"Status Unlocked, Shadows Incoming"
The room was still.
Muzi lay on his mattress, fingers steepled, staring at the cracked ceiling. Something pulsed faintly inside his chest — not fear, not excitement — a current. Ever since the mission, the system felt… louder. Closer.
> [System Notification: Prerequisite Met – Open Full Status?]
[Y/N]
He exhaled slowly. "Yes."
> [Status Interface Unlocked…]
---
Name: Muzi (Zeldras)
Cultivation Rank: Outer Vein – Stage 1
Bloodline: Umnyama (Partial Awakening)
Spirit Root: Shadow Flame (Dormant)
Connection Threads: 1 (Sphilile – Faint Bond)
Guiding Ancestor AI: Maphanga
Techniques:
– Shadow Vein Breathing (Lv. 1)
– [Locked]
Energy Pool: 37/100
Status: Stable, Emotionally Anchored
Muzi stared, a slight chill crawling up his spine. Shadow Flame? Umnyama Bloodline?
Before he could even ask, Maphanga's voice stirred.
> "You are awakening slowly, Muzi. But this is only the first gate. Strength without balance is destruction. Walk carefully."
He sat up. The briefing was about to start.
---
The compound's main hall was cramped — metal chairs, a dusty chalkboard with half-erased maps and code scribbles, and over twenty members gathered. Banele leaned against the wall, arms crossed, while two of the senior gang members — Duma and Zakes — stood at the front.
"Mission was sloppy," Duma said coldly. "We lost two men. And we were lucky we didn't lose more."
Someone coughed. Another murmured something about bad intel.
Zakes stepped forward, voice sharp. "We need to figure out how they knew our route. This can't happen again."
Sphilile sat near Muzi, quiet, eyes locked forward. Muzi glanced her way, then toward the door. Something felt wrong.
> [Warning: External hostility detected. 7 hostile presences approaching rapidly]
His eyes widened.
BOOM—
The compound wall exploded inward, shrapnel flying. Screams. Gunfire.
Chaos.
Muzi rolled over the table, dragging Sphilile down with him. Bullets punched through the walls. Dust clouded the room.
> [Combat Mode Activated – Spiritual Flow 15% Boost]
[New Quest: Survive the Ambush]
"MOVE!" Banele barked, firing through a broken window.
Muzi's breathing slowed. In the storm, he found clarity. He snatched a fallen pistol, crouched low, and fired two clean shots at the dark silhouettes breaching the entrance.
This wasn't just a street brawl.
Someone wanted them dead.
---
Do you think Sphilile will survive this one.
Say your ideas in the comments