The group moves in a steady rhythm — walking during the day, training at night. Sbu's squad has grown closer, jokes passing between them as easily as the rations they share. Lungelo, ever the sarcastic ghost in his head, keeps things light even when the air is thick with tension.
> "You call that a light bend? My grandmother's candle flickered harder than that," Lungelo teased.
"At least your grandmother didn't have a deadline from the ancestors," Sbu shot back, grinning despite the sweat pouring down his face.
Each night, when the fires burned low, the soldiers practiced Qi control under Sbu's guidance — though the real teacher was Lungelo whispering from the spirit realm. The men and women began showing visible progress. Even the stubborn ones could now sense Qi flowing through their bodies like faint electric warmth.
Lungelo's training, however, was brutal on Sbu.
The ancestors had given him a deadline — his Light Element Level had to reach 30% mastery before the end of the lunar cycle. Failure meant punishment from the spiritual plane. So while his squad rested, Sbu bent and twisted the light around his hands until dawn, forcing himself to the edge of exhaustion.
> "The more you bend light, the more it bends you, mfana," Lungelo warned one night. "Keep pushing, but don't lose yourself to it. Light can purify… or burn."
By day twelve, the bond between Sbu and his team had grown strong. They shared stories about their old lives, about families left behind and dreams they might never fulfill.
For the first time, Sbu wasn't just their commander — he was their Bangani.
On the fifteenth day, they saw the familiar green slopes of Mbabane stretching ahead. The city looked half-ruined, smoke rising from the distance. Tier 0 beasts still roamed the outskirts, but they dispatched them with practiced ease.
As the sun dipped behind the mountains, Lungelo's voice grew quiet for once.
> "Welcome home, Sbu," he said. "But remember — this isn't the same Eswatini we left behind."
[System Interface – Status Overview]
User: Sibusiso Dlamini (Sbu)
Tier: 1
Qi Core Progress: 67% → 71%
Light Element: Level 1 – 24%
Divine Bloodline: Ancestral Origin – Lightborne Lineage
Ancestral Connection: Lungelo Mthembu (Bound)
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[Attributes]
Strength: 38
Speed: 45
Endurance: 33
Agility: 47
Perception: 40
Qi Control: Intermediate
(Squad-linked training improving synchronization rate +12%)
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[Techniques]
Knife Arts – Tier 1: Flowing Edge (Military-taught; close-combat specialization)
Light Bending – Beginner (In Progress; 24% mastery)
Ancestral Sword Style – "Radiant Vein" (Inherited through Divine Bloodline; locked beyond 10% Light mastery)
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[Current Objective]
Reach Light Element Level 1 – 30% before the Lunar Cycle ends.
Failure will result in spiritual backlash from ancestral bond.
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