09:38a.m, in the school parking lot outside the new lecture hall...
The fog rolled in thick and heavy, shrouding the area in an oppressive gray haze. Demetrius squinted into the mist, his senses on high alert, but the Soldier remained elusive. Frustration bubbled within him as he scanned his surroundings. Demetrius shut his eyes, straining to hear past the deadened silence, hoping for any clue.
"Damn it." Demetrius voice cut through the stillness. "Show yourself!"
The silence broke with a faint whistle. Demetrius's reflexes kicked in just in time as an army knife sliced through the air toward his face. He tilted his head, the blade missing him by mere inches. Before he could process, the Soldier stepped out of the fog.
"Very good reflexes." the man said, his voice cold and mocking. "Now who might you be kid?"
Demetrius smirked, wiping sweat from his brow. "Probably the guy whose gonna kick your ass."
The Soldier chuckled darkly. "You've got some balls huh. I'm Second Lieutenant Boneface Daka. You'd be wise to leave while you can or else"
"Or else what? I don't take kindly to threats Second Lieutenant. Tell me, what is all this. Is it witchcraft?"
Boneface's grin widened. "Very good child, what do you know about witchcraft?"
"Enough to know soldiers don't usually dabble in it," Demetrius retorted. "So are you gonna tell me or not?"
Boneface's expression darkened. "Watch your mouth, boy!"
With a blur of movement, Boneface vanished and reappeared behind Demetrius.
Demetrius spun, delivering a swift back heel kick, but his foot met only air. "He's fast," Demetrius thought, his pulse quickening. Fog swirled as Boneface darted around him, a ghostly shadow.
Knives flew through the haze, forcing Demetrius to dodge. One blade nicked his cheek, drawing blood. He swung punches and kicks blindly, each punch cutting through empty space. Boneface was too precise, his movements too calculated.
"Too slow boy!" Boneface's voice echoed, disembodied.
Then, silence. Demetrius froze, his ears straining. The stillness shattered as heavy footsteps pounded toward him. Three figures emerged from the fog, charging at him.
Demetrius yanked two pens from his pocket and hurled them like darts at the figures, but the projectiles passed harmlessly through. "Damn, a mirage."
Boneface reappeared in front of Demetrius, smirking. Demetrius squared up, adopting a boxer's stance. Boneface lunged and their fists collided with bone-crunching force. The impact sent both sprawling to the ground.
They rose, battered but unyielding. Boneface pulled off his mask, revealing deep scars etched across his face. From his pocket, he produced a bone bracelet and slipped it onto his wrist. "Alright, boy. Playtime's over."
With blinding speed, Boneface appeared before Demetrius, throwing a devastating punch. Demetrius sidestepped, Boneface's fist slamming into a nearby car, crumpling the metal. Boneface attacked again, unleashing a flurry of blows.
Demetrius ducked and dodged, but a punch to his stomach broke his rhythm, forcing him to cough up blood.
"The is Ndembo!" Boneface taunted, relishing his advantage. Demetrius collapsed under the onslaught.
Boneface stepped back, watching for movement. To his astonishment, Demetrius moved, groaning as he pushed himself upright.
"Interesting. Now what?" Boneface quipped.
Demetrius wiped blood from his lips. "So, Ndembo is real, huh? He said to Boneface. "But what's with the bracelet?" Demetrius thought.
Boneface sneered.
Demetrius adjusted his stance, removing his shoes, so he could ground himself better. "That bracelet must be the key," he thought. "His last punch numbed my body. It's gonna take everything I've got to beat this guy."
Demetrius bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. His energy coiled like a spring.
Boneface lunged, throwing a punch aimed at Demetrius's head. Demetrius blocked it, countering with a knee to Boneface's stomach. Boneface staggered back but quickly retaliated. A jab, an elbow, a kick—each exchange was faster, more brutal.
Boneface aimed an uppercut. Demetrius dodged it and delivered a sharp kick to his opponent's leg. Pain flashed across Boneface's face as he countered with a brutal elbow to Demetrius's jaw, staggering him. Demetrius recovered, launching a knee into Boneface's midsection. Both fighters, bruised and bloodied, locked eyes, the intensity of their resolve unwavering.
Boneface suddenly had a flashback mid fight...
5 Years Earlier…
On a late stormy night deep in the city of Lusaka, muted screams filled the slums of Misisi—a noise of terror that no one could hear. A curse had silenced their voices, rendering their pleas for mercy futile. In the chaos, men, women, and children fell to unseen assailants, their bodies crumpling in the shadows.
A man's muted screams filled the air as a young Boneface pinned him to the ground, a dagger poised above his head.
"Napapata! Nachita chani? Nachita chani? (Please! What have I done) Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"
The man's silent pleas were etched in his tear-streaked face. Boneface hesitated, his grip faltering. Then, steeling himself, he drove the blade into the man's eyes, again and again, until the thrashing stopped.
"Daddy!" a boy's voice rang out from behind. Boneface turned, his bloodied dagger dripping.
"Stay back, or you'll be next," he warned. But the boy didn't retreat. Instead, he bit his thumb until it bled, then his eyes started rolling back as he pulled a knife from his pants. In an instant, the boy vanished, reappearing mid-air, knife aimed for Boneface's heart.
Caught off guard, time slowed as Boneface stared, frozen. Just as the young man was about to strike, a deafening gunshot, as loud as thunder, shattered the stormy night.
The boy's body collapsed, blood pooling beneath him. Boneface, his face speckled with blood and brain matter, looked up to see his superior, Lieutenant Obi, lowering his gun.
"Not fast enough," Obi's voice rang out, cold and precise. "Daka, never underestimate your adversaries or one day, it will be the last mistake you ever make." Obi glanced briefly at the scene unfolding before him, eyes narrowing. "We must obtain Misisi's secret art of Ndembo tonight. What you just saw that boy do is but a glimpse of its potential. If he weren't clouded by emotion, he could've honed his skill. Pathetic. Proceed with the mission—and stay alert."
"Yessir!" Boneface responded, saluting before taking off with swift determination.
Back to the fight between Boneface and Demetrius...
In the fog-choked parking lot, Boneface snapped back to the present, barely avoiding a fatal strike. He locked eyes with Demetrius for a heartbeat before springing backward, creating distance.
With a vicious hiss, Boneface sank his teeth into his thumb, drawing blood. His pupils rolled back as a surge of energy coursed through him. The transformation was instant. He pulled a knife from his belt and vanished, reappearing mid-air, poised to strike.
Demetrius, caught completely off guard, instinctively raised his arm in defense, but it was futile. The blade plunged through his arm with brutal force, the cold steel carving through flesh...
Inside the new hall, chaos was taking root. The students were caught in a frenzy, the sounds of brutal combat outside feeding the growing panic. The rhythmic pounding from the fog had drawn nearly every student to the windows, their eyes straining through the thick mist to see what was happening, unaware that the sounds were the result of a deadly clash between Demetrius and Boneface.
When the pummeling sounds suddenly ceased, the male student that was seated some desks behind Demetrius's desk furrowed his brow, a deep sense of unease settling in. He recognized the presence. "That presence. It has to be." He muttered to himself, scanning the room, until his eyes fixed on one of the corners near the hall exit doors.
Rising from his seat, he moved with quiet purpose. Unnoticed by his classmates, he slipped into the shadowy corner, his hands drawing a pocket knife from his jacket. With a swift motion, he slit both wrists, pressing them together as he whispered, "Mfinzi (darkness)" A black void tore open behind him, swallowing the light. Without a sound, he stepped into it and vanished.
Back in the foggy parking lot, Boneface was savoring the moment, his knife twisted cruelly in Demetrius's arm. Lost in his supposed triumph, the mist around them suddenly darkened unnaturally. From the swirling blackness, a shadowed figure emerged—moving like a wraith, silent, lethal, and barely perceptible against the fog.
Boneface's eyes flickered wide as he felt a new presence, a threat closing in. "Heh—" His voice trailed off as the figure blurred into motion, too fast to track.
With a sudden burst of speed, the male student closed the distance in an instant and landed a devastating straight right to Boneface's mouth.
The punch sent Boneface hurtling through the air, crashing into a parked car with a thunderous crunch. Metal folded under the impact, and the car's windows exploded in a rain of shards. Boneface groaned, sprawled across the hood, struggling to regain his bearings.
The sickening sound of the collision rang through the fog, heightening the tension in the air. Demetrius, clutching his wounded arm, stared in disbelief and relief as the shadowy figure stepped forward, his cold, unwavering eyes fixed on Boneface.
"Who the fuck-" Boneface growled, his voice thick with anger and disbelief, as he pulled himself off the wrecked car, the ache of the blow still reverberating in his teeth.
The male student stood between Boneface and Demetrius. Silent, unflinching, he was an immovable force in the heart of the foggy battle. The confrontation had shifted in an instant. Now, Boneface found himself facing not one, but two formidable adversaries in the desolate, mist-covered parking lot.