VEIL OF DESTINY :THE HIDDEN HEIR ASSERT

The city pulsed with life, unaware that a storm had returned. Ochieng walked through the crowded streets, his steps measured, his presence unnoticed. Yet, the underworld had already felt the shift—the whispers in the alleys, the unease in the air.

He was supposed to be dead.

But the dead don't walk.

They don't return stronger.

Yet here he was.

And soon, everyone would know.

-

Tielen was waiting in a dimly lit warehouse. His fingers tapped against a steel table, frustration etched in his face. The moment Ochieng stepped in, his expression twisted between shock and relief.

"You're alive?"

Ochieng smirked. "Disappointed?"

Tielen scoffed. "The opposite. But you vanished. The Grand Masters tightened their grip. Your allies—some fled, some were taken."

Ochieng's gaze darkened. "Then it's time to take them back."

---

The war had changed. It was no longer just about the throne—this was about survival. Power wasn't enough; he needed control.

The first step? Reclaiming his people.

One by one, he moved through the city's underbelly. Safe houses. Hidden prisons. Places where his men had been broken, left to rot.

But when Ochieng arrived, chains snapped.

Fear spread.

And the streets whispered his name once more.

---

One night, a package arrived. A single white envelope. No sender.

Inside, a photo—Tielen, bound and bloody.

And a note:

"The Grand Masters don't play games. Walk away. Or watch them fall, one by one."

Ochieng's fingers curled around the paper, his jaw tightening.

They thought they could threaten him?

They thought they could take from him again?

Fools.

The lion had returned.

And this time—

He was hunting.

---