Chapter 2 - The Eclipse

The setting sun bathed Arcadia in a golden glow, casting long, foreboding shadows across the city streets.

Alice White pushed open the door to Clear Solutions, the weight of her earlier confrontation still humming in her muscles.

The dim office, cluttered with strange artifacts and the hum of half-fixed machinery, was her sanctuary amid the chaos.

With a sigh, she flipped on the old television mounted on the wall, hoping to drown out the lingering adrenaline with some idle distraction.

The screen crackled to life, and the familiar face of a news anchor appeared, her expression grave as the city's pulse flickered behind her.

"Good evening, Arcadia. We bring you yet another report on the ongoing consequences of the Eclipse Event, which transpired almost fourteen years ago and forever altered the course of our history."

Alice slouched into her chair, her eyes narrowing as the screen showed the haunting footage she had seen so many times before.

A surreal montage unfolded: the sun eclipsed by a menacing, unnatural shadow, panic in the streets, and then, as if summoned from nightmares, the Gifted—their powers erupting amidst the chaos.

A shiver ran down her spine as the images shifted to today's Arcadia, a city still reeling from the supernatural upheaval.

"Since the Eclipse, those labeled as 'Gifted' have risen to prominence," the anchor's voice intoned over the footage of destruction and strife.

"With their extraordinary abilities, they've reshaped society—sometimes for the better, often for the worse. Meanwhile, the Giftless, those left unchanged by the event, continue to grapple with their place in this altered world."

Alice's grip tightened around the armrest of her chair as the images shifted to clips of The O.R.D.E.R. marching through the streets—towering figures, draped in dark uniforms, supernatural creatures flanking them.

Their presence oozed with control, their mere appearance enough to instill both awe and dread. "The Order of Supernatural Defense and Enforcement Regiment, known simply as The O.R.D.E.R., claims to safeguard Arcadia. But their methods have been increasingly called into question."

A pang of bitterness rose in Alice's chest. She knew firsthand how the Gifted, particularly those in The O.R.D.E.R., viewed people like her—those without power, without influence.

The news shifted to interviews with citizens, and her heart clenched as their despair poured through the screen.

"Life was better before the Eclipse," a man muttered, his face etched with exhaustion. "Now, the Gifted run the world, and the rest of us? We're just trying to survive."

Another voice cut in—a woman's, choking back tears. "My brother was Giftless, like me. He was defending himself when The O.R.D.E.R. dragged him away. They said he was a threat. How could someone without powers be a threat?"

The images flickered to street battles—Gifted criminals facing off against police, buildings crumbling under the weight of powers neither side could control.

The divide between the Gifted and the Giftless had never been more evident, a chasm growing wider with each day.

And yet, as the camera returned to the news anchor, her voice softened. "Despite the ever-growing tension, there are those working to bridge the divide. Among them is Alice White, founder of Clear Solutions—a woman with no Gift, but a will of steel."

Alice's eyes flicked to the screen, watching her name appear in bold beneath a stock photo of herself, taken by a passerby some months ago.

Her face looked almost foreign, like an idealized version of the battle-weary woman sitting in the dim office now.

The warmth of recognition washed over her, but it was fleeting, chased away by the cold reminder of her mission.

Clear Solutions wasn't just a business—it was her way of fighting back, of showing Arcadia that the Giftless still had a role to play in this fractured world.

She didn't need a supernatural ability to stand up for those forgotten by the Eclipse's wake. Her strength came from something far deeper—something that couldn't be taken away.

As the broadcast ended and the static hissed in the sudden silence, Alice exhaled deeply, the dim light from the screen casting sharp shadows across her face.

Outside, the city roared on—its Gifted and Giftless grinding against each other like tectonic plates, waiting for the next eruption.

But here, in her cluttered office, she felt a flicker of purpose, a fire reigniting in her chest.

The world had changed—there was no denying that. The Eclipse had left its scar on the fabric of reality. But Alice wasn't about to let that scar define her, or the people who still clung to hope.

With every case she took, every life she touched, Alice chipped away at the darkness that had engulfed Arcadia, one confrontation at a time.

And as long as she could fight, she would.