Chapter 105: The Aftershock
For a full minute after Philip Egboluche vanished into thin space, no one in the Sheraton conference room moved. Each releasing a sigh the meeting had gone how they had hoped they would remain king and queens of their various regions and can use his growing influence to threaten global powers who keeps interfering with their business.
The obsidian table still pulsed faintly, reacting to the residual energy his spatial rift had left behind. Mana drifted like smoke. The reinforced walls designed to withstand magical pressure had fine, hairline cracks where the space had folded.
Silence. Heavy. Meaningful.
Then, as if on cue, Chinedu Iwuchukwu spoke first. His voice was slow, roughened with age and layered mana.
"So… it's true. The rumors weren't exaggerated."
The elder Effiong matriarch, her white hair coiled in braids lined with golden thread, exhaled deeply.
"No," she said, her voice a soft growl. "They were an understatement."
Across the table, Helena Okoli still hadn't spoken. Her fingers were clenched beneath the table, nails digging into her palm. Her thoughts were a maelstrom.
Philip hadn't just grown stronger.
He had surpassed them.
The calm, reserved young man who once followed Frank into family dinners and conferences now walked like a god with his power hidden behind humble eyes. That wasn't a mere demigod. That was a threat or a shield. Depending on which side you stood.
"He didn't posture," said Bako Aliyu. "Didn't threaten. But every word he said made it clear: he's not one of us. And he doesn't want to be."
"Which," said matraich Toyon, her voice dry, "makes him more dangerous than any of us expected. You can't bribe someone who has no desire for control."
One of the younger Toyon heirs, barely twenty-seven, scoffed quietly.
"Then maybe we should "
The glare that followed silenced him. Immediately.
"You can't 'should' a man who tore space like paper," muttered Iwuchukwu. "You saw it with your own eyes. Not even the mythics from kenya could do that without a three-minute ritual."
"And he didn't even raise his aura," added Adebode calmly. "That was him being polite."
Another silence followed. This one more uncertain.
Some of them had begun this meeting with hopes. Others with hidden fears.
But now they all understood the simple truth:
Philip Egboluche could not be controlled.
He could only be respected. Or feared.
Perhaps both.
Helena finally spoke, her voice careful.
"He doesn't want power. Not yet. But he's still a lightning rod. Foreign powers are already watching. If we don't engage carefully, someone else will."
"We should protect him, then," said Lady Effiong. "Quietly. Subtly. If he's drawn into a conflict, the fallout would spread across the world ."
Bako Aliyu nodded thoughtfully.
"No action. No public alliance. But make sure no institution impedes him. Keep a watch on him, and around him. Especially around his sister."
Chief Toyon leaned forward, fingers steepled.
"And the Conclave? Should we… bring him along?"
Laughter dry, sharp came from Chinedu Iwuchukwu.
"He will attend
Bako Aliyu gave a rare smirk.
Each family began to shift into internal strategy.
The Okolis tasked Helena with discreet observation not surveillance, but social proximity. If Philip ever opened the door to cooperation, they'd be the first at the threshold.The Effiongs initiated a quiet shift in regional mana supply routes ensuring any rare material Philip might request would be cleared through safe hands.The Adebodes, decided to just watch their people already knew not to disturb him The Toyons, always the most paranoid, where mostly a coven of witches and had already prepared to select the one of their young witches to seduce himThe Iwuchukwus, deeply tied to the business world, just decided to watch, the have always been profit oriented and that won't change.
And yet, as they all moved toward different versions of containment, cooperation, and respect, one unspoken fear lingered:
What happens if Philip ever decides he does want power?
Because if that day ever came, none of them not even together could stop him.
As the families finally stood and left the hotel, the air outside had cooled. The sun dipped lower on the Lagos skyline.
One truth now sat carved into every elder's heart.