AKILAHYEL’S POV
I woke up before my alarm.
That hardly ever happened.
Usually, I needed the sharp vibration beside my pillow to drag me out of sleep. But this morning, my eyes opened into darkness with a weight sitting quietly on my chest.
I lay there for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling fan turning slowly above me. The room was still. The weight did not lift.
Instead, it pressed.
Pray.
It was not an audible voice. It was a knowing.
I exhaled, pushed the duvet aside, and sat up. The floor was cold under my feet. I did not bother turning on the light.
I went straight to my knees.
I did not start with requests. I rarely did.
“Father,” I whispered, rubbing my palms together slowly, “Thank You.”
“Thank You for breath. For protection through the night. For my Family. For my sister sleeping peacefully down the hall. For work. For direction.”
Then the burden shifted.
It deepened.
My spine straightened.
And before I knew it, words gave way to tongues.
It was soft at first but then it grew stronger.
I prayed in tongues for a long time.
Not the hurried kind people perform when they want to feel spiritual. This was different. It was like something was being pressed out of me and replaced with something heavier.
I paced back and forth in my room.
I did not check the time.
The weight intensified again.
Souls.
It came like a whisper that would not leave.
Pray for souls.
I slowed down.
I began to call out cities.
Neighborhoods.
People I had met casually.
Men in uniform.
Young boys who stood at junctions selling pure water.
Women who smiled but whose eyes were tired.
“Draw them to You,” I murmured. “Let hearts soften. Remove blindness, remove distractions, destroy self and break pride.”
Faces passed through my mind.
Unexpectedly, one lingered.
Soteria.
I paused.
“Lord,” I sighed, “do what only You can do in their lives.”
The prayer shifted again, deeper.
Intercession is strange. Sometimes you do not even know fully what you are carrying.
By the time the burden finally eased, light was slipping through the curtains.
I checked the time.
I had been praying for over an hour.
I stood slowly, stretched my shoulders, and walked to the bathroom.
Cold water cleared the remnants of tiredness from my body. As I dressed, my mind moved through the day ahead—briefings, paperwork, internal meetings.
But something about today did not feel entirely normal.
I left my room and walked into the kitchen.
Naya was already there.
Of course she was.
She stood at the stove, stirring something in a pot, her hair tied in a messy bun. She hummed under her breath, off-key as usual.
“You’re awake early,” I said.
She jumped slightly. “Ha! You scared me.”
“You scare easily.”
“I do not,” she protested, turning down the stove. “You just walk like a ghost.”
I leaned against the counter.
“What are you making?”
“Oats and egg sauce.”
She glanced at me properly then.
“Oh, by the way,” she said casually, plating the food, “I invited Soteria for midweek service next Wednesday.”
I hummed.
“That’s good.”
She watched my face closely, searching for something.
“You’re not going to say anything else?” she asked.
“What do you want me to say, Naya?”
“I don’t know. Something. Anything.”
“She’s welcome, ma”
“That’s it?”
I shrugged lightly. “If she wants to come, she should come.”
Naya narrowed her eyes. “You’re so annoying.”
“And you’re too petty, Naya.”
She laughed, rolled her eyes and handed me a plate.
After a while, she sighed dramatically and sat across from me.
“I think she has questions,” she added quietly.
“About God, the bible. Everything in fact.”
“That’s great.”
“I told her we’ll meet Pastor Olive after service if she wants deeper answers.”
I nodded again.
“That’s fine.”
Naya studied me one more time before dropping it.
“So,” I said after a moment, “have you started your Ireland applications?”
Her face changed immediately.
“Yaro…”
“No excuses.”
“I was going to….”
“When?”
She poked her oats with her spoon.
“Soon.”
“Naya.”
She looked up at me.
“You’re twenty-one,” I continued calmly. “If you want to study abroad, we have to start now. Not next year. Not when you feel like it. Now.”
She softened.
“I know.”
“I’ll help you go through the schools this weekend. We’ll look at deadlines, requirements and the cost.”
She smiled faintly. “You’re more serious than I am.”
She reached across the table and squeezed my hand briefly.
“Thank you.”
I stood up, carried my plate to the sink, and washed it quickly.
“I’ll send you some universities to research before I get back,” I added.
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t start.”
She grinned.
I grabbed my keys and headed out.
The office compound was already alive when I arrived.
The security saluted and I returned it briefly.
I walked into the main building and headed toward the operations wing.
Effiom was in my office.
Of course he was.
He sat on the edge of my desk like he owned the place, scrolling through his phone.
“Good morning, Effiom” I said.
He looked up slowly. “Ah. Old Man.”
“What are you doing in my office, this guy?”
“I was waiting for you.”
He slid off the desk and handed me a file.
“There has been a new development.”
I took it.
“Where?”
He leaned against the wall, arms folded.
“North-east axis. Border region.”
I flipped the file open.
My jaw tightened slightly.
“Since when?”
“Late last night. Internal unrest. Something is brewing.”
“Confirmed?”
“Confirmed enough.”
I walked behind my desk and sat down, scanning faster now.
“This could escalate,” I muttered.
“It will,” Effiom replied calmly. “If we don’t step in early.”
I looked up at him.
“When is deployment?”
“Likely within a week.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“How bad?”
He shrugged slightly. “Hard to say. Could fizzle out. Could turn messy.”
I closed the file slowly.
“And the headquarters?”
“They’re watching.”
“That means they’re worried.”
“Exactly.”
There was a pause.
“We need to prepare quietly,” I said. “No panic.”
“Already started,” he replied. “I’ve spoken to logistics.”
“Good.”
There was a brief silence.
“You think this is connected?” I asked finally.
“To the previous intel?”
“Yes.”
He nodded slowly.
“Feels like it.”
I drummed my fingers lightly on the desk.
“Then we move carefully.”
“Always.”
He straightened up.
“You ready to pack your bags again?”
“I’m always ready.”
He laughed and left the office.
When the door shut, I leaned back in my chair.
SOTERIA’S POV
If there is one thing my friends enjoy doing, it is judging me in stereo.
I had Zainab on loudspeaker and Amara on the other line merged in, both of them talking over each other like moral prefects on duty.
“I still don’t like it,” Zainab said for the fifth time. “A whole week on a boat with Amanda and her sixty-year-old sugar daddy? Babe, be serious.”
“It’s not even about the money,” Amara added. “It’s the principle. What is she teaching you?”
I rolled my eyes dramatically even though they could not see me.
“She’s not teaching me anything. I am going to enjoy my life.”
“In whose company?” Zainab shot back.
“In my own company!” I laughed. “Please, allow me breathe. It’s a boat cruise, not initiation into a cult.”
Amara hissed softly. “You’re too carefree.”
“And you’re too uptight,” I fired back immediately. “It’s just Lagos. Why are you people behaving like I said I’m relocating permanently?”
“Because Amanda is not exactly… role model material,” Zainab said carefully.
“Oh please,” I scoffed. “Her life is her life. If she wants to date somebody’s grandfather, that is her business. It does not concern me.”
“It does concern you if you’re aligning yourself with it,” Amara replied.
I flopped back dramatically on my bed, staring at the chandelier above me.
“You people are exhausting. I just want bikinis, sun, and good food. Must everything be a TED Talk?”
Before they could reply, I heard my father’s voice boom from downstairs.
“Unwana baby!”
I sprang up immediately.
“Yes, sir!”
“I’m heading to the barracks!”
My brain calculated quickly. I needed to get to the mall to shop for outfits to wear on the boat cruise. I could tag along and have his driver drop me off at the mall.
I grabbed my phone. “Ladies, pause your sermon. My father is leaving. Let me catch him before he disappears.”
“Soteria….” Amara started.
“I will call you back!” I said, already running for the door.
I flew down the staircase two steps at a time.
My father stood in the living room in uniform, already radiating authority without trying. “Daddy, hold on!” I said breathlessly. “Please wait.”
He turned slowly, one eyebrow raised. “What is it?”
“Can I hitch a ride? I want to go to the mall. I need to get some things.”
“For what, this woman?”
“I am going on a trip to Lagos.”
“What trip?”
“It is a boat cruise,” I replied casually.
He stared at me.
“With who?”
“My friends nau.”
He gave me that long, slow look that fathers give daughters when they are deciding whether to ask more questions or conserve energy.
“Okay… get in,” he said finally.
I walked beside him to the car, slipping into the backseat with him.
As we drove out of the estate, he glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“When are you settling down with that boy?” he asked calmly.
I blinked.
“Which boy?”
“Ayoola.”
I groaned softly. “Daddy.”
“What?” he said mildly. “You’ve been with him for how long now?”
“It’s not like that.”
“What is it like?”
I hesitated.
“It’s… complicated.”
He chuckled. “At your age, everything is complicated.”
I folded my arms. “Daddyyyyy….Can we not do this?”
“I am only asking because I want clarity,” he said evenly. “You are not a child.”
“I know.”
“So what is the plan?”
I looked out the window for a second.
“I don’t know yet,” I admitted.
He nodded slowly.
“And how is your NGO doing?” he asked.
My face brightened instantly.
“Yes! That’s also what I wanted to talk to you about.”
He sighed softly. “I knew it.”
“We’re planning a medical and educational outreach next month. We need logistics support and security too.” I pouted
He listened quietly.
“It’s through my NGO,” I continued excitedly. “We’re partnering with a few local leaders there. I just need backing.”
“And you came to me,” he said with faint amusement.
“Of course. Who else?”
He shook his head but I could see the smile forming.
“Send me the proposal formally,” he said. “I will review it.”
“Daddy!!! Formally???” I asked immediately.
He glanced at me again. “I need it structured properly so I can send you the necessary security details”
I squealed softly. “Daddy!”
“Behave yourself, this child.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, my general.”
We entered the barracks shortly after.
When we stopped at his office building, he turned to me.
“The driver will take you to the mall,” he said. “Enjoy your shopping.”
I unbuckled quickly, then paused.
“Actually… I want to greet Effiom since I’m here.”
He studied me for a second.
“Okay, baby. I’ll be in my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
We stepped into his office first.
The familiar scent of leather and polished wood wrapped around me. His office always felt like strategy and authority.
“I’ll be back,” I said, kissing his cheek lightly.
He waved me off.
I hurried down the corridor toward Effiom’s office.
I knocked lightly before pushing the door open.
He was seated behind his desk, sleeves rolled up, focused on a document.
He looked up slowly.
“Well,” he said dryly. “If it isn’t the noise.”
“Shut up,” I replied immediately, walking in.
He stood up anyway and pulled me into a quick hug.
“My baby. How are you?” he asked.
“I’m fantastic.”
“Hmm. That’s suspicious.”
I dropped into the chair opposite him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I came with Daddy. I’m going to the mall.”
“For?”
“I wanna shop for new outfits.”
He stared at me.
“I am going on a boat cruise?”
“With who?”
“Amanda and some friends.”
He leaned back slowly.
“Enjoyment madam.”
“So,” I said quickly, changing the subject, “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“How is that your nurse babe?.”
He rubbed his jaw.
“We spent the whole of last week together?”
I gasped dramatically. “Tell me everything.”
He rolled his eyes. “It is none of your business, small girl.”
I leaned forward.
“So you’re sleeping with a woman in your house.”
He smirked faintly.
I clapped softly. “My brother! My brother! You must really like her o”
“I do. She is calm and grounded,” he continued. “ Not loud like you.”
“Everybody cannot survive being loud like me.”
He laughed quietly.
“And?” I pressed.
“And what?”
“Is it serious?”
He went quiet for a moment.
“I want to marry her.”
My mouth fell open.
“Excuse me?”
“I am not getting younger.”
“You’re not old either!”
He shrugged lightly.
“When you know, you know.”
I studied him carefully.
“Wow. You are a finished man,” I said softly.
He nodded once.
“Proudly.”
I leaned back slowly, processing.
“Does Daddy know?”
“Not yet.”
“Does she know you are thinking of marriage?”
He smirked faintly. “She suspects.”
I laughed.
“Wow. Look at you.”
He tilted his head. “And you?”
“What about me?”
“What are you doing with Ayoola?”
I immediately stood up.
“I have to go.”
He burst into laughter.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Rude,” I muttered.
I left Effiom’s office smiling.
As I stepped into the open corridor that led toward the other administrative wing, my feet slowed on their own.
I did not plan it.
I did not think it through.
But I knew where I was going.
I told myself I was only passing by. I told myself it was courtesy. I told myself it would be rude not to say hi since I was already here.
But deep down, something tugged.
And I followed it.
The intelligence unit offices were quieter than the rest of the building. I paused briefly outside his door.
Why am I nervous?
I adjusted my hair slightly and knocked once before pushing the door open.
He was seated behind his desk.
And for a moment, I forgot what I wanted to say.
AkilaHyel was in uniform—crisp, perfectly fitted, sleeves rolled to that exact point that revealed his forearms without looking casual. His posture was straight, composed. A book rested in his hand.
He looked… calm.
Dapper was not even enough to describe it.
He lifted his eyes slowly when the door opened.
“Hi,” I said a little too brightly.
He nodded once.
“Good afternoon.”
I stepped in fully, closing the door gently behind me.
“I just came to say hi,” I added quickly. “Since I was already here.”
Another nod.
“Okay.”
That was it.
I shifted slightly, suddenly aware that I had not prepared anything else to say.
“Well,” I said lightly, stepping backward toward the door, “I’ll let you get back to your reading.”
I turned to leave.
Then his voice stopped me.
“Soteria.”
My name sounded different in his mouth.
I froze and turned slowly.
“Yes?”
He hesitated for a fraction of a second.
Even he looked mildly surprised that he had called me back.
“Naya said you’re coming for midweek service next Wednesday.”
The air shifted.
Oh.
Church.
My brain scrambled.
Midweek service had not crossed my mind in hours.
I blinked.
“Uhhh… yeah,” I said quickly. “Yes. Sure. I’ll be there.”
Why did that sound so unsure?
He studied my face for a second longer than necessary.
Then something in his expression softened.
“If you need a ride,” he said evenly, “feel free to tag along with us. I know you might not be comfortable driving at night.”
My heart skipped.
He continued, almost as if he was following instructions he didn’t fully understand.
“You can meet up with us. We’ll take you to church and back.”
He paused briefly.
“I look forward to seeing you in church.”
And then silence.
For half a second, I just stared at him.
He… what?
Offered me a ride?
Voluntarily?
Without irritation?
My face betrayed me immediately.
I felt it. The smile. It was wide, bright and unfiltered.
“I will surely be available,” I said, almost too fast. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
I meant it in that moment.
He gave a small shrug, as if he had merely stated something ordinary.
“Call Naya when you’re coming.”
“I will,” I replied, almost bouncing on my heels.
He grunted lightly in response, already shifting his gaze back toward the book in his hand.
Conversation over.
But my heart was racing.
I turned and walked toward the door, trying and failing to hide my smile.
By the time I stepped out into the corridor, I was practically glowing.
He offered me a ride.
He said he looked forward to seeing me in church.
I did not skip.
I did not dance.
I maintained dignity.
But my strut had rhythm.
Akila wanted to see me in church?
Wow…..
I left the building forgetting the reason why I was going to the mall. Plans changed. I couldn’t disappoint Akila. I needed to make a decision soon.
AKILAHYEL’S POV
The door closed and returned.
I stared at the page in front of me, but the words blurred.
What did I just do?
I leaned back slowly in my chair.
Did I just offer her a ride?
Voluntarily?
I exhaled sharply.
“Urgh.”
My jaw tightened.
Why did I say that?
I had not planned to. It just… came out.
I pressed my fingers briefly against my temple.
Holy Ghost.
Why did You lead me to say that?
She had lit up like a child given sweets.
And I had seen it.
That smile was too bright. Too genuine. Too… affecting.
I shut my eyes briefly.
This was unnecessary.
I sighed deeply.
“Lord, please,” I muttered under my breath.
Because somewhere beneath my annoyance was something far more dangerous… Anticipation.
And I did not like it.
Not one bit.
Can somebody play me “Baruch Hashem Adonai”???
Even if na because of man, make Soteria come church. God go arrest her.
At least, if she goes to church, she will avoid that boat cruise😭
Baruch Hashem Adonai 😩💃