The meeting place was neither sky nor ground. It was a veil between realms, a floating island of black stone suspended in starlight. Mist curled around its edges like the breath of sleeping gods.
Samuel stood at its center, arms crossed, coat flapping in the otherworldly wind, watching his new recruits arrive one by one.
Ignara came first, flame curling lazily from her fingers. She glanced at the smooth obsidian beneath her feet. "You couldn't pick somewhere less depressing?"
Zephira landed next, lightning dancing along her boots. "At least it's not on fire. Yet."
"Give me a minute," Ignara muttered.
Nysara stepped from a portal of rippling water, her presence immediately cooling the air. "Children," she said in a calm, warning tone.
Then Velyd appeared — quiet, elegant, eyes faintly glowing. "We're already doomed," she murmured, "and he hasn't even spoken yet."
Samuel spread his arms in mock offense. "You wound me. This is a team-building exercise. I even brought snacks."
"You mean existential dread?" Zephira asked.
"Close enough."
The last portal flared green and gold. Tristan Talon stepped through, tall and composed, adjusting his coat of stone-colored fabric. When his boots touched the obsidian, the rock hummed softly in recognition of him.
Samuel's grin widened. "You came. I was afraid you'd ghost me."
Tristan gave him that same unreadable look. "You're hard to ignore."
Ignara smirked. "So this is the Earth Warlock. I expected… taller."
Tristan's lips twitched, just barely. "And I expected fewer fire hazards."
Zephira snorted. "Oh, he talks back. I like him already."
Samuel clapped once, shadows rippling from the motion like applause. "All right, children of chaos and questionable life choices, welcome to Team Please-Don't-End-The-Universe."
"Catchy," Velyd said dryly.
"Working title," Samuel replied.
⸻
They spent the first hour trying to synchronize their powers — a decision Samuel immediately regretted.
Ignara's flames kept turning Zephira's lightning into explosions. Nysara's water neutralized half of them. Velyd created illusions of Samuel making encouraging speeches, which confused everyone, including Samuel.
And Tristan… simply watched.
Samuel eventually noticed. "Hey, Mountain Boy, you planning to join or just stand there looking heroic?"
Tristan raised a brow. "I was waiting for you to stop setting yourself on fire."
"I'm multitasking," Samuel said.
He flicked his fingers, summoning a sphere of void energy that pulsed like a heartbeat. "Okay, everyone, focus. We need balance — think flow, not chaos."
Ignara grinned. "You sure you're the right person to give that speech?"
"I contain multitudes," he said, as the sphere imploded into silence.
A brief, perfect stillness spread across the platform. Wind, flame, water, illusion, and stone — all aligned for a single heartbeat. The stars above flared brighter, as though the cosmos itself leaned closer.
Then Zephira sneezed. Lightning shot out of her nostrils along with little mucus
Everyone tried to dodge it
⸻
After the smoke cleared, Samuel lay flat on his back, staring at the stars. "Ewww girl that was disgusting , very classless of you,that's progress," he said weakly.
"Progress toward what?" Nysara asked, wringing out her sleeves.
"Mutual trauma."
Ignara laughed, wiping soot from her cheek. "I'll drink to that."
Tristan crouched beside Samuel, offering a hand. "You're impossible."
Samuel took it, grinning. "And yet you keep showing up. Tell me, are you secretly into chaos, or just me?"
Tristan blinked, frowning slightly. "Into what?"
Samuel chuckled. "Ah, don't worry. Na small joke be that."
Tristan stared, confused. "What language was that?"
"It's called 'Nigerian for advanced learners.' You're doing fine, baby steps."
The warlock sighed, but a reluctant smile ghosted across his lips.
Zephira leaned toward Ignara, whispering, "Are they always like this?"
Ignara smirked. "Apparently."
⸻
That night, under a false moon conjured by Velyd, the group made camp. The air hummed with faint magic.
Samuel sat with Tristan at the edge of the floating island, legs dangling over the abyss.
"So," Samuel said, "you ever get tired of being the grounded one?"
Tristan shrugged. "Someone has to keep you from falling apart."
Samuel chuckled softly. "Good luck with that, love."
Tristan's eyes flicked toward him — half amusement, half exasperation. "You call everyone that?"
"Only the ones who look good when they're annoyed."
Tristan shook his head. "You're a problem,are you always this way?gosh the third member of the cosmic trinity for god's sake jeez"
"Correction," Samuel said, tapping his chest. "I'm the problem,and you're not gonna regret a company with me,now my love ,here throughout the entire cause of this mission and later on in private on my soft matress ,you knows what I'm talking about baby,I know you do" Samuel winks at Tristan and Nudged him on the waist,this seh t shivers down Tristan's spine but he refused to display any sign of emotion,his expression unreadable and stoic as ever,but deep down he enjoys the little physical intimacy he just had with Samuel-The youngest of The Cosmic Trinity-The void and the balance.
From behind them, Zephira called out, "Stop flirting! The fire witch is trying to cook again, and I'd rather not die twice today."
Samuel sighed dramatically, getting to his feet. "Duty calls."
Tristan muttered, "I can't tell if he's a leader or a menace."
Nysara, walking past, replied serenely, "Both."
⸻
Meanwhile, in Abuja, Daniel was scrolling through his phone when the lights flickered. The air went cold.
He looked up to find the shadow of a man — faint, barely there — standing by the window.
"Sam?" Daniel whispered.
The shadow didn't answer. It looked almost like Samuel, but… stretched, hollow-eyed. It mouthed something he couldn't hear.
Daniel blinked — and it was gone.
He rubbed his arms. "Omo, I don watch too much horror film."
But as he turned to leave, the television flickered on by itself, displaying a static image:
A symbol — half flame, half chaos.
Daniel's breath caught. He didn't know what it meant, but it made the air feel thinner, like the world itself was holding its breath.
In a cathedral built of mirrors, Femi stood before a broken altar. His reflection moved differently from him, smiling when he did not.
He had begun harvesting memory now — a far more dangerous art. The stolen recollections shimmered around him like fireflies. With each one, he could rewrite small pieces of truth.
He murmured, "Soon, my dear Balance. When your circle shines brightest, I will step into the light — and you will not know whether I'm friend or ghost."
The reflections whispered back, repeating his words in a thousand tones.
⸻
Back in the floating realm, thunder rolled through the mist — not from Zephira this time, but from beyond.
Samuel turned his head sharply. The stars were trembling.
Velyd's eyes glowed gold. "They wake," she said softly.
"Who?" Ignara asked.
"The Phoenix and the Chaos. The sisters remember their brother."
Samuel's chest tightened.
Tristan stepped closer, his hand brushing Samuel's shoulder — a small gesture, grounding and silent. "Then we're out of time."
Samuel looked at the sky, where red and gold light began to bleed through the darkness.
He swallowed hard. "Then let's make it count."
⸻