《Cursed Comprehension》


 An unexpected ending

    "Taxi!"


    Michael stood on the side of the road, desperately calling out to the passing vehicles, each one appearing for a moment and then gone the next.


    The torrent of rain poured heavily upon his uncovered head, soaking his coat in the process.


    Just great. He sighed, kicking a pebble onto the road. It simply had to rain now of all times? This country really is going to shit.


    Maybe he should just up and leave, like his friends had done. If no one in the entirety of Accra would accept his master''s degree in medical science, then maybe someone in the US or Canada would.


    Yeah, right. Echoed the bitter little voice in his head. As if you would be able to afford a passport, you can''t even buy a bag of rice.


    But Michael did with such thoughts what he usually did: He let it affect him and ruin his already bad mood.


    "BEEP! BEEP!"


    Michael looked up in surprise as a Taxi pulled over in front of him, the window rolling down to reveal the puzzled look of the taxi driver.


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    "Do you need a ride?" Questioned the driver.


    Michael nodded vigorously.


    "Yes please! How much will it be?"


    "Depends on where you''re going."


    "I''m headed to Klagon police station!"


    The driver rubbed his chin in thought, eventually providing the young man with a figure.


    "12 Cedis." he stated.


    "I''ll take it!" Michael replied, quickly opening the passenger-side door and plopping down on the soft fabric of the taxi seats.


    He removed his coat: A bright red hand-me-down from his elder brother, and set it down on the space beside him before closing the door.


    The car started moving, the hum of the engine serving as a melodic lullaby for the weary young man.


    His thoughts of sleep, however, were broken by the hoarse voice of the driver.


    "Are you coming from a job interview?" He inquired.


    His English was surprisingly eloquent compared to most of the other taxi-men Michael had met.


    "Yes." He responded.


    "They won''t hire you if you''re dressed like that." He stated, as if it were an empirical fact.


    Which it was.


    "Well," he retorted. "It''s the only good attire I own."


    The man let out a sharp, short laugh.


    "I guess that makes sense."


    The rest of the trip was then filled with silence, which was good for Michael, as it allowed him to focus on sleeping.


    It turned out not to be so good in the end, as the only warning Michael got of the incoming crash was an unnatural tingling in his left arm.


    And then everything went black.


    Blacker than it already was before.

 Reincarnation

    "Ato!" bellowed the Overseer, his deep voice jolting the insipid little boy awake. All the other teenagers surrounding him glanced at the boy with varying looks, ranging from curiosity to malicious glee.


    The young boy, who seemed to be just a little over the age of sixteen, awoke with a jolt, his eyes scanning the area for any clue of where he was.


    That proved to be a very unsuccessful endeavor, as the only thing his eyes could see was the large, leathery face of the Overseer, breathing heavily with his nostrils flared as if he were some sort of wild bull.


    The visage prompted a few giggles from the crowd of teenagers, all of whom quickly fell silent once the Overseer snapped his head their way.


    "Ato!" He began. "Why is it that you find it appropriate to fall asleep in my presence?"


    The boy could not answer.


    Or rather, he didn''t even register the question, as his mind was somewhere far away.


    Where the hell am I? Questioned Ato, the last thing he could remember before appearing here was the weird tingling in his arm.


    The Overseer waited for Ato''s answer, which did not come.


    So he expressed his displeasure as an Asante man was known to do.


    With his fists


    ''Bam!''


    Ato went flying, his bare arms coming into contact with the hot sand of the ground, eliciting a wince from the teenager.


    The Overseer raised his fist once more, preparing to unleash his fury upon the disrespectful boy, only to be stopped by an all too familiar sound.


    "Budum! Budum! Budum! Bum!"


    It was the sound of the talking drum, which was repeated thrice every four seconds for a full minute.


    Accompanying the drum was the message which was to be conveyed.


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    "Council! Council!" Shouted the drummer. "The chief requests a council! All able-bodied men are to meet under the baobab tree!"


    The Overseer dropped his fist, shooting Ato a scornful glance.


    "You got lucky, boy" He spat, before turning to the group of teenagers.


    "You all are dismissed. Get out of my sight."


    Saying this, the Overseer sauntered off.


    Ato rose to his feet, dusting the sand off his Kente.


    Strange... He thought. I certainly wasn''t wearing a Kente before, so where did this come from?


    It was then that he noticed exactly where he was.


    Ato was in the middle of a large courtyard, surrounded on all sides by simple clay huts with thatched roofing, which were further encompassed by large mud walls. He watched in interest as the crowd of teenagers dispersed into their respective huts, each one clutching a machete in their hand.


    The young man searched the floor for his machete, finding it half-buried in the sand.


    He picked it up and began to head towards the congregation of huts, only pausing once he realized something


    I don''t know where my hut is...


    Ato glanced around, trying to search his memory for any clue of where his hut was, all to no avail as his mind kept coming up blank, as if something was purposefully stopping him from accessing vital memories.


    Due to this, Ato decided to simply wander around the compound.


    He observed the children playing in the evening sun, the old men smoking their pipes outside their huts and the guards with their spears at the entrance to the compound.


    Everyone here seems so at ease.


    It was then that Ato discovered a strangely shaped object: A statue depicting an Ashanti woman, sitting on a stool.


    At the foot of the statue was a message written in a language that Ato didn''t recognize yet understood perfectly.


    It read: ''A Shrine to Asase Yaa: The Earth Mother''


    There was an Elderly man at the shrine, pouring out libation at the foot of the statue all while chanting esoterically.


    Ato stepped forward, bringing him into the sight of the Old man, who simply smiled at his presence.


    "So you have finally come, Ato."


    ***


    The old man was able to direct Ato to his hut, which was directly in the center of the congregation, he had also gained much needed insight into the current identity of the body he inhabited.


    For starters, the old man had informed him that he and all others within the confines of the walls, were slaves of the war general, Kwesi Ntum Bediako within the clan of Asakyiri which oversaw the Amanfuor and Edinkyem states respectively and was one of the eight main clans.


    He had gained insight into the backstory of his body as well, learning that Ato was a young Fante boy who was captured during a skirmish between the Asakyiri clan and a neighboring Fante clan.


    And there were also other, mostly useless snippets of information gained as well.


    Ato sighed, letting his thoughts wander back to his past life.


    I''m supposed to be feeling bad about my reincarnation, yet for some reason...


    He reclined into his bamboo bed.


    I feel so exited!


    He then closed his eyes, letting himself drift towards sleep.

 Cultivation

    Ato woke up quite early the next morning, roused by the incessant crowing of the local chicken, that damned creature never knew when to shut up even in his past life. Though, that could end up being a great boon for Ato, as he did not know when the slaves were scheduled to rise from bed.


    If there even was a schedule.


    He got up from his bamboo bed and began performing a few stretching exercises¡ªa habit from his past life.


    His roommate, a tall, lanky boy that he''d only met whilst lying in bed glanced at him strangely, staring at Ato as if he were some kind of alien existence.


    Which he was.


    "What are you doing?" he asked, sitting cross legged on the bed.


    "Stretching" Ato answered simply.


    "Stret-ching?" Echoed the boy awkwardly. "Is it a type of dance?"


    Ato simply nodded, expressing his unwillingness to continue the conversation any further.


    Luckily, the other boy knew how to take a hint.


    Glancing at the sky through the hut''s singular window, Ato''s roommate spoke out loud: "It''s almost time for the drills, I''d better get ready."


    He then grabbed his machete, which lay by the side of the bed, and exited the hut, followed closely by Ato, who had mirrored his actions to the letter.


    The two then passed through a complex network of roads and alleyways, soon arriving at a large, tiled courtyard, where a small congregation of 15-17 year olds had gathered, each one standing at attention and gazing reverently at the man atop a large stone platform.


    Ato and his roommate quickly fell in line, with Ato trying his hardest to imitate the stances of the people before him.


    The Courtyard was quite spacious, ensuring that each teen had their own personal space.


    Ato had only just realized that he had aged down.


    He had no time to dwell on this though, as the man suddenly shouted a greeting, brandishing his machete.


    "Maa chi!" He bellowed, raising his machete above his head


    ""Maa Chi!"" Echoed the teens, each one mirroring his actions.


    The man then began to wildly swing his machete, as if he were in a battle with the air itself, an action which was perfectly mirrored by the teens and Ato as well.


    The man performed slices, thrusts, blocks and even parries, further cementing the idea that he was engaged in some kind of battle with the wind, his legs seemed like they had minds of their own, moving back and forth and left and right in a strange ritualistic dance.


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    He truly embodied the phrase: "Fighting Demons."


    Ato replicated the actions as best as he could, swinging his machete with wild abandon.


    At first, he did not think much of the esoteric dance, seeing it as nothing but a strange morning ritual. But as the sun began to rise, Ato noticed something strange going on within him.


    His body had started to heat up, his temperature climbing higher and higher with each movement until beads of sweat began forming on his body, the bodily fluid forming a small puddle underneath him.


    Eventually though, he stopped sweating altogether, the reason being that his sweat had begun to literally evaporate instantly upon appearing on his skin.


    The extreme internal heat caused Ato''s mouth to dry up, his lungs began to burn and his heart began to thump fiercely, the sensation of his blood thumping becoming very apparent to him.


    It felt as if he could see within himself, as if he''d suddenly switched from a 1st to 3rd person point of view.


    It felt... exhilarating.


    As the sun climbed higher in the sky, this feeling grew even more intense, causing Ato to lose his sense of time completely as he continued with the exercise far after the man and everyone else had stopped.


    And he was not the only one.


    Countless teens from among the congregation also experienced this unusual sensation, they kept going and going and going.


    Until they began to glow, literally.


    A golden light reminiscent of the rays of the sun erupted from underneath Ato''s skin, filling him with a sense of freedom and euphoria.


    There was a sense of weightlessness and then, a very distinct "Ka-tcha!" as the light was absorbed within Ato, nestling itself deep within his body.


    Similar events occurred within the courtyard, prompting various Oohs and Aahs from the crowd of teenagers.


    The man on the platform smiled, projecting his voice to the group before him.


    What a promising bunch.


    "Congratulations to those who have manifested their Kra." He said, the joy evident in his voice. "You have now begun on the path of Immortal cultivation!"


    But Ato did not hear this message, as he, and all those who had undergone a similar event, passed out from the sheer stress of their great accomplishment.


    The smile on the man''s face grew wider.


    What a truly promising bunch of potential soldiers.


    ***


    Ato groggily opened his eyes finding himself in the same hut he woke up in, his roommate sat on the ground, roasting a whole chicken on a metal tray thing.


    The aroma of food was extremely exciting to Ato, who felt his stomach begin to rumble in hunger.


    "You could cook?" He said incredulously.


    His roommate looked at him as if he were stupid.


    "Everyone can."


    Ato thought it wise to ask no further questions.


    "The instructor says we''ve broken through." Said the boy, flipping the chicken over with his bare hands.


    What a freakishly useful skill... Mused Ato, before registering what the boy said.


    Ato was quite slow.


    "Broken through?"


    The boy nodded, breaking of a chicken wing to chew on.


    "He talked about some kind of heavenly will, and said we''ll be transferred to another class to learn spells and techniques."


    The boy sighed while munching on the wing. "Frankly, it seems like way too much work, I''d much rather be a farmer."


    "Why?" Ato asked, leaning forward to grab a wing as well.


    He ended up getting burnt.


    The boy laughed and Ato scowled, though he was quite surprised to discover that the burn was healing, albeit quite slowly.


    "Look at this." He said, showing the healing injury to the boy, who looked quite surprised to discover the nifty ability.


    He was about to say something, only to be interrupted by the loud voice of the messenger.


    "All Slaves who broke through, assemble in the courtyard!"


    The boy sighed again.


    "It seems we won''t be able to finish roasting the chicken."


    Saying that, both he and Ato rose to gather at the second assembly of the day.

 The root check

    The two roommates quickly found their way to the courtayrd, where a group of 5 teens were already waiting.


    The group consisted of 3 females and two males, all of whom were quite friendly towards Ato and his roommate, who he still did not know the name of and was too embarrased to ask of.


    "So," Began one of the girls, adressing Ato''s roomate. "How did it feel when you broke through?"


    He pause for a second, racking his brain to come up with a proper description, before finally answering.


    "It felt like by body was on fire, then I felt lightheaded, and then there was a cracking sound kinda like this." He picked up a twig from the ground and snapped it, using that as a demonstration of the sound of his breakthrough.


    "That''s kinda like how I felt." Chimed one of the other boys.


    "Yeah, me too."


    "I felt the same way."


    The group spent the next few hours discussing their prospects for immortal cultivation and playing a variety of games, all of which Ato unwillingly participated in.


    Totally unwillingly.


    He wanted nothing to do with them and felt absolutely no sense of nostalgia from the games they played.


    And, as it turned out, their breakthrough had drastically increased their energy levels and athleticism, resulting in games of tag that were just a bit too high octane and went on for a very long time.


    Eventually though, they calmed down and simply sat around wating for whoever was supposed to meet them.


    Said person did come, but not in the manner they expected.


    They were all simply sitting on the ground, playing a rudimentary form of the game checkers, when suddenly, a pillar of fire sprung up from the ground, the golden glow lighting up the now dark courtyard.


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    Each of the teens quickly fell on their knees and began bowing to the pillar, an action which Ato replicated.


    A snort came from the pillar, and out stepped on old woman, her face painted in black and white colours, she held a grey walking stick in her right hand, which she used to prod the teenagers, instructing them to rise, an order which they complied with.


    "The one of you who is called Esi may step forward." She commanded, boredom apparent on her face as one of the girls stepped forward.


    "Place your hand on my palm, girl."


    Esi complied, putting her outstretched palm on the old woman''s.


    The old lady stood still as a statue for a brief second, her eyes turning grey and misty.


    "Single root Sunsum: No element" She stated in a robotical manner, before retracting her palm in a swift motion.


    "Kweku denkyem, step forward."


    Ato''s roommate quickly stepped forward, anxiety visible on his brown face.


    He repeated the same actions as the girl before, and the old lady underwent the same transformation.


    "Half root Sunsum: Minor Earth element."


    She then retracted her palm, and repeated the same actions for the rest of the group.


    "Kwame Boadi: Single root Sunsum: No element."


    "Fiifi Nfansesem: Single root Sunsum: No element."


    " Abena: One-and-half root Sunsum: Lesser Fire element."


    " Yaa Nsem: Single root Sunsum: Moderate Wind element."


    And then it was Ato''s turn.


    "Ato." Called the woman "Come forth."


    Ato stepped forward and placed his hand on the old lady''s palm, watching with interest as her eyes went grey.


    He felt something like a wispy tendril enter his body, feeling around for something within him.


    "Double root Sunsum: No element."


    He had half expected this, yet it still stung to know that he didn''t have an element.


    The old lady retracted her hand and turned to adress the small group, the authority behind her voice being clear as day.


    "Those of you without an element will be granted the basic cultivation technique and non-elemental spells, while those with an element shall be granted spells and techniques related to their respective elements."


    She then turned to leave, summoning the pillar of flame once again, but not without giving a closing speech.


    "Now that you have embarked on the road to Immortal cultivation, you are expected to serve the Clan and the Empire, insubordination shall not be tolerated and traitors shall expect to recieve swift retribution. I hope you shall not dissapoint the man who brought you here, you are free to go."


    Saying that, she stepped into pillar dissapearing and leaving the group of teenagers behind.


    This whole time Ato had been thinking only one thing.


    I wonder what her cultivation realm is...

 Kwekus story

    Kweku Denkyem was a smart child, or at least, he thought of himself as such.


    He was always one to question things, and his childhood was filled with endless queries about why and how the world worked, which no doubt vexed his parents and family members to a great degree.


    It was this same curiosity that led to his eventual capture and the destruction of his village, an event which haunted the young Kweku to a great degree, ensuring that his every moment of sleep would not be one of relaxation, and his every waking moment would not be one of respite.


    Yet, it was that event which also exposed him to the world of immortal cultivation, a concept he had thought of as merely a myth, despite his mother''s best efforts to convince him that there were certain people he simply couldn''t offend.


    In a way, it was quite ironic. His curiosity, which he had thought of as his greatest asset in life, turned out to be the very thing that doomed those around him. The clan, the village, the entire state was wiped out within the span of a single day.


    All because a little boy dared to ask a question.


    And what was this question? This taboo query that dared escape the mouth of the little boy.


    It was a simple: "Why do we serve the king?"


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    The questioning of a single person of authority¡ªthe question of what made them so great¡ªwas the question for which the one on the golden stool saw it fit to punish an entire clan.


    It was a day that Kweku would never forget, the day that the sky turned red, shattering like an earthenware pot and raining down a hail of fire upon the unsuspecting people, the screams of terror and the hopeless expressions of the people still haunted him today, their ghastly faces still making regular appearances in his minds eye.


    No one was meant to make it out alive, and yet, Kweku did.


    And he did not¡ªnot for a single second¡ªpresume that it was by chance.


    Somebody had wanted him alive, someone powerful, whose thoughts he couldn''t even begin to comprehend.


    Whether it was to teach him a lesson, or if it was out of pity, Kweku did not know and frankly he couldn''t care less.


    The only thing that he was sure of, was that the only way he could stay alive and in the know was to embark on immortal cultivation, raising his power and worth in the eyes of the Clan and eventually, even the Asantehene himself.


    But to do that he needed allies.


    Kweku stared contemplatingly at the back of Ato, trying to determing whether or not he would be useful in the long run.


    After staring at him for a few minutes or so, he decided that it would be good to get as much help as possible.


    Especially from one as Talented as Ato.


    A double root Sunsum was not exactly rare, but it wasn''t very common as well, it was said that only 1 in every 3 people had a double root Sunsum, and compared with the Empire''s high population of 20 million cultivators, the double root Sunsum was quite uncommon.


    This was why Kweku was quite sure that the Clan would invest as many recources as possible into the young boy, and he would maske sure that he would become a vital pillar of support for him.

 Wierdo

    Ato woke up even earlier the next day, courtesy of the same. Fucking. Chicken!


    Where the fuck is my machete?


    He grabbed the machete and stormed out the house, and one shrill cluck later, he returned, grabbing a now headless chicken by it feet.


    Kweku was now aswake staring at him strangely.


    "What?"


    "..."


    "What?"


    "..."


    "Look- The chicken was pissing me off, okay?"


    Kweku did not respond, staring intently at the headless fowl.


    "So are we gonna cook it?"


    They decided it was best to cook the chicken.


    ''Nom.''


    ''Nom, Nom.''


    ''Chomp.''


    "Could you stop eating so loudly?"


    Ato stopped and looked at his roommate, his mouth stuffed with chicken meat.


    He licked his greasy fingers.


    "Ugh-!"


    They soon left the house at the behest of the messenger, who told them to gather at the farm.


    Ato stood before a vast plain, gold topped stalks of maize stretching as far as the eye could see, hunched over within the tall stalks were people armed with cutlasses, busy cutting away at the stalks of maize before them.


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    Kweku walked into the field and began chopping, and so did Ato.


    Albeit a little less gracefully.


    ''Swish!''


    ''Swish!''


    ''Swish!''


    The sounds of multiple cutlasses waving through the stalks resonated with each other beautifully, creating what could only be described as a natural melody.


    And weaving in and out of these sounds, like a drunk tapeworm in the digestive system... Was the sound pf Ato''s own cutlass.


    ''Swish!''


    ''Swish!''


    ''Sw- Clang!''


    "Oh damn, I hit a stone..."


    It was strange, it was finnicky, it was unskillful in every sense of the word...


    Yet it was his, and he loved it dearly.


    Others... Not so much.


    But the opinions of others did not matter to Ato.


    The ones of the supervisor though...


    They mattered a whole lot more.


    "What the hell is this?!"


    The supervisor hurled a pile of bisected maize heads at the feet of a farm worker, who seemed on the verge of tears.


    Scratch that, the poor guy actually started bawling his eyes out.


    "Shut up!"


    The supervisor slammed his fist into the worker''s gut sending him flying back.


    A sickening crack could be heard as the Worker landed on his arm, bendind it unnaturally.


    "GAAAH!"


    Each person in the room cringed involuntarily at the shocking display of brutality, while the culprit himself stmply scoffed, uncaring about the fact that he had just injured another human being.


    The guy was carried away by two other men, tears streaming down his face.


    The supervisor turned to the girl standing in front of Ato.


    A girl he recognised: Esi.


    She began to shiver as the supervisor approached her in a slow deliberate walk.


    She presented her basket, her fingers shivering out of fear.


    The supervisor glanced within and scoffed, waving his hands in dismissal.


    Esi immediately ran from there, relief paining her face.


    The supervisor then turned to Ato.


    "What about you?"


    Ato stared at the man, his hazel eyes gazing inquisitively at the man''s left hand: the same one he used to hit the worker before.


    "Well?" asked he. "Where is your basket?"


    Ato brought out a relatively large yellow object from his house; a maize head.


    "This is all i could get. I wasn''t provided with a basket, sir."


    The supervisor''s eyes narrowed, his fist clenching tightly.


    Ato never kept his eyes of that fist.


    Then, it came, his fist shot out like a bullet aiming towards Ato''s head.


    ''Swoosh!''


    Ato felt all the hairs on his body stand on edge as he ducked under the punch, narrowly avoiding a possibly debilitating injury.


    He kept his eyes fixed on the supervisor''s body, scanning it for even the tiniest movement.


    Even in this situation, caused exactly by his own incompetence, Ato''s lips drew back, curing into and unmistakeable grin.


    This set off the Supervisor.


    His leg shot out next, a blow which Ato yet again avoided.


    The supervisor then suddenly halted, causing a slight frow to appear on Ato''s face.


    He threw the Maize head into Esi''s basket as he walked away.


    Tch... Ruined all my fun.


    The Supervisor watched him walk away, a look contemplating look in his eyes.

 Cultivating

    Ato sat on his bed, sating at the objects infront of him.


    They appeared to be two grey, stony slabs with strangely uniform edges, inscribed on their surfaces were strange esoteric symbols, of large eyes and strange, string-like drawings of humans and all sorts of wierd caricatures.


    Ato recalled the instructions from the man earlier.


    ''just place it on my head...'' Like this?


    He tapped the first stone to his head, and instanly felt his eyes roll to the back of his head as a stream of information flooded his mind. He felt his head swelling from the absolute influx of information.


    Sunsum stimulation... Energy of heaven and earth... refining the Kra...


    He pressed his hands to his temples, massaging them to alleviate the pain.


    A faint smile appeared on his face as he grabbed the next stone, repeating the process with renewed vigor.


    This time, the influx was less painful, and even felt quite nice too, like a scalp massage.


    The information was more organised this time too.


    The first slab was called the ''Basic cultivation technique'' and spoke about how to gather divine energy or Kra, into his body.


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    He sat cross legged on the bed, and took a long breath, holding it for as long as he could.


    He then exhaled, and Inhaled again, maintaining it for the same length of time.


    He repeated the process over and over again, each repetition causing a strange warmth to rise through his body and gather near his heart.


    So this is Kra...


    The warmth began steadily rising, quickly turning into a searing heat.


    That was when Ato knew to stop.


    According to the technique, Ato was to stop immediately once the searing heat was not accompanied by a cracking sound¡ªthe usual sign of a breakthrough¡ªlest he incur backlash.


    He rose from his bed, placing his hand near his warm, thumping heart. He had just gathered his first bit of Kra.


    And he was excited to test it out.


    A flood of information overtook his mind as he recalled the spell he was itching to try.


    The Immobilisation spell.


    As its name suggested, the spell was used to render any animate object immobile.


    Ato stepped out the Hut, finding a chicken right oustide its entrance.


    Perfect.


    He stretched out his hand, and felt a small sliver of Kra separate from the greater congregation, traveling across his shoulder and into the palm of hand.


    [Immobilise]


    A beam of light shot out from his hand, hitting the chicken square in the chest and freezing it mid walk.


    Ato walked up to the chicken, prodding it on the chest with his finger.


    The chicken''s skin felt like a thin silk film, it seemed as if even a light prodding from him would break the spell.


    Ato expected the spell to actively drain his mana to be sustained, yet it did not.


    Fascinating!


    After a few minutes, the chicken finally broke out of Ato''s control, prancing away proudly, as a cock should.


    Proud bastard.


    It was also at this moment that Kweku returned from god-knows-where.


    And he looked...


    Strange.

 Unexpected

    Kweku shuffled over to his bed, practically throwing himself onto its hard bamboo surface, his eyes were dark and sunken, his brown skin drawn tight against his wide cheekbones and streamlined jaw.


    He clutched a small object tightly in his left hand, gripping it as if it were his own heart.


    It seemed to be a small ball, which glowed softly in the darkness, barely illuminating the room.


    "Ato..." He called out, his voice dry and croaky. "Water..."


    Ato reached out, grabbing a gourd from the corner of his bed.


    He passed the gourd to Kweku, who greedily gulped down every last drop of water within it.


    He then lifted his hand, bringing the orb into contact with his lips...


    And immediately swallowed it.


    "What the Fuck!"


    Ato stared in disgust at the now meditating Kweku, who simply sat on the bed as if nothing had happened.


    He remained in that position for a few minutes, before quickly snapping his eyes open.


    Kweku''s countenance had visibly improved, the once dark dreary bags beneath his eyes were now replaced by soft and supple skin, his gaunt figure had become much meatier in terms of muscle, and he certainly seemed to have gained a few centimeters in height.


    No way... Did he just break through?


    It seemed whatever object his roomate had just ingested had allowed him to achieve a higher rank, elevating him from the first tier of Body Tempering to the second.


    Kweku stretched out his hand, and it was immediately encased and a shell of hardened earth, which ran all the way up to this shoulder.


    So that''s his spell...


    Ato felt quite annoyed that he couldn''t learn it.


    After dispelling the spell, Kweku went back to bed, and so did Ato.


    Or at least, he tried to.


    His mind kept wandering back to the event on the farm, the momentary adrenaline rush bringin a huge smile to his face.


    It was so fun!


    Yet it was also very, very scary.


    Ato was completely unsure how he''d managed to dodge all those hits, or why he''d provoked the supervisor in the first place.


    Fucking liar... Said the voice in his head, one which he had not heard in a long time. You know damn well why.


    Ato, for once, succeeded in ignoring the voice, and finally managed to get himself to bed.


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    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "Kokorokroo!"


    ''Bam!''


    Ato violently banged his head against the wall of his hut, the action eliciting a sharp hiss from him.


    The chicken gave its final cluck yet again, and Ato now sat over a fire, holding his hand over the open flame.


    whereas before he would have gotten nasty burns from doing that, now he could simply place his palm over it, only feeling a sight discomfort.


    He observed his hand, feeling the mystical energy swirl around it, protecting him from the searing heat of the flame; The kra within him had unconsiously moved to prevent him from getting burnt, while at the same time being slowly burnt.


    He retracted his hand, feeling his Kra refill to its former capacity.


    That was a concept he didn''t quite understand.


    From what Ato knew, one had to gather Kra within them until their bodies couldn''t contain it anymore, the different stages of the cultivation realms were simply different thresholds of gathered Kra, with one reaching ''full capacity'' once they had attained the fifth stage of Body tempering.


    Since one''s Kra was usually at a constant level, any reduction in Kra would usually be passively restored to its original capacity.


    This meant that the only way to increase One''s Kra capacity was through the usage of the cultivation techiques, which were methonds used to gather Kra to one''s self and refine it once the person had reached the required level.


    And just like in Ato''s old world, some methods were simply better than others, or required specific constitutions.


    If this world was anything like those cultivation novels he''d read online, then there were probably a wide array of cultivation techniques, with some of them probably containing their own spells within them.


    As he glanced over at the sleeping Kweku, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.


    Could he be one of ''Heaven''s favoured''?


    The concept of ''he favoured by the heavens'' was always an interesting part of any xianxia story, whether they be self-righteous douchebags, or black-hearted mass-murderers, they were always a common existence within the world of the story.


    And Kweku''s little stunt just so happened to fit the bill.


    Ato wouldn''t be surprised if he suddenly woke up and began asking if he too could hear the old man''s voice.


    Chuckling a bit at the thought, Ato crossed his legs and began cultivating, aiming to gather as much Kra as he could.


    An hour later, he stopped, feeling his Kra surge and swell before settling down.


    He''d managed to nearly double his current Kra reserves, which brought a smile to his face.


    Ato glanced up at the sun through the window of his hut, normally they would already have been called out to work, but it seemed today was a weekend of sorts.


    Seeing as Kweku was still asleep, Ato decided it was about time for him to take a nice, long stroll.


    He left the hut in a jovial mood, watching the birds in the sky go by.


    "Weee!" A child raced by, pursued by three other children, all with big smiles on their tiny faces.


    "Get back here!" giggled the others, picking up the pace.


    It was a cute little scene, which would have been even cuter if he hadn''t suddenly been reminded of the fact that they were all simply slaves, with no free will of their own.


    The sound of bones snapping echoed through his mind as he recalled the sight of the farm worker squirming and screaming as his arm lay uselessly by his side.


    I''ve got to lay low...


    But he was a bit fucked in that regard wasn''t he? Everywhere he went, people glanced his way, whispering quietly about his supposed fight with the supervisor, the events of which had been greatly exagerated.


    "Come here..."


    A slender arm wrapped around him, dragging him into an alleyway.


    In the alley, Ato finally got a look at his kidnapper, who just so happened to be one of the girls from the courtyard: Abena.


    She was dressed a little differently.


    Abena wore a light wool vest, which ended just above her knee. And loose cotton trousers, which almost encompassed her feet, virtually hiding them from view.


    A little brass charm hung from the right side of her attire, one which Ato just so happened to recognise.


    "You''re in the army?"


    Abena looked surprised at his question, fingering one of the long strands of braided hair that found their way out of her bun.


    <div>


    "Well, yes, but that''s not why I''m here."


    She took a deep breath, steeling her resolve.


    "Ato." she began. "I want you to fight me."

 A good fight.

    "Huh?"


    Abena looked at him expectantly, eagerness evident in her eyes.


    "So?" She began. "How about it?"


    Ato held out his hand, stopping her right in her tracks.


    "Why me?" He inquired, already anticipating the answer she would give.


    "Why wouldn''t it be you? After all, you were the one who fought toe-to-toe with the supervisor." she stated.


    There it is.


    Ato sighed, lifting his head up towards the sky.


    Why couldn''t he have been reborn as a bird or something? That would probably be much more interesting than livng as a human again.


    Then again, he wasn''t quite sure that bird could cultivate.


    "Fine..." He sighed, lifting his hands up to his face in a boxer''s stance.


    Abena raised an eyebrow at the strange stance, yet ultimately decided against commenting.


    Her foot swept out, catching Ato by the knee and flinging him into the air.


    She then quickly followed it up by sending out a swift punch which impacted Ato''s abdomen, nocking the air right out of his lungs.


    Her leg then shot towards his face...


    [Immobilise]


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    Only to immediately halt, along with the rest of her body as Ato cast his insidious spell.


    Perfect.


    His fist shot out like a bullet, smashing violently into the girl''s chin and completely shattering the spell.


    This was of no consequence though, as Ato still contained enough Kra within him to continue casting the spell.


    Abena quickly recovered, sending a kick straight towards him.


    Due to her superior battle knowledge, she currently had the advantage in the fight.


    That would change soon.


    [Immobilise]


    Ato raised his leg, delivering a brutal axe kick to the shoulder of his opponent.


    "GHK!" The sudden blow stunned Abena, her face contoring into an expression of pain.


    ''Bam!''


    His fist came next, the mighty blow turning her face to the side.


    Abena leapt backwards, aiming to create distance between herself and Ato.


    This is bad!  She thought. He''s stronger than I expected!


    Ato, on the other hand, was frowning internally, his Kra reserves wre almost depleted, he could only cast one more spell before completely running out of useable Kra.


    I''ve got to make this count.


    He dashed forward, ducking under a kick and sidestepping a punch, bringing him into direct contact with his foe.


    [Immoblise}


    ''BAM!''


    Ato''s eyes widened in shock, as dark spots began popping up in his field of view, which quickly began to blur.


    "What... The..."


    His eyes rolled back into his skull as he fell forward, his face planting fimly into the dust.


    "Huff... Huff....!"


    Abena breathed heavily, clutching the brass charm tightly in her now extended fist.


    <div>


    She glanced down at her downed opponent, a slight smile gracing her lips. Ato had been strong¡ªvery strong¡ªalthough Abena wasn''t sure whether it was due to his physicality or the sheer brokenness of his spell.


    "Seriously, who the fuck gives a low level cultivatior a spell like that?" She muttered, picking the unconsious Ato and slinging him over her back.


    It wasn''t as if she was going to leave him there.


    "Now, where the hell was Kweku''s hut?"


    A slight grimace appeared on her face as she spoke that name.


    Kweku, for someone with such a low-quality Sunsum, was surprisingly strong. She''d managed to beat every cultivator in her age group, yet he was the only exception.


    She glanced yet again at her opponent, he too had almost become an exception.


    It''s a good thing I came prepared...


    She brushed off those thoughts as she walked forward. Abena had finally been able to join the army.


    Her path to freedom was clear.

 In the hut

    Abena trudged begrudgingly towards Kweku''s hut, the slumped figure of Ato resing on her back.


    The young man in question had been unconscious for way longer than She had anticipated, which was probably an expected result.


    I must have used too much force.


    As it turned out, military issued charms packed much more of a punch than she thought.


    She entered the hut, seeing as its door was left ajar, and plopped the still unconscious Ato onto his bamboo bed.


    Not that she knew which one was his.


    Abena turned to leave.


    "Going so soon?"


    She spun round, coming face to face with the one person she wished to see the least.


    Kweku sat in the corner of the room, busily fiddling with a large, circular object that seemed to be made of gold, though Abena knew very well the difference between gold and clay.


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    "A soulwasher?" She aked, a look of intrigue painting her face. "Who gave it to you?"


    Kweku ignared her, instead focusing his attention on the soulwasher in his hands. His fingers glided over the object, expertly shifting and rearranging its components into an intricate image, which resembled a mural of sorts.


    Kweku let out a sigh of relief, gently placing the now shimmering Soulwasher onto an ornamental stool.


    "Seriously, where the hell do you get this stuff?"


    Kweku sighed yet again, taking a large gulp of water.


    "I broke through." He stated simply.


    "Broke through!?" Abena''s eyes widened in shock, becoming as large as saucers.


    "Dont'' be so loud..." He raised his arms up to his ears. "The arrangement took a toll on me."


    He was referring to the arrangement of the Soulwasher pieces, a daunting task that could take upwards of three hours to complete, as such, the work was only given to people like the shrinekeepers or Okomfo.


    Yet somehow, Kweku had gotten his hands on one.


    "The old man."


    Kweku gave her a confused glance.


    "What?"


    "The old man," she repeated. "He''s the one who gave it to you¡ªthe soulwasher."


    Kweku''s face remained impassive, a quality which she found quite annoying.


    "Say something, will you? My god, you''re so annoying..."


    Kwkeu turned to her, finally adressing her.


    "When did you join the army?"


    Abena felt like punching something.

 Connecting The Dots (Which Might not Be There)

    "Seriously, thats what you ask?"


    "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to."


    Kweku waved dismissively, shooing the girl away.


    "Please leave, I need to rest."


    Abena huffed off, muttering a silent "Asshole." under her breath as she left the hut.


    The young man stared at her retreating figure, specifically at her attire; dark, woolly, and loose, it flowed about her like a silky robe. The jingle of the brass charm could be heard as it clinked against her clothes.


    The material of the clothing was not bad, at least by mundane standards. The large, long vest was made from the finely woven black-bull cotton of the similarly named black-bull plant, while the woolly trousers were made from the fleece of the short-necked sheep.


    "The military, huh?"


    Kwku hummed thoughtfully.


    "That could be useful..."


    He turned his attention to the unconscious Ato, who still lay on the bed.


    "That girl..." He sighed, Abena had made his already busy day much busier. Military grade charms really weren''t easy to counter.


    Luckily, he had something that might work...


    MIght.


    Kweku retrieved a small earthenware chunk from the folds of his cloth, and placed it upon the chest of his unconscious rooomate.


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    He then pulled out a small chisel, which was barely the size of a nail.


    The chisel had been inscribed with special runes which made it vibrate at high speeds, allowing for someone to carve easily on stone surfaces.


    It was the only thing he''d been able to rescue from his home.


    He began carving on the chunk, stopping each time to observe the complexion of his patient, making alterations as he went.


    Laboured breathing... Ashy complexion...


    His chisel shaped symbols upon the clay chunk, each one containing a complex meaning.


    Kweku remembered fondly the words of his father.


    "The art of curse removal is a hard one..." He would say. "You must not only observe the patient, but have an intricate knowledge of both the curse and the manner in which they were cursed."


    His father, Osei Denkyem, was a well-known curse remover, and it had been the dream of young Kweku to one day become like that great man.


    Though, it seemed now that his dreams would remain just that.


    Sometimes, Kweku wondered why he had even bothered hiding his expertise, the young him had been quite the cautious fellow, a quality even more amplified by the disaster which befell him on that day.


    "Urgh..."


    Ato awoke groggily, his eyes covered by a thick layer of rheum which inhibited his visual capabilities.


    He propped himself up, picking the gunk out of his eyes.


    It doesn''t make sense...


    Ato was winning that fight, it was certain, it was guaranteed...


    Until it wasn''t


    Abena had done something, and then Ato found himself lying on the floor, gasping for breath like a fish out of water.


    He still remembered the feeling; as if someone had just punched him right in the liver a thousand times over.


    Ato shuddered, feeling the goosebumps rise on his skin. He never wanted to experience such a sensation ever agian.


    "You okay?"


    He turned towards Kweku, who was slumped over his bed, looking more corpse than man.


    "I should be asking you that question."


    Kweku let out a small chuckle: "You''re right about that..."


    There was a brief moment of silence, and then Ato spoke:


    "Who brought me here?"


    "Abena." Replied Kweku, in a very strange tone.


    "What was that?"


    "What?"


    "Your voice." Elaborated Ato.


    "What about my voice?"


    Ato thought for a moment, before finally coming to a sidden realisation.


    "Oooh, I see how it is~"


    "What?"


    "Nothing~"


    Ato giggled silently, it seemed Kweku was into strong women.


    "Could you stop doing that?"


    "Oh, so you caught on?"


    "Kill yourself."


    Hehe... How hilarious.

 Unusual happenings

    The next day, Ato woke up with a bright smile on his face, due to having successfully tormented Kweku the day before.


    He really was an emotional vampire.


    The sounds of the chickens echoed through the air, yet Ato didn''t feel even an ounce of annoyance, prancing joyously ot the hut.


    "Good day, sir chicken!"


    Lady Clucklaine IV, being the illustrious and self-respecting hen that she was, took great offense at the misappropriation of her gender, and made quite sure to repay the slight with a fierce peck to the toe of the ignorant being.


    What the noble hen didn''t account for, however, was the sheer strength of the human''s kick.


    "Cacaw!"


    Ato punted the hen, sending it flying past the trees.


    Was it animal abuse? Yes.


    Did he care? No.


    Kweku popped his head out the entrance of the hut, drowsiness still visible in his eyes.


    "What the hell are you doing? The sun isn''t even up."


    Ato looked up at the sky, sure enough, there was little sunlight to be seen.


    Wierd... I still see normally...


    If he hadn''t already been cultivating, he would have though it a simple side effect of his current cultiviation rank, which had not changed much due to his laziness.


    I really need to start cultivating.


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    Kweku had already broken through, and Ato was certainly not about to let himself lag behind. How would he be able to face his fellow reincarnators after all?


    Come to think of it, are there even any other reincarnators?


    Ato wasn''t the type to think that he was some kind of special person, ecah action he took in his past life and this one was one filled with endless caution and wariness.


    Or at least, it should have been.


    It seemed that the novelty of reincarnation had gotten to his head; he couldn''t even imagine himself making the decisions he had made in the past few days¡ªnot after all those oaths he''d sworn.


    He let out a dark chuckle and returned to the hut. Cultivation would certainly help get rid of such thoughts.


    Sitting with his legs crossed underneath him, Ato took a deep breath, trying to absorb as much Kra as possible.


    His expression was strained, his brows furrowed in concentration. Sensing Kra was tough work, and drawing it in was even harder; it was like trying to fill a basket full of water, except the basket was absolutely filled with holes.


    Ato had read about a Fetish Priest who did that once.


    As the minutes flew by, Ato became increasingly unaware of himself, his thoughts becoming mere whispers as he reached a part of his consciousness previously unknown.


    It was then that he felt it; the elusive sensation af Kra.


    It was like a wisp of smoke, floating aimlessly in the air¡ªthat was until he inhaled, drawing in the misty wisp in a single large breath.


    The strand travelled through his body, moving through his bloodstream and settling in his heart.


    Ato felt... fuller somehow, as if the invitation of Kra into his body also purged his hunger.


    The thought was quite interesting...


    Wait, how am I thinking right now?


    His eyes snapped open, their blank stare quickly changing into one of annoyance.


    A groan of exasperation escaped his lips as he rose from the bed.


    He''d lost concentration.


    "Fuck..." He muttered, his palm covering his face. Why was it always so damn hard to keep concentration?


    He quicly calmed down, as his thoughts switched to another, more interesting topic.


    Something was... different about his cultivation session, it felt more magnified, as if he could see more of what was going on.


    Ato doubted it was a sign of adavancement, seeing as physical and mental strength stayed relatively same at each cultivation level.


    What the hell is going on?


    That, coupled with the days first unusual happening, led him to an equally strange, but very plausible explanation.


    That whatever technique Abena had used on him had changed him somehow.


    Ato quite liked the prospects of that.

 The little Imp

    Ato turned towards Kweku, who sat in a position similar to his, but with his palms cupped and held out slightly in front of him.


    He had recently started using this form a few hours after he had broken through; it seemed like a more advanced version of the basic cultivation technique.


    After Kweku was done, they picked up their machetes, as was standard practice, and headed out to the farms, where it seemed they would now be working.


    Work at the farm was tough. The entire front section had been cleared out when they arrived, so they had to go further into the field, where the maize stalks were large and thick, some growing as tall as trees.


    It became quite clear to Ato that this place had not been touched for years.


    Fortunately, the abnormal growth of the maize stalks did not affect their thickness much, so Ato was able to cut them down in a single swing, although it required a bit more power on his part.


    As the stalks fell to the ground, Ato dexterously plucked the maize heads from their places, throwing them into the basket that sat only a few meters from him.


    It seemed the Supervisor had strictly admonished the basket-givers, as they appeared to be missing one more person.


    Or at least, that was what he had heard from the slaves around him. Ato did not want to ponder too much about such topics.


    In less than an hour, his basket was already full and ready to be submitted to the storehouse.


    Ato picked up his basket, placed it on his head, and began the relatively long walk to the storehouse.


    As he strolled along the dirt path, he could hear the hushed whispers of the workers as he passed by, the soft rustle of the stalks in the wind, and the sound of his feet impacting the ground.


    Something had happened to him, and he would find out what it was.


    He arrived at the foot of the large cylindrical building. The storehouse was a wondrous feat of architecture. Spacious enough to fit about 200 people, it was reserved for storing grain harvested from the fields within the farm, of which there were many. It was also quite tall, with each floor used to store a specific type of grain, except for the ground floor, where the workers went to bring in their produce.


    He stepped inside the building, finding it emptier than he had last seen it.


    A different supervisor stood at the far end of the room, her hands folded across her chest, her hawk-like eyes scanning the room as if she were a soldier looking out for threats.


    As Ato approached, her already piercing gaze became even sharper, and a slight hint of disdain was visible within it.


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    Ato wordlessly handed her his basket, an action that prompted another disdainful glance from the supervisor.


    No matter the age... They always exist...


    Ah... Puritans. The kind of people who thought that age was a deciding factor in how much respect one received.


    They were the same people who determined that his higher education was ''Of no use.''


    Ato hated those types of people. If it weren''t for them...


    "What the hell are you looking at?"


    Ato quickly retracted his gaze, making sure to mask the venom hidden within. It would do him no good to go around making assumptions based on his past life.


    He turned and quickly left the hall, his steps echoing on the tiled floors.


    Strange... They''d even discovered tiles...


    He walked out of the building, heading back down the way he came.


    The walk through the field was as relaxing as ever. The soft rustling of the stalks, the swishing of the machetes, the cool morning breeze...


    The various sounds culminated in a natural melody, which resonated deeply within him, filling him with a sense of delight.


    Morning walks truly were beautiful.


    Ato let them take him; with his heightened senses, he felt as if he were floating on a sea of clouds.


    It was pure bliss.


    Until it wasn''t.


    "AAHHH!"


    A shrill scream pierced through the still air, and a haunting silence followed.


    Though that was quickly over, as the silence was overtaken by the hushed murmurs of countless workers, all collectively asking one thing: "What the hell happened?"


    This too was short-lived. Another scream came, then another, and another... Over and over again, countless howls echoed within the once-quiet maize fields.


    All the workers could do was crouch down on the ground, hoping¡ªno, praying¡ªthat someone would come to help.


    And for Ato...


    It was so much worse.


    Each scream was like a gunshot; each innocent rustle sent warning signals shooting up into his brain.


    Something horrible was in the plantation, something monstrous.


    And it was reaping lives insanely fast.


    ''Swish!''


    A small jet-black figure launched itself out of the bushes and landed, with a soft thud, in front of Ato.


    "Ah-"


    Ato barely got a sound out before a sharp object shot out from underneath the creature''s kente. It flew through the air with terrifying accuracy and would have punctured his throat had he not deflected it with his machete.


    The creature giggled.


    Standing at just about waist height and clad in a dirty, ragged kente with only a few visible pieces of metal armor, the monster was truly a sight to behold. It held a small sickle in its left hand, the blade of which was dripping with fresh crimson blood.


    Its eyes were jaundice-yellow, and so were its sparse teeth. The creature had no hair on its bald grey head, which just so happened to contain one too many scars, some more recent than others.


    All things considered, it seemed its head was the weak spot.


    So that was where he''d be going first.


    Another sharp object flew towards him, this time with even more frightening speed.


    In just a few seconds, it was right before his eyes, and a few seconds later it had skidded across his face, leaving a large diagonal gash on his once unmarred face.


    The creature dashed forward, taking advantage of Ato''s momentary incapacitation to launch another attack.


    Its sickle swept downwards, the sharp point piercing straight through Ato''s exposed left foot.


    "Ghk-!"


    Ato''s eyes widened in shock and pain as he registered the damage he''d been dealt.


    He''d messed up.


    This wasn''t some amateur, two-bit monster that just happened to stumble out of their cave; it wasn''t some free EXP lying on the side of the road...


    It was a cold, silent killer.


    The creature raised its sickle above its head and swiftly brought it down.


    [Immobilize]


    Ato grabbed his and sprinted away.


    The creature, now frozen in place, glared at him, the look in its yellow eyes swore vengeance.


    And then, it smiled.


    For it knew... that its time would come.

 A hollow achievement

    Ato sprinted through the fields, trying his best to ignore the stabbing pain in his left foot. Blood from his face wound seeped into his eyes, massively blurring his vision.


    He brought his arm up to his face, wiping of the blood that resided on it and fixing his blurry vision. Up ahead, he could see the fork in the path, yet he couldn''t for the life of him remember which one he was supposed to take.


    A sudden collision with a stone sent the young man plummeting to the ground. Causing a collision that knocked the wind straight out his lungs.


    "Haa... Haa..."


    Ato rose to his feet, only to abruptly fall to the ground once more. He clutched his left foot, which was oozing more blood than it had before.


    "Damn it..."


    The young man lay face up on the ground, and watched as the first few raindrops began descending.


    Seriously? Rain, at a time like this?


    Ato cursed out loud, he cursed the world, the people in it, himself. He reached deep into his psyche, drawing deeply from emotions he never knew exisded within him; regrets, dissapointments, false affirmations and institutional lies he''d been told since childhood.


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    The rage he felt was not a shallow one, it was much more deeper, more insidious than anything he''d ever experienced.


    And at the midst of it all, Ato felt more lost than he ever had.


    "I-I tried... I really tried! I thought I could be someone, do something better with my life!"


    He took a deep breath and then bought his knees up to his face. At this point, the rain had began falling heavily, and there was very low visiblility on the path.


    "So fucking useless..."


    Ato''s mind began to wonder back to his fight. He relived the confidence, the desperation, the intent to flee.


    And then he came to a sudden realisation.


    He could''ve won.


    It would''ve been quite easy, too. All he needed to do was use his spell, the one edge he had over the creature, to kill it.


    It was such an easy plan and yet... He''d somehow managed to screw it up.


    Like he always did.


    Overcome with a flood of emotions, Ato shifted to the meditative position, conviction sculpting his face into one of utmost seriousness.


    He was never going to lose again.


    Never.


    The burning sensation set in, becoming more and more painful as the minutes flew by. Ato was near his limit -- he knew that much, yet he kept persisting, even when the heat grew so great that the ground beneath him began to dry up.


    And then, there came the sound. It wasn''t the usual soft cracking, but a loud, sharp, ripping sound that went on for minutes.


    SNAP!


    Ato''s eys shot open, pure glee reflected in their hazel depths.


    He''d broken through. Ato had overcome an obstacle he thought he''d only reach by the next year.


    He was supposed to be filled with energy, he was supposed to be brimming with a higher level of Kra, it was supposed to be a wonderful moment for him.


    So why...


    Why did he feel so empty?

 Ambition

    Ato lay helplessly on the ground, unable to lift even a single finger. All around him, the rain continued to pour¡ªcold, apathetic, and uncaring.


    How long had it been? He wondered, glancing around him. He was still on the edge of the crossroad, and the sun was just about to set, casting its orange glow upon the rest of the world.


    Ato was completely out of energy. He could not even move his limbs. No matter how desperately he tried, the only parts of his body he could move were his head and fingers.


    He closed his eyes, attempting to draw in even the slightest glimmer of Kra...


    Nothing.


    In hindsight, he should have expected it. After all, there was a reason why he had been warned not to continue on after the sensation.


    Yet he''d done it anyway, all because of a useless thought.


    He''d sworn not to let his emotions get the best of him, and Ato had done just that. He truly was a disappointment, even to himself.


    Ato dispelled such thoughts and began violently shaking his head; panic overtook his mind.


    Yet underneath that veil of fear, a fierce determination was forming.


    Ato began to crawl forward, using his fingers to propel himself. It was tough work, but it would have been even tougher had he not been at the second stage of body tempering.


    The young man crawled along, choosing to go down the right path. The journey was tough, and he suffered more than just a few scrapes while heading to his destination.


    It was about fifty minutes in when Ato felt the slow but steady trickle of energy into his heart, and a large smile blossomed on his face.


    He pushed himself slowly off the ground; the muscles on his bare back strained visibly under the soft glow of the newly risen moon. His face and Kente were absolutely caked in dried mud, and he could definitely taste some of it as well.


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    "As far as presentable goes... I''m not looking too good..."


    He tapped his heart and felt the Kra swirling within it. It was definitely much more Kra than he was used to containing; if he had to estimate, he''d say that his reserve had grown by about five times its original size.


    Upgrades, people! That''s how we make the dough!


    Chuckling a bit at the obscure reference, he made his way forward.


    ***


    When Kweku heard the recounted tales of Ato''s struggles, he almost couldn''t believe it. Yet his mud-caked face, coupled with the quite visible wounds on his face and left foot, went a long way in persuading him of the story''s authenticity.


    Adding to this was the strangely small number of people who returned from the farm that night. Kweku counted himself lucky that he''d been able to leave early.


    But there was yet another cause for celebration.


    "You''ve broken through?"


    Ato looked surprised; it seemed he hadn''t expected to get found out so soon. And honestly, Kweku didn''t blame him for lying. After all, he still hadn''t told him what the orb was, and he wasn''t planning to do so anytime soon.


    Ato quickly calmed himself, returning to his former expression. The speed at which he did so came as another pleasant surprise to Kweku.


    So the boy knows his way around the aristocracy... Good.


    Kweku had the strange habit of speaking like an old man in his mind. It helped him feel more grounded, like his father would want.


    He quite liked thinking about his father.


    Kweku rose from his bed, lending an outstretched hand to his roommate.


    "Come on then, let¡¯s go get you a new spell."


    ***


    The two left the hut and went towards their destination. They passed by the old man''s shrine and watched the Senior Slave as he swept the dust away from the statue, which seemed a lot more lifelike than when Ato had last seen it. They then went through the courtyard, where hordes of unawakened teenagers went through their nightly drills.


    After the awakening of Ato''s group, the Supervisor had seen to it that the teenagers also participated in nightly sessions as well. As to whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, Ato couldn''t tell.


    The teenagers'' eyes shone with admiration as they watched them pass by; the determination within their eyes could be seen clearly.


    "Isn''t it funny?" asked Kweku. "How they reward us for climbing to higher levels? They''ll give us spells at this stage, then again at the fourth stage. They''re trying to incentivize our growth, as if preparing for war."


    The older boy stopped in his walk and turned to address his roommate. Under the shimmering glow of the moonlight, his eyes revealed firm determination.


    And a sharp, festering malice.


    "You know what I think? I think that by the end of our little journey, we''ll have quite the job waiting for us."


    Kweku resumed his walk, beckoning Ato to follow. A slight smile danced on his lips as he thought of his new prospects.


    The army, huh?


    That would definitely work.

 recrutitment

    They soon arrived at a large building that looked quite similar to the storage building from earlier. Kweku led him inside, his expression having reverted to its regular impassivity. The older boy ushered him toward a counter near the end of the hall, which was much smaller than the one in the storage building.


    Sitting on a stool behingd the counter was a gaunt figure, his face obscured only by the shadows cated by the dim lamps which sat about.


    The figure looked in his direction, - or at least - Ato thought that he did.


    He then flung a piece of white marble, which had similar esoteric symbols inscribed on it.


    When Ato made contact with the slate, it dissolved into a stream of white light that traveled quickly into his brain.


    Select spell


    Burst: Sends out a concentrated blast of Kra to knock back enemy.


    Freeze: Stops inanimate objects from moving.


    Slice: Sends sharp waves of Kra, amplified by using bladed weapons.


    Ato stood there for a second, pondering his choices; The burst spell seemed like it would be quite useful when he was getting swarmed, yet sending out targeted burst of Kra was probably something he''d be able to do eventually.


    Althoug, eventuality was not an option for him. He was going to kill that creature as soon as possible, that- he determined- was his new goal.


    And for that purpose, the freeze spell would also be quite useful.


    If he was able to freeze those projectiles before they hit him, it would certainly give him an edge over the little fiend.


    On the other hand, if the freeze spell was anything like the immobilisation spell, he probably wouldn''t be able to stop the projectiles int time.


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    So in the end, it seemed the slice spell was the best fit.


    In truth, Ato really id not care the manner in which the dastardly imp died. It only counted for him if he was the one who orchestrated its death.


    The slice spell was perfect for an ambush setting, so that was where he''d place his choice.


    You have selected your spell.


    The stream of light exited his head, rematerialising as the same slab in the hands of the shadowy figure.


    "Thank you for coming" spoke the figue, his raspy voice just barely reching thier ears.


    Ato turned to leave, only to be stopped by the arm of Kweku.


    "Didn''t I say there was a job coming? Wait a bit."


    The figure behind the counter stepped out from the shadows and walked towards them. In his right hand were two brass charms, the same ones Abena had. The man had a smile on his face as he handed them the charms.


    "Follow me."


    He led the two inot a small room, wherein a small ornate stool sat. The stool was made of what seemed to be solid gold, kind of like the large trinket Kweku brought to the hut. It had no legs, and was instead supported by a flat base not dissimilar to its top.


    Ato recognised that stool, after all, he was chronically online. How could he not recognise the symbol of Akan power?


    But that also meant that this was a mere replica. it didn''t make much sense for the ''Golden Stool'' to be here, in a slave compound.


    The figure knelt before the stool, and so did the two young men. He took out a small ornate knife and, in a disturbing show of violence, stabbed his own arm with it.


    ''Splurt!''


    Copious amounts of the red liquid flowed from the open wound, splattering onto the surface of the stool.


    It only just occurred to Ato that they woere now in a ritual.


    "Birng forth your hand." Stated the man, although, it was quite unclear who he was speking to.


    Nevertheless, Ato went forward and stretched out his arm.


    ''Slash''


    The Knife slid across his skin, and a red warmth flowed out of it, dripping slowly onto the already blood covered stool.


    Ato''s arm slumped helplessly to his side, drops of crimson periodically colliding with the stone cold floor. He looked on in shock as Kweku underwent his own procedure. The ease and nonchalance with which the man had cut him was frightening in of itself, yet that was not why Ato was so spooked.


    It was instead, the fact that he could feel his blood, flowing and ebbing, swirling aimlessly about the pedestal on which the stool sat. His blood was slowly being absorbed into the shimmering surface of the stool, and he could feel every second of it.


    He could tell Kweku felt the same way. The normally self assured boy looked quite uncomfortable.


    As the last drops of blood entered the surface of the stool, the man finally adressed them:


    "Ato, Kweku. You are now part of the army. Serve the stool well."


    Somehow, Ato doubted that he had a choice in the matter.

 Where The Wild Things Are

    The two were soon back at the hut, with brand new jingling charms hanging from their clothing.


    Ato plopped down onto his bed and let out a long sigh. The entire day, he felt as if he had been in a daze, and that feeling had intensified even more after the ritual they had undergone. Ato began to wonder if his life was truly under his control. Did the being that brought him here¡ªif there even was one¡ªhave higher plans for him? How could he even tell what it wanted? What if his life was just some horrible prelude to a story of tragedy?


    Those thoughts kept floating in his head, distracting him from the prospect of sleep.


    Eventually, he sat up. He was going to cultivate.


    He got into position and set about absorbing the wisps of Kra into his body. There was clearly a noticeable increase in the rate of Kra absorption, yet he also appeared to have increased his storage capacity. So, it would be much harder to advance to the next stage.


    Wait a minute. Kweku had a better technique, right?


    Ato assumed that the disparity between technique quality was due to the elemental nature of Kweku''s own. His having the earth element probably meant that Kweku''s close proximity to the ground aided in his cultivation speed.


    But if that was the case, why did he use the basic technique in the beginning, only to switch once he broke through?


    Ato felt the heat reach its peak and, sensing no signs of a breakthrough, stopped both the session and his train of thought.


    Now, how will I kill that thing?


    The thoughts of killing the dwarf-like creature were still fresh in his mind; he wouldn''t let the little bastard go until he had wrung its neck like a sponge. To that effect, Ato felt he would need some new skills, besides the ones he already had.


    Before that, however, he needed to find out where exactly the thing came from.


    Ato rose from his bed, and grabbed his machete. He left the hut soon after and, taking a long look at the moon, set out for the farm.


    ***


    The soft rays of moonlight gently caressed the large stalks of maize, casting their silvery glow upon the golden heads. The cool night breeze swept through the air, causing the fields to wave and ripple as if they were alive.


    The darkness held a strange power over the minds of the Akan people, and on nights like these, barely anyone was still awake.


    Good. This served his purposes quite well.


    Ato ventured into the fields, walking steadily in a straight line. His destination was clear: the large wall that surrounded the slave compound.


    He had thought long and hard about how the creature had been able to get into the slave compound. The only possible answer was that it either went through or over the wall. The former would be much easier to locate than the latter.


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    He soon arrived at the red clay walls, which were about 3 meters in height and topped with sharp metal shards.


    I don''t think any sane creature would climb over that.


    He looked around, his eyes scanning for any signs of an entrance.


    And there it was, smack dab in the middle of a clearing. It looked as if someone had bitten a chunk of rock out of the wall. The hole was quite small by human standards, only being about the size of the average adult male.


    Luckily for him, Ato was not the size of an adult male. He was quite small, in fact.


    He slid through the opening in the wall and out of the compound, and as his feet touched the ground, he realized how easy it would be for him to simply run away from the compound, from his future warrior life.


    But he wouldn''t. After all, he had a mission.


    He also didn''t want to be hunted down like a dog.


    A crude pathway stretched out through the bushes and into the dark forest up ahead. Creeping vines slithered all about the ground, making for some quite uneven terrain. The high-pitched chirping of crickets and croaking of frogs grew in volume as he walked down the winding path.


    The young man entered the forest and was immediately swallowed by its tenebrous darkness.


    There was a magical quality to the air of the forest, an eerie one, so to speak. The trees were twisted and malformed, their gargantuan trunks forming warped faces and devilish grins. The shadows they cast were infinitely blacker and almost alive. The sparse moonlight shining through the thick canopy served only to accentuate this feeling.


    Ato held out his machete in front of him, resisting the urge to cover his ears. After his breakthrough, whatever phenomenon had augmented his senses seemed to have increased its intensity. He could hear the sounds of things moving about, slithering on the ground, or swinging through the trees. He was feeling sensations someone of his level should never perceive.


    Luckily for him, the road he was on was just about ending, and at said end...


    Was an encampment.


    It was large, crude, and smelled of blood and fecal material. Its denizens weren''t much to write home about either: Short, grey, dirty. They looked like the drunk, wife abusing versions of the seven dwarfs from Snow-White.


    That was even considering that there were females among them.


    Ato could easily spot his tatget, both from the scars on his head ant the fact that he was half an inch taller than most of the creatures surrounding them.


    The creatures were dancing in a circle, seemingly celebrating a festival of sorts.


    Brief openings in the circular formation allowed him to see what was going on in the center.


    "Hurk-!"


    Bile rose up in his throat as Ato witnessed the happening of the center.


    Dancing in the center of the circle were 3 to 5 creatures, and each on wore a mask made of human skin, which still had blood dripping from its corners.


    The dwarfs were feasting lavishly upon the de-skinned corpses of thier prey, their jaws opened wide to encompass the sheer scale of meat they were consuming. One of them dived into an open wound in the belly of a relatively large human body, soon re-emerging with a blood-soaked face and a fresh beating heart resting between its teeth.


    It was a horribly macabre festivity, which brought to light the sheer negligence of the higher ups. To allow a clear brech of defences was a danger not only to the slaves, but to the people within the territory of the General.


    Yet if that was the case, why did the creatures not venture past the slave compounds?


    The answer to that question soon became quite apparent.


    The dwarfs were well aware of their boundaries, and had the intellingence to discern which members of society were valued and which weren''t. The managers of the slave compounds, or maybe even the General himself, were also aware of this, and so weren''t going to waste time on a problem which, to them, had already solved itself.


    How despicable...


    Ato let out a dark chuckle, filled with mirth at the sheer scale of what was happening. If he was disilusioned before, then this took it to an all new height.


    The young man slowly crept away, vowing to return later. He couldn''t let such a blatant threat to his life keep existing, but he lacked the necessary resources to end them himself.


    So he''d just have to find them.


    All in due time...

 The Masked Man

    The walk back to the compound was quite uneventful, sparse rays of sunlight peeked through the leafy rooftop and birds chirped cheerfully within the trees, the forest had settled into an almost peaceful quiet.


    Almost. Ato heard the sound of something massive slithering around, he counted himself lucky that it did not see him as a threat.


    Though, that would change soon. Very soon.


    Ato crawled back into the field and began making his way over to his hut. The young man''s mind was awash with schemes and machinations on how to effectively eliminate the camp of forest imps.


    The easiest way to do so would probably be with fire, but Ato possessed neither the tools nor the ability to craft a simple fire. He could probably ask Kweku though, he was the one who knew how to ignite a flame with sticks and stones. Yet even if he''d managed to get the flame, another problem arose with the matter of transporting the flame. Ato believed any self-respecting civilisation who had the ability to craft roads probably knew how to detect foreign sources of light in an otherwise dark forest.


    So he would have to find a way to make it on the spot. Which wouldn''t be a problem if he actually knew how to start a fire on his own.


    Urgh! So frustrating!


    This was no longer about a simple vendetta, (It still was, actually) it was about the safety of both him and the people in the compound. Ato wasn''t one to leave threats unattended, and most certainly wasn''t about to pass up on the chance to get his perfect revenge.


    In a way, he was kind of like the average Xianxia MC; killing clans for a single offence. Though in this case, he was probably more justified in his genocide.


    ''Fwoosh!''


    The crimson glare of a nearby flame took him out of his mental space, and Ato found himself in a small clearing near the village. There, a masked figure danced wildly, a burning horsetail whip clutched in his hand. The whip sparked and crackled, yet under the intense movements of the person, the flame did not so much as dim.


    As the figure continued dancing, the flame began to grow, getting longer and brighter, until it was even larger than the man himself. The originally red flame slowly began to take on an orange hue. The once grass covered ground was now littered with scorch marks as the bare-footed figure continued his esoteric ritual.


    Ato watched on, enthralled by the performance. This¡ªthis was exactly what he needed.


    Ato slowly approached the figure, who seemed to be just about stopping his dance.


    As he got closer, the heat from the flame only grew, The fire was already turning blue, and had reduced the surrounding grass to ash. Ato wheezed and coughed, trying his best not to inhale the copious amounts of black smoke. At the centre of it all stood the masked figure, his toned muscles barely visible under the leafy cloak he wore. How the cloak didn''t get burnt was itself a mystery to him.


    The figure turned to him, the flame quickly dispersing from his whip along with the pitch black smoke, strangely the white horse hairs remained intact.


    The momentary pause allowed Ato to view his mask.


    It was wooden, as was expected, and oval shaped, resembling a face of sorts. The nose was large and protruding, and its lips were thin and black, there were no eye holes on the mask, so Ato found it unbelievable that the person could see him.


    His doubts were disproven however, as the masked figure took a step in his direction, and another, and another, soon the person was simply sprinting towards him.


    Ato stretched  forth his arms, which still bore the red marks from yesterday''s ritual. The wounds had healed surprisingly fast, though Ato very much doubted it was due to his own cultivation.


    He felt a wave of Kra move from within him, travelling down towards his palms. Before, Ato only used small bits of Kra to power the spell, especially during battles when he needed a distraction.


    But he wasn''t in a battle right now, he was here to bargain. So he''d have to use every ounce of power that he had.


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    [Immobilise]


    The figure stopped right in his tracks, and Ato took the time to take the whip right out of his hand.


    "Give... It. Back!" Spat the masked figure, in a surprisingly boyish voice..


    Interesting... You can still talk under immobilisation?


    Ato had never considered the possibility. Then again, every foe he''d faced was not all that interested in speaking to him. Plus, that didn''t really matter at the moment, he''d found something qute useful to him.


    "I don''t think I will..." Spoke Ato, an easy smile on his face. "Though, I might be persuaded if you did something for me."


    The figure stared long and hard at him¡ªor at least, he thought he did. Discerning that sensing any form of emotion would be quite the challenge, Ato took the extra step of removing the masked figure''s mask, an action which revealed to him the face of a barely fifteen year-old male.


    Said male did not look too pleased.


    "Let me go right now!" Roared the teenager, straining visibly against the constraints of the spell. Ato could perceive tiny cracks on the film of Kra, which kept growing each second. his time was running out, so he had to make the next few words count.


    "I want you to teach me." He stated bluntly. The boy''s face went blank for a second.


    "Huh?"


    "Teach. Me." Articulated the young man, pointing towards the whip. "How you do the thing with the whip."


    The fifteen year-old made an array of expressions, none of which were particularly good ones. Yet ato was feeling quite assured of the success of his strategy. Having taken something so seemingly precious from the boy, he was certain he''d do anything to get it back.


    The boy''s expression changed a few more times, before finally settling on a conflicted look.


    "...Fine." He acquiesced.


    A large smile blossomed on Ato''s face.


    "Great!"


    He released the spell, watching with slight amusement as the teenager fell to his knees.


    Ah, how he loved power.


    He threw the mask over, and almost laughed at the confused expression the boy made when he realized that he still didn''t have his whip.


    "What about my whip?" Asked him, a look of perplexity painting his face.


    "Be patient." Cautioned Ato. "I was going to hand it over, but what if you tricked me? That just wouldn''t do... No. I think I''d rather keep it."


    Fear flooded the boy''s mind, and his expression became grave and desperate.


    "Please give it back!" he pleaded. "My master will kill me. I can''t go back without it!"


    Ato feigned a contemplative look, before finally shaking his head in mock regret.


    "Nope. I can''t do that."


    The teenager resumed begging, telling tales of how strict and ruthless his master was and how he''d certainly smack him upside the head should he fail to return the whip.


    Ato however, was having none of it. He had something so useful and interesting in his grasp, and he''d stop at nothing to get it. It might not be the easiest option, or the best one, but it sure as hell was the closest.


    "I''ll tell you what." He began. "Meet me here again this afternoon. I''ll give it to you before you teach me."


    The boy relapsed into deep thought, before finally agreeing. They were to meet at this exact spot sometime in the afternoon.


    ***


    Akasi was a very strange boy. From the tender age of 11, he had shown great interest in the matters of priesthood, which troubled both his parents to quite a large degree. As such, his father, who was becoming increasingly peeved by his son''s obscure obsession, pulled him aside one day to announce something.


    "Akasi," he began. Akasi instantly knew it was an important matter, for his father rarely called him by name.


    "Yes, Agya." responded Akasi.


    The old man stared intently into his eyes, searching¡ªor so Akasi thought¡ªfor any signs of fear within the boy''s gaze. Akasi''s father, the right-hand man of the general himself, was a feared and revered figure among the people of the Sepow province. It was said that he could smell the fear in the eyes of every potential soldier and quell it in just a few days.


    And he truly treated his sons like soldiers.


    "I am sending you to study under a good friend of mine."


    Those were the last words Akasi ever heard from his father before he was whisked away to study under Okomfo Antwi of Bretuo.


    He could not exactly say that those days were good, yet Akasi still bore a great amount of respect for his teacher.


    Which was why he found it absolutely unacceptable that he had lost his whip to a slave of all people. What would his master think? Akasi had on numerous occasions considered using the many incantations he''d learnt on the slave.


    Yet he could not do so, simply because he was undergoing the Feast Of Nothingness, and would not be permitted to use Kra in any capacity. He even had to resort to using material ingredients to perform his daily rituals.


    It would all be worth it in the end. He would finally become an officially recognised First level Okomfo.


    All he had to do, was teach some guy how to summon fire.


    "How stressful..."

 The flame.

    Ato soon arrived at the hut and plopped down onto its stony terrace. He tried his best to remain calm yet couldn''t stop grinning like a little kid at the prospect of being able to manipulate fire.


    Well, not quite to manipulate... Summoning it would be just as good.


    Ato''s mind wandered back to the forest. Somehow, it had seemed almost alive, as if it were a living, breathing creature. And Ato didn''t doubt that, not for one second.


    Kweku walked out of the hut, having just finished cultivating.


    "Where have you been?" asked the older boy.


    Ato responded simply, "Walking."


    Kweku did not buy that.


    Nevertheless, he sat down beside his friend¡ªfor he truly considered him one.


    Despite the fact that he was currently planning using the poor boy, Kweku still thought of his slightly awkward teammate as a friend, or at least as close to a friend as he could get in the life he planned to live from here on out.


    "Alright." Responded Kweku, not bothering to continue the subject. As he stared into the air, a sudden thought came to his mind.


    The higher ups... Were less interested in Ato than he thought. Which was a fact that didn''t make a lot of sense.


    Ato was a double-root, he was supposed to be a top priority, and Kweku knew for a fact that the servants of The General were not one to ignore a potential loyal soldier. So why did they choose to ignore Ato?


    May be it had something to do with his origins? Ato was, afterall, a former Fante citizen and Kweku had seen enough of the average Ashanti citezen to know how deep the Xenophobia ran.


    Having determined his answer, Kweku looked up at the afternoon sky, and at the place where Ato was.


    Where he should have been.


    "That asshole..."


    ***


    A tall woman walked into an opaulent hall, the bright rays of the sun piercing through the tiny windows. The Walls were covered in intricate symbols and drawings. Each sybol was meticulously drawn by the numerous servants within the compound using spirit-coal dust.


    Large life-like wood statues stood motionlessly at either side of the hall, each one depicting the same figure: A large, muscular beast of a man.


    Said figure stood at the far end of the hall, looking at what seemed to be a large map. The map was split into two sides one coloured red and the other coured yellow, a few splotches of green, orange and red were thrown in as well, along with a few dotted lines and symbols representing transport routes and major settlements and battalion stations.


    The large man wore an equally massive Batakari, with humongous trousers made of an almost metallic substance, at his side stood an intricate blunderbuss, which seemed more of a decoration than a weapon.


    Said man also had a strange prescence about him, as if he were something other than human.


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    He wore his hair in the unmistakable Rasta style, its coils extending all the way down to his lower back.


    The man turned round to face the woman, an impassive expression on his face.


    "My daughter, have you brought me good news?"


    The woman straightened her back unconsciously, dealing with the General was never easy, even more so now that she was-


    "Father!"


    Through the door came a little boy, holding a limp creature by its tail. Despite the boy''s bruised and beaten appearance, he seemed quite overjoyed.


    A slight shiver ran down the woman''s spine, and a low growl began emanating from the General, sensing that he would act - and violently at that - the woman dashed forward with blinding speed, easily transporting the boy out of the room before his father could get him.


    [Bewilderment]


    The boy''s gaze quickly turned blank, before soon returning to its original state. He then simply walked away as if nothing had happened.


    She quickly returned to the hall, finding the general as impassive as before. The good thing about dealing with a Bediako, was that their rage, violent as it was, quickly subsided.


    "I have nothing to report, Sir." She stated. "Everything was ordinary at the Southern Sector."


    "Very good." Responded the General. "And what of the Dwarf Settlement?"


    "They have remained within the evil forest, Sir. And only occasionally enter the 15th Slave Compound."


    The General nodded approvingly.


    "Come." He said, and led her towards the large map. "What changes should be made?"


    The woman began to point out several errors and inaccuracies in the map, and as she did so, the General began editing the map. A smal bracelet of beads on his arm began to gow, and the structure of the map began to change. Soon, the red portion took up more than half of the space on the map, and the spots of orange and red began to dwindle.


    This excited the General.


    After dismissing the woman, the General stared intently at the map.


    "The Emperor shall be greatly pleased."


    ***


    Ato sat on the soft grass, watching intently as Akasi meticulously arranged 4 ornate calabashes on the ground. Akasi wore a large deer-skin bag.


    He retrieved several items from the bag; A flask of alcohol, a small, powder-filled calabash, and a tiny vial containing a strange crystal.


    He brought out the crystal from its vial, placing it into one of the calabashes. And then retrieved from his bag a pestle, which he used to grind the surprisingly brittle rock to dust. Then, in another calabash, he poured in a small amount of alcohol. The sweet yet sharp smell of the liquid wafted into Ato''s nose, causing his lips to curl with delight.


    He then poured half of the white powder into a separate bowl, and swished it around for a bit, seemingly checking for impurities.


    Afterwards, he finaly began adding all the components into the fourth calabash, starting with the alcohol, and then the powder. The mixture slowly began to fizz, bubbles steadily rising to the surface.


    The boy waited for the mixture to calm down, and then finaly added the ground crystal.


    There was an instant reaction.


    ''Bang!''


    A thunderous shot like that of a gun startled Ato, who at that point was in somewhat of a daze, busily commiting the intricate procedure to memory.


    Many more came soon after and by the end, the ornate clalabash looked quite charred.


    Ato leaned over to peek within it, and there he saw the final product; a black powdery substance.


    "So, what do we do with this?" Asked Ato, violently resisting the strange urge to feel the powder.


    "just wait."


    Akasi brought forth horse-tail whip, which was in a noticeably worse condition than the one Ato currently had, being quite worn and dusty and fraying noticeably at the edges.


    The boy reached forward to grab the bowl, but suddenly paused.


    "Give it to me."


    Ato chuckled, and then tossed the whip in his hands to the boy, who caught it with ease.


    "There, now tell me what to do."


    Akasi handed him the frayed whip, and then instructed him on how to ignite it. First he was to completely cover it in the powder, ensuring that every part was covered. Then he was told he had only two options, to hold it under sunlight, or to create a spark to ignite it.


    "I''ll use the spark method."


    He was handed what seemed like two rings each with a center stone of a dark, rough substance. Ato was to place these rings facing each other on the thumb and index finger of his left hand, and then snap.


    SNAP


    A tiny spark flew off the surface of the center stone landing on the black powder, and instantly setting it ablaze.


    A large, fist sized flame roared in his palm, Ato could feel the heat from the flaming whip, yet it did not harm him in the slightest.


    A large grin found its way to his face.


    "Perfect."


    He''d found his solution.

 Under the trees

    Low murmurs echoed through the dimly lit space. Seated below a gargantuan tree, several affluent figures engaged in hushed conversations. At first, one might not be able to discern anything, but if they were to look underneath the incessant chittering, they would then perceive that a common topic was being discussed.


    At the centre of the congregation sat an old man who, even for such an important gathering, was dressed quite extravagantly. His mere presence evoked a deep feeling of respect within the hearts of everyone.


    The area quickly went silent as he softly cleared his throat.


    "Good evening to you all," he began. "I am sure we are all aware of why we are gathered here."


    Low murmurs of agreement swept through the crowd; the people were too afraid to speak loudly, yet were also too terrified to remain silent.


    The woman who stood by the edge of the gathering found it all quite amusing.


    Here was a congregation of the most prestigious individuals in the entirety of the state; one would expect there to be an air of solemnity and respect. And in a sense, it was there, just that it was not respect for each other¡ªno, it was sheer reverence for the man who sat at the very centre of the crowd, the man whose power and influence rivaled that of the General himself.


    "We will now begin discussions. Our first topic, what would be the best course of action for dealing with the rebellion in the village of Kotoko?"


    Hands shot up as the State Council voted for the decision. There were many calls for a swift and violent culling, yet there were also more peaceful recomendations, such as the suggestion from the Odikuro of Wioso, which entailed paying reparations to the disgruntled villagers.


    That suggestion however, was not taken too kindly.


    "Are you a fool?" Questioned a rough voice, the woman glanced at the source ad sighed deeply.


    Of all people, it just had to be him...


    The man who just spoke was the Odikuro of Odumasi: Captain Kwame Bediako.


    Her brother-in-law.


    The man was a beast, every bit a monster as his father was, yet unlike his father, Kwame had no restraint.


    "This meeting is for adults." Continued he. "I find it insulting that we have allowed a child into our midst."


    The word used, though it meant child, was considered quite offensive to the members of the council, who had gotten to their position through countless years of hard work.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The Odikuro of Wioso clenched his fists tightly, his expression contorted into one of anger and frustration.


    He was an Energy Formation cultivator for god''s sake! The captain hadn''t even reached the third level of the stage, and he dared insult him?!


    "It seems your head has gotten too big for your own good, kindly remind me how the last two of your missions went, hm?"


    The tension in the air was as thick as the skin of a talking drum.


    The two men, however did not presume to rise, lest they have their heads lopped off by the currently smiling old man. The possibility of that event, strange as it was, was not too far off, at his old age the old man was quite prone to violent outbursts, especially against those of a lower stage than his.


    Katakyie Odeheno, the fourth alive Ohene of the Asakyiri clan, was well known for his intolerance of insubordination, and would not so much as bat an eye if he were to kill the two men.


    Coincidentally, the woman was not allowed to interfere with the meeting, as she had not yet reached that level of political influence.


    "Calm down the both of you." Spoke Katakyie.


    The tension instantly eased, and the meeting soon returned to normal, the old man moved onto the opinions of others and the earlier disagreement was soon forgotten. The room soon regained its earlier seriousness as the State Council prepared to vote.


    "All those in favour of a quelling may rise."


    Immediately, more than half the people in the room sat up from their stools, and those who remained seated wore defeated looks on their faces, as they already knew the outcome of the vote.


    Katakyie chuckled: "It seems a decision has been made. A team of men will be assembled to quell the uprising, is anyone willing to contribute?"


    Hands shot up instantly and, in the end, it was decided that each individual would contribute 50 able-bodied men to the cause, which considering the 65 people currently at the meeting, would amount to a sizeable force of about 3000 men.


    "If i may ask..." spoke one of the individuals. "Who will be appointed to lead the men?"


    The ears of everyone perked up instantly, each individual listening with rapt attention at the next words of the Ohene.


    Yet, the next words did not come, instead, a calm voice echoed through the air.


    "Announce me."


    ""Servant Of The Emperor, Lord Of Demons, General Kwesi Ntum Bediako has graced you with his presence!""


    Heads turned as the Massive figure stepped into view. The General was clad in his battle wear, with numerous clinking charms resting upon the coarse surface of the Batakari. He was accompanied by two men, each a respected warrior in their own right.,


    The General moved through the crowd, stopping just before Katakyie with his hand outstretched.


    "I have come to watch the proceedings, may I sit down?"


    The old man took his hand and invited the General to sit beside him, before turning to address the crowd.


    "I hereby appoint both Odikuro''s of Odumasi and Wioso respectively, to deal with the threat."


    Well, that... Was quite unexpected.


    The woman let out a little laugh. This might be interesting to watch.


    First though, she had to get moving, that was enough snooping around for one day.


    At the far end of the area, a crouched figure glanced intently at the ground, he looked quite unassuming, bearing the same bushy unkempt hairstyle of other boys his age, and wore a drab grey cloth tied around his waist. He was probably a servant or a slave to one of the men, yet as he made his last periodic glance at the happenings of the meeting, his eyes shone with strange emotion.


    Clearly, the woman wasn''t the only one with plans.

 The End

    Ato clenched a clump of black powder tightly in his fist, the grains falling periodically to the ground. In his other hand was his machete which he had, with great difficulty, retrieved from the hut. It was quite scary how vigilant Kweku could be when he wanted to. The boy was like a hawk, his eyes surveying the area for any sign of movement. The young man had only been able to get past his roommate in a brief moment of distraction on the older boy''s part; a little boy had wandered into the hut, providing an avenue for Ato to take what he needed.


    Akasi sat a little distance away, leaning his back against a solitary tree, he held a bamboo flute. The teenager''s fingers worked dexterously, rising and falling over the holes of the instrument, the airy melody swam through the breeze, drowning out the distant sounds of the village.


    Ato tossed the powder into the air, watching intently as it began to disperse in the wind. His blade swept out, cutting into the black cloud with ease.


    [Slice]


    Grains of black powder flew out, coalescing immediately into the shape of a crescent. The blade sliced through the cloud, bisecting it with ease. This was exactly what Ato wanted.


    His free hand rose swiftly, his index finger and thumb making brief contact in a sharp and audible ''Snap!''


    Sparks flew, and the grains of black ignited in a fiery show of power. The original cloud soon dissipated but the crescent continued moving, wisps of flame fell off, dropping onto the grass below and dissipating shortly afterwards.


    And then, it exploded in a fiery show of blue flame. The searing heat cut through the air like a sharp blade, and endless perspiration began dripping from Ato''s forehead. The young man stood more than 10 metres away from the blast zone yet still felt the sweltering heat of the explosion.


    Akasi stopped playing and stood on his feet, observing the explosion with as confused look: "Just what did this guy do?"


    Pops and Crackles sounded from the blaze, and little flaming clumps of powder were periodically ejected from this azure blue body. The flame itself couldn''t be more than 6 metres in height, and lasted for about 4 minutes before finally ending.


    Round the remains of the sweltering flame, only a small smouldering crater remained.


    "Does that happen often?" He asked, turning towards Akasi. The teen shook his head, saying: "No, not to my current knowledge."


    Ato pondered on the reason behind the phenomenon. It could be due to the acceleration. Maybe the powder acted like an enzyme, attaching itself to the oxygen in the air. The increased heat and acceleration would have increased the rate of collisions with the particles in the air, causing a greater flame.


    The young man let out a smile, having just gained a new method of attack. The flaming slash would certainly aid in the destruction of the camp in the forest.


    "Akasi, could you lend me some more powder tonight?"


    *****


    Kweku sat before the shrine of The Earth Mother, his legs folded beneath him. He took deep breath, inhaling large amounts of earthy Kra. The heavy sensation flooded his body, fixing it in place. His skin became sturdy, his expression hardening and tightening almost like a...


    ''Rock!''


    Kweku''s eyes snapped open, clumps of dry mud fell from his eyes and forehead as he frowned in confusion. He rose up, dusting the crusty dirt off his bare skin.


    "How sad." Lamented a wizened voice, Kweku turned to see the familiar face of the old man, sweeping away the earthy residue from the site of the shrine. As he did this he bean to speak.


    "The shrine of an Elder God is not a mere cultivation mattress, the Kra emitted from this will, as you just realised, turn you into a statue. Sit down, Young man. We have matters to discuss."


    Kweku sat on a stool graciously provided by the Shrine-keeper, the old man stared intently into his eyes.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "You were there, no?"


    Kweku gave a slight nod, and the old man smiled: "Good, then you know what''s coming. There is much I want to say to you, but I''m sure you are as ready as you can be. That is a fact I am willing to attest to."


    He reached under the stool, retrieving from it a lengthy object wrapped in ornamental cloth and handed it to Kweku. The young man unwrapped the cloth, revealing the hilt of a blade bound in aged leather and capped with a disc-shaped pommel. The cloth gave way, revealing an exquisite blade, its curved edge glimmering with a silvery sheen. The blade was light and fluid, the metal bending the rays of light around it.


    "What... is this?"


    "Just a little gift."


    The old man rose to leave, taking his stool with him.


    "That tool of yours... He seems to have his own plans."


    *****


    Ato stood at the edge of the forest, a small gourd attached to his waist by a cloth. His fingers curled round the grip of his machete, which he held to his side. He walked into the forest, and was swallowed by its darkness.


    The walk to the camp was as short as it was frightening, there seemed to be no shortage of inhuman howls and chitters as he traversed over the slithering roots and thorny bushes. The young man soon arrived at his destination, and beheld the familiar sight of the ritual.


    The dwarf like creatures danced happily around the carcass of a large stallion, expressions of glee stamped firmly on their faces. They voraciously consumed the flesh of the beast diving into open wounds and re-emerging completely soaked in blood.


    Ato had seen it all before, so he did not so much as bat an eye. If anything, it made his conviction stronger.


    "It''s time."


    A blinding flash of light zoomed through the air, and swept through the crowd on creatures. They screamed out in pain as the flaming crescent tore through them, slicing them to bits and searing their wounds. The crescent continued moving despite the numerous bodies surrounding it, growing in heat as it went by.


    It continued moving and moving... And then it stopped. The air rippled and waved, and then exploded.


    Violently.


    Searing waves of blue flame expanded outward, consuming everything in their path. From the tents, to the creatures, to their sacrifices. The flames did not die out, yet continued spreading. It took the first tree, then the next, and again and again, continuously expanding until the flames licked his face.


    That was the signal he needed to run.


    Ato''s limbs became nothing more than blurs as he dashed through the forest, leaping over roots and slapping aside branches as he fought to escape the fire. The flaming trails licked at his heels, incentivising him to sprint even faster.


    Bestial howls echoed through the darkness, and Ato sensed the movement of several large things within the forest, all rushing in a singular direction.


    A massive shape tore through the air, tremendous hooves bored into the ground as the horse galloped forward, its dark mane billowing like a plume of smoke behind it. Numerous beasts rushed out of the blazing canopy. Abominations of all shapes and sizes tore through the thick bark, kicking out dust clouds as they collided with each other.


    Ato picked up the pace, yet it was of no avail. Massive limbs smashed into his back, and sharp talons ripped into his skin as he was lifted into the air. His heart beat wildly and the surrounding area began to shrink, the trees growing smaller by the second. With a terrifying cry, he lashed out wildly with his machete, the iron edge cutting deep into the thick leg of the creature.


    [Slice]


    A horrible wail resounded in the air, and a severed talon, along with a human figure fell to to the blackened earth. Ato let out a sharp wince, his back had basically been torn to shreds, each and every movement sent waves of pain coursing through his body.


    ''BOOM!''


    ''BOOM!''


    ''BOOM!''


    Multiple explosions occurred at once, tearing up the landscape even further. Devastating shockwaves flung Ato through the air, his body ragdolling as it smashed into a large rock.


    "Ghk!" A sudden grunt escaped his lips, and his left arm lay limply to his side. The young man''s chest rose and fell periodically, as he took in painful gasps of air. His mouth was filled with blood, the iron-tasting liquid dribbling down his chin and dyeing his clothes as deep red colour.


    "*Cough!*"


    Ato spat out a red glob of blood, and rose shakily to his feet. With his good arm, he grasped his machete, and stared out into the distant scenery.


    A few feet away, a large tree fell to the ground. Consumed by the ethereal mass of blue flame, it quickly turned to embers. Segments of the large wall surrounding the compound were clearly visible in the distance, pillars of smoke rising from behind them. Every once in a while, a lone beast would rush past them into the slave compound.


    Ato could only imagine the horrors which went on within the compound; all the innocent lives that were currently being lost due to his failures. The young man had made a grave miscalculation, he''d underestimated the sheer power of the fire he had started.


    I probably should have built a moat.


    At the present moment, Ato had no sympathy to spare for those affected by his errors, he was in a dire situation himself.


    "Ato!"


    A figure came sprinting towards his direction, holding a strangely shaped blade. As the figure approached, Ato could finally discern their identity.


    It was Kweku. Though he was battered and beaten, sporting a bruised lip and deep gashes on his arm, his firm expression and dark eyes still revealed his immense will to live.


    "What..." He began, panting heavily. His eyes, clouded with strong emotion, bored deep into those of Ato. Kweku clenched his blade tightly, preventing himself from shaking with rage.


    He spoke softly and succinctly.


    "What have you done?"

 The End (2)

    "What have you done?"


    Ato, stunned by the sudden question, scanned Kweku cautiously. Outwardly, he remained calm, but his mind churned with unease. Fleeing into the forest or returning to the slave compound was out of the question. Either choice would force a confrontation, and while Ato was confident in his own skills, Kweku¡¯s martial prowess remained an unknown variable¡ªone he wasn¡¯t eager to test.


    Kweku, seeing no immediate response, pressed on.


    "The forest has burned down," he said, gesturing toward the faintly glowing embers around them. "Most of the people in the compound are dead. Those who survived are in hiding. The beasts have scattered, and soon they''ll head straight for state territory."


    Ato raised a hand, cutting him off. "Enough. Just get to the point."


    Kweku¡¯s expression hardened, his lips twisting into a sneer as his eyes bore into Ato¡¯s.


    "You don¡¯t get it, do you?" His voice dropped, laced with venom. "From the moment you set fire to the forest, you signed your own death warrant. The army will come, investigate, and all the trails will lead straight to you. Hiding won¡¯t save you."


    Ato fell silent, weighing his options. Kweku¡¯s sudden shift in demeanor didn¡¯t escape his notice. The boy¡¯s words slithered around the subject, circling it like a predator before pouncing.


    "So?" Ato said at last, his tone sharp. "I¡¯ll just leave. We are at war, no?"


    "Oh? And what makes you think that?"


    "The signs are obvious," Ato replied evenly. "Drills, strict hierarchy, the army handling investigations instead of the police¡ªall of it screams militarization. That doesn¡¯t happen unless a war or crisis is looming."


    He fixed a pointed gaze on Kweku, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "But you already knew that, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re trying to manipulate me, making yourself look like the savior while pulling the strings behind the scenes."


    Kweku¡¯s laugh was cold and humorless. "You¡¯ve been playing your own games too, Ato. Don¡¯t pretend you¡¯re innocent. But if you¡¯re done posturing, I¡¯ve got an offer for you."


    Ato¡¯s eyes narrowed. "What is it?"


    "Come with me." Kweku said simply.


    "What?"


    The offer caught Ato off guard. He had been expecting something more intricate, layered with hidden intentions. But this was direct, almost disarming in its simplicity.


    "The army will be busy maintaining order. While they¡¯re distracted, we can slip through one of the less-guarded borders. I need your strength, and you need a way out. So, what¡¯s it going to be?"


    "Just the two of us?" Ato scoffed. "You think I¡¯d take that risk?"


    Kweku shook his head. "Who said it would only be us? There are others. In fact, let¡¯s go meet them now."


    "Lead the way, then," Ato said.


    As Kweku turned, Ato¡¯s gaze wandered across the charred remains of the forest. The towering trees, once proud sentinels, now stood as blackened skeletons. Their twisted branches clawed at the smoke-laden sky like grotesque fingers. Thick, acrid fumes rose steadily from the scorched earth, mingling with the stench of burned wood and flesh.


    The slave compound fared no better. Through the settling haze, the remnants of shattered lives peeked out¡ªa broken stool, a torn scrap of fabric, the faint outlines of collapsed huts. The air was oppressive, as though the land itself mourned.


    But Ato didn¡¯t mourn. Why should he? The fire had done its job. The creatures were gone, and he was still alive. That was all that mattered.


    The two moved forward, winding through what remained of the desolate village. The air grew heavier with each step, a strange weight pressing down on Ato¡¯s shoulders and chest. It wasn¡¯t just fatigue; something deeper and more primal clawed at him, as though the ground itself rejected their presence.


    Kweku led the way, his movements steady, but Ato noticed the slight tension in his steps. He was walking carefully, almost deliberately, as though any misstep could awaken whatever force lingered in the shadows of this place. The air had changed, too¡ªthicker, almost suffocating, carrying a faint, sickly-sweet odor that clung to the back of Ato¡¯s throat.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Where are you leading us?" Ato muttered, breaking the silence.


    Kweku glanced back at him, his face set in a grim expression. "You''ll understand soon enough. Just keep moving."


    As they drew closer, Ato¡¯s unease deepened. His stomach churned, a queasiness taking hold that no amount of steady breathing could dispel.


    They emerged into a clearing, hidden by two untouched huts, and there it stood¡ªthe shrine of Asase Yaa.


    It wasn¡¯t what Ato remembered. The shrine was a weathered structure of dark stone, its surface etched with symbols that seemed to shift and writhe when he looked at them too long. Vines crept over the structure, their leaves a sickly, pale green that looked almost translucent. The air here was different¡ªcharged, vibrating with an almost unbearable energy.


    Ato staggered, leaning against a nearby wall for support. A wave of dizziness crashed over him, and the nauseating sensation grew stronger. He forced himself to steady his breathing, but it felt as though the shrine was pushing against his very presence, testing him, probing for weakness.


    Kweku stopped a few steps ahead, his posture stiff. "It is the shrine¡¯s power," he said without turning around. "It repels anything that doesn¡¯t belong here. Even the beasts won¡¯t come near it."


    Ato straightened, wiping sweat from his brow. "And yet this is where we¡¯re hiding? Bold choice."


    Kweku finally turned to face him, his expression unreadable. "It¡¯s not about boldness. It¡¯s about necessity. Nothing survives here for long. But as long as we don¡¯t linger, it¡¯s safe enough."


    He glanced at Ato for a moment longer than necessary, his gaze piercing. Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he turned and continued walking, his voice carrying back over his shoulder. "And if it wasn¡¯t for you, we wouldn¡¯t have to hide."


    Ignoring his last words, Ato glanced over the clearing again. Beyond the shrine, a solitary hut stood undisturbed. He saw a few figures moving about cautiously within, their movements deliberate, as though even they feared disturbing the shrine¡¯s peace.


    As he took a hesitant step forward, the nausea seemed to deepen, and the whispers began. Faint, unintelligible murmurs, like voices carried on the wind but too faint to make out. They buzzed at the edge of his consciousness, fraying his thoughts.


    He took a few steps towards the hut, passing by the shrine in the process. A sudden sense of dread over came him.


    What if this was a trap? What if he was simply walking to his death?


    Ato clenched his fist. If it was, he''d simply have to fight.


    The hut loomed larger as he approached, its walls patched with mismatched pieces of wood and scraps of fabric. It was a flimsy structure, faint torchlight flickering steadily from its numerous cracks, casting a warm glow against the suffocating darkness outside.


    He went up to the entrance, then paused.


    "You go first."


    Kweku stepped forward, parting the ornamental cloth which served as its door. A relieved sigh sounded from within the hut as he entered, and a scarred face popped into view.


    "Kweku!" Cried the Scarred Lady, throwing her arms up in celebration.


    "See, I told you!" She shouted into the hut, "I told you he''d come!"


    A muffled groan sounded, and a somewhat lanky man hobbled to the entrance, a slight smile playing on his lips. Both arms and his left leg were encased in crude casts, formed by flattened twigs tied together with rope.


    The man peered past Kweku, his gaze landing on Ato, who stood off to the side.


    He broke into a crooked smile.


    "Hello~!"


    Ato gave a curt reply. His focus shifted to the scarred woman, who now stood to the side, quietly observing the exchange. There was a warmth in her gaze as she studied Kweku, though her posture remained guarded. Whatever bond she shared with him was evident, but it was clear she wasn¡¯t quick to extend the same trust to Ato.


    He stepped into the hut, glancing around the empty room with suspicion.


    "Is this it?"


    Kweku motioned toward the far corner of the hut, where a crude wooden hatch lay flush with the ground. "The rest of us are down there," he said, pulling it open with a low creak. The faint flicker of torchlight and muffled voices wafted up from the tunnel below.


    "This is just the lookout post," Kweku continued. "The real hideout is underground. Come on. I¡¯ll explain the rest when we¡¯re down there."


    Kweku walked toward the pit and descended into the darkness, the wooden ladder groaning under his weight. Ato hesitated at the edge, his eyes flicking back to the other occupants of the hut. They watched him in silence, their gazes unyielding.


    Swallowing his unease, Ato gripped the ladder and began his descent.


    The air grew heavier with every rung he climbed down, the whispers from the shrine above fading into a suffocating silence. When his feet finally touched the ground, he found himself in a narrow, earthen tunnel lit by the dim glow of distant torches. Kweku waited a few steps ahead, motioning for him to follow.


    "Stay close," Kweku said as they began moving through the passage. The muffled sounds of activity grew louder with each step, and before long, they emerged into a large underground chamber.


    The space was chaotic, filled with survivors from the compound. Some lay on crude mats, their bodies wrapped in bloodied bandages. Others moved about, tending to the wounded or organizing supplies scavenged from the ruins above. The air was thick with the stench of sweat and desperation.


    A few of those who had awakened their Kra were also amongst the group, gathering themselves around Abena, who now bore a diagonal scar across the side of her cheek.


    Ato scanned the scene, his jaw tightening. There were no signs of permanence here¡ªno infrastructure, no organization beyond the bare minimum needed to survive. These people were clinging to life by a thread, their future as fragile as the flickering torchlight that barely illuminated the chamber.


    Kweku turned to him, his expression unreadable. "This is what¡¯s left," he said quietly. "It isn''t much, but it¡¯s all we have for now."


    Ato¡¯s gaze lingered on a young boy sitting against the wall, clutching a makeshift sling around his arm. His eyes were wide and hollow, staring blankly into the distance.


    "So," Kweku continued, his voice hardening. "Are you in? Or are you out?"


    Ato didn¡¯t respond immediately. His thoughts churned, the weight of the decision pressing down on him like the suffocating air of the chamber.


    For now, there was no other choice.


    "I¡¯m in," he said finally, the words heavy on his tongue.


    Kweku nodded, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Good. Then let¡¯s get to work."