The Five Evolution

『"Wait, wait! There’s a hit on your sister!"』

Amara stepped through the front door of the Patel home. The moment she got to the living room, she took in the scene at once.

Raj was standing stiffly, just waiting. Next to him, his mother’s eyes darted around the room cautiously, while Priya sat half-curled on the couch.

Slumped against the far wall, wrists bound and chin dropped to his chest like a discarded weight, was the target Raj had most likely taken down.

Mrs. Patel looked up first, and their eyes met. "Amara! It’s so good to see you again." She pulled her into a warm, heartfelt hug.

Amara returned it gently. "Nalini, it’s good to see you too."

"You too, my dear. You too." She pulled back and held Amara’s face in both hands for a moment. Then she exhaled and looked at the room around her.

Priya’s eyes lit up, hastily getting off the couch. "Amara!" she squealed.

Amara smiled and crouched down to her level. "Give me some."

They bumped knuckles, and Priya’s grin widened despite the tension in the room.

When Amara stood again, her gaze settled on Raj.

He looked like a man waiting to be told off. Shoulders slightly raised, jaw set, eyes doing that thing where they constantly dropped to the floor just long enough to be obvious.

For a moment, she didn’t speak, and Raj looked away first, staring at the ground again.

"I—" he started, then stopped.

Amara stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug. "You had everyone worried," she said quietly with her eyes closed. "I’m so glad you called."

Raj hesitated, then relaxed into it. "Yeah... me too."

The back door clicked open, and Ethan stepped in, scanning the house immediately out of habit. "All clear," he said.

His eyes moved to Raj’s mother and he straightened a bit. "Mrs. Patel. It’s a pleasure. I’m Ethan. We work with Raj."

Raj’s mother studied him for a second, then nodded politely. "So you’re his teammate..."

Priya leaned slightly toward Raj, whispering loudly enough not to be subtle. "You didn’t tell me your teammate was hot."

Raj froze, looking mortified. "Priya!" he said immediately. "We are not doing that."

Amara glanced at her with a small smile. "Careful. He’s taken."

Priya looked delighted by this information. Raj on the other hand, looked like he wanted to leave the country.

His fingers quickly flew to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. Then he cleared his throat. "Where’s Sophia?"

"She went to update Hiro on everything," Amara replied. "She’ll also need to get caught up eventually."

Then her attention shifted to the bound man as he groaned softly, regaining consciousness.

"I take it this is him?" she asked

"Yeah," Raj grunted. "He refuses to talk."

Amara’s expression hardened. "Maybe I can give it a try."

Nalini tugged at Raj’s sleeve, her voice was low when she spoke. "So she’s also one of these... five Awakeners? Like you?"

Raj nodded. "Yeah, Ma."

Amara walked forward, Angel’s Bane manifesting in her hand with a quiet glow of blue light. Priya leaned forward instantly, eyes bright with fascination.

Raj’s mother, however, looked like she was still trying to process the fact that her son’s life had taken a hard left turn into the impossible.

Amara pressed the blade lightly against the man’s neck. "Name," she said.

The man’s eyes flicked to the sword. Then he smiled. "You’re the friend, then." He looked her over. "You’re not exactly my type, sweetheart."

Amara didn’t blink or react. "Talk."

He chuckled. "Fine. Name is Jeffrey Colman."

Angel’s Bane hummed as he was immediately surrounded by red, but her neutral expression didn’t change.

"Bullshit."

The man’s smile faltered slightly. "Okay, okay—It’s Christopher. Christopher Zelman."

"Bullshit." She paused for a second, then leaned closer, voice dropping.

"You’re testing my patience," she whispered. "Unlike him," she said, tilting her head toward Raj, "I don’t have a line I’m worried about crossing with you. I see you only as the monster you are."

The blade pressed in just enough for a thin line of blood to form. "You threatened people I care about. I’m not a saint, and I am certainly no hero. Lie to me again, and I will not hesitate to cut you down."

Fear finally sharpened the man’s eyes. Then Amara straightened, her own eyes beginning to glow with a soft blue light as Angel’s Bane crackled softly against his neck.

"One more time. What is your name?"

The man’s gaze went glassy as his voice spilled out, empty and mechanical at first. "Zells. My name is Zells Web."

But he didn’t stop there, he kept talking. "I grew up in Toronto, apartment 9. My mother never n—" He stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. "What the— why am I saying this?"

Suddenly his eyes cleared, and he jerked back in shock. "What the fuck! Why did I just say all of that?"

Raj blinked. "That’s new. Right?"

Ethan folded his arms. "Yeah."

Amara went still, momentarily surprised too, but she saw the opportunity immediately and pressed forward. "What did you want with Priya?"

The truth flooded out of Zells before he could stop it. "There’s a hit out on her. When I saw it, I couldn’t pass it up. Getting to do what I love and get paid for it? Win-win."

He blurted out another truth about himself. "When I was thirteen, I had my first—" His jaw clenched as he fought it. She could see him fighting it, the muscles in his neck straining.

"Wait, what?" Raj said.

"Continue," she said.

"Fuck you!" he said abruptly. "I’ll fucking kill you, kill everyone you love!"

"What job?" Amara pressed, her expression unchanged. "Where did you find it?"

He shook his head hard. His whole body was rigid, fighting the pull of whatever Angel’s Bane was doing to him. Then he broke.

"Dark web," he gasped. "Someone posted it on a private board. A potential Awakener. Address was included. Sketch was included."His breathing quickened. "Please, stop."

"Dark web?" Ethan pulled out his laptop immediately and began typing.

Zells’ breathing came ragged now. "I don’t know who posted it. I don’t know who’s paying. I just—"

"Who ordered it?!" Amara pressed.

"I don’t know!" he gasped. "I don’t ask names, I just take jobs. I like this kind of work, I—" He suddenly stopped again, shuddering.

In the background, Raj’s mother pulled Priya closer, covering her eyes instinctively.

"Please," the man begged as sweat broke across his forehead. "Please. Take it off. It hurts. I’ll tell you whatever you want, just—"

Amara pulled Angel’s Bane back and stood. "Talk."

Zells’ words tumbled out fast and desperate. "I wasn’t going to hurt her, I swear, I was just watching to confirm she was awakening—"

Angel’s Bane hummed.

"Bullshit." Her eyebrow climbed up. "And what do you mean by confirm if she was awakening?"

Zells flinched. "Okay, okay!" He raised both hands over his neck. "I have with me a stolen Institute pad used to track new Awakeners. I was going to confirm, then eliminate her."

Ethan stopped typing on his laptop. "Alright, I’m in. I just need the site address."

"You heard him," Amara said.

"Dead-drop. That’s what people call it."Zells’ whole body was covered in sweat now. "It’s a site where rogues and criminals post jobs, services, information."

"You can’t be serious," Amara said. "There’s a Craigslist for criminal Awakeners?"

"It’s the internet," Ethan replied without looking up from his screen. "If there’s a market, someone creates a platform. The Institute keeps track of several of these dark webs, but it’s not easy."

"Someone tell me how that’s got to do with my sister?!" Raj demanded.

Amara crouched back down to meet his eyes. "Keep talking."

"It was anonymous, paid in crypto, all communications through encrypted channels." Zells wiped his forehead. "The posting said to observe the target at this address, confirm awakening signs, then—"

"Then what?" Amara asked.

"Then eliminate before she can fully manifest. Payment on proof of completion," Zells finished.

"Proof? Meaning what? Photos of her corpse?" Raj took a step forward and Ethan caught his arm.

"Not yet," he said quietly. "Let her finish."

Zells was talking faster now, desperate to cooperate. "The posting included a sketch, looked just like her, and detailed surveillance notes about her school and home address."

"Show us," Amara commanded.

Zells’ good hand fumbled for his phone, the other clearly broken from Raj’s earlier work. Ethan took it, bypassing the lock code through his laptop, and pulled up the dark web through encrypted browsers.

The posting was there, still active:

SURVEILLANCE & ELIMINATION TARGET

Location: 1428 Briarwood Avenue, Pacific Creek

Description:

Female, 14, dark hair, attending Greysummers Middle School

Payment:

$50,000 in crypto upon proof of completion

Timeframe:

URGENT

Below it, a sketch that looked exactly like Priya.

Raj’s hands were shaking. "Someone put a fifty-thousand-dollar hit on my little sister."

Nalini sat down slowly onto the nearest chair. Her voice came out very quiet. "My baby... someone paid to hurt my baby?"

Ethan stopped what he was doing on his laptop and looked at her briefly. Then he shifted his attention to Zells. "Do you have the contact information for whoever posted this?"

"It’s all anonymized, but—"Zells’ eyes darted between them, calculating. "Look, I can help you! I can contact them, say the job’s done, wait for their response! You can trace them when they reply!"

Amara looked at Ethan, her grip on Angel’s Bane hilt tightening. "Can we trace it?"

"If he makes contact and they respond, I can piggyback on the connection, track it through the encryption layers. Won’t be instant, but I can find them." Ethan’s expression was grim. "Assuming they respond at all."

"They will," Zells said desperately. "They’ve been pushing for updates, asking for status reports. They want this done fast."

"Then text them," Amara ordered. "Say the job’s complete. Wait for a response. And if you try anything clever, my boyfriend here will make sure you never type again."

Ethan looked up, a slight smile breaking through his serious expression. "I love when you call me your boyfriend."

"Focus," Amara replied, but her lips twitched.

Zells typed with his good hand, the message simple: Target eliminated. Proof available on request.

They waited.

Thirty seconds. A minute. Two minutes.

Raj’s mother had moved Priya to the hallway, both of them watching from a safe distance. His mom’s face was pale, processing the fact that someone had literally paid to have her daughter killed.

Then the phone buzzed and everyone leaned in.

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AMARA MURRAY | The Sword

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Spirit Weapon: Angel’s Bane (Sword of Truth)

Rank: Shaper

Ascendant Sigil: ▮▮ (2 Bars - Right Ribs)

Abilities Unlocked:

┣ Lie Detection

┣ Blade Memory

┣ Shockwave Slash

┣ Intent Sight

┣ Adaptive Combat Evolution

┣ Selective Slash

┣ True Fire

┣ Reality Slash

┣ Truth Compulsion

┣ ??? [LOCKED]

Status: Cold as ice, over-protective, still gets flustered when Ethan smiles at her