Chapter 1: Glimpse of Power

The sun was already high in the sky, beating down mercilessly on the busy streets. Ifenna wiped the sweat from his brow and adjusted the heavy sack over his shoulder, shifting it to ease the strain. It wasn’t the life he had imagined for himself, hauling crates in the bustling marketplace of Ogen City. He had bigger dreams once, but reality had a way of dulling those ambitions.

"Oi, Ifenna! Get a move on, we don’t have all day!" The harsh voice of his supervisor, Jarek, echoed through the crowd. He was a burly man with little patience, known for his booming voice and quick temper.

Ifenna nodded silently and quickened his pace. He had grown used to Jarek’s barking, just like he’d grown used to the daily grind of work. Lifting, moving, packing—day in, day out. But something inside him felt off. He’d been having strange dreams lately, dreams of glowing symbols and shadows moving in the corners of his mind. He couldn’t explain them, but they left him feeling... unsettled.

After hours of work, the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting a warm orange hue across the city. As Ifenna walked home through the narrow alleyways, the air was cooler, the weight of the day lifting slightly from his shoulders. He sighed, kicking a pebble in his path. This wasn’t where he was meant to be. Something inside him whispered that he was destined for more.

He reached his small home, a cramped single-room shack on the outskirts of town, and collapsed onto his bed. His body was exhausted, but his mind was restless. The dreams had been growing more vivid recently, and tonight was no different. As soon as his eyes closed, the darkness took him.

In his dream, he found himself standing in an endless expanse of water, the surface calm and still, reflecting the sky above like a perfect mirror. A low hum filled the air, vibrating through his chest. Ahead of him, a figure began to emerge from the mist, tall and indistinct, its eyes glowing a faint blue.

"Ifenna..." the figure's voice was a whisper, but it resonated with power. "Your time has come."

"What... what is this?" Ifenna’s voice trembled as he took a step back, unsure of where he was or what was happening. The figure raised its hand, and suddenly, the calm water beneath him began to ripple. The ripples grew into waves, and before Ifenna could react, they crashed over him, pulling him into the depths.

Ifenna woke with a start, gasping for air. His body felt hot, as if a fire was burning just beneath his skin. He glanced at his hand, which was trembling. But then he froze. His palm was glowing faintly, a soft blue light pulsing from beneath his skin, like the figure’s eyes in his dream.

Panic surged through him. He rubbed his hand vigorously, hoping it was some kind of illusion or trick of the light, but the glow remained, flickering like a dying flame. Something was happening to him. Something... unnatural.

As Ifenna stood to his feet, a strange sensation coursed through his body, spreading from his hand to the rest of him. It wasn’t painful, but it was powerful, like a current of energy that had always been there but was only now being awakened.

Suddenly, a loud knock on the door snapped him out of his daze. It was Jarek.

“Ifenna! You’re late for the night shift!”

He quickly stuffed his hand into his pocket, trying to hide the glow. “I... I’m coming!” His voice cracked slightly, betraying his anxiety. He couldn’t go to work like this—what was happening to him? He needed answers.

That night, as he moved through the crowded streets once more, the glow in his hand began to intensify. He felt the energy building inside him, as if his body could barely contain it. The dreams, the whispers—they weren’t just random. This was something bigger, something that had been waiting to awaken inside him.

As he passed an alleyway, Ifenna felt a sudden urge to stop. His pulse quickened, and before he could think, his body moved on its own, turning down the narrow passage. At the end of the alley stood a hooded figure, motionless in the shadows. The figure's eyes, like in his dream, glowed softly in the darkness.

"You’ve felt it, haven’t you?" the figure said, his voice deep and steady. "The power inside you, stirring."

Ifenna’s heart raced. "Who are you?"

The figure stepped forward, lowering their hood to reveal a sharp, weathered face. "I am a watcher of the Soul Academy. And you, Ifenna, are no ordinary worker. You are one of the naturally awakened. Your true potential is only beginning to surface."

"Soul Academy? Awakened?" Ifenna stammered, the words unfamiliar but strangely resonant.

The man nodded. "There are those born with the ability to awaken their soul powers naturally, without training or ritual. You are one of the few. But if you want to control this power, you must come with me."

Ifenna took a step back, overwhelmed. His hand still glowed faintly at his side, reminding him that something had indeed changed. This man, whoever he was, seemed to know more about what was happening than Ifenna did. He had two choices: remain in the life he knew, or follow the stranger into the unknown, to a place where he could find answers.

With a deep breath, Ifenna nodded.

"I’ll go."

And so, Ifenna’s journey began. A simple worker no more, his path would lead him to the Soul Academy, where his true destiny—and the powers within