The convoy slipped into the fractured outskirts of Abuja like ghosts entering a tomb. The red glow wasn't just light anymore—it pulsed like a living heart, casting long shadows that twisted into shapes better left unseen. Abandoned luxury cars sat half-melted on the expressway, their owners' bones picked clean and arranged in careful circles on the tarmac. The air tasted of copper and frankincense.Jubi killed the engine behind a collapsed flyover. "We walk from here, brother. Vehicles are too loud now."I nodded, gripping the hilt of my blade tighter. The dark flames licked along the edge, responding to my mood. The new strength from the Grade 3 hearts still buzzed in my blood, but with it came fragments—whispers of loyalty, flashes of ritual chambers deep beneath the city, and something worse: the Herald's face, smiling with too many teeth.Prestige checked her rifle. "The old woman said vessels. You think the Herald wants your body specifically?""Probably," I muttered. "Flame-bear