Chapter 20

“What?! What was that?”

Lwanda asked with a confused look on his face. What exactly was that odd sensation he just felt?

That strange feeling, that ominous sensation that fleeted as soon as it set. What was it and why did it come up now?

Lwanda had a bad feeling. This place wasn’t that forgiving, there was no way that was the end of that, he knew it, he felt it but...

“Damn why did it have to be now?”

“Can't let me have even a minute of joy?”

Lwanda felt frustrated, he wanted to commemorate his first experience with real food, he wanted to treasure it, store it in the deepest and best parts of himself, he needed it to be perfect, his only lucky break ever since coming to this God forsaken place but now all that was a shuttered dream, an unreachable goal like grasping at stars.

“Damn it I only needed a minute, just a minute, why can't you let me have just one fucking minute !!!”

Lwanda screamed while facing the sky, he did this instinctively as if something deep within him knew that’s where he needed to face, that’s where his audience was and that’s where he should direct his cry.

He didn’t need to understand it he just needed to do it, follow through with it even if he didn’t understand for was that not the work of the puppet? Follow through with the pulls of the string.

All this was by design and he had no say in how it played out.

Lwanda clenched his fist and grit his teeth, he was furious, his life was not his own anymore, his will was not his. He was like a shell, a puppet being toyed with.

He hated it, he hated the fact that he was reduced to this state and more so he hated that those that were doing it didn’t even bother to say why nor reveal themselves, he hated them and he hated himself for being powerless against it.

“One day, one day I'll find you guys and I'll make sure to...”

**Badump**

**Arrghhhh**

Wave after wave of deafening screams rang though the air. As Lwanda suspected the ominous sensation was back and with it came pain unlike anything he’d ever felt before.

It was like his whole body was being run through by a million daggers and set ablaze. The pain was unimaginable, dozens of black veins formed on Lwanda’s skin, each rippling through as they pumped what felt like an essence into Lwanda.

Lwanda collapsed to the ground, he writhe in pain. Seizing, frothing and bleeding through almost every hole in his body.

He could feel it all, he could feel the pain from every inch of his body, from the deepest bone to the furthest strain of hair, everything about him was on fire and it hurt like hell.

Lwanda couldn’t take the pain, he lost consciousness a couple of times but every time he came to all that awaited him was the unending pain, it was like a vicious cycle of pain and torture.

Why? Why him? The thought crossed Lwanda’s mind over and over, it was the only thing keeping him sane amidst all that anguish. He wanted to know why he had to go through that. Why he had to live through the pain of literally being burnt alive?

He needed to know. He deserved to know, what was it that he had to do or that he did to make any of this necessary? This was a fate he couldn’t wish on anyone not even his worst enemies, so why did he have to be the one going through it?

For hours Lwanda lay on the cold ground writhing in pain, each second being more tragic that the last. For hours he lay unable to do anything as whatever was happening to him happened.

For hours he lay and did nothing but to feel, feel the anguish and the despair. His eyes glowed with resentment, a deep hatred that was so strong he could feel it through every fibre of his being.

His teeth ever grit, frothing like a wild dog he felt hatred that could last him generations. In all that unbearable anguish he wished for death several times but each time he came close to it, he was yanked back, back to the torture, back to the anguish.

It was like a sick prank, a sadistic prank aimed at having him experience all that hell for someone’s delight.

Lwanda's expressions changed from screams to groan to grunts. Wild grunt, barbaric grunts that chanted revenge in each sound.

Yes, revenge, he would have his revenge. Make whoever and whatever was behind this pay. It didn’t matter whether it was possible or not, his mind was set and that was that.

Stubborn to the core, his father’s son.

“They don’t want me dying huh?”

“Fine then, I'll live, I'll live to be the blade that strikes them down”

Lwanda's resolve was unshaken, he clutched the hard, cold ground and the rode the wave of pain and anguish, he rode through it with hatred in his eyes and a cold expression that could make even the toughest of men shiver.

He rode through it not making as much as a groan. He lay there silent taking in all that pain, making not but one sound.

After a couple of hours of torture, the pain suddenly stopped, fleeted as quick as it had set. Leaving nothing behind but bad memories.

Lwanda looked at himself, he could feel it, something was different, something was odd. He couldn’t quite trace it, but he knew something about him had changed.

He slowly lifted himself up and made his way to his previous sitting place. With a loud thud Lwanda let himself go and landed on the panther's leg.

He slowly and painfully removed his robe and other clothing. He wanted to access it for himself, the extent to which his hunch, his feeling was reality. He inspected every inch of his body.

“Guess it wasn’t my imagination after all, something has definitely changed”

Lwanda spoke as he stared at the countless black veins that rippled through his body. He didn’t really know why but he had a bad feeling about them, a sudden unease that just wouldn’t let up.

Lwanda had, had countless gut feelings like this and so far, they never let him down, it was safe to say this was the same.

“Guess I'm going to have to address these sooner rather than later”

Lwanda mumbled as he felt on the black veins.

“But before that, there’s something else I want to try out”

Lwanda slowly rose from his seat, with groans in between breaths he made his way to the closest and largest tree he could see. He stood before the tree not speaking. Just staring. Seconds then minutes passed but Lwanda just stood there unresponsive, staring.

“Well then guess I'll give it a shot”

Lwanda finally broke the deafening silence.

He took a step back, clenched his fist and planted his feet firmly on the ground.

**huuup**

Lwanda swung his fist with everything he had, the bullet like hand tore through the air as it made for the giant tree before it.

**Boooom**

The impact rang through the air, waves and waves of shockwaves followed. It was like a gust of wind suddenly blew through the whole place.

**crrr**

**craac**

**craaaackkkk**

**swooosh**

**BOOOOM**

Lwanda watched in awe as the giant tree, at least 50 meters tall crumbled to the ground.

“This...this...”

He was speechless, this was so unbelievable, so insane.

Lwanda looked at his clenched fist. It was as good as new, no cuts, bruises or broken bones.

Lwanda smirked.

“Guess something did change”

“Something...

Mutated”