"Jabari…
Hello…
Jabari…"
Elder Idir's voice echoed a few times, growing more amused with each repetition. Jabari didn't react.
"Oi, brat. Pay attention!" Aziz barked, cracking his knuckles sharply over the top of his disciple's head.
"Ow!" Jabari flinched, rubbing his head with a sheepish smile. "My bad…
What were you saying again?"
"It's fine," Idir said with a chuckle. "I understand your emotions. I was just asking what happened next?"
"Oh, right. August agreed to come with me to find the old man."
"Meaning Malia and the other two ordinary students had to go with you as well, correct?"
"Right," Jabari replied honestly, not flinching from the truth.
Across the room, a subtle frown tugged at Elder Amari's face. Though he didn't voice his disapproval, it was clear he didn't appreciate the risk Jabari had placed on his disciple's life, no matter the reason.
"Then we ran into Danso, who was leading a group with Gichinga, Silver, and a few others," Jabari continued.
"This was your first encounter with Silver?" Idir asked, tone sharpening.
"Yeah."
"I see. What happened next?"
"We discussed our next move. I wanted to leave Malia and the others with their group before continuing on to find the old man. But that's when I heard what sounded like a stampede approaching from the distance."
"Did anyone else hear it?" Idir asked.
"No, just me."
"How?" Idir leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing with curiosity. "How were you able to hear it so much earlier than anyone else?"
"My senses are better than your average Joe," Jabari replied with a casual shrug, unwilling to delve into the truth of his bloodline.
"That appears to be quite the understatement," Idir murmured, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Only Aziz's deliberate clearing of the throat brought Idir back to the present. He blinked, realising his curiosity had taken the reins. "Ahem. Sorry, continue."
"Not long after that, the others heard the stampede as well. We decided August, Danso, and I would hold the line while Malia took the others into the building for safety. We didn't want to worry about protecting them while fighting."
He paused. "Then we saw them – over a hundred or so gorillas charging toward us. And ahead of them, Azurian, carrying Chidi on his back, was running for his life."
A few of the Elders raised their brows at that revelation.
"That's when we moved to intercept, giving Azurian the opening he needed to drop Chidi and join the fight."
Idir tapped his chin, his voice light but his eyes sharp. "So, despite not being a Beast-Warrior, you were able to not only stand your ground against a Magical Beast, but also hold your own against over a hundred gorillas?"
Jabari didn't answer, sensing a setup.
"That's quite the incredible feat," Idir continued, his smile still present, though now it felt like the edge of a blade. "Something doable by only a handful of non–Beast-Warriors. So tell me…
What's your secret?"
Though it sounded like a jest, Jabari caught the undercurrent – genuine suspicion.
"I have good teachers," he answered cautiously.
"Teachers? Plural?" Idir tilted his head. "I thought you grew up in the slums. What other teachers have you had?"
Before Jabari could open his mouth, a calm voice rang out.
"That would be me," Zaire stated.
All eyes turned to the spear-wielding Elder.
"After witnessing Jabari's potential when he fought Gichinga, I approached Aziz, who allowed me to guide him in the ways of the spear."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber as many of the Elders exchanged surprised glances.
Diallo's gaze sharpened.
"You went behind my back to teach a student without seeking my authorisation?" His voice was cold, laced with unspoken threat.
But before Zaire could respond, Aziz spoke for him.
"I don't get it…" he said lazily, "Why would Elders need the Supreme Elder's permission to train a student in their spare time?"
He met Diallo's glare without hesitation, arms folded, his expression utterly unfazed by the oppressive silence that followed.
Diallo clenched his fist, the veins in his forearm bulging slightly as anger pulsed beneath his skin. But he didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, as if holding back the tide of an oncoming explosion.
For now.
"Well, with your obvious talent and Elder Zaire as your instructor, your improvement is understandable, I guess…" Idir said with a smile, attempting to smooth over the lingering tension. "So, what happened next?"
"We were talking about how strange the beasts were behaving when Azurian suddenly stabbed August, and Danso tried to attack me," Jabari said, calm as ever.
Idir's brow lifted slightly. "And how is it that you were able to dodge an attack from a genuine – albeit newly awakened – Beast-Warrior at close range, but August, another genuine Beast-Warrior, was caught completely off guard?"
"I've got decent reflexes," Jabari replied with a lazy shrug.
At that, a subtle murmur rippled through the chamber. They all knew Jabari's reflexes had always stood out, even during the initial assessments. He hadn't shown the full extent of them during the most recent one, but no one doubted they had only improved.
"Alright," Idir said, nodding thoughtfully. "So, what happened after you dodged Danso's strike?"
"I thought they'd betrayed us," Jabari answered bluntly. "But August said he believed they – and the beasts – were under some kind of mind control. At first, I thought it was a stretch. But once I saw the vacant look in their eyes, I realised he was right."
He paused briefly, then continued. "August was still injured, so I decided to fight both Danso and Azurian myself. But during the fight, Gichinga managed to sneak up on August and stab him."
The room tensed at that. Even those who had already heard this part now listened with held breath.
"Unlike Danso and Azurian, Gichinga was completely conscious and responsive. That made it obvious – he wasn't being controlled. He used August as a hostage to threaten me. That was when I figured out who was really behind everything."
Idir leaned forward slightly. "And what exactly made you think Silver was the one orchestrating all of this?"
Jabari's voice remained calm and sure. "The planning, the timing – it was too precise. Gichinga's not a strategist. He's loud, reckless, and driven by ego, not intellect. There's no way he could've come up with that plan on his own."
He continued, voice firm, unwavering. "Silver was the only one among them who wasn't a student. The only outsider. When he finally stepped out of the building, everything fell into place."
Idir nodded, clearly impressed. "Your deductive reasoning is truly remarkable."
"Thanks."
"So, what happened then?"
"Silver came out and proposed a game. He said if I won, he'd stop the beast tide. No more deaths. But if he won, it would continue until the last Magical Beast was killed."
Idir's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're saying this stranger, who'd barely spoken to you, was willing to end the beast tide if you won his game? Just to be friends?"
"Apparently," Jabari replied, shrugging again.
Idir stared at him for a long moment, clearly trying to read him. "That's pretty unbelievable, don't you think?"
"I can't even begin to understand the mind of a sociopath," Jabari said flatly, his voice devoid of exaggeration or doubt.
"Fair enough." A sigh escaped Idir's lips. "So, what were the terms of this so-called game?"
"I had to beat both Danso and Azurian in five minutes. So, with no other option, I played along."
Idir raised a brow. "You thought you could beat two Beast-Warriors by yourself?"
"Probably not," Jabari admitted. "But I thought of another way to beat Silver at his own game."
Idir's curiosity sharpened. "And what was that?"
Without another word, Jabari channelled his spirit into his glaive. A flickering white aura surged around the weapon like an ethereal flame.
"This was my way to win," he said simply.
Gasps echoed throughout the room.
Even those who had already seen it – August, Danso, and Azurian – couldn't help but stare in renewed awe. Chidi's eyes narrowed slightly, and Chantelle leaned forward with blatant interest.
Even the Elders shifted in their seats, eyes locked onto the glaive.
Jabari continued, voice steady.
"Thanks to my talent, the teachings of the old man, and Elder Zaire's guidance, I achieved a state more commonly known as a Weapon-Wielder. A Glaivesman, in my case."
He let the glaive rest at his side, but the aura remained, glowing faintly.
"With it, I killed Gichinga, who still had August hostage. Then I landed a hit on Silver himself. That punch broke his control – over the Magical Beasts, and over Danso and Azurian."
He paused.
"After that, I passed out. When I woke up, the old man was there, facing off against the wind mage."
As he finished, Jabari's eyes swept the room. Everyone's attention was still glued to the glaive, and not a single person seemed to care that he had just admitted to killing a fellow student.
They were too stunned by what he'd become.
An almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips.
'Good,' Jabari thought. 'Let them focus on the weapon. The rest isn't important.'
The morning after the invasion, Jabari and August sat down with Aziz and relayed everything that had happened before he arrived – including Jabari's strange, cryptic conversation with Silver.
Aziz, sharp as ever, immediately understood the implications. Any mention of Silver's mind games – or the elusive "sixth sense" tied to August – would stir trouble they weren't yet ready to deal with. He told Jabari plainly: omit what you're not prepared to explain.
August, though not fully grasping the significance of Silver's words, especially about why he'd been immune to the mind control, respected the unspoken code between warriors. Everyone had secrets, and some were best left untouched.
To shield Jabari, August offered to say he was too far away to hear the conversation. When Jabari refused, August merely shrugged.
"It's no big deal," he'd said. "They wouldn't dare push me. I'm innocent."
Jabari had thanked him sincerely.
Aziz, never one to let a weakness go uncovered, leaned back and offered a final suggestion to his disciple. "When they ask you, give them something else to obsess over. A distraction. A shiny object. Use a sleight of hand!"
Confused at first, both boys perked up as Aziz continued his explanation.
"When you need to explain about your interaction with Silver," Aziz smirked. "Show them your Glaive Force before you skim over the parts you don't want to explain in detail."
And sure enough, it worked like a charm.
The moment Jabari summoned the flickering white aura of his Glaive Force, all thoughts of Silver's manipulations vanished from the Elders' minds. Their gazes fixated on the weapon, hungry and wide-eyed.
"And for the record," Idir asked, his eyes never leaving the glowing glaive, "can you explain what that is exactly?"
"This is Glaive Force," Jabari answered plainly. "It's the proof of becoming a true Weapon-Wielder. It was taught to me by the old man."
The room stilled. Idir turned to Aziz, about to speak – only for Aziz's lazy drawl to wash over the hall like a dousing wave of ice water.
"The agreement between our two nations was simple," Aziz said. "In exchange for letting one of our citizens become a Beast-Warrior, I would teach two of yours the path of the Weapon-Wielder. Whether they succeeded or not would be up to them."
"I only count one so far," Idir said, trying to hide the greed smouldering in his gaze.
"I'm the second," August declared as he rose to his feet with quiet confidence. "While my aunt travelled to HQ to explain what happened during Jabari's failed awakening, Mr Aziz has been teaching me the path of the Weapon-Wielder."
A new wave of reactions rippled through the Elders – shock, envy, frustration, awe.
Both boys were off-limits.
Jabari had Aziz standing like a sword behind his back, a man who had casually flattened an Elder in front of them all – and showed no concern while doing so.
Several of them cast a glance at the still-unconscious Bamidele and wisely chose silence over risk.
August, though? He was untouchable for entirely different reasons.
Even if he seemed to have distanced himself from his bloodline, no one wanted to test how far those ties had truly been cut. The Asare Tribe – one of the Six Great Tribes – were legendary for producing Ulo's fiercest warriors. No Elder in their right mind would provoke them to confirm whether August still bore their protection.
It was becoming clear: the secret of becoming a Weapon-Wielder wasn't going to be pried from these two. The best the Elders could do was stew in frustration.
That was, until Diallo's voice sliced through the silence.
"After everything that's happened," he said coldly, "the contents of the original agreement are going to need changing."
The statement hung in the air like a drawn blade. The Elders sat straighter. Jabari narrowed his eyes. August opened his eyes once more.
And Aziz…
He slowly looked up from his position, a smile that didn't reach his eyes spreading across his face.
The room braced for what came next.
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