden, surging need to test the torque of his new form. Gabriel blurred into motion, his boots finding perfect purchase on the slick, red-algae-covered rocks. He was no longer a man running through a cave; he was a refined machine of starlight and shadow, closing the distance to the woman who would become his first lead in this broken world.