Recent content by Akpadiaha Uwem

Part 1: Bats Around The air trembled faintly with wingbeats that weren’t there. Akpadiaha staggered to Yuebing’s side with the wide, unsteady grin of someone running too fast inside their own thoughts. He dropped to his knees beside her like a marionette—too light in some places, too heavy in...

Part 1: First Lesson Akpadiaha Uwem bounced slightly on his heels as he entered the classroom, eyes wide with wonder. His robes, a vibrant blend of saffron and soft earth tones, fluttered as he scanned the room. His amber eyes noticed a table with three students, two girls and a boy with...

Part 1: A Field Day It was such a nice field. Even after realizing he was absolutely not in the right place, Akpadiaha Uwem lingered. The barns and huts nestled in the green campus fringe looked unlike anything in the city proper. Their strange wards and iron latches whispered secrets, not...

PART I The stone crumbled in his hand as he turned it over once more, the etched lines of his finger tracing the grooves worn by centuries. Akpadiaha Uwem had stopped clearing rubble 15 minutes ago. His hands, now dusted with gray and ochre, gripped a loose shard of painted tile. Part of a...

Part 1: A Specter of Bats Akpa blinked once or twice as Feä leaned in, her voice mirroring his own hush. He hadn’t expected that. He’d expected her to nod politely or change the subject or smile in that tight way some people did when he got... too much. But she didn’t do any of that. She...

Part 1: Parting the Third “Papa! Papa, look!” The raffia charm he spun in his fingers was barely dry—twin-winged with moonflower patterns—and braided too tightly. He’d been weaving since sunrise. Now the knots sang with nervous energy. “I made a new one for my staff. It’s got stars and a hush...