They walked in silence for maybe ten minutes.
the air shifted.
colder again.
like the temperature itself was reacting to them.
Nox pointed ahead — eyes wide.
"that." he whispered.
Alva followed his line of sight.
a barricade.
not trash — not scavenger loose scrap — this was military grade.
three reinforced vehicles nose–to–nose like a triangle, crushed together, then welded over.
behind them were metal sheets overlapping like scales.
a checkpoint.
and on the back right corner — a camera pole was bent sideways like someone ripped it out with bare hands.
Kai muttered low:
"someone already came through here."
Arden's jaw clenched.
"and not gently."
Alva stepped closer — slow — controlled — she placed her palm on one of the fused metal pieces.
a small hum answered her touch — like static agreeing.
her resonance flared.
Kai moved instantly closer — not touching — but bracing in case she lost control.
and for the first time, Alva didn't flinch from it.
she liked that he was watching.
Arden exhaled sharply.
"you don't have to force it open."
Alva tilted her head — a little wolfish half–smirk.
"I'm not forcing. I'm calling."
the metal responded.
like it remembered her.
thin white arcs of lightning rippled under her skin and sank — not outward — into the barricade — like she was threading energy through steel.
the welded seams glowed faint blue.
Kai's eyes widened.
"you're not breaking it…"
Arden looked stunned.
"…you're waking it."
Alva's voice dropped lower — steady — almost calm:
"move back."
Nox scrambled away.
Kai didn't.
he just shifted half a step to her left — enough to take anything that attacked her blind side.
she noticed.
she didn't say anything.
the barricade groaned — metal unknitting — folding itself backwards like it was obeying her — obeying her signature.
dust rained down.
open passage.
just wide enough for a person.
Alva stepped back — shoulder rising with a shaky breath she didn't realize she was holding.
Kai whispered — soft, sincere, low, so only she heard:
"beautiful."
Alva didn't trust her voice — so she didn't answer.
Arden didn't comment — he was too busy staring at the shape of the melted seams.
like he'd just witnessed a myth.
Nox peeked through the opening.
"um— guys—"
they all tensed.
"—there's another camp just beyond. tents. maybe twenty. people."
Kai's grip tightened on the crowbar.
Arden shifted his weight.
Alva inhaled — steady — power settling back into her blood like a sleeping animal.
she spoke first this time.
clear.
decisive.
"we approach slow. weapons low. I talk."
Kai nodded once — no argument.
there was no doubt anymore —
she was the centre now.