Akeh sat cross-legged on the mat, his posture steady, though his focus wavered as the intoxicating aroma of fisherman soup filled the air.
A small wooden table rested in front of him, as he waited patiently. When Altine appeared, carrying a bowl of the soup and placing it gently before him, his stomach growled in anticipation.
"Thank you, Altine,"
Akeh said gratefully, his eyes gleaming with hunger and appreciation.
Altine smiled softly. "You're welcome. Eat up before it gets cold."
Akeh wasted no time, grabbing the spoon and diving into the meal. As he savored each bite, his senses overwhelmed by the rich flavors of the dish, Altine settled down beside him, her expression turning thoughtful.
"I've been thinking about your mother," she began, her tone more serious now.
Akeh paused, glancing up from his meal.
"My mother?"
Altine nodded.
"Unlike Bunmi's case, I'm not sure if there's a way to return your mother's soul by entering the spirit realm… Even our spirit harmony division only teaches about maintaining a balanced spirit energy. It's difficult to know if her soul can be saved."
Akeh set his spoon down for a moment, staring at altine.
"Then I'll just find another way," he said, his voice resolute.
There was a brief silence before Akeh added,
"My sister… the soul eater, she might have the power to return my mother's soul."
"Let's say she could actually return souls, would she willingly do that?" Altine said
"...I don't know." Akeh murmured before continuing his meal.
The conversation drifted between them as Altine offered words of encouragement and shared her own hopes for Akeh's journey. Before long, Akeh had finished the last of the soup.
"That was delicious" he said, leaning back contentedly.
"Thank you for the meal, Altine."
Altine smiled brightly at his praise.
"I'm glad you liked it,"
She replied, collecting the empty plate and taking it back to the kitchen. As she cleaned the dish, she thought about the weight Akeh carried, the burden of his lost family, and how determined he was to bring them back.
When she returned to the room, she found Akeh already in meditation, his body still and his breath deep and rhythmic. A small smile crept across her face as she quietly joined him, sinking into her own meditation beside him.
Meanwhile, over at the floating school where the first-rate and soul experts trained, the air was alive with the sound of jingling bells. Segun, drenched in sweat, danced across the surface of the water, bells tied to his wrists, ankles, and waist. His goal was to balance his body and soul in such a way that the bells would remain silent, a skill essential to mastering soul harmony technique.
But Segun was struggling. Each step, each movement, caused the bells to chime in discord, and with every failure, his frustration grew. He clenched his jaw, trying to focus, but the task seemed impossible.
Watching him from the side, Adunni admired his perseverance, her eyes following his every move with quiet awe. Taiwo, who had been meditating nearby, noticed the way Adunni looked at Segun and smirked.
"If you admire him so much,"
Taiwo said with a teasing grin,
"why not just go and hook up with him?"
Adunni rolled her eyes, dismissing Taiwo's comment.
"It's not like that."
She muttered, though the slight blush on her cheeks betrayed her.
She quickly changed the subject, glancing around the training ground.
"Altine said she'd be teaching us today. She's not here… I wonder where she went."
Lekan shrugged.
"No idea. Maybe she's caught up with something. I'm sure she'll be back soon."
As the two of them speculated on Altine's whereabouts, the scene at the floating school remained intense, Segun continuing his difficult training while the first-rate meditated. The sound of bells continued to ring softly, a reminder of how far they still had to go in soul mastery.
To be continued...