At breakfast, Aysha was lost in thought, still processing everything that had happened and how her life had changed so suddenly. The Argon cafeteria was full—agents, secretaries, internal police officers, aides, and assistants rushing to their posts. Everyone was trying to save Brazil in one way or another, or at least what was left of it.

"Are you going to eat?" her father asked.

"I'm not hungry."

Cael looked around. "I know. But if you want to train and have a shot at learning to control your Isang, you’ll need to eat."

With that, Aysha took her first sip of coffee.

She was still thinking about her mother, her little sister, the Mímico…

What was he doing right now? she wondered. Was he training? Fighting other Inhumans or agents? Or just sitting on a stone throne, ordering assassinations of politicians, businessmen, and judges?

The world made less sense than ever. But she was with her father, and they were the leaders of the biggest Isang-policing organization in the country. Her grandfather had left them everything they needed to know to defeat the Mímico. He just hadn’t said how. That part was up to Cael and Argon to figure out.

That was it... The Mímico might be powerful, but he had already been defeated once. Argon had all the resources to do it again—money, power, knowledge. She was on the right side. The Mímico was the enemy.

She would begin her training, learn to harness her power, and when the time came, Aysha would give it everything she had.

"Don’t worry," said Cael. "I told Saulo not to kill you."

She chuckled a little.

"You think he could?" she asked.

"I think you’ll be a handful. You’re stubborn as hell."

"Me?" she replied. "I got that from you!"

Her father let out a loud laugh.

"True. We’ve both always been hard-headed."

"Now drink your coffee," he said. "Before it gets cold."

They shared their breakfast, father and daughter, swapping stories about the wife, the mother, the younger sister, and even their dog, Lulu, who was still at home waiting for them.

"I stopped by the house this morning to check on him," Cael said. "He was hungry. I left an assistant in charge of him. We don’t allow dogs in here."

"Poor thing…" said Aysha. "Are you sure he can’t stay here?"

"There’s no space for him. Everything’s enclosed. He likes to run, play, and poop. I don’t know about you, but I’m not cleaning dog poop in my office."

Aysha laughed quietly. And agreed.

The cafeteria clock struck 7:00 AM sharp.

Training – Argon Combat Room

Argon’s training base was a high-tech structure, an artificial environment capable of controlling the climate and completely altering the internal landscape. It could shift the scenery according to the fighters’ commands. A white dome, 500 meters in diameter, with mirrored reinforced outer walls and a viewing gallery. Inside, the space could become a forest, desert, city… or remain a white, empty void—like now.

Class-S Agent Saulo Lima stood in front of Aysha, holding his control die in his left hand.

"Isang," he said.

The die glowed. Three yellow squares materialized in the air and floated around him. With precise, swift movements, Saulo activated them.

"Wall Trap."

Two enormous yellow walls rose on either side of Aysha, closing in to crush her.

She reacted instantly. Lunged forward with her sword, spun her wrist in an inverted motion.

"Zair!"

In a near-invisible flash, her body was teleported five meters ahead, reappearing behind Saulo. The walls slammed shut with a crushing sound.

Saulo slowly turned his head, surprised.

"Interesting... Let’s see how you handle this one."

He manipulated the cube again. Four yellow squares lit up.

"Crater."

The ground beneath Aysha began to split open. In an instant, she plummeted into an endless abyss.

Her scream echoed in the darkness, and panic rose as no bottom came into view. The fall felt eternal. For a moment, she realized: if Saulo didn’t bring her back, she could fall forever.

Then, a single step echoed in front of her. She looked up.

Saulo.

The white training room had returned. The abyss was gone.

"You have no defense against that type of attack," he said coldly. "We’ll have to build one."

They resumed fighting stances.

"You need a defense that doesn’t rely on ground, space, or time. Something that keeps you safe both in the air and on the ground. Try forming a structure around yourself. Use any movements you think are right."

Aysha focused. An energy sphere began to form in front of her, unstable but promising.

"Perfect," said Saulo, with his first smile in hours. "Let’s refine that."

Time passed. Hours of attempts, corrections, and effort. Finally, she succeeded. She created a solid, expansive, living barrier.

Saulo watched, impressed.

"Not even the Mímico could get through that."

Aysha laughed nervously. She knew that was a bold claim.

She spun her sword into an “X” and drove it into the ground with both hands.

"Veil of Ruin!"

A translucent sphere, ten meters in diameter, formed around her. A perfect field, vibrating with white energy tinted in violet.

Saulo, now more excited, activated the die again.

"Crater!"

The ground beneath her opened again, revealing the same black abyss. But this time, Aysha didn’t fall. Her barrier held her in place, suspended in the air. Untouched.

He crossed his arms and nodded.

"That’ll make you untouchable."

They paused for lunch. The fifth-floor cafeteria of Argon resembled any other large organization’s mess hall: noisy, voices overlapping, and the generic aroma of cafeteria food. Executives, agents, and analysts filled the tables in a rush, as if lunch itself was a mission.

Aysha and Saulo stood in line, grabbed trays with pot roast, rice, beans, and a small cup of gelatin, and sat at a central table side by side.

For a few minutes, they ate in silence. Saulo seemed genuinely pleased with the food. Aysha made a face—she didn’t like food with sauce, but ate anyway.

"Isang," Saulo began, casually, like making small talk about the weather, "is like an open faucet inside every human being. Spiritual energy flowing nonstop."

He picked up a spoon, spun it in his fingers.

"But without an Anchora, that energy leaks. Like trying to hold the ocean with your hands. The Anchora channels it. Like your sword. You’ve used it since you were little to release what you felt, even if you didn’t know it."

Aysha looked at him, thoughtful.

"But my sword was destroyed... the Mímico broke it and stepped on it. How did you make a new one?"

Saulo shrugged.

"We took what was left. Reforged it. The original material still carries your Isang’s signature. This new sword is essentially the same."

She nodded slowly, chewing both her food and her thoughts.

"Sometimes during fencing classes... I felt like the sword had a mind of its own. Like it wanted to cut everything by itself. I could barely hold it."

"That was the Isang trying to manifest. Like I said, without an Anchora, it spills out. Your grandfather said that all the time."

"I wish I had met him..."

Saulo stopped eating. Rested his elbows on the table and looked at her.

"I’m sorry for everything, Aysha. Losing your family, finding out you’re heir to the most powerful organization in Brazil... it’s a lot. But I want you to know: I’m here if you need anything."

She only nodded. Then looked out the window. Outside, the city moved as if nothing had happened. People walking, cars honking. As if a war wasn’t happening. As if the soul of the nation wasn’t being judged and condemned by invisible hands.

"Why did the Mímico turn on my grandfather?"

Saulo took a sip of soda, wiped his mouth.

"No one knows for sure. Some say he was always rotten inside. Others think he uncovered Isang secrets your grandfather kept hidden."

"My grandfather would never hide that."

"That’s what everyone wants to believe."

Aysha stared at him.

"Do you really think he hid something?"

"I don’t think," Saulo replied, serious. "I know."

"Why?"

He spun his cup, then looked at her as if weighing every word.

"Your grandfather was the greatest Isang expert the world has ever seen. Do you really think everything he knew was... safe? Usable? What these Inhumans are doing to Brazil is the result of something bigger. The Isang has... dark zones. Things that should never be unlocked."

"The Threshold," Aysha murmured.

"Exactly. The Mímico broke the Threshold without losing access to Isang. And no one knows how. Many tried. All failed. Lost everything."

"You think my grandfather knew how to do that?"

"Of course. He was the only one who could. But he never told anyone. Maybe... the Mímico. But even then, not directly. The Mímico was always in his office. With him all the time."

"I didn’t know that..."

"Yeah. What Argon says officially is that no one knows how the Mímico did it. But the high ranks... they believe he found something in Ézren’s research. Pieced it together. Opened the door."

Aysha said nothing. A chill ran down her spine.

"That’s... terrifying."

"Yeah," Saulo agreed. "Because now the Mímico leads an ideological war. Claims Ézren lied. That Argon serves the same rotten politicians killing the country. He wants to start over. From zero."

She looked down at her empty plate.

"A world where you're born with a gift... but you only have two choices: serve the system, or become its enemy."

"Welcome to Brazil, Aysha."

They ate in silence again. Almost finished, Saulo commented:

"You were really hungry, huh?" he said, laughing.

Aysha laughed too.