Chapter 21 - Trouble

"I have to die?" Tristin wasn't thrilled about the idea. Who would be?

"You have to kill your mortal body through baptism. After that, you will be reborn as an immortal," the old man said.

Tristin relaxed a bit. Baptism was better than outright dying. "Okay, Grandma Mnisi mentioned something about that."

"Yes, and you need to do it as soon as possible. Now that you know of my existence, it will be easier for you to use my power. Trouble is already knocking at your door. Start preparing," the old man said, lightly pushing Tristin's chest.

Suddenly, it was morning. Tristin woke up and murmured, "Trouble is already knocking at my door…" He grabbed his phone and called Zinhle.

"Tristin, why are you calling me so early?" Zinhle sounded groggy on the other line.

"Zinhle, sorry to disturb you, but can you let your grandma know that I'm ready for the baptism? It would be great if we could do it tonight," Tristin said with urgency.

Zinhle could tell Tristin was in a hurry, so she didn't waste time. "Okay, Tristin. I'll tell her to start the preparations."

"Thanks, Zinhle. You're the best. By the way, since your car is with me, I'll come and pick you up. Is that alright?" Tristin asked, feeling grateful for everything Zinhle and her grandma had done for him.

Zinhle wanted to refuse, thinking it was unnecessary for Tristin to travel so far, but recalling her grandma's words, her face turned red. "Okay, Tristin, if you don't mind, you can pick me up," she said shyly.

After they agreed on the time, Tristin hung up, prepared himself, and went downstairs.

Grandma had just returned from the hospital. "Morning, Grandma. You look really tired," Tristin frowned, noticing his grandma's exhaustion. With his newfound ability to use a bit of spiritual energy, he could see how overly tired she was.

"Hey, Tristin. I'm going to rest a bit. There were too many casualties, and we couldn't leave, so I had to overwork myself," Grandma said tiredly.

Tristin took a glass of water and infused it with all his spiritual healing properties. It wasn't much at this stage, but it was enough to help Grandma relax. "Drink this glass of water, Grandma," he said, handing it to her.

Grandma drank the water, feeling a little thirsty. As soon as she finished the glass, the pain that had been all over her body greatly decreased. She was baffled. "Tristin, did you put some painkiller in the water?"

"Something like that, Grandma. Got to go now. Rest easy and don't overwork yourself—you're already retired," Tristin said, waving at his grandma as he left to pick up Zinhle on the other side of the city.

Tristin arrived at the Mnisi residence gate, not expecting to find Zinhle standing with her grandma. He got out of the car and went to greet the elder.

"Hello, Grandma Mnisi. Sorry to trouble you again," he said, bowing slightly. He truly respected this old woman. At first, he didn't know much about traditional healers, but after yesterday, he could tell she was powerful.

"I can see you can sense a bit more now, Tristin. The medicine has helped, hey?" Grandma said with a smile.

"Thank you, it has helped a lot. But from what I've learned, I'll need to undergo the baptism if I want to grow stronger," Tristin explained.

"Yes, Zinhle has already told me. The baptism will start at 11:00 pm. You can arrive around 9 pm for preparations," Grandma said.

"Thank you, Grandma. I'll see you tonight then." He bowed slightly again and left with Zinhle.

"Zinhle, you should prepare yourself. Coming with you to school might cause a lot of gossip. I don't know what direction the gossip will take, but it's better to be prepared," Tristin warned as he drove.

Zinhle knew the students would be on her case all day. Unlike Lerato, Zinhle was much stronger, so it wouldn't bother her, but she was concerned about explaining it to Lerato. "Don't worry, I know they will talk, but let them be. I don't mind," she said, unbothered.

Soon, they arrived at the school. Tristin parked Zinhle's car, and they both got out. All eyes were on them. Some students began speculating. They left together yesterday and now arrived together. This was big news.

"Zinhle, you go on. I need to talk to the guard at the gate," Tristin said.

"Okay, do your thing. If you need me, I'll be in class," Zinhle said, much more relaxed when talking to Tristin.

The two parted ways under everyone's gaze.

"Mr. Masombuka, can we talk a bit?" Tristin asked.

"Certainly, young master. What's on your mind?" Mr. Masombuka replied.

"Yesterday, I met the daughter of the president of the Ntuli Group. From what I gathered, she has been researching me. The reason is unknown for now, but I want to know how much you know about the Ntuli Group."

"Well, young master, my people have already informed me that Buhle has arrived in Bongsburg, but I didn't expect you to meet her so soon," Mr. Masombuka said.

"So you've been keeping tabs on her?" Tristin asked.

"Not just her, young master, but everyone of high status. My job is to keep you safe. If the big players come to Bongsburg, I need to know what they are here for," Mr. Masombuka explained.

"So why is she here?" Tristin asked.

"If she has investigated you, she is here for you, and that's really not a good thing, young master," Mr. Masombuka said with worry.

"I can handle her. She didn't seem that difficult," Tristin said.

"Yes, young master, I'm sure you could, but it's not that simple," Mr. Masombuka frowned, looking worried.

"What is going on, Mr. Masombuka?" Tristin asked, running out of patience.

Mr. Masombuka thought for a bit, then looked at Tristin. "Fifteen months ago, the Ntuli Group became more aggressive than usual. Before that, they cooperated nicely with the Prime Group. Your father asked me to check it out."

Mr. Masombuka paused, then continued. "At that time, not many knew I was working for your father. I was his secret agent. But the Ntuli Group sniffed me out faster than anyone ever did. I found out that the Ntuli Group has someone pulling the strings—an organization with eyes everywhere and people in high places."

"An organization?" Tristin asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, it's called Argus Web. As the name suggests, they are everywhere, but there's nothing about it at the same time," Mr. Masombuka said, looking down and sighing.

"Why does it feel like they let you get that information and nothing else?" Tristin asked in a serious tone.

Mr. Masombuka chuckled, which threw Tristin off-guard. "Your father said the same. He said they wanted to show their strength so we wouldn't see any hope of winning against such power."

"But what do they want? Did you find out?" Tristin asked.

"They wanted your father to join and wanted the Prime Group too. Having your father and the Prime Group would mean they had complete control over the continent," Mr. Masombuka explained.

"I see," Tristin clenched his fist and looked at Mr. Masombuka. "Now they are after me. They probably killed my parents."

"It's highly likely, young master, and Buhle is sent by them," Mr. Masombuka said.

"This is good. Finally, they showed themselves," Tristin said with a smug smile that confused Mr. Masombuka.

"Young master, do not underestimate your opponent," Mr. Masombuka warned.

"That goes without saying. By the way, Mr. Masombuka, since Argus Web is everywhere, are you a part of them?" Tristin asked, looking deeply into Mr. Masombuka's eyes.

"Oh no, young master, I'm not. But it's good to look at everyone as if they are part of it. I don't know how many people in the Prime Group are under their influence, but assume that there are people working for Argus Web everywhere," Mr. Masombuka explained.

Tristin's perception had improved greatly since last night, so he could tell that Mr. Masombuka wasn't lying. Or he could be a great actor.

"Thanks, Mr. Masombuka. I'll keep that in mind. I'm going to class now. Continue to keep tabs on Buhle," Tristin said as he left for class.

"The air around the young master has changed greatly. It feels much stronger than before. It reminds me of his father," Mr. Masombuka thought as he watched Tristin walk to class.