They left the city behind.
Not all at once.
Step by step.
Streetlights faded first.
Then the noise.
Then the people.
Until there was nothing left but the road.
Long.
Quiet.
Uncertain.
Shango walked a few steps behind the old man.
Same distance.
Always the same distance.
No matter how long they moved.
The old man never slowed.
Never hurried.
Just walked.
Like time didn't matter.
Shango adjusted the strap of his bag.
His body still ached.
Not as bad as before.
But enough to remind him.
Of the fight.
Of the power.
Of how little control he had.
"…Where are we going?" he asked.
The old man didn't look back.
"…Nowhere," he said.
Shango frowned.
"That's not an answer."
"…It's the only one you need right now."
That was it.
Shango exhaled through his nose.
Annoyed.
But he didn't push.
Not yet.
They kept walking.
Time passed.
The road changed.
Less concrete.
More dirt.
Fewer signs of life.
But not empty.
Never empty.
Shango felt it.
That same faint awareness.
Like something—
Or someone—
Could appear at any moment.
"…That man from before," he said."The cultivator."
The old man hummed softly.
"…What about him?"
"He didn't feel like me."
"…Of course not."
Shango's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Then what am I?"
No answer.
Just footsteps.
Steady.
Unbothered.
Shango clenched his jaw slightly.
"…You knew something back there," he continued."When you looked at me."
Still nothing.
The old man didn't even slow.
"…You're asking the wrong questions," he said after a moment.
Shango frowned.
"Then what's the right one?"
"…Who, not What... Who are you?"
That made him pause.
Just slightly.
"…What does that mean?"
No response.
Again.
Shango let out a quiet breath.
Frustration building.
"…You keep doing that."
"…Doing what?"
"Avoiding everything."
The old man chuckled.
Low.
Not mocking.
Just… amused.
"…You want answers," he said.
Shango didn't respond.
Didn't need to.
"…You're not ready for them."
That did it.
Shango stopped walking.
"…That's not your decision."
The old man stopped too.
For the first time since they started.
He turned slightly.
Not fully.
Just enough.
"…It is," he said calmly.
No force.
No pressure.
But it landed heavier than anything else.
Shango held his gaze.
Didn't back down.
"…Then tell me this," he said.
A pause.
"…Who was the man that attacked me?"
Silence.
Then—
"…A rogue."
Short.
Simple.
Not enough.
"…That's it?" Shango asked.
"…For now."
And just like that—
The old man turned again.
And kept walking.
Shango stared at him for a moment.
Then—
Followed.
Again.
The road stretched further.
Darker now.
The sun had dropped.
Night settled slowly.
The air cooled.
The silence deepened.
Then—
Shango felt it.
Not faint.
Not distant.
Clear.
Watching.
"…Stop," he said.
The old man didn't.
Didn't need to.
He already knew.
The air shifted.
Subtle.
But sharp.
Like something had just entered—
Not the road.
But the space around them.
A presence.
Cold.
Focused.
Above.
Shango's head snapped up.
Nothing.
Empty sky.
But the feeling remained.
"…It's here," he said.
The old man finally stopped.
"…Yes," he replied.
Calm.
Too calm.
A distortion appeared.
Not in front of them.
Not behind.
Above.
Like the air itself bent.
Then—
It descended.
Slow.
Deliberate.
A figure formed.
Not fully solid.
Not fully real.
A shape more than a body.
Watching.
Locked onto Shango.
"…Target confirmed."
The voice didn't come from its mouth.
It pressed into the air.
Cold.
Precise.
Shango's body tensed instantly.
The lightning flickered beneath his skin and through his hair.
Unstable.
Ready—
But not controlled.
The presence moved.
Fast.
Straight toward him.
Shango reacted.
Too late.
It was already within reach—
And then—
It stopped.
Just like that.
Mid-motion.
Frozen.
Not by force.
Not by impact.
Just—
Stopped.
The air around it tightened.
Quietly.
Like something had closed around it.
Shango blinked.
Confused.
He hadn't moved.
Hadn't done anything.
The old man stepped forward.
Slow.
Unhurried.
He didn't raise his hand.
Didn't shift his stance.
Didn't do anything—
Visible.
"...So that's it." he said.
"That explains it."
The presence trembled.
Just slightly.
"…Who are you?"
The entity asked
Its voice distorted.
Unstable now.
"…Do not interfere, Mortal."
The old man tilted his head.
"…You interfered first."
"Interrupting a conversation is rather rude."
Simple.
Final.
The air tightened again.
Sharper this time.
The old man clenched his fist towards the direction of the entity
The presence flickered—
Then—
Collapsed.
No explosion.
No struggle.
It just—
Disappeared.
Gone.
Like it had never existed.
Silence.
Heavy.
Complete.
Shango stood there.
Staring.
"…What—"
He stopped.
Because he didn't even know what to ask.
The old man turned slightly.
Looked at him.
For the first time since it ended.
"…Keep moving," he said.
Like nothing happened.
Shango didn't move.
"…That thing was after me," he said.
The old man said nothing.
"…And you just—"
He gestured vaguely.
"…stopped it."
Still nothing.
Shango's eyes narrowed.
"…Who are you?"
That question lingered.
Different from the others.
Heavier.
The old man looked at him.
Long.
Quiet.
Then—
"…Someone who's been around long enough," he said.
A pause.
"…to know when something doesn't belong."
Not enough.
Still not enough.
Shango didn't look away.
"…That's not an answer."
The old man's lips curved slightly.
Not quite a smile.
"…No," he said.
Another pause.
"…But it's the only one you're getting right now."
Shango exhaled slowly.
Frustration.
Curiosity.
Suspicion.
All mixed.
"…You knew it was coming," he said.
The old man didn't deny it.
Didn't confirm it either.
"…Keep walking," he said instead.
And turned.
Again.
Shango stood there for a moment.
Then—
He followed.
Because what else was he going to do?
After a few steps—
The old man spoke again.
Almost like an afterthought.
"…If you need something to call me…"
A pause.
"…Just call me Onye nkuzi."
Shango smiled.
"That's your name?"
"…For now, yes."
Another step.
"…I've had other names."
A pause.
"…They stopped mattering."
The road stretched ahead.
Long.
Unclear.
And for the first time—
Shango understood something.
Not about his power.
Not about the world.
But about the man walking in front of him.
He wasn't going to get answers.
Not yet.