The Grandmaster didn't waste time.
The moment Ochieng accepted his fate, the real torment began.
No food. No water. No sleep.
For three days, he was locked inside a dark, underground chamber.
A single rule—survive.
Ochieng sat cross-legged in the pitch-black room, his stomach gnawing at itself.
The hunger was manageable.
The thirst was unbearable.
But the worst was the silence.
A deep, suffocating void that made every second stretch into eternity.
This wasn't just endurance training.
It was psychological warfare.
Ochieng gritted his teeth.
His mind screamed for an escape.
Yet he forced himself to remain calm.
This was part of the test.
And he would not break.
---
By the fourth day, Ochieng was seeing things.
The walls shifted. Shadows twisted into shapes.
But instead of panicking, he studied them.
He understood.
The darkness was talking to him.
It wasn't an enemy.
It was a teacher.
Then—
He heard it.
A heartbeat.
Faint. Steady.
Someone was watching.
Ochieng smirked.
"Come out."
Silence.
Then, a whisper in the dark.
"Interesting."
A door creaked open, and dim light flooded the room.
The Grandmaster stood there, his expression unreadable.
"You noticed me?"
Ochieng wiped sweat from his brow. "I did."
A glimmer of approval.
"Good. Then you're ready for the next step."
Ochieng's body screamed in protest.
But his heart pounded with excitement.
---