Darkness enveloped the tunnel.
Louie and the gray-haired man walked in silence, only the sound of their footsteps lightly echoing off the damp walls.
The air inside was strange…
Heavy, somewhat stifling—but at the same time, fresh and comfortable.
As if this place didn't belong to the same world they had come from.
Every step left behind what Louie knew.
Every meter forward seemed to pull him away from the life he thought he had.
And amid the fear, the uncertainty…
There was a part of him that—absurd as the idea might have been—was beginning to feel curious about it all.
Scared, yes.
But also… eager.
Eager not only to discover who he was, but also to explore a completely new world.
On the other side of the tunnel, darkness gave way to a soft bluish light… and then, as if the ground had disappeared beneath his feet, he came across something he could never have imagined:
A city.
Vast.
Down there, beneath the earth, beneath the great Guaíba River.
Hidden from the world, from people… from everything.
Lights, massive structures, walkways crossing the skies like rainbows, floating vehicles, glowing panels—it was like another planet underground.
Louie stepped forward, jaw agape.
And even without understanding anything, he knew this wasn't meant to be seen by many…
— This… is Áurea. — said the man, his voice echoing faintly along the tunnel walls.
Louie couldn't take his eyes off the city before him.
It seemed otherworldly.
He walked slowly, guided by the gray-haired man, observing everything around him with shining eyes.
"Áurea"
A city hidden beneath the dark waters of the Guaíba and a part of Porto Alegre, yet far more alive, modern, and full of energy than anywhere he had ever seen.
The buildings weren't ordinary.
They seemed made of some metal mixed with crystal—they reflected the soft light coming from scattered posts. A light that ranged from bluish to golden, like an enormous magic show.
Louie walked silently, still trying to make sense of it all.
The place was too beautiful to be real.
The wide streets looked newly made, with geometric designs cracking the ground in artistic, intricate patterns.
Lights floated in the air, shining lightly, as if ignoring gravity itself.
Above them, the immense sky over the old city…
Or rather, what appeared to be a sky.
It was an enormous glass-and-metal canopy.
In the middle, an artificial moon hung high above—bright, robotic, and strangely… natural.
It was as if someone had recreated the real world down here… but improved it.
Cleaner. A copy of what one might call a perfect utopia.
Even though it was late, a few people could still be seen walking the streets.
Each with their own style—modern clothing, different from one another, but with that air of wearing what they truly liked, faces… happy.
And that was what caught Louie's attention the most.
The way they looked at the world around them.
They had a calm glow in their eyes, a faint smile at the corner of their lips.
They seemed… at peace.
As if, even living hidden below, far from everything and everyone, they had found something resembling true happiness.
Perhaps even something stronger…
Something rare. Something almost impossible to see in people up above.
The place was futuristic—but not in a cold or suffocating way.
The building facades gleamed in a subtle golden tone, pleasing to the eye.
There were large and small buildings, complex and simple.
It was as if everything had been designed with balance in mind, the right way for things to fit together.
Not too much, not too little.
The artificial and the natural coexisting side by side, without conflict.
The city was massive—divided into seven zones, almost like a giant labyrinth.
Louie and the gray-haired man had entered through a hidden tunnel, nearly unknown, connecting the outskirts of Porto Alegre with the Guaíba… leading to what was considered the division between the east and central zones.
And that's where they headed—to the central zone.
Louie walked, unsure of where to look first.
There was so much happening at once that his head could barely keep up.
Some cars passed silently along the suspended streets, gliding as if floating a few centimeters above the ground.
Bridges connected the huge buildings, forming pathways in the air.
And below… well beneath the ground they walked on, a soft sound of flowing water could be heard—pipes that seemed to give life to the entire city.
Everything felt at once strange… and incredibly beautiful and futuristic.
Right at the city's center, there was a vast square.
And in its middle… a giant statue.
The figure was humanoid but had slightly strange features—dark, serene… almost as if it were made of living shadow.
It stood there, still, its body like a shadowy cloak, observing the inhabitants of Áurea with crossed arms.
As if protecting them…
Louie had never seen anything like it.
He didn't know who it was… or what it represented.
But something about the sculpture stirred something within him.
As if unimaginable secrets were hidden inside it.
Louie couldn't help but stare, trying to decipher it, yet failing miserably.
The gray-haired man then asked him with a faint smile.
— Interested in the statue?
Louie tore his gaze away from it, quickly turning to the gray-haired man.
— I was just trying to recognize it…
The gray-haired man let out a low chuckle, half-smile forming at the corner of his mouth as he looked at the statue.
— I highly doubt you will, not even we really know who this being is.
Louie looked surprised, questioning him.
— Really?! — Louie turned back to the statue, frowning. — Then why leave a statue of someone you don't even know?
The man answered in a calm voice, almost like recounting an old story:
— From what we've learned in the schools here… this statue has been here since Áurea was founded. Long before all of this became what it is today.
He looked again at the imposing figure in the square, with a certain respect in his gaze.
— Some theorize it may have been a king… or perhaps a god of the ancient people who built this city. But no one knows for sure.
He shrugged, with a tired half-smile.
— That's exactly why we haven't touched it. It's the only record left of this place's origin.
— And when you live in a world like ours… human history and lifespan are just grains of sand compared to the true origin of the universe.
Louie shook his head, confused, frowning slightly:
— I'm not sure… I quite understood that…
The man let out a soft sigh, as if expecting that reaction.
— aahhh… Like father, like son in the end…
— What?
— Forget that for now. — he said, half-smiling.
— Come on, there's a place I want to show you…
Turning his back, the gray-haired man began walking, and Louie—after casting one last glance at the strange statue—decided to follow.
They walked along several streets until they stopped in front of a building that stood out from the rest of the city.
It was different… older compared to the general structures of the city.
Almost as if it had come from another era.
The man stopped at the door and, without saying a word, made a slight gesture with his head, signaling Louie to enter.
Inside, the atmosphere was different.
The walls were covered with symbols and drawings he had never seen before—nothing made much sense.
And while it seemed like an old place, full of stories and secrets…
There was technology spread throughout. Strange equipment, glowing panels, tables full of wires, lights, and stacked books.
Louie stepped inside, eyes attentive to every corner, almost blinking not at all.
It was as if this place existed on the edge between past and future. Perfectly balanced.
And he… right in the middle of it all.
Curious, Louie moved from corner to corner, observing everything with bright eyes.
He couldn't contain himself.
— Wow… this is amazing! — he exclaimed, picking up a small golden hexagon-shaped object from one of the tables. — What could this be for?
He didn't even have time to try to understand.
He already jumped to another corner.
— And this one?! And that one over there???
He seemed like a child in a museum from another planet.
But before he could touch anything else, the gray-haired man grabbed Louie by the collar, impatient.
— Let's go — he said, dragging him up the stairs.
— Ow! You're hurting me! — Louie protested, trying to pull free.
And so they climbed to the rooftop.
When they got there, the man released Louie with a gentle push and pointed ahead.
The entire city, with its dozens of kilometers of streets, stretched below them, bathed in a bluish-golden light.
It was enormous, alive… surreal and beautiful.
The man then spoke, his voice firm but calm:
— Welcome to Áurea, Louie.
He paused, continuing, eyes still fixed on the view.
— For now, here you're safe.
But why they're after you remains a mystery.
He glanced at Louie, serious.
— So until we find out, I'll teach you the basics so you can at least survive if something unexpected happens. — And it's here… that we'll discover what you're truly capable of.
The two watched in silence the calm that reigned over Áurea's central zone—a nearly unreal peace, contrasting with everything Louie had experienced so far.
— Even this peace… hangs by a thread, Louie — said the man, not taking his eyes off the city. — Those who are after you… didn't just appear now. This organization has existed for a long time. The problem is, even with our whole system, we know almost nothing about them.
Louie turned his head, attentive, trying to follow the man's words.
— And more… the others who survived the Peninsula Massacre… seem to be in the same situation. — he continued, serious. — They disappeared. But their records weren't altered. As if someone wiped everything clean. That's not normal… and I highly doubt it's a coincidence.
Louie frowned, confused.
— Okay… but what can I do with this? I don't even know how to control or activate this power I have… — he said, frustrated, shoulders tense. — I don't even know where to start.
Before he could continue, the man simply extended his hand.
A golden sphere, with orbiting chains around it, appeared, glowing in his palm—alive, pulsating.
Louie went silent, just watching the golden sphere.
★ Temporal Manipulation (Mystic – Faith in Chronos)
› Time manipulation is an extremely rare and profound power, originating from faith in Chronos, the god of time, or from the user's own will over such power. When invoking this ability, the user can slow down, speed up, or even freeze the flow of time for limited periods. The stronger the user's faith or will, the greater the control over this skill, and in exceptional cases, they may alter the course of time itself. However, excessive manipulation of time can lead to serious consequences, such as temporal imbalances or failures within the user's own body. ‹
The man looked at Louie, his gaze firm but calm. There was something in his eyes… a mix of understanding and urgency.
— No more stalling… Let's start the fun part, Louie. — he said, adjusting his posture. — Here, in this refuge, you'll learn the basics to manage on your own. Enough to survive.
The city of Áurea, with its golden glow and hidden mysteries, was now the new stage for Louie's life.
And deep down, even feeling some relief at being safe for now… he knew.
This wouldn't last forever.