OLAMILEKAN:
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the streets of Priston Town. But even in daylight, the town felt submerged in shadow. The vibrant colors that once painted this place had faded to pale reflections. The energy that defined Priston—its festivals, its laughter, the noise of children running through the streets—was gone.
Joshua and I stood in the middle of the main road. The silence was deafening.
"This place is dead," he muttered beside me, his dark eyes scanning every corner. His hands rested near the twin blades strapped to his back, his body tense like a predator ready to pounce.
"Too dead," I replied, the weight of my sword at my side somehow heavier than usual. "Priston's supposed to be the liveliest town on this side of the continent. You'd think we walked into a war zone."
We walked slowly past closed storefronts and abandoned vendor carts. Every now and then, we caught movement behind curtains or glimpses of eyes in the shadows. But the moment we tried to approach someone, they disappeared like ghosts.
"What the hell did he do to these people?" Joshua said again, almost to himself.
"Fear," I murmured. "He turned this town into a cage without walls."
We kept walking until we spotted an old man hunched beside a bakery, nervously watching the street. Joshua stepped forward and raised a hand.
"Sir? We need to ask you something."
The man flinched at the sound of Joshua's voice, and without warning, bolted in the opposite direction.
"Damn it!" Joshua barked, taking off after him.
We chased him around the corner and into a narrow alley. I moved fast, using my light to blink ahead of him, cutting off his escape. Joshua tackled him to the ground, holding him firm but gently.
"Please! Please, I don't want to die!" the man begged.
"We're not going to hurt you," I said, kneeling beside him. "We're with the NSDA. We just need to know what happened here."
He looked between us, hesitant, eyes wide with terror. Then his voice dropped to a whisper.
"He's here. Martin. He came four days ago with a group of awakened followers. Claimed the town. Said anyone who resisted would be executed. And then..."
"Then what?" Joshua pressed.
"He took the women and the children. Locked them up at the ship port. Said they were leverage."
My heart sank.
"Why? Why is he doing this?"
"Because Kareem failed," the man said. "He was our hope. The strongest among us. But Martin beat him. And when word spread, we lost any reason to fight back."
Joshua went still beside me.
"Do you know where exactly Martin is now?" I asked.
The man hesitated.
"Please. You have to save my wife. My children. He's keeping them at Delmar Port. He makes them serve him like slaves. I couldn't do anything. I'm just a tailor."
I gripped his shoulder. "We will. I promise."
Joshua stood and offered his hand, helping the man up. "Find shelter. Stay hidden until it's over."
We turned and headed for Delmar Port.
---
Delmar Port had always been beautiful in a rugged, gritty kind of way. The crashing waves, the scent of salt in the air, the bustle of trade ships arriving and departing. But now, all that was gone.
Instead, we found a nightmare.
Martin sat on a raised throne-like chair made of warped wood and bone, right at the center of the docks. A brown stool sat beside him with a half-empty bottle of wine. His long black blade rested lazily against the stool.
He was calm. Relaxed. Smiling.
His leg rested on the back of a young non-awakened boy, who trembled beneath him.
Behind him, dozens of women and children were shackled, sitting on the hard wooden floor of the dock. Their faces were blank with exhaustion, streaked with tears.
Rage ignited inside me like a flame.
Joshua stepped forward, his voice sharp. "Get your filthy legs off that boy."
Martin didn't even blink. He took a sip from his cup and then chuckled.
"Don't even think about attacking me. I can see what you'll do right before you even think of doing it."
Joshua smirked.
"Then you already know how badly I want to rip your smug little head off."
Martin's smile twitched. For a second, just a second, his composure cracked.
He reached down slowly, gripping his black blade.
Then, in a blur of motion, he swung the blade through the air. I barely saw it.
A streak of red split the air.
The boy beneath his leg was severed in half before either of us could move. The scream that tore out of the women's throats was like a sonic wound. Joshua froze. I felt like I had been punched in the gut.
"No..." I whispered.
"What the hell... I thought his power was foresight," Joshua said, trembling with rage. "So what the hell is with that speed just now?"
My blade hissed free from its sheath.
"You bastard!" Joshua roared as he unsheathed both of his twin blades.
Martin stood tall, now holding his sword lazily at his side. H
is eyes were glowing faintly.
Then he grinned.
"You thought my ability was foresight, didn't you?"