TRAILING SHADOWS

"Agbara Esu: Vanishing poi..."

Ummrrrrggghhhh." Afolabi grunted his hands flailing to the side as pain drove into twin points of his neck, impaling his completion of the Teleport Technique. His vocal cords were impaled now and in response, essence gushed out of his mouth, making gurgling sounds.

Panic filled his eyes as he stared into space. Whoever was doing this was definitely an expert at this. Who would have thought to do this? Father?

*** *** ***

She sailed through the air, moving fluidly as she descended. Normally, her leap was only to be shortlived but 'seamless flow' was a technique that added momentum and quiet to whatever movement she was moving in. It was a skill that could boost her jump a little bit, making her jump higher and longer than she could normally, while guiding her flight so she could land noiselessly rght infront of the target she had envisaged. Although the technique was not limited to only jumping but it did have its extra effects along with it. For her, it made her assume a heroic feel.

And she sure wasn't going to miss out on that.

In front of her, Afolabi seemed to wince like he had noticed something.

'Not now, not now, Oh, Orisha Esu. Not now' Ibiyemi prayed frantically.

It wasn't like her prayers would be answered as she knew just how interesting The Patron Orisha was to his Irunmoles. If her stealth was to be discovered before she could strike, then there was no way she would ever get close to him. As she was, in mid air, vulnerable and all that, the only person she could turn to right now, was Esu himself.

And she didn't want to fail her father.

No, he depended on her now, more than ever. For once, her father had trusted her that she could hold her own. He believed she was more than just that frightened little girl everyone had known before.

As if guided by Esu as well, she landed just infront of him, her hands going into a hyper drive as it struck forward of its own accord forcefully. In that split second her blades connected with Afolabi, she could feel the Abefele Iruju glow hotter than before as it sliced through.

There was no one to attribute that but Esu. He had answered her out of the blues. And she was not going to waste it. Already, Afolabi had begun to stir up energy, ready to unleash it.

She frowned beneath the mask, her hands whipping up higher in the air. She wasn't going to take chances. With closed eyes, she drove the blade right, right into the oesophagus of her brother, watching him bleed, impaled and unable to speak.

Her eyes moistened as she watched the sight, steeling her heart. 'He left me no chance.' She reasoned, trying to raise her wall to block her conscience out.

Suddenly, a thud sounded some distance away. She turned her head to look upon reflex to the source of the sound when a huge weight slammed into her.

Her eyes dulled as reality blurred continuously. A second weight landed on her head, making her spin around, dazed. She felt a third weight coming at her and instinctively, she rose her left hand to lessen the impact.

Still, the blow landed, throwing her down to the ground dazed. Energy shivered off her body, reacting to the broken ring artifact she now had on. Her body was now slowly becoming outlined, the invisibility she had enjoyed before vanishing entirely.

But no. She couldn't just give up like that. She had to put more of a fight. "Y-you…" She gasped, her body failing her.

Slowly, the outline of who hit her came to view. The figure had a brown cloak with a hood that had not been worn. Instinctively, she gritted her teeth, fuming as she gazed on Wole.

She felt humiliated.

Useless, as Wole stared down at her like she was a piece of dirt. "You, you really dont know how to stay down, do you?" Wole asked, looking down at her mockingly.

He turned around, taking an emotionless look at Afolabi. Shaking his head, he moved a step closer to him. "You really need to know your place, Ibiyemi. Your…"

The words hung in the air, or that was what she thought. She felt Afolabi's steps closer and in the next seconds, the flat of his boot was right on her face.

"For the last time, Ibiyemi, know your place!" He said, rubbing the sole of his feet even more on her face. Her eyes closed, the impact and humiliation taking a heavy toll on her finally. Just then, she heard the rushing of boots from the balcony and the indistinct chatter of worrying voices.

As an Elite, she could now distinguish between sounds and was able to pinpoint where each sound originated from. These sounds, this time, were from the Meeting room. She smiled faintly, knowing that she had completed her mission.

Her father was yet again saved!