"The closer the blood, the sharper the betrayal."
---
Tielen stormed into Jayden's private chamber, breathless and blood on his sleeve.
"He's taken three of our African divisions," he snapped. "They pledged loyalty to Otieno. Your own blood is carving out your empire like a feast."
Jayden stood by the window, hands behind his back. Calm—too calm.
"That's because they still think the bloodline defines the throne. But they forgot something... I was raised by fire."
-
Across the ocean in Geneva, a cloaked figure entered the underground vault known as "The Echo Room." Hidden for decades beneath a cathedral, it held secrets of the Ochieng dynasty, including files thought lost in the Civil War of Estates.
The woman—tall, black leather, braided hair, scar below her eye—opened one sealed folder.
Name: Eliana Wekesa
Alias: Wendy Ochieng
Jayden's own blood. His half-sister.
But what no one knew—what even Jayden himself forgot—was that she once raised Otieno. Before he disappeared.
Her voice echoed in the chamber.
"If they both fall, I rise."
---
In a darkened boardroom, Jeff, Linet, and Maggy sat tensely.
"Otieno is no longer a myth," Linet whispered. "He's begun recruiting from the remnants of The Void."
Jeff clenched his jaw. "Which means he's not here to share the throne. He wants to bury Jayden alive."
Maggy's eyes flickered. "Unless… we bury him first."
--
Jayden walked through a hidden passage beneath Arvex Tower, the sound of dripping water echoing like a ticking clock.
There, on the wall, was a mural painted by his father:
Two lions. One gold. One obsidian. Both bleeding.
A plaque beneath it read:
"Power never splits. It devours."
Jayden touched it gently.
"I see now. I wasn't meant to inherit half. I was meant to take all."
---
Meanwhile, Gloria stood at the edge of a mirror pool deep in her palace.
She'd received a letter—unsigned, scented with blood.
"You think you've chosen the right heir, but the wrong one still breathes."
She stared at her reflection, whispering, "Jayden Ochieng… if you lose, I lose. But if you win… you may not be the same man I loved."
---