Akachi put one hand on his left knee to restrain his nervous leg. With his free hand, he rubbed his eyes under his glasses. All his choices had been difficult up to that point. For someone who had been discarded in the garbage aeromobile by Ilu Nla, he had done well for himself. At least he had managed to survive.

Everyone looked at him anxiously. Spin Bomb was biting his nails. Fadala kept his eyes firmly on the boy. The former sages were attentive.

"Well, I guess…"

Akachi opened his mouth, and before he could finish his thought, the girl complained with her arms outstretched:

"Ah! Yes or no, just say it!"

Everyone turned their frightened eyes to Spin Bomb, and she shrugged her head like an intimidated turtle.

"Sorry…"

"Hunhun, as I was saying, I will follow your advice, Mr. Feruzi. I think the dangers I'm about to face may be too great. I need all the help I can get."

"Very well, tomorrow your fast begins. The day after that, we'll put you in the Discharge Barrier. Now, get some rest. You can repeat it if you like."

"Uoh, no, thank you, Mr. Feruzi. We're tired from the trip and…"

Spin Bomb quickly came over with a plate and a spoon. He was licking his lips.

"Speak for yourself, I'll fill my belly!"

Fenyang floated up next to Akachi. They both looked ashamed of themselves. They put their hands to their faces and shook their heads.

She never misses a chance to embarrass us, Akachi.

If it were a championship, she would have won by now.

Of course she would, she's the only one competing! Why didn't you leave her on the savannah?

She was the only one who knew the area…

The trio of mediums showed us their residences. The huts were neither large nor comfortable. The furniture was sparse, made of rustic wood taken from some nearby forests. There were pots of drinking water, aluminum mugs served as lids. They slept in hammocks made of fabric from plant fibers.

In the center of the huts, a small stove emitted smoke towards an opening in the roof. Around the opening in the roof, the straw had taken on a grayish appearance. They had no access to any digital technology. They used to get news from Ilu Nla and the world via an analog radio. They recharged their batteries with Axé.

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Akachi decided to stay with Feruzi, Spin Bomb was invited by Mashal, and Nyatui begrudgingly welcomed Fadala into his hut. The two teenagers fell asleep after lunch. Fadala thought about reporting to Ilê Apanyan, but Nyatui called him.

"Do you have a minute, Mr. Elegance?"

"Ah, yes, up to three for my host."

"You can make noodles in that time."

"That's all it takes to cook."

The pair walked upstream. Fadala followed the man with all his senses on high alert. He didn't want to be caught off guard. With a leap, Nyatui climbed onto a large rectangular rock. He looked at Fadala, as if inviting him to do the same. The outsider effortlessly reached the top of the stone.

"I expected nothing less from an Ilê Apanyan mortician."

"My Babu always says that it's impossible to hide anything from mediums."

"If you've come here to kill us, at least give me a fair fight."

Nyatui brought out his spear, slimmz! Behind him, Dalji appeared with his spear in hand. Medium and Guardian Ori were prepared to engage in a life-and-death struggle if possible. He pointed the blade at Fadala's throat.

"Put your weapons down, you could end up poking someone in the eye with that thing. I'm not here to kill any of you former wise men. I didn't come to commend any souls to God, or to exact revenge, or to take the law into my own hands…"

"Hmm, and what did you come to do?"

"To observe."

"It's the first time I've seen an Ilê Apanyan assassin put on an observation mission. The Ilê Apanyan must be on their asses to take such a desperate move."

Nyatui undid the spear in mid-air. That caught Fadala's attention. He had murdered mediums in other circumstances, but he had never seen one materialize something with his Axé.

"You should teach the boy that magic trick."

"If he survives, he'll be able to do something even greater than that."

"And if he doesn't?"

"We keep the key and bury him."

Nyatui is the pragmatist of the group. He seems to be an individualist, but he's always on the lookout. Just hope he doesn't stir up trouble.

The medium walked away with his spirit. From where he was, Fadala could see a whitish rectangle. It was the wall that separated Ilu Nla from the slums. Next to Ilu Nla, some hills dotted with black and brown. In the background, like the bottom edge of a picture frame, a blue hue weakened by distance.

Above the star-scrapers, a large tree with an immense crown protruded beyond the clouds. It was Irôko, the 'Tree of Time'.

"It's like my Babu said, only from a distance can you see its greatness, as well as the passing of the years."

At the top of the falls, the humidity and the stony ground brought freshness. Below the falls, like a gradient relief, the stones gave way to undergrowth. Dry grasses interspersed with sparse trees and shrubs. After this sun-dried green, there was only arid, clayey soil as red as blood.

The west coast of Africa had never seemed so enchanting and frightening to Fadala. He climbed down from the rock. He walked towards the mud huts. Towards the afternoon, the team got back to work plastering the walls. With three more pairs of arms, the former wise men finished the task.

After completing the task, everyone was rewarded with a nice swim in the river. Night fell over the top of the waterfall. The weather turned colder and the humidity increased. A few fireflies appeared, adding their subtle glow to that of the stars. The moon seemed closer, you wanted to touch it with your fingertips.

Feruzi prepared dinner. Everyone gathered around the fire. Mashal took the radio and put it on a stool. He adjusted the antennae and, throwing a little Axé into it, tuned in to Ilu Nla's pirate radio station. The announcer, with his anti-government stance, said in a voice of repudiation:

"The illegitimate Interim President of the False Republic of Ilu Nla, will make an important pronouncement to the nation. Open your ears to the most unsympathetic round of lies in the history of this land…"

Everyone stopped to listen. In a deep voice, emitting an air of authority and officialdom, Ojwang made a speech that inflamed the population in the central square. Akachi was surprised by the news. In one of them, the medium who had led the popular uprising in Chrome Hill and the surrounding slums had been arrested. His name was Yasini.