Sdwashini never slept.
The streets whispered secrets in the dark—gang murmurs, knife deals, and broken dreams. Zeldras had heard it all. But tonight, it spoke directly to him.
"Stay close," Tibo muttered, glancing around the narrow alley.
Zeldras nodded, unaware this would be the last time he trusted him.
Trash bins lined the brick walls, rats scurried, and the air stank of piss and betrayal.
Zeldras adjusted his hoodie, heart thudding—not from fear, but instinct. Something was off.
Tibo slowed.
Zeldras turned. "What now?"
Shhhk!
The blade slid into his side like it belonged there.
Pain exploded. He gasped. Eyes wide.
"Sorry, dawg," Tibo whispered, voice heavy. "The boss said this the only way I move up. It's not personal."
Zeldras dropped to his knees. The blood came warm. Too warm.
"Yena... we were brothers."
Tibo didn't look back.
---
The world faded.
Zeldras felt cold stone beneath him, blood soaking into Mbabane's forgotten concrete.
But just before the darkness swallowed him—
a voice echoed inside his skull.
> "Child of the Umnyama Clan… your blood has called us."
A crimson system screen blinked to life in front of his fading eyes.
> [Ancestral Bond Activated]
[Cultivation Seed Granted]
[Initializing Guide: Elder Maphanga]
And then, silence.