That same evening, under the quiet blanket of dusk, Akeh sat alone in the dump yard, deep in meditation. His breathing was calm and steady, yet his body radiated with a vibrant, growing energy.
Slowly, he felt something within him shift and settle...a powerful, undeniable awakening. He had finally reached the level of a third-rate soul.
Akeh whispered to himself,
"Altine was right… I can feel it, this awakening. It's hard to put into words how it feels."
A grin crept across his face as he got to his feet, brushing off the dirt.
"I'm a third-rate soul now."
A new excitement filled his gaze, along with a silent warning to anyone who dared to test him. He took one last look around the dump yard, his training ground, and muttered,
"Goodbye… for good."
As he made his way back to the dorms, Akeh felt a tickle in his nose and sneezed loudly. The chill from sleeping outside and his nonstop meditation had finally caught up to him. Rubbing his nose, he muttered,
"Maybe I've caught a cold."
He shrugged it off, too pleased with his new strength to let it bother him.
Back at the dormitory, most students were already inside, unwinding after a long day of training.
The air was filled with a mix of sounds...whispers, laughter, and the clang of equipment being set aside. Some students were sitting together, rubbing their stiffened muscles, while others were already lying down, trying to get a bit of rest. But as soon as Akeh walked in, the atmosphere changed slightly.
Although no one said anything directly to him, Akeh could feel the tension. Eyes followed him, glances exchanged, a few quiet mutters he couldn't quite catch. Many of the students looked at him with expressions that were far from friendly, though they kept it subtle, not enough for him to notice fully.
Finally reaching his room, Akeh reached for the lock. But he paused, scrunching his nose as a foul smell drifted from behind the door. Unlocking it, he pushed it open and was met with a scene that made his stomach turn. His room was a mess...trash scattered all over, old food scraps, torn-up paper, and the dirty remains of what looked like rags. It was as if someone had taken the worst of the dump yard and dumped it right in his room.
Clenching his fists, he whispered,
"I'm beginning to lose my patience…"
He turned around, eyes scanning the hall for anyone who might have done this.
That's when he heard a voice, calm and smug.
"Well, it wasn't easy picking the lock on your door, but we managed."
It was Timi, standing a few feet away from Akeh with a cocky grin.
Akeh's voice dropped to a dangerous tone.
"Did you do this?"
Timi hesitated, feeling a bit uneasy under Akeh's piercing gaze, but he quickly forced a smirk.
"Yeah, I did. Since you love training at the dump yard so much, we thought we'd bring it to your room. So, how do you like it?"
Akeh's glare was ice-cold.
"I don't."
Somewhere behind Timi, another student muttered,
"Told you he wouldn't like it,"
Only to be quickly nudged by someone else to stay quiet.
Timi shrugged with a mocking smile,
"Sorry about that. Just trying to help."
His voice oozed sarcasm, clearly enjoying himself.
Akeh stayed quiet for a moment, letting the silence linger. Then he said,
"Well, if you really want to help, then help me clean up this mess."
Timi scoffed. "Yeah, right."
Akeh sighed and shut the door. He already predicted that reaction. Leaning back against the door, he thought about the glances and mutters from the students in the dorm.
It hit him...Segun must have spread rumors about me coming out of the chief's house. That's why they're all looking at me this way.
A slow, knowing smile spread across his face as he thought, Alright then, if that's how they want to play it… let's play.
Turning, he started to walk back down the narrow pathway.
Timi called after him,
"Where are you going, Akeh?"
Without turning around, Akeh replied calmly,
"To sleep in the chief's house."
A wave of anger rippled through the other students. Their quiet whispers grew louder, and frustration filled the area as Akeh continued down the hall with a calm, determined expression.
To be continued...