[ Evolution Chamber, Underground City - Moments After Terrigenesis ]
The stone coffin that had encased Seraphina D'Angelo shattered like the lies people told under pressure. The echoes of her rebirth cracked through the air, subtle as a gunshot in a church. She stood in the center of the ruined platform, debris falling around her like defeated pawns. Her black coat fluttered behind her, untouched by dust, kissed by power.
She didn't fall to her knees like some dramatic Netflix heroine. Please. Queens don't kneel unless they're tying a silk stiletto. Instead, she stood tall, breathing in the metallic air like it owed her an apology.
A low hum vibrated in her chest. Not fear. Not pain. Power.
She rotated her neck with the indifference of someone who'd just woken from a three-day coma and was already bored. Her skin shimmered faintly under the alien light—a new glow clinging to her like the memory of fire. She raised a hand and clenched it slowly.
The platform beneath her cracked again.
"Hm," Seraphina mused aloud, eyes narrowing with a mix of satisfaction and threat. "Still me. Just... upgraded."
Her senses—once precise and honed by paranoia, espionage, and Italian espresso—now hummed at a higher octave. Every stone, every whisper of stale air was a note in her orchestra.
She stepped forward. The six ancient gates that had once loomed like stone judges now watched in silence. As they should.
[ Stone Corridor, Underground City ]
Seraphina pressed a palm to the sealed stone gate barring her exit. Her fingers buzzed with anticipation. Once upon a time, it might've taken explosives, or some charming Russian with too many scars.
Now?
She was the explosive.
The door vibrated under her touch. She adjusted the frequency with the finesse of a concert violinist—if said violinist wore a shoulder holster and preferred a blade over Bach.
Cracks bloomed. A hiss. A low rumble.
"Easy now, darling," she whispered to the stone, as if coaxing a spoiled dog to behave. "We don't want a collapse. I didn't claw my way out of Terrigen hell just to be crushed by subpar architecture."
A final pulse—and the stone fractured open, revealing the corridor.
No applause. No gods. Just dust and silence. Typical.
Seraphina swept through the ruined halls like a storm in designer boots. She didn't bother retracing her steps. Her new body knew the way—like the entire underground city was whispering directions into her bones.
Most women carried pepper spray. Seraphina carried precision.
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[ Ruined Watch Tower, Near Jungle Perimeter - Dawn ]
Breaking into sunlight like an apex predator stepping onto its private balcony, Seraphina emerged. Not a scratch. Not a falter. Just the subtle smirk of someone who'd stared death down and came out radiant.
She dropped her pack with disdain. "Finally," she muttered, stretching. "Three days without a shower. Somewhere, a spa is weeping."
The sun didn't dare blind her. Birds didn't dare squawk in her direction. The world seemed to sense the change.
Seraphina had always been dangerous.
Now she was divine.
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[ Hotel Room, Puerto Rico - Later That Night ]
Showered, robed, and with a glass of wine balanced effortlessly in hand, Seraphina inspected herself in the mirror. Platinum hair dripped over one shoulder. Her green eyes glowed faintly, alive with a threat that no concealer could mask.
She was taller. Sharper. Cleaner.
She leaned closer to the mirror, narrowed her gaze. "Still gorgeous," she said simply, before turning to her laptop. Time to check if her sudden transformation had triggered any digital alarms.
Nothing. No alerts. No Hydra pings. The world was quiet.
Too quiet.
Seraphina drummed her fingers across the keyboard. She felt a low vibration through her bones. The power wanted out. Her hands itched with it.
She exhaled slowly. Her reflection shimmered in the laptop screen like a prophecy.
"All right, world," she murmured. "Let's see how much shaking it takes before you pay attention."
She lay in bed, dressed in silk, power humming beneath her skin like a second heartbeat. She stared at the ceiling, not with doubt, but calculation.
Seraphina D'Angelo didn't believe in miracles. Only investments.
And this Terrigenesis?
This was the greatest return she'd ever received.
She would master it. Weaponize it.
And when the world saw her next, they wouldn't see a hacker.
They'd see an earthquake dressed in heels.
And they'd pray they weren't standing on her fault line.
To be continued...
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[ POWER STONES AND REVIEWS PLS ]