Gabriel stepped off the plane in Belém feeling the humid, familiar air envelop him like a welcoming embrace. January had arrived with all the intensity of the Amazonian winter — heavy clouds transforming the sky into a low, gray ceiling.
Three weeks. Only three weeks had passed since the Innovation Fair, since the moment he touched the broken prototype and something impossible happened before dozens of witnesses.
But it felt like a lifetime.
The airport buzzed with the accelerated rhythm of a city awakening after the festivities. Gabriel walked through familiar corridors, but there was something different in how people looked at him. Gazes that lasted a second longer. Whispers. Smartphones discreetly raised.
Sofia's article in Diário do Pará had gone viral beyond any expectation. The "Water of Tomorrow" project had become a symbol of regional innovation, and Gabriel — whether he wanted it or not — had become its face.
"Gabriel!"
Leonardo was leaning against a column. His smile was wide, but his posture was different. More respectful. More... formal.
"Man, how was the trip?" Leonardo approached, and Gabriel noticed other students stopped pretending they weren't paying attention.
"Good. Necessary," Gabriel replied. "How were things here?"
Leonardo hesitated. "Intense. Marina's anxious to see you. So much happened that..." He lowered his voice. "Things changed, Gabriel. A lot."
…
The UFPA campus was physically the same, but the energy was electric. Students recognized him. Professors waved with evident approval.
New posters on bulletin boards highlighted the "international success" of Enactus UFPA. At the center of several of them, a photo of Gabriel during the presentation.
Gabriel stopped before one. In the photo, he had his hands on the prototype, face concentrated. But there was something more — a subtle aura the camera had captured. A glow that shouldn't be there.
"Famous now, huh?"
A girl he didn't recognize stood nearby, eyes shining with genuine admiration. "You're Gabriel from Enactus, right? The guy who did the water miracle?"
The water miracle. Gabriel felt a shiver.
"It was teamwork," he said automatically.
"Of course," she smiled. "But my physics teacher said what you guys achieved is statistically impossible. That there's no scientific explanation."
She hesitated, then continued with brutal honesty. "Anyway, I just wanted to say you inspire us. Shows it's possible to make a real difference."
When she walked away, Gabriel was alone with the poster and a growing sensation of claustrophobia. Special. Different. Miracle. The words echoed like alarm bells.
…
The Enactus room had transformed. New equipment, focused intensity.
"Gabriel!" Marina approached with a smile that mixed relief and apprehension. "How was Santos?"
"Everyone's well. And here?"
Marina exchanged a look with Felipe. "Intense. Invitations. Universities, governments, private companies. Everyone wants to meet 'the miracle of Belém'."
Carlos appeared from behind a computer. "The simulations I ran after the Fair... Gabriel, the numbers don't make sense. What happened that day goes against everything we know about physical limits."
"So what?" Gabriel asked, his voice tense.
"So everyone wants to understand how," Caio replied. "Professor Henrique has been asking a lot of questions. About you specifically."
Henrique's name made something cold run down Gabriel's spine.
"He's interested in how you developed your 'exceptional intuition'," Marina explained.
Gabriel sat heavily. "And you guys? How are you dealing with all this?"
"Honestly?" Felipe said. "We're a bit lost. But we're with you. No matter what."
"Dona Maria called yesterday," Caio added. "The machine is working perfectly. The entire community has clean water. That's what matters."
Gabriel felt something warm expand in his chest.
"So," he said, breathing deeply. "What are the next steps?"
Marina smiled. "First, you need to know your nickname officially changed. Nobody calls you Spark or Bridge anymore."
"How so?"
"Light," Felipe said. "Because that's what you do. Illuminate solutions where others see only problems. And literally or metaphorically, it seems you can make things shine."
Gabriel thought about the keychain. The wallpaper. The energy in his hands.
Light.
[System Notification: Title Acquired.]
[Title: Lightbringer.]
[Status: Active.]
"Alright," he said finally. "Light I accept."
…
The rest of the morning passed in intensive planning. Gabriel insisted on their original mission: real difference for real people.
"Money wasn't the goal when we started," he said. "Why would it be now?"
Marina nodded approvingly. "That's why you're the Light of the team."
…
In the afternoon, Gabriel found Sofia waiting at the café with two cups.
"I thought you might show up here," she said.
Gabriel sat down. "How did you know?"
"Journalist, remember?" She smiled. "And Leonardo told me."
"So you and the Resilients are talking regularly now?"
"They want to ensure coverage is done the right way." Sofia studied him. "Can I ask a direct question?"
"Always."
"What really happened at that Fair? I work with facts. And what I saw that day... doesn't fit into any known category."
They sat in silence.
"What if I said I don't completely understand it myself?" Gabriel asked.
"I'd say at least you're being honest."
Sofia smiled. "I'll keep asking questions until I understand. Because something tells me your story is much bigger than any of us imagine."
…
That night, alone in his apartment, Gabriel picked up the sword keychain. The metal was warm.
"Light," he said aloud.
The keychain pulsed with gentle heat.
He thought about Santos, the diary, Mariana, his family. And the Resilients.
He didn't have all the answers. But he knew who he was.
He was Gabriel. He was Light. He was a bridge between worlds not everyone could see.
The keychain pulsed one last time, and Gabriel could swear he heard a familiar voice whisper:
"See you soon, Solmere."
This time, he didn't doubt what he'd heard. And for the first time, he whispered back:
"See you soon, Luna."
Outside the window, Belém glowed. And somewhere between sleep and waking, Gabriel knew his true journey was just beginning.
But now, finally, he was ready for it. The light within him had found its name.
And there was no more reason to hide.