The city had changed. Everywhere I looked, I could feel it—the energy under my skin, the tingling in the air. Powers were starting to appear. I could hear it in the system's soft ping:
"Task 6: Survive encounters with newly awakened humans. Reward: Combat skill mastery."
Great. Just what I needed. Multiple powered humans wandering the streets like they owned the place.
"Emily, maybe we should stick together," my friend said behind me. Too casual. Too fake. I knew better than to trust them. I've been burned before, and I wasn't about to let it happen again.
"I got this," I muttered, fire flickering across my palms. I didn't need them hovering around. I needed to survive.
The first one appeared around the corner. A tall guy, energy swirling around his fists, eyes glowing gold. He was flexing his fingers like he was ready to play with me.
"Stay back!" I shouted, flames sparking along my arms.
He smirked. "Looks like someone's ready for fun."
Fun? Yeah, right. I lunged, fire whipping from my hands. The system guided me perfectly.
"Attack successful. Reward: Enhanced agility."
Yes. That felt amazing. I dodged, countered, and his energy flickered. He wasn't weak, but he wasn't ready for me either.
Then another appeared. And another. Great. A whole group. Panic would've ruined me before, but not now. I was ready.
I glanced at my friend. Standing too close to one of the attackers, whispering something I couldn't hear. My gut twisted. That flicker I'd felt before? It wasn't imagination. They were hiding something. I had to keep my focus.
From above, I sensed him—Gabriel. Silent as ever, watching from a rooftop. He moved just enough to make one attacker hesitate. Didn't even touch the fight. I didn't need him to. But knowing he was there helped.
Flames danced in my hands. Sweat prickled my forehead. I struck, twisting the fire around the floating debris, sending shards scattering. One by one, the group faltered, retreating in surprise.
Finally, my friend stepped closer, trying to look concerned. "That was… impressive," they said.
I didn't look at them. "Actions, not words," I said quietly.
The city was alive with power now. Not rare anymore. Not calm. Chaos was coming, and the people around me were just the beginning.
System pinged again:
"Task complete: Survival against multiple powered humans. Reward: Combat skill mastery increased. New ability unlocked: Fire Blade."
I flexed my hands. The heat grew stronger, the flames forming a sharp, controllable blade. My chest tightened. This was insane. This was perfect. I was finally feeling ready.
I glanced at Gabriel. Silent, watching, arms crossed. He still wasn't interfering. That's fine. I didn't need saving