CH1: KOREDE BALOGUN

This is a passion work. So, I would really appreciate it if you leave behind a review when you're done reading.

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CH1: KOREDE BALOGUN

A human silhouette can be seen rowing a boat in a mighty river. The river is so large that its banks on either side couldn't be seen, almost as if rowing a boat in an ocean, yet the figure could tell it was a river. Suddenly, a voice was heard coming from every direction yet so clear as if it was spoken by one's side.

"Why do you pointlessly struggle?" asked the voice. "Do you not know the greatness of the River of Time?"

As if rebelling against the voice, the figure in the boat starts rowing against the current with greater vigour than before. But as the voice alluded, it was pointless as the boat was still swept at the same speed by the flow of the river.

"Do you not see that one may only go forward according to the flow of time? Do you think it will allow you to change that which is done?" continued the voice, in a tone the figure considered as mocking.

Consumed by rage, the figure raised from his boat, a gigantic rock almost as big as a mountain, and threw it into the river. As inconceivable as it is to pull a mountain out of a small boat, yet the river only rippled for less than a second before it resumed its normal flow.

Once again, the voice was heard, "Do you not see? No matter what you do, you can not truly change or cause a ripple in the flow of time."

While the person in the boat was nothing more than a silhouette, a blurry figure, its emotions could be felt clearly. While it was downcast at its futile effort, it still held on to its belief, its will, its… Hope. The hope to change that unfavourable past; its will to achieve it; and the belief that it can. it looked at the river in defiance. It was then it heard the voice say, in a raise but usual flat tone,

"Remember being of the Creator, you may struggle. You may believe in the impossible. You may be defiant. However, forward is your only option. The laws of time shall be obeyed BECAUSE TIME IS ABSOLUTE!!"

The moment the last statement was uttered, the space started to rumble and it eventually collapsed…

Suddenly, the eyes of a youth sleeping on a bed sprang open. He shot up to a sitting position and held his head. After regaining his bearings, the youth discovered that his back was soaked in sweat.

"The dreams, or should I say nightmares, are still as intense as ever. I wonder what my subconscious is trying to tell me. What is all this about changing the flow of time and whatnot? I don't have anything I regret to the extent I would want to go back in time to change, do I?" mumbled the youth.

He shook his head and turned to the clock on a wall to the left side of the bed. Seeing the time, he said, "So much for a short nap." the time is just a few minutes to noon, meaning he has been asleep for almost four hours, whereas he originally wanted to take a one-hour nap.

He stood up from the bed thinking of taking a bath to wash the sweat off his body but feeling how sore his body was, he decided to do some warm-ups first. He did some stretches, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and some other exercises targeting his sore muscles. After about 20minutes, he was done with his work-out and went into the bathroom in his room.

Done taking a quick bath, he dried his body with a towel and went to his closet to pick some clothes to wear. He selected a pair of blue jeans and a black round-neck T-shirt. As he was about to wear the T-shirt, he caught a glimpse of his figure in the mirror. He stood in front of the mirror and examined himself. The youth stood at 196cm as per his last measurement with long arms almost reaching his knees giving a wingspan of 220cm. He has a very clear defined musculature with a physique that is neither exactly athletic nor does it reach the standards of a bodybuilder. In the eyes of the youth though, between the two extremes, his physique is closer to that of an athletic physique.

Looking at his body, memories of the past flooded in. Since he could remember, he had been training his body to attain and maintain the physique he has today. Years of training his body to its limits and then breaking through these limits have given him a degree of control over his body that average people can't come close to. The combination of his height and physique gives him a unique presence that can't be ignored.

As revelled in his memories, he felt a pang in his stomach and remembered that he had not eaten anything today. He put on his clothes and walked towards the door. Close to the door, a uniform was hung, a Nigerian Army uniform. A smile made its way to the youth's lips, 'Finally, tomorrow everything starts' he thought.

Following his aspirations and family tradition, the youth joined decided to join the military after his tertiary education. He has completed his training and tomorrow would be his first day as a soldier. His gaze went to the name tagged on the left breast pocket of the uniform. It read 'Korede Balogun'.

Yes, the youth's name is Korede Balogun.

With a smile on his face, Korede walked out of the room. His room was located on the first floor while the kitchen was on the ground floor, so he took the stairs down. On getting to the kitchen, he saw his mother, Shade Balogun, coming out carrying a tray with a tea kettle and cup on it.

"You are finally up. Your food has gone cold. You were sleeping so deeply I thought you were a log." said Shade Balogun in a chiding tone. Korede merely smiled and reached out to take the tray from his mother. She handed it over and turned towards the kitchen, "Take it to your father in the study. It's time for his afternoon tea. I will warm up your food, hurry back to eat before it gets cold again."

"Ok mum" Korede accented

Korede headed towards the study and soon arrived at the door, he knocked on the door and said, "Dad, your tea is ready"

"Oh, it's afternoon already? Come in." replied his father from inside the study.

Korede shook his head while smiling wryly, 'Seems dad lost track of time while working again. Must be a big case again.' he thought since he remembered seeing his father bring home a case file. He opened the door and walked in.

[A.N: Please, don't forget to leave to leave a review of the work to encourage me. Your opinion really matters to me.]