Chapter 129: Farewell
The morning sun filtered through the cloud-swept skies of Lagos, casting long golden rays that shimmered off the dew-draped rooftops. The air was crisp, tinged with the scent of rain-soaked earth and jasmine. A strange stillness lingered, the kind that came before a storm or perhaps, before history turned a page. It was as if the world itself held its breath in anticipation.
Philip stood alone in the secluded garden behind the estate. This place had become something of a personal sanctuary a rare patch of silence in a world that had grown increasingly loud with politics, bloodshed, and awakening power. Trees older than the estate itself stood as silent sentinels around him, their branches swaying gently in the morning breeze.
The ground beneath his feet pulsed softly with mana an unconscious effect of his presence now. Even the very soil had begun to resonate with him. But none of that mattered right now.
Space shimmered behind him like rippling water disturbed by a stone. Then it folded in on itself, parting softly to reveal Frank. He stepped through the distortion, boots landing soundlessly on the grass, his usual confident stride now wrapped in a quiet heaviness
"Going somewhere?" Philip asked without turning, though he already knew the answer.
Frank nodded. "Another mission. Philip said nothing. The air between them hummed, filled with unspoken understanding. Both men had changed grown beyond the realm of common words. They were no longer boys chasing wealth and stability.
"I won't ask," Philip finally said, turning toward Frank. His eyes, which had once burned with youthful fire, now glowed with something deeper. "Just… stay alive."
In his palm a mana stone appeared pulled fom his spatial ring, Philip pulled out a glimmering crystalline object the size of a plum, radiating pulsing arcs of soft golden light. A Perfect Grade Mana Stone.
The whole garden was flooded with mana immediately
Frank's eyes widened,
"Use this," Philip said, handing it to him. "Only if you're stuck somewhere... where mana doesn't flow. Think of it as a battery"
Frank took it with reverence, letting the crystal hover briefly in his palm before slipping it into his spatial ring with a whisper of gratitude. "This is worth a country, you know."
"It's worth your life," Philip replied sharply. "And some countries can be rebuilt . You? Not so easily."
Frank nodded slowly. "You always did worry more than you let on."
"I don't want to explain to Amaka and Nathaniel why you never came back."
Silence fell again, heavy with truth. Then Philip's tone shifted, darker and edged. "Be careful who you show that stone to. People would kill ten of you just to see it."
"I know."
"No, you don't," Philip said flatly. "Even I don't show it off after I found out the value . To most of the world, you're just another master. Flash that thing in the wrong crowd, and even allies will slit your throat."
Frank chuckled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Noted."
They stood together for a while longer, watching the rising sun crest over the garden wall. Finally, Frank turned to leave, space already shifting around his form.
"Take care of yourself, Philip."
"I'll try."
And with that, Frank vanished, leaving only a ripple in the mana-rich air.
Philip remained, staring at the empty space for a long moment. A storm stirred within him deep concern, lingering guilt, and something else… something older. He could feel threads tightening in the tapestry of fate, pulling tighter with every choice they made.
He didn't know where Frank was going.
But he had a terrible feeling it was somewhere no one should ever return to.