And in the center… empty waiting for Nnenna.
Would she step forward?
Would she fight?
The air was thick with tension.
The leader's earlier respect for Abuchi seemed to vanish completely the moment he saw who Abuchi asked to step forward.
A young girl? His sister? That was his choice? He scoffed silently. How could someone so bold moments ago be so cowardly now?
Abuchi's friends stood frozen, their voices rising in protest.
"No, Abuchi! You can't let her—!"
"What are you doing?!"
"You said you wanted to protect her!"
But Nnenna was done listening.
"I'm tired of all the noise," she muttered, her voice surprisingly calm amidst the chaos.
Without another word, she stepped forward as an answer to her brother.
Her movement cut through all the noise like a blade. The crowd fell into silence. Even the wind seemed to pause. Her delicate figure, calm and composed, stood before the crowd like a whisper before a storm.
