Akachi was running towards the third lap of the Judgement Stone. He felt he couldn't waste any more time, his father Adisa was in danger. The Circle of Sages didn't seem to be playing with threats. He didn't want to pay to see.

Feruzi and Mashal were happy. The distraction plan had worked, up to a point. At least they had taken Hakim out of the game. They considered him the most dangerous sage. Nkechi wasn't a serious threat, they had left the three remaining copies created by Mashal behind. It was a way of keeping their distance from the enemy. Her plasma mist was a problem if it hit them.

The Sage of Evolution was on the trail of the invaders. She felt ridiculed by their infiltration strategy. Although plasma mist was very useful in combat, it wasn't applicable in all contexts. Even with her physical abilities, she couldn't handle four enemies at once. He needed to slow them down.

"I didn't know cowardice helped people run so fast."

The result was different to what Nkechi had predicted. She was ignored by the fugitives. But both she and Akachi and their group had to stop running and watch the spectacle of Hakim's explosion.

A cloud of Axé particles caused everyone to be thrown into the rock wall. Mashal's copies suffered an electromagnetic discharge and were disintegrated.

Nkechi put both arms to his face in a gesture of self-protection. He concentrated a mass of Axé on the soles of his feet to anchor himself to the ground.

"Damn it, Hakim! Did you have to use the Four Fundamental Forces out of the blue?"

Or maybe he's sending us a warning… possible intruders at our reception.

As she turned to Akachi and the others, they had already taken their distance from her.

"Hey, wait, don't run away…"

Ignored once again, the veins exploded at her temples. Nkechi snorted. She ran up the stairs to take revenge for the affront.

⸎

The explosion generated by Hakim made the top of the Stone of Judgment tremble. Ekundayo looked away from Adisa. His hands shook, then he closed his fists tightly. It wasn't just a show of strength. Hakim was vain, not stupid.

Jabir gritted his teeth. He jumped down from the stands and came to talk to the leader, he was angry.

"What does he think he's doing showing off like that? This is no time for jokes, Ekundayo."

"For him to use Ofó like that, old Jabir, it's because he's found a powerful enemy. From a distance, someone unexpected."

Adisa began to laugh, more out of desperation than for any real reason.

"I knew it, the Phalanx wouldn't just let me go. I think you've been had, gurfh!"

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The old medium punched Adisa right in the stomach. The scientist squirmed, fell to his knees, but didn't stop laughing. On the contrary, his laughter grew louder.

Jabir spat in his face with utter contempt.

"Shut up, traitor! You seem happy to be back in captivity. It's common for dogs to want to wag their tails at their owners when they smell them."

He raised his fist a second time to silence the prisoner's cynicism, but Ekundayo grabbed his forearm tightly.

"Stop it, Jabir! I didn't authorize any assault on him. Azekel's son is worth more alive than dead."

"I don't remember swearing allegiance to you, Ekundayo. My commitment is to our cause."

"I am your leader."

"If you were zealous about the precepts of ancestry, you would leave the leadership to me, the eldest."

"I won the leadership of the Circle of Sages a long time ago."

"No, Hakim only gave it up out of laziness and let you take over."

The two mediums looked at each other. Jabir, attached to the conservatism of Ilu Nla's age hierarchies, had never swallowed the fact that someone younger than him was leading the Circle of Sages. Despite his strength, he was no match for Ekundayo, and none of the sages came close to Hakim's power. This fueled his resentment even more.

The Sage of Justice didn't like Jabir's insolence. It was the thing that most put his leadership in check. However, no one else was more eager for the post than Jabir. The old medium had no supporters. Ekundayo himself recognized that in terms of experience, Jabir could be the leader, in terms of power, his friend Hakim, but in terms of vision of the future, the mission of leading them would fall to him.

Unlike Jabir, who wanted a reform, that is, a change towards the past, Ekundayo wanted a revolution. Not a utopian one like Mashal's with his idealism, but one in which the mediums could direct the destiny of Ilu Nla. No puppet monarchy, no false government, no foreign interference in internal affairs.

The Sage of Force walked towards them. He walked past Ekundayo as if he couldn't see him.

"I'm tired of seeing you make the same mistakes."

"Where are you going, old Jabir?"

"I have to take care of something."

"If you want to go, I won't stop you."

"As if you could stop me from doing whatever I wanted, young man."

Jabir jumped from the top to the stairs below. Ekundayo let all the air escape from his lungs.

"It seems that the Circle of Sages isn't very cohesive."

Ekundayo didn't respond to Adisa's provocation, he was preoccupied with other matters.

⸎

The quartet of invaders had moved swiftly up the stairs. They were already on the fourth turn of the spiral staircase. Suddenly, they stopped running. Right in front of them stood Jabir, his arms crossed and his posture defiant. When he saw Adisa's son, he pointed a finger in the young medium's direction.

Mashal and Feruzi stepped in front of Akachi. To their surprise, Akachi stepped forward and pulled out the two tungsten rods.

"Fenyang…"

I'm here, brou.

The masters of suspicion looked at each other. They didn't have good expectations of this meeting.

"Are you sure, Akachi? It's the Sage of Force."

"It would be nice if the three of us sent him a souvenir from Nyatui."

"No, this is my fight. Go, and take Spin Bomb with you."

Jabir took a step down the stairs. His foot caught on the stone step and it seemed to give way on his boot.

"You didn't hear what the kid said. We have a score to settle. Besides, you already have enough to worry about."

He nodded to Nkechi, who advanced against the others. Feruzi, Mashal and Spin Bomb made another escape up the stairs.

Jabir's face showed intense disgust as Feruzi and Mashal passed him. He had great contempt for the old mediums. He never forgave them for leaving Ilu Nla, giving up fighting when he could have stayed and helped the Circle of Sages.

"Cowards!"

"Pay no attention to them, sage Jabir. Your fight will be with me. Firm spirit!"

Akachi's Ori Guardian overlapped with his body, until the two became one. With an echoing voice, he stood on a maculelê base.

"Come on, show me what an old medium can do."

"At our last meeting, you managed to touch me. Don't get so confident, kid. I've forgotten what you're going to learn about mediumship."

Jabir flew towards Akachi. He threw a punch, but the boy defended it with one of his sticks. Azekel's grandson felt that the blow had not been delivered with his true strength. The young medium felt that the sage had been toying with him. Before he could prepare a counterattack, Jabir disappeared from his field of vision and appeared on the other side with a punch coming towards his pelvis.