The memories of the bridge flashback still echoed through Gabriel's mind when he woke the following Monday. Three days had passed since the disturbing revelation. Bridge of Worlds. The oath resonated like a persistent echo, and every time he looked at the keychain, he felt a mixture of fascination and fear.
He needed something concrete. An anchor.
The answer came when Marina entered the Enactus room with an intense energy. "People, we have news," she announced. "The 'Water of Tomorrow' project got preliminary approval for field testing. Vila Esperança. Next week."
Gabriel felt his heart accelerate. After the visions of another world, the prospect of something tangible seemed like salvation.
Carlos looked up from his laptop. "We managed to optimize efficiency by another fifteen percent based on your suggestion about coil positioning, Gabriel."
"And I got a partnership with the local transport cooperative," Felipe added. "They'll take us by boat."
Caio clapped once. "It's going to be epic, brother. You'll see the real Amazon."
"There's one more thing," Marina said. "Felipe got interest from a local journalist to document the project. Sofia Araújo."
Gabriel felt his heart give a small leap of recognition. Sofia. The writer from the café.
…
The following Thursday, Belém's port was alive before the sun fully rose. Aluminum and wooden boats docked and departed in a chaotic ballet.
Their boat was simple but reliable. The Resilients were all present, along with Ana Lúcia and Professor Henrique, a man in his fifties with the posture of someone who'd spent decades observing young people trying to change the world.
"Gabriel, right?" Henrique said when they were introduced. "Marina told me about your technical contributions. Don't underestimate the value of well-applied intuition. Some people have a natural connection with elements that transcends conventional academic knowledge."
Before Gabriel could respond, a familiar voice echoed. "Sorry for being late!"
Sofia arrived carrying professional photography equipment. When her eyes met Gabriel's, there was that moment of mutual recognition that made time slow down.
"Ah," she said, the smile becoming personal. "The writer from the café."
"The writer who asks the right questions," he replied.
…
The upriver trip took almost four hours. The landscape changed gradually — urban sprawl to riverside suburbs, then extensive stretches where the forest dominated the banks.
Gabriel sat next to Sofia. "First time in a riverside community?" she asked.
"First time seeing the river from this perspective," he replied.
Impulsively, he let his hand drag in the river's surface. For a disconcerting moment, he felt something strange — currents that didn't correspond to the visual flow. A subtle buzzing in his fingers.
[System Alert: Elemental Resonance Detected.]
"Are you okay?" Sofia asked. "You got a strange look."
Gabriel quickly withdrew his hand. "Just... thinking about responsibility."
From the front bench, Professor Henrique made a comment that seemed casual but made Gabriel freeze: "And you, Gabriel? Have you had any experience... let's say, inexplicable with the laws of physics?"
"Not that I know of," Gabriel lied.
"Interesting," Henrique murmured, making a note in his notebook.
…
Vila Esperança was exactly what the name suggested — simple wooden houses on stilts. About forty families. Dona Maria received them with coffee and genuine hospitality.
"Are you the young people who are going to help us?" she asked, hope shining in tired eyes.
Gabriel felt the weight of real responsibility. "What happens if this doesn't work?" he asked quietly.
"It would be another broken promise," Dona Maria said simply. "Others have come before. Lots of beautiful talk, few practical results."
And here I am, thought Gabriel. Carrying secrets I don't understand, making commitments that might depend on impossible things.
"This won't be another broken promise," he said with certainty. "We're going to make it work."
Sofia, documenting everything, observed the interaction. When Gabriel spoke, she perceived... colors. Not visual exactly, but a subtle synesthesia. Gabriel's words reached her painted golden, and sometimes, with a color she couldn't name. Something that shouldn't exist in the normal spectrum.
…
Three weeks later, the UFPA gymnasium was transformed for the Innovation Fair. The "Water of Tomorrow" stand was strategically positioned, the prototype working perfectly.
"Nervous?" asked Leonardo.
"Should I be?" Gabriel replied, but felt strangely calm.
Felipe pointed across the way. "USP exchange program. Solar purification project. Significant multinational sponsorship."
Gabriel observed the rival team leader — confident, polished. "Do they know there are real people depending on this?"
"To them," Felipe said bitterly, "they're just demographic data."
At 2:55 PM, the evaluators approached. Marina began the presentation. Carlos explained technical aspects.
Everything was working perfectly.
Until it wasn't.
At the crucial moment, the compressor made a disturbing noise. Lights blinked erratically. The system died.
Panic in Carlos's eyes. Frustration in Marina's. Murmurs from the evaluators.
That's when everything slowed around Gabriel.
"When you understand flow, you can shape it without breaking it." Luna's voice echoed crystalline. "Trust it. Trust yourself."
Gabriel approached the prototype. The air seemed denser. For a second, he smelled the impossible fragrance of moonflowers.
He closed his eyes and touched the compressor.
Immediately, he felt everything with crystalline clarity. Not with physical eyes, but with the System.
[Diagnostic: Mana Blockage in Sector 4.]
[Action: Discharge.]
Gabriel pushed. Not physically, but with a force he didn't know he possessed.
The lights blinked once. Twice.
The compressor returned to life with a smooth hum. Water — clean, crystalline — began dripping. But not in the normal quantity. Three times the efficiency.
Silence.
Then Carlos shouted: "Ninety-two percent efficiency! That's statistically impossible!"
The investors were impressed. The rector nodded.
"My God," Leonardo murmured. "We actually did it."
Caio hugged Ana Lúcia. "Dona Maria is going to be crazy happy!"
But Professor Henrique wasn't looking at the prototype. He was looking directly at Gabriel. With an expression of cold, calculated recognition.
…
After the crowd dispersed, Sofia remained.
"That was incredible," she said.
"It was luck," Gabriel replied automatically.
"Was it?" She approached, studying him.
"Because from where I was standing, it looked like you knew exactly what you were doing."
Gabriel didn't respond.
Sofia put away her camera. "That's okay. Family secrets. Just... when you're ready to talk about what really happened today, you know where to find me."
She walked away, leaving Gabriel alone with the humming prototype.
In the gymnasium bleachers, Professor Henrique was making meticulous notes in his notebook. Not about the project.
Subject: Gabriel Santos.
Status: Awakened.
Action: Monitor.
And for the first time, Gabriel had absolute certainty: his life was about to get much more complicated.
At least, he thought with dark irony, the paranoia finally makes sense.