The day did not return to normal.
Even after classes ended.
Even after students left in groups, louder than usual, trying to bury unease in noise.
Something lingered.
Shango felt it the moment he stepped out of the school gate.
A pressure.
Faint.
But present.
Not like before.
This wasn't inside him.
This was… external.
Watching.
He stopped walking.
The street continued as usual around him.
Vendors shouting.
Cars passing.
People moving.
But beneath it—
Something was wrong.
"You feel it too."
Nkiru's voice.
Shango didn't turn this time.
"Yes," he said.
She stepped beside him, her gaze scanning the street, not the people.
"Good," she replied. "That means I'm not imagining things."
A brief pause.
"Or we both are," Shango said.
Nkiru almost smiled.
Almost.
"It's getting closer," she said.
Shango's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What is?"
"I don't know yet."
Honest.
That made it worse.
"Then how do you know it's getting closer?"
Nkiru looked ahead.
"Because the air feels… tighter."
A moment passed.
Then—
A scream cut through the street.
Sharp.
Sudden.
People turned.
A man stumbled backward near the corner.
His phone dropped from his hand, clattering against the ground.
"What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know—"
"Is he a cultivator?""No… that's not aura.""Then what is he?"
He froze.
Mid-step.
Completely still.
Then his body jerked.
Not violently.
Wrongly.
Like something inside him didn't understand how movement worked.
Shango's chest tightened.
"That's it," Nkiru said quietly.
The man's head tilted.
Too far.
Too slow.
Then his eyes—
They weren't focusing.
They were… empty.
Scanning.
Not seeing.
The crowd backed away.
Fear spread quickly.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
No response.
The man took a step forward.
Then another.
Each movement slightly off.
Unnatural.
"What's happening to him?" someone whispered.
Shango didn't answer.
Because he already knew.
This wasn't normal.
And it wasn't random.
The man stopped.
Then—
He turned.
Directly toward Shango.
Silence fell.
The noise of the street faded into nothing.
Only distance.
Only focus.
"Found…"
The word came out broken.
Distorted.
Not fully human.
Shango felt it.
That same pressure from earlier—
Now locked onto him.
"Shango," Nkiru said, quieter now.
"I know."
The man stepped forward again.
Faster this time.
The crowd scattered.
Screams rose.
But Shango didn't move.
He couldn't.
Not because he was afraid.
But because something inside him—
Recognized this.
Not the man.
The force behind him.
Not yet.
The voice again.
But this time—
It wasn't a warning.
It was restraint.
The man lunged.
And in that moment—
Something snapped.
Not outside.
Inside.
A surge exploded through Shango's body.
Blue light burst across his arms.
Not controlled.
Not hidden.
Raw.
The air cracked.
The man froze mid-motion.
His body locked.
For a second—
Everything stopped.
Then—
He dropped.
Lifeless.
The street fell into stunned silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Shango stood there, his breath uneven.
The light faded.
Too late.
Too many people had seen.
Phones were already out.
Recording.
Watching.
"Shango…"
Nkiru's voice.
Not calm this time.
Not fully.
"You just proved it."
He didn't respond.
Because he already knew what she meant.
He wasn't hidden anymore.
And far above—
"They've confirmed his location."
A voice echoed.
Cold.
Satisfied.
"Send the next."
A pause.
"No errors this time."
Back on the street—
Sirens began to rise.
Closer now.
Faster.
People whispered.
Stepped back.
Kept their distance.
From him.
Shango looked down at his hands.
Still.
Normal.
But no longer unseen.
He exhaled slowly.
This was no longer something he could ignore.
No longer something he could hide.
Beside him, Nkiru spoke again.
"We need to leave."
Shango looked at her.
"For what?"
Her answer came without hesitation.
"Because whatever that was…"
A brief pause.
"It wasn't the last."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Certain.
And for the first time—
Shango didn't question it.
He turned.
And walked.
Not away from the problem.
But straight into it.