The Weight of Silence

The day slipped by quicker than expected, with lectures wrapping up before Ayo even had time to feel their weight. One moment it was morning—the next, students were already spilling out of classrooms, laughing, stretching, heading off in twos and threes.

Whatever tension the day began with had been quietly buried under the routine, and now, one campus day was over.

Back in the hostel, Ayo sat on the edge of his bed, pulling on his slides. His knuckles ached. So did his back.

"We need to lie low for a bit."

Femi said.

Ayo nodded. Of course they were supposed to lie low

But UNILAG doesn't keep secrets.

By late last night, a blurry Snapchat video had surfaced,

barely 10 seconds long showing a tall guy (definitely Ayo) knocking out one of the cultists with something that looked like a stool leg.

The caption read:

"Who be dis guy??"

By today evening, it was everywhere.

Not everyone believed it though. Lagos boys always exaggerate. People said it was edited. Some swore it was AI generated with Neura.

Others claimed the "hero" was a final year student who studied karate in China. A few even said he vanished after the fight.

Ayo didn't care. But Femi was a bit frantic.

"You're trending in the wrong group chats, bro," he said, sliding his phone across Ayo's desk.

The screen showed a Telegram group called "Kegites n Kults." The caption on a forwarded screenshot read:

"This guy go Sabi. Someone find him."

Ayo blinked. "...How are you even in this GC?"

Femi scratched the back of his neck with an awkward laugh.

"It was kind of by mistake. I saw it somewhere and joined, thinking the name was just for fun."

But his expression quickly became serious.

"But you're honestly in grave danger. How did you even do that?"

Ayo rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hadn't even told Femi everything — about how he knew when the blade would fall, how he felt so in control of when stuff would happen, how he could feel which moves would work and which ones wouldn't.

It wasn't just adrenaline. It was a feeling of raw power. He had felt... In control.

Femi sighed, tapping his swollen jaw. "You fought three armed guys and walked away with only a scratch. You don't think that's unbelievable?"

"It is," Ayo said replied casually. "But I don't have time to think about that."

Night had settled gently over the hostel, the quiet kind that made even the trees outside seem drowsy. Ayo stretched, glanced at the time, and turned to Femi.

"Lemme crash abeg—it's late," he said with a yawn that wasn't entirely honest.

Femi just nodded, still on his phone, but within minutes, he was out cold, needing the sleep more than he had thought.

But Ayo just lay there, eyes open to the ceiling, not because he couldn't sleep—he just didn't want to.

There were more important things to think about.

His mind replayed the fight at the party—frame by frame. The moment he'd felt that sensation, that feeling, that power.

He sat up, wanting to test it again, and maybe push the limits.

He grabbed a pencil, stood over his table, and let it fall. But right before it hit the ground, he focused—hard. He didn't know what he was doing exactly. Just a gut instinct.

And then it landed on its base, bounced a few times, but still balanced on its base.

Pencils were not supposed to do that.

He stumbled back, chest tight. "Nah."

Okay. Not a fluke.

He tried again. This time, he picked up the pencil and placed it on the table, focusing hard to change something.

It's said that every single thing that can happen has probability of happening, even though it might be infinitely close to zero.

And so, he willed for the pencil to change into a pen.

Then, like a glitch, he blinked, and there on his table sat a pen.

Before he could even process what was happening, he was hit by an excruciating headache, taking him all he could not to scream out.

His head pounded furiously, a reminder that there were costs to what he was doing, but even so, as the pain receded, there was only one thought in his head.

'This is power. Real, raw power.'

...

The following day was a Tuesday. Femi decided not to go, still watching out for retaliation, but Ayo had no such concerns.

Power had begun to changed him, from his previous I don't want problems, To Let them come.

It wasn't necessary a bad thing though... Yet.

After attending his first lecture, on one of the campus streets, he saw someone that looked a bit familiar.

A girl with box braids, average height and the appealing curves.

Ayo blinked. 'Isn't that the girl who wore the Peach crop-top?'

Before he could confirm his guess, she did so for him.

"Hey."

She came up to him with a slight smile, extending her hand.

"Hey." Ayo responded coolly, shaking her.

"Ayo right?"

"Yeah. I didn't really get your name though."

"It's Simisola. But you can just call me Simi. I'm in 200 level."

"Okay senior." Ayo said jokingly, prompting a laugh from Simi.

"I saw what you did back at the party." She said, lowering her voice slightly.

Ayo narrowed his eyes.

Did she see him? Had she noticed his anomaly?

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" She drew closer and asked.

Ayo's brain short-circuited a bit.

"Huh?"

"I said where did you learn to fight like that? You know Martial arts?"

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

'Convenient Story.'

She laughed again,pearly white teeth showing, leaving Ayo a bit dazzled.

"That's cool. Just remember to be careful. In case they decide to come for you."

"No issues." Ayo nodded.

As Simi nodded back and turned to leave, he quickly came to.

"By the way can I have your number?"

She turned and smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask".