Arriving at college with an arm made of pure divine manifestation hidden under a denim jacket is, to say the least, a sweaty experience.
As I walked up the hill in Vila Mariana[1], the tingling in my right shoulder subsided, stabilizing into a mild warmth, as if I had leaned against a cup of freshly brewed coffee. The Evil Spirit on the subway had been a small test, but it served to remind me of something important: the Spiritual Frontier doesn't respect business hours or exam schedules.
I passed through the entrance turnstile using my badge with my left hand. The guard, Seu[2] Jorge, waved. He didn't see the light. For him, and for 99% of the people on that campus, the world was just concrete, bills, and deadlines. They didn't know that the real war doesn't happen on ancient battlefields, but here, between the cafeteria and the library.
"Dayanne!" a voice cracked behind me.
I spun around, instinctively shielding my right side. It was Lucas. Computer Engineering student, deep dark circles under his eyes, and a backpack full of gadgets worth more than my dad's farm.
Lucas stopped, panting. His eyes darted quickly to my right arm, then to my face. He knew.
Lucas was an Awakened. He saw the superimposed reality, but unlike me, he hadn't been Chosen. No deity had looked at him and granted a Gift directly. He had to get by on his own.
"You're... 'shining' more than usual today," he whispered, pulling me into a corner near the soda machines. "Your Fervor is high. What did you get up to?"
"A haunt at Praça da Sé," I answered quietly, adjusting my sleeve. "It tried to dine on a businessman and a grandma. I had to intervene."
Lucas shook his head, a mix of admiration and that subtle envy I saw in many Awakened.
"You Chosen and this habit of throwing yourselves in front of the train. You know you could have died, right? Aureus's magic weakens if you waver in your faith. If you had hesitated, that beast would have shredded you."
"But I didn't waver," I retorted, perhaps a bit too sharply. "And the Code demands protection. If I don't act, the Gift fades. That's the price."
Lucas sighed and pulled a screwdriver from his pocket, its handle wrapped in silver electrical tape. To a layman, it was a poor man's tool. To me, it pulsed with a faint energy. It was an improvised Blessed Weapon.
"While you gain divine power by being a heroine, I spent the whole night infusing my Fervor into this junk to see if it can at least stun a minor spirit," he complained, twirling the tool. "It's unfair, you know? You Chosen come with the full package. We Awakened have to charge the battery the hard way. Most of us just serve the god; we aren't his power."
I looked at his screwdriver. It was true. Magic flowed from two primordial entities, but the way it reached us was different. I had a direct channel; Lucas had to bottle rainwater.
"You guys have freedom, Lucas," I reminded him. "You don't need to follow a strict Code of Conduct for your screwdriver to work. If I curse someone in traffic with hate in my heart, my arm goes out. You can be an asshole and your weapon keeps working."
He laughed, putting the tool away.
"Touché[3]. But seriously, activity is spiking. The Deep Web forums monitoring the Frontier are going crazy. People are saying Umbra's followers are making a move. Not the lost Awakened, but their Chosen."
I felt a chill. The Chosen of Umbra, the Malevolent. Those who gain power through pain, blood sacrifice, and pure ambition. If a Chosen of Aureus like me evolves by sacrificing for the group, a Chosen of Umbra evolves by dominating and crushing others.
"Are they coming here?" I asked.
"Where there are people, there is power. And São Paulo is a giant battery of desires and fear." Lucas adjusted his glasses. "Just be careful, country girl. You're still in the First Circle. If you cross someone who has already refined their spirit to the Third or Fourth, your arm of light will look like a dying flashlight."
The bell rang. The shrill sound brought me back to mundane reality. Anatomy. Horses. Exams.
"I gotta go," I said, walking away. "And Lucas?"
"What?"
"If you see anything weird near the college stables... let me know. Goiás is there."
Lucas nodded, serious. He knew that horse was the reason I had an arm of light and not a stump of flesh.
I walked to the classroom, feeling the weight of invisible stares. The world seemed normal: students complaining about the professor, people planning parties. But I knew that superimposed on all that, in the shadows of the desks and the corners of the ceiling, the war continued.
I sat in the back row. I took out my notebook with my left hand. My right arm, hidden, pulsed once, softly. It was Aureus whispering: Be ready.
"Uai[4]," I thought, opening the book. "If we have to be, we are."
[1] Vila Mariana is an upscale and well-developed neighborhood in the south-central zone of São Paulo, known for its excellent infrastructure, vibrant cultural life (near Ibirapuera Park and the Cinematheque), great gastronomy (famous bars and restaurants like Veloso), and a mix of quiet residential areas and bustling commercial spaces.
[2] In Brazil, the prefix "Seu" before a name is a popular and informal way of abbreviating the honorific "Senhor" (Mr.).
[3] "Touché" is a French expression meaning "touched" or "struck." Originally, it was used in fencing to acknowledge a valid strike from the opponent. In common usage, it's used to admit that someone made a clever argument or an effective rebuttal in a debate or discussion, similar to saying "you got me" or "point for you."
[4] "Uai" is a slang term from Minas Gerais used to express astonishment, surprise, doubt, admiration, or impatience. The word is a trademark of Minas Gerais identity and can be used in a very versatile way, as an interjection in various situations. There are theories that its origin may be an abbreviation of "olhai" (look) or an influence from the English word "why".