Ochieng stood frozen in place, the weight of the vision still heavy on his chest. Gloria's soft touch on his arm barely registered, as his mind was consumed with the chaos of what he had just witnessed. The palace, the figures in the shadows, the cryptic warning—it all felt so real, and yet, his senses told him nothing had changed. But deep down, Ochieng knew it wasn't over. The truth had been revealed to him, but now he faced the cost.
Gloria's voice broke through his reverie. "Ochieng, are you alright?" she asked, her brow furrowed with concern. He turned to look at her, but it was as though he was seeing her for the first time—her beauty, her grace, her poise, all things he had once admired seemed now to hold a certain distance, as though she, too, were part of the illusion.
"I… I don't know," Ochieng muttered, the words escaping him without thought. "There's something… something wrong, Gloria."
Her eyes flickered with something Ochieng couldn't quite place—a flash of doubt, of guilt. It was subtle, a mere shift in her gaze, but it was enough to send a chill through him. Could it be that Gloria, the one he had trusted, was involved in the darkness he had seen? Could she be one of the figures in the palace? His heart pounded as the seed of suspicion began to take root.
Before he could voice his thoughts, a sudden commotion from the hallway caught their attention. Voices raised in alarm, footsteps hurried, and then the sound of something—or someone—crashing to the ground. Ochieng turned sharply, his instincts flaring.
Without thinking, he grabbed Gloria's wrist and pulled her with him as he rushed toward the noise. They rounded the corner to find a group of guards kneeling by an unconscious figure—none other than Tielen, his most trusted ally. Blood stained the stone beneath him, and his breathing was shallow, labored.
"What happened?" Ochieng demanded, his voice rising with a mix of panic and fury. One of the guards looked up at him, his face pale.
"We were ambushed, my lord. A group of masked men attacked us. They were after Tielen."
Ochieng's mind reeled. Masked men? Could this be connected to the vision he had just witnessed? The figures, the shadows, all the hints of treachery that had lurked at the edges of his mind now seemed to be closing in on him from all sides.
He knelt beside Tielen, his hands trembling as he checked for signs of life. There was still a pulse, weak but steady. Ochieng's relief was short-lived, however, as his thoughts raced. Who were these attackers? And why was Tielen specifically targeted?
Gloria knelt beside him, her hand hovering over Tielen's shoulder, but she didn't touch him. Her eyes flickered nervously, and Ochieng caught it. There was something in her gaze, something not quite right. His suspicion grew, but he dared not voice it yet—not in front of everyone. Instead, he focused on Tielen, his most loyal friend, and gave orders for him to be taken to the infirmary.
"Keep him safe," Ochieng commanded the guards, his voice firm. "I'll deal with this later."
As the guards whisked Tielen away, Ochieng stood, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on him. The attack, the shadows, the betrayal—it all seemed too much to ignore. Someone, somewhere, was orchestrating something far greater than he had anticipated, and it was only a matter of time before the web closed in around him.
Gloria was still by his side, but now there was an unease in her presence that hadn't been there before. Ochieng turned to face her, his expression hardening. "You knew, didn't you?" he asked, his voice low and cold.
Gloria blinked, taken aback. "What are you talking about?"
"All of this," he gestured around them. "The attack on Tielen, the vision I saw, the masked figures. You knew something. You've always known."
Her face paled, and for a moment, Ochieng saw her falter. He saw the cracks in her perfect facade. The truth was slipping out, like water through his fingers.
"I…" She hesitated, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean for it to go this far. But I couldn't stop it."
"Stop what?" Ochieng's voice was sharp, the fury bubbling beneath the surface.
"I… I've been part of something bigger, Ochieng. Something you're not ready for. But it's too late now. The truth has already begun to unfold, and there's no turning back."
Ochieng's mind raced as the weight of her words crashed into him. What had Gloria gotten herself involved in? What had she been hiding from him all this time? He reached out, grasping her by the arms, pulling her close. "What truth, Gloria? What have you done?"
She looked away, her eyes filled with regret, but there was something else there too—something Ochieng couldn't quite name. The air between them was thick with unspoken words, with broken trust.
Before Gloria could speak again, a loud crash echoed from the direction of the throne room. Ochieng's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively pulled Gloria behind him as they rushed toward the sound.
As they neared the throne room, the doors burst open, revealing a scene that took Ochieng's breath away. The room was in chaos—guards scattered, furniture overturned, and at the center of it all stood a figure cloaked in shadows.
"You thought you were safe," the figure said, their voice mocking. "But your little empire is about to fall, Ochieng. And there's nothing you can do to stop it."
Ochieng's eyes narrowed, his pulse quickening as the figure stepped forward. It was a person he recognized, but the mask they wore obscured their face. A cold chill ran down his spine as realization dawned.
This was only the beginning.
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