Chapter 100: Reunion and New Alliances
The sun rose over Lagos in shimmering gold. The city buzzed with life as always its people going about their day, oblivious to the supernatural currents swirling just beneath their feet.
Philip stood in front of a tall glass building in Ikoyi ,the headquarters of Dr. Remi, Nigeria's most prominent alchemist. Known across the Awakened world for his skill in crafting elixirs, high-grade potions, and rare mana artifacts, Dr. Remi's name carried weight even among foreign circles.
Philip's mind was sharp despite the early hour. The delays of the previous day were still on his mind, but today, there would be no interruptions.
Stepping through the main entrance, Philip was instantly recognized. The security team nodded respectfully ,after all, the recent destruction of the Church of Darkness stronghold had sent shockwaves through every hidden faction in the country. Word of who had done it was already whispered in every circle.
Without a word, two guards escorted him to the upper floors, past layers of defensive formations and runic wards. Here, in the private chambers of Dr. Remi's domain, real power was brokered.
But as the elevator doors slid open, Philip blinked in surprise.
Standing in the polished reception lounge, deep in conversation with Dr. Remi himself ,were two very familiar figures.
One was tall, broad-shouldered, his rough charm unchanged ,Frank.
The other was elegant and poised, a faint aura of magic still surrounding her ,Athena.
Philip froze for a heartbeat. It had been four years since he'd seen them ,before the storm of events that reshaped his life. Before everything.
Frank looked up first ,his eyes widened.
"Philip?!" he laughed. "Bro !"
He crossed the room in three quick strides, grinning from ear to ear. The two clasped forearms in a rough, brotherly greeting.
"I thought you'd vanished off the face of the earth! But damn ,you've been busy, haven't you?"
Philip returned the smile, a rare warmth in his gaze.
Athena approached more cautiously. Of the two, she was more sensitive to mana ,and standing this close, even she could sense the immense change in Philip's aura. His presence was deeper, stronger, almost… oppressive.
"You've grown… powerful," she said softly, bowing her head in a gesture of respect.
Philip nodded simply.
Dr. Remi watched the reunion with interest. He was a tall, older man, dark bronze skin and sharp steel-gray eyes. His mana was refined, layered ,a true Sage of Alchemy.
"You all know each other?" he asked, amused.
Frank laughed. "Yeah ,we go way back."
Philip turned to the alchemist with a respectful nod. "Apologies for the reschedule. Things have… been turbulent lately."
Dr. Remi chuckled. "You're not the only one. Half my clients are trying to restock after whatever madness happened in Ibadan." His eyes gleamed knowingly
Philip said nothing, though the corner of his mouth twitched faintly.
Dr. Remi led them into one of his private lounges ,deep leather chairs, alchemic sigils woven into the walls to prevent eavesdropping.
Frank and Athena explained they were there to discuss a partnership ,Frank's new company had begun investing in Awakened goods and distribution. Athena served as an advisor, her knowledge of magic and contracts invaluable.
"It's good business," Frank said. "And after what we've seen ,can't rely on old-world politics anymore. Gotta build something of our own."
Philip agreed. He'd learned that lesson the hard way.
Once their talks were concluded, Dr. Remi turned his gaze to Philip.
"And you, Mr. Egboluche? What brings you here today?"
Philip leaned forward. "I need high-grade healing elixirs. Mana restoration potions. Defensive artifacts. Enough to survive prolonged battles."
He paused. "Also… anything to reinforce physical strength or mental clarity. I'll need it for my siblings." He didn't mention that for himself, there was likely nothing on Earth that could refine his body further.
Dr. Remi smiled knowingly. "Now you're speaking my language. It's the prepared ones who survive."
He pulled a small rune-marked notebook from his coat. "It will take a few days. The ingredients are rare ,but with proper payment…"
Without a word, Philip drew two perfect-grade mana crystals from his storage ring. The entire room seemed to hum ,mana flooded the air like a storm held in check.
Everyone in the room turned, eyes wide. Even Dr. Remi looked impressed.
"This is too much," the alchemist said with a chuckle. "We're already partners ,mid-grade crystals would've been enough."
Just then, a NAM agent appeared ,clearly having monitored the meeting.
"Mr. Egboluche," the agent said respectfully. "If you would allow, we would like to trade for one of your perfect crystals."
Philip agreed easily. One perfect crystal was too precious to waste on a routine transaction. The agent produced a spatial storage orb and tossed it forward. Philip caught it telekinetically, scanning it with his mana sense ,his eyes narrowed as he saw over 100,000 high-grade mana crystals inside.
Philip handed one of those to Dr. Remi, who carefully set it aside.
Business concluded, the meeting began to wind down.
Frank pulled Philip aside quietly.
"You're a damn legend already, you know that?" Frank said. "The whole world's changing fast. We're gonna need each other."
Philip frowned slightly. Frank seemed a little too friendly ,too eager.
As they spoke, Philip activated his Soul Sight. Instantly, his gaze locked onto Frank's left hand ,a faint parasite clung there, buried deep. With one deeper scan, he realized it wasn't hostile ,but likely a boosting parasite. One of the reasons Frank had advanced so quickly.
Using subtle soul sense, Philip sent a silent message:
"We need to talk privately ,about that."
Frank blinked in surprise ,then grinned, realizing this must be Philip's ability. He responded in kind:
"Later. Definitely."
Frank and Athena excused them selves while Philip and dr remi discussed further cooperation between their companies as Philip company owned 30 percent of dr remi company