The construction site of "Residencial Alencar Prime" was a skeleton of concrete and rebar piercing the night sky of the East Zone. To anyone passing on the avenue, it looked like just a stalled construction project. But to me, with my vision adjusted by the Spiritual Frontier, the place looked like an open wound in the earth.
The entropy there was dense as fog. There was a metallic taste in my mouth, the residual flavor of Umbra's magic.
I hopped the corrugated zinc fence with difficulty—having an arm of light doesn't improve my athletic agility, unfortunately. I landed in the mud, my boots sinking into the red clay.
"The energy spike is coming from the underground, in the foundation area," Lucas's voice crackled in the earpiece I was wearing. "But be careful, Dayanne. Thermal cameras show three heat signatures blocking the access ramp."
"Humans?" I whispered, leaning against a pile of bricks.
"Yes. But their energy spectrum is wrong. They're Awakened. And they're armed."
I took a deep breath. Awakened mercenaries. People who saw the truth about the world and decided to charge by the hour to serve the wrong side. They didn't have direct Gifts like me or Vitor, but they used the Infused Arsenal. Common weapons bathed in blood and bad intentions.
I adjusted my jacket. I couldn't attack by surprise. Aureus's Code is clear: aggression must come from the other. I am the answer, not the question.
I stepped out from behind the pile of bricks, walking toward the ramp lit by a temporary floodlight.
"Hey!" I shouted. "Site's closed, fellas."
The three men turned. They wore generic security uniforms, but the weapons in their hands told the truth. One held a crowbar dripping constant black smoke. Another had a rusty chain wrapped around his arm, pulsing like a diseased vein. They were Cursed Weapons.
"Look at that," the one with the crowbar laughed, revealing yellow teeth. "Boss said the glowing hick would show up."
"You know what you're doing here," I said, keeping my voice steady, though my heart was pounding. "You're helping to open a rift. That's going to hurt innocent people. Get out of the way."
"And lose the bonus?" The man with the chain stepped forward. "We evolve by taking down people like you. It's pure Darwinism, babe."
He swung the chain. The shadow around the object expanded, and he lashed it out. The metal didn't just fly; it whipped with murderous intent, seeking my neck.
Aggression initiated.
The world slowed down. Divine permission descended upon me like a mantle.
I tore the jacket sleeve in a sharp motion. The glow of the Second Circle illuminated the mud and concrete.
"Bulwark!"
I raised my forearm. The chain collided with my shield of solid light, throwing off sparks that weren't fire, but pure spiritual friction. The impact was heavy, but the structure of my Gift was denser now, more refined. I didn't retreat an inch.
"Is that all?" I taunted, feeling the Fervor heat my blood.
The man with the crowbar and the third one, wielding a serrated machete, ran toward me, trying to flank. They wanted to surround me, use their numerical advantage.
In other times, I would have stayed defensive, waiting for an opening to push. But this cowgirl had a new toy.
I focused on the geometry of light in my right hand.
"Tether!"
The shield dissolved and the light elongated, transforming into a vibrant golden lasso. I spun my wrist above my head, the humming sound cutting the air like an electric crackle.
I threw it.
The lasso traveled faster than the machete guy expected. The circle of light wrapped around his ankle and cinched tight with a thought from me.
"Whoops!" I pulled hard.
The man hit the ground, face in the mud, dragged away from his companions. Aureus's light burned his skin superficially—not to kill, but to purify and contain. He screamed, dropping his weapon.
The leader with the crowbar hesitated, watching his buddy get towed like a calf at a rodeo.
"What the hell is that?" he shouted.
"It's the Law," I replied.
With a fluid motion, I undid the lasso from the first one's ankle (who was groaning, incapacitated) and threw it again. This time, I aimed at the man with the chain. He tried to block with his cursed weapon, but Aureus's solid light wrapped around the chain, locking the links.
I yanked, and the weapon flew from his hand, landing far away.
"No toys," I warned.
The leader, realizing brute force wouldn't work, roared and charged alone, the shadow on the crowbar growing to form a black blade. He aimed for my chest. It was a killing blow. An act of pure malice.
I didn't need to dodge. I needed to stop him.
I waited until the last second. When he was a meter away, I dissolved the lasso and formed a small, concentrated barrier in the palm of my hand. I caught his strike. Light hissed against shadow.
I looked into his eyes. I saw fear and greed.
"You chose pain," I said. "I choose order."
I pushed my open palm against his chest, releasing a pulse of concussive light. It wasn't a lethal attack; it was a shove of pure kinetic energy. He flew three meters back, slamming his back against a concrete mixer and falling unconscious.
Silence returned to the construction site, broken only by the panting of the other two, who backed away, raising their hands.
"Get lost," I ordered, my right arm shining like a beacon of justice. "And take him. If I see you again, the lasso gets tighter."
They didn't argue. They grabbed their dragged leader and ran into the darkness.
I looked at my Fervor meter. It went up. I had neutralized the threat, protected the site, and hadn't spilled a drop of unnecessary blood.
"Clear up here, Lucas," I said into the radio, walking to the entrance of the ramp leading to the foundation.
"Good work, cowgirl," his voice sounded relieved. "But now comes the bad part. The readings down there... Dayanne, something is being born down there."
I looked at the dark tunnel descending into the belly of the earth. The light of my arm illuminated only the first few steps.
"Then let's induce labor," I replied, starting to descend.
The real battle was just beginning. And Vitor Alencar was waiting for me.