The courtyard was thick with anticipation, the weight of excitement hanging in the air like a storm cloud about to break.
All eyes were glued to Segun and Altine, standing across from each other in the middle of the arena. The fight everyone had been waiting for, the clash of two powers, was just moments away. But Altine's voice broke the tense silence.
"Why have you been standing there, Segun? Are you just going to watch?"
She asked, her tone sharp, almost taunting.
Segun took a step forward, his lips curling into a smirk.
"I was waiting for the extras to get out of my way."
He glanced over at the bruised and battered forms of Lekan and Taiwo being led to the infirmary.
"Now that they're gone, we can get serious. So, what exactly are you going to teach me today?"
Altine regarded him with a calm, measured expression.
"How's your soul harmony training coming along?"
Segun clenched his fists slightly, the frustration clear in his eyes.
"Trinity gave me instructions on how to achieve soul harmony, and I was doing well enough on my own. But then you came along and put these bells on my joints,"
He said, his voice rising with irritation.
"I seriously don't get why I have to wear these stupid bells on my joints. What's the point?"
Altine began to pace slowly around the courtyard, her gaze sweeping over the audience of students. Her voice was steady, and she made sure her words carried over to everyone.
"Soul harmony is about balancing your spiritual energy with your environment. Every one of you here is being taught how to generate enough spiritual energy for this purpose. Perceiving that energy as clearly as you perceive the physical world."
She turned her attention back to Segun, who was watching her intently.
"I put those bells on you to alert you when you're out of harmony. They're meant to help you understand when you're losing your balance between the physical and the spiritual."
Segun scowled slightly, but before he could say anything, Altine continued,
"Now, if you're done waiting around, why don't you come at me? I'll correct your every movement."
But Segun raised a hand, stopping her in her tracks.
"No. Not here. I want to train on water instead. If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right."
Altine paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Very well."
She turned to the rest of the students.
"Continue with your energy generation training. Segun and I will return shortly."
A murmur of disappointment spread through the crowd as Altine and Segun left the courtyard together. The students had been eager to witness the long-anticipated clash between the two, but now, they were left to their own devices.
As the two disappeared down the narrow paths toward the water, the students sat back down, resuming their meditation exercises. Conversations began to bubble up, some still buzzing with excitement from the earlier sparring session.
"Well that's that...at least the rumor is clear now,"
One student said, stretching his arms above his head.
"Altine explained everything...she was treating him after he got beat up."
"Yeah, I was worried for a moment there,"
Another chimed in.
"A student beat him up while he was meditating in the dump yard? Lekan and Taiwo must've messed with him."
A few others nodded in agreement, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. But then, from the back of the group, Timi, a second-rate soul student, stood up and shook his head, a scowl on his face.
"Do you all really believe that story?"
Timi asked, his voice cutting through the conversations.
"You really think Altine was just treating Akeh's injuries at midnight? If he was that hurt, why didn't he go to the infirmary like a normal person?"
The students turned to look at him, surprised by his sudden outburst.
"What are you saying, Timi?"
One of them asked.
Timi crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing.
"Something else is going on here. Something we're not being told. All of us are competing to become the next chief purist of this spirit harmony division, right? Wouldn't it be strange if, out of nowhere, Akeh is suddenly named the new chief purist?"
The other students exchanged uneasy glances, the idea sinking in.
"What are you suggesting?"
One of them asked, their voice uncertain.
Timi's lips curled into a sly smile.
"I'm suggesting we take matters into our own hands. If we're not careful, the purist might start favoring him, and before you know it, he'll be standing where we want to be."
The courtyard fell silent for a moment as the students considered Timi's words. There was a sense of unease in the air, a recognition that Timi might be onto something. If Akeh really was in line to become the next chief purist, it would change everything.
"So… what do we do?"
Another student asked, their voice tinged with uncertainty.
Timi's grin widened, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"We should get rid of him."
There was a pause as the students considered his words. Slowly, one by one, they nodded in agreement, their faces hardening with resolve.
"Yeah…"
One of them muttered.
"We can't let him take that position."
Timi's grin grew wider, his confidence swelling.
"Exactly. We'll handle this carefully."
The atmosphere in the courtyard had shifted once again, the excitement from the earlier fight now replaced with a simmering tension as the students plotted their next move.
To be continued...