Leo
He rose with a pulsating energy in the core of his left breast. He could feel it pulsing like a second heartbeat and knew that the strength of the pulse represented the potential from his awakening. According to the manual, each person would awaken with varying degrees of potential hinging on how great their visualisations of the heart would be during the awakening ceremony. Those capable of keeping up a perfect visualisation of a heart most compatible with them during that process would then be able to calm their mind and absorb more of the chi injected through their chest which would then be used to craft the Chi-heart subconsciously. The more vivid and detailed the heart visualised, the better the chi heart made at the foundation.
Every person begins with a chi-heart at generally the same level which is the initial birth stage. Where the chi is mostly concentrated at the heart and cannot truly be used for anything other than aiding in stamina in tandem with the normal heart. The energy would not be transferable to other parts of the body because the energy channels necessary for such an action will not exist. They had to be forcefully created. The only way to do that was through accumulating chi and then injecting it into the microelements which would then be pushed out of the hearts to trail-blaze a channel circuit from the heart to the five points in the arms, legs and brain. Each time a circuit channel was established with an energy point the ability to amass chi would rise exponentially until all five points were connected. Then they would all work in tandem to break down and rejuvenate the heart to reach a new realm.
Thus the ability to amass chi was dependent on the potential of your heart. Most members of the clan at awakening had fifty pulses within a minute from the chi heart. Geniuses had ranging from 60 to 89 pulses. Demon level geniuses would have from 90 upwards. Jacobs had told him he'd had a 130 pulse rate at awakening. This was something that had not been seen since the days of the founder. He was a demon among demons. As for Leo, his pulse rate was something out of a "shounen protagonist's big testing scene" moment. He had a pulse of 190 beats per minute which was completely terrifying. In an effort to hide how scary it was he told Jacobs it was 140 pulses.
Jacobs was completely ecstatic with no envy whatsoever. He came and tousled Leo's hair good-naturedly. " hey hey, keep the grubby paws off me," Leo gruffly said while slightly feeling pleased and not actually making a move to avoid the affectionate moment. At some point, he had grown very fond of Jacobs which might have come as surprise to him before the fall of the world. He used to be extremely wary and distant to everyone with exception of his mother back then. Now he had acknowledged this army dude as his brother. It was truly a wonder to gain something so precious in the midst of all his loss. Thus his reluctance to tell him of his plans to leave and head to the war zones.
On the one hand, the war zones were crucial to achieving the power needed to avenge his mother as well as survive in this world they now found themselves in. However, he was unaware of where such a fight would take him and what he would do or have to become in order to make it to the end of his ambition on top. Was it all worth it. Would his mother want this for him? 'NOOO!!!!!' some part of his mind screamed in rejection of this train of thought. He had to gain power. He had to hunt them. He had to kill them. Only then would the blood that was spelt stop hounding his dreams. His horrible dreams of his mother's screams as the flesh were burnt off her body. Accusing eyes as he failed to save her from those monsters.
If he had possessed power back then, he would have saved her. She died due to weakness. Her own and his as well. He would not let it happen again. He would go out and gain the power necessary to destroy the evil monsters. 'but still,' he thought morosely. he would be alone once again. He remembered the isolation and he felt a slow dread at returning to it once more. Losing the things that gave him a reason to smile.
It was quite apparent that Leo's own mind was completely split as he argued with himself with no clear conclusion and definite decision made. He had become trapped in his own mind once again until a sudden slap to the back of his head cleared his train of thought, " come on kid, turn of those wheels in your head and let us go downstairs so I can make you something special as a celebratory dinner," Luke said with a grin on his face. His smile was so infectious that Leo found himself mirroring it as they headed down to the kitchen all the while having that witty banter they shared. These problems could be put aside and thought off some other time he reassured himself.
All the while, a storm was brewing as malevolent forces sealed Leo's destiny regardless of what he wanted. Murphy's law was about to take effect
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In a large mansion in another part of town, a man sat in a chair as he read. The room was dim as the only light came from the fireplace that he sat close to however that seemed bright enough for him to do his reading. He held the paper in his hand as he moved his eyes over it so intently. Anyone who saw how engrossed he was in his reading would not be aware that he knew the contents of the letter in his hand by heart already. It was crisscrossed with creases to indicate that it had been crumpled up many times in frustration and then smoothed over.
He read the contents almost five times a day obsessively...
' your actions are a stain on my legacy and I grow tired of the number of your messes I am forced to clean in this lifetime. Not only did you have to ruin your own reputation but you had to tarnish the plan we have been setting up for a while now. You have set us back by at least 8 years now and we will have to do them with your brother at the head. Foolish boy. I knew you were incapable of amounting to anything on your own but to think you would even fumble my plans all for a woman...STUPID BOY. Don't show your face back here because our ancestor's home does not need to be desecrated by your presence again. With very much disgust and disappointment…. Dr Sean Gegwe Sr.'
His father had clearly disowned him and then his political career which was guaranteed to grant him the political office his uncle( and his father's greatest rival) held. He was supposed to be president and all that was destroyed. All gone because a mere slave, like Luke Jacobs, wanted to protect the honour of his little woman. It was ludicrous, that a king like him was reduced to this. Forced to stagnate in obscurity and falling to ruin. But then the fall had occurred. Some had lost everything and fallen to despair however Sean Gegwe had risen like a phoenix in the flames. A lot of the country's leadership had been caught in the chaos and died however fortunately he had survived because he had been over at the President's house in hopes of gaining his uncle's patronage since his father had cast him aside as a weapon opting for his dullard of a younger brother.
His uncle had actually laughed at the idea of backing him and declared his future stunted forever and he left in a fit for the lodgings he had gotten close by. That night as he sat in his room trying to drink his sorrows away, the world died and he, fortunately, avoided the fate of those he left in his town. He was blessed by fate and he knew it. As he discovered how narrowly he had avoided death by choosing to stay in Harare longer a strong delusion started to develop in his head. He was the chosen one. The world came to an end because the old world tried to hold him back. Thus the old world was bathed in flames so that he could rise.
Now here he was six months later with more power at his disposal than he had previously possessed all due to the beautiful apocalypse. he had been planning this all for 3 months all to settle a score that had ruined his past life and it was coming together quite beautifully. He crumpled the letter for what was quite possibly the 100 times and this time he felt no compulsion to smooth it out. He felt no pain from the words of the old man now. He was reborn as the true chosen one in his head. He threw the crumpled up ball into the hot flames in his fireplace then rose and went up the stairs to his room all the while chuckling to himself at the evils he had committed and anticipating the look on the face of the slave when he learnt what had befallen his little girlfriend back at the Large settlement.
His movements were all observed by a shadow that wasn't a shadow on a wall that had him in its sights and it followed him by bouncing from wall to wall at speeds beyond the human eye's ability to follow. It followed Sean to his room and waited at the door to his room where it slunk under the door and planted itself on his wall. It then watched him all the while as he got ready and slipped under his covers and eventually fell asleep on his king-sized bed with the lacquered wood frame which matched lacquered headrest( likely very expensive). it watched him all night like a spectral sentry without moving and he dreamed pleasant dreams. Pleasant from his perspective at least. The snake slumbered since the dark schemes had already been set into motion. This looming shadow would ruin the good thing Leo had grown used to but it was all fated to be for him.
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Leo
He woke up violently and grabbed at his throat as if he felt something choking him in his sleep. He did not know what had him feeling so nervous and so shaky. he had a nagging feeling that something was amiss and yet he could not pinpoint where exactly the feeling was coming from. He looked around his room and found nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the bad feeling plagued him so he rose out of his bed and left his room and looked around the house. While checking out the kitchen windows downstairs he suddenly felt worried for Luke and rushed upstairs to his room and carefully opened the door to his room.
He found him sprawled out on his bed, the blanket kicked away and sleeping as if he had been in a struggle with someone. He was relieved and smiled in amusement at how dishevelled Luke was when he slept, ' all those girls in town would have a fit if they saw their idol looking like,' he laughed to himself. He grabbed the blanket and covered him up before creeping and closing the door behind him. He went to his room and climbed into his own bed. As his own tiredness got to him he failed to realise that the nagging feeling was still there in the pit of his stomach. He fell asleep with it and his dreams were fitful dreams.