Phase Two

"What the hell is this?" Themba shouted, his face frowning as he saw the members of the Black Phoenix gang lying in the front yard, their limbs broken, bodies covered in blood, looking utterly miserable.

The front yard of the Ngobeni residence is beautiful and big, filled with different flowers, trees and the well maintain green grass but at this moment, what stood out the most was the people lying on the grass looking pathetic.

The gardener in charge of this part of the yard and few of the Ngobeni servants looked at the site while they kept whispering and shaking their heads as they were baffled by what they were seeing.

"I've never seen the Black Phoenix looking this miserable before. They must have angered a powerful master," one servant in charge of monitoring the front gate said, his eyes wide open.

Seeing his father, Thomas ran to him, sweating and shaking with fear. "Father, Sammy is at death's door. He needs help," he said, his eyes wide open, tears filling them.

Themba looked at Thomas, narrowing his eyes. "What does that have to do with me? He's in that sorry state because he's weak. He can't even beat a high school kid," Themba snorted coldly.

Realizing the operation to teach Tristin a lesson and retrieve Thomas's car had failed, Themba kicked one of the Black Phoenix members lying close to him, sending him flying. "You bastards can't even perform a simple task. Get the hell out of my yard!" he shouted, continuing to kick anyone near him.

"Father, stop! It's not what you think. Tristin is weaker than Sammy. He tried to punch Sammy, but Sammy handled him with ease," Thomas said, trying to calm his father as he glanced at Sammy, the Azure Dragon.

Themba looked at Thomas, tilting his head slightly to the right and narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean? If he's stronger than that boy, why is he in this state? Who did this to him then?" Themba asked, his face frowning.

"Tristin is the one who did this to him," Thomas said, confusing his father even more.

"If Tristin is weaker than him, how did he manage to hurt Sammy like this?" Themba asked again, raising his eyebrows, trying to understand what Thomas was saying.

"Father, there's a security guard at our school who is far stronger than Sammy the Azure Dragon. If he hadn't interfered, we would have destroyed Tristin then and there," Thomas said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at his father.

"Are you saying Sammy was defeated by a security guard from your school?" Themba asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, father. You should have seen him fight. With him joining the fight, the Black Phoenix didn't stand a chance at all. He and Tristin took out more than thirty of the Black Phoenix in a few minutes. After he defeated Sammy, Tristin came and finished the job," Thomas said, his eyes wide open with a bit of admiration.

"If he is really that strong, why would he settle to be a security guard then?" Themba asked, frowning, trying to make sense of the situation.

"That I don't know, but I do know that if it wasn't for him, I would have my car right now. Father, if the security guard can join our ranks, he would be a great asset to the Ngobeni family," Thomas said, looking his father in the eyes.

Thomas had never liked martial arts. He only trained a bit since martial arts were a requirement in the Ngobeni family; every head of the Ngobeni family was or is a martial artist. With his lack of love for martial arts and training, he couldn't see that Mr. Masombuka and Tristin were too in sync to be a coincidence.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do to recruit him. But what about your car? Have you given up on it?" Themba asked.

"I'll never let it go. I'll definitely destroy Tristin, even if it's the last thing I do," Thomas said, clenching his fists, his eyes narrowed.

As father and son were talking, Themba's phone rang. Themba looked at the phone, frowning. "What does he want now?" he asked out loud, answering the phone.

"Mr. Nkosi, is there something you want?" Themba asked coldly.

Hearing the cold voice, the man on the other end laughed. "Haha, Mr. Ngobeni, I heard you're in trouble. Your boys and the Phoenix gang were destroyed by a mere security guard and a schoolboy. I didn't know the Ngobeni family was so pathetic," the man said, laughing.

"Fuck off," Themba said, hanging up the phone. He looked at the members of the Black Phoenix gang, frowning. "You bastards have sure ruined the Ngobeni family's reputation. Raymond will have to give me a reasonable explanation, or I will kill you all."

The members of the Black Phoenix looked down, not saying anything.

By this point, the news about the embarrassing loss of Thomas's car and the defeat of the Ngobeni's dogs, the Black Phoenix gang, had spread across the west side of Bongsburg.

"Send these idiots to the hospital and send Sammy to Grandma Mnisi. Someone find that security guard. Butler Mabena, call Raymond now and tell him to get his ass here," Themba said, seeing all the push notifications on his phone, all about Thomas and the Black Phoenix gang.

"Brother, what have you done now? Are you really going to ruin the reputation of the Ngobeni family with these thugs?" Josh, Lerato's father, came from the dojo at the back, holding his phone and reading all the news about Thomas and the Black Phoenix gang.

"Not right now, Josh. I don't have time for your schemes. Don't think I don't see what you're trying to do. All this happened because of your daughter," Themba said, looking at Josh with frowning eyes. "This bastard will take every chance he gets to remove me from being the head of the family," he thought.

"Brother, you can't be this naïve. People are laughing at us, and you say it's because of Lerato? If your son was strong enough to fight his own battles, would people be laughing at us?" Josh asked, hitting where it hurts.

Themba looked at Thomas, who was looking down. He also knew that if Thomas had defeated Tristin in their duel, they wouldn't be here right now. "From now on, you will focus on your martial arts and get stronger. Until you defeat that Tristin, you won't be getting another car," Themba said, his eyes fixed on Thomas.

"Yes, father, I understand," Thomas said, still looking down. "Tristin has opened four qi energy meridian channels, and I have opened only two. No matter how hard I train, I won't be able to match him soon," he thought.

"What's the point? Even if he trains for hundreds of years, he will never be as good as Lerato's boyfriend. I'm beginning to like this Tristin guy. I think I should invite him for dinner sometime," Josh said with a smile, chuckling a bit.

"Josh, I'm warning you, don't go too far," Themba said, raising his finger and pointing at Josh.

"Brother, we both know that your son is weak, and there's nothing you can say to change that," Josh said, shaking his head with his eyes closed as he smiled.

As the Ngobeni family tried to fix Thomas's mess, Tristin was left alone with Mr. Masombuka in the parking lot. He had told Lerato and Max that he needed to talk to the security guard in private. Seeing Tristin was okay, they decided to give them time to talk.

Mr. Masombuka looked at Tristin, who was now all smiles and had bright eyes, though his shirt still had a few burns, making him look a bit like a hobo. "Young master, what is really going on with you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Honestly, Mr. Masombuka, I'm still trying to figure out what is going on with me. But as soon as I do, I'll let you know," Tristin said honestly, raising his eyebrows.

Mr. Masombuka looked at Tristin, narrowing his eyes even further. "Okay then, but still, will this be a problem? We are now entering phase two of the plan, and we can't afford any complications," he said, relaxing his eyes.

"Yeah, you're right," Tristin smiled a bit before saying, "Things will now get interesting. We'll be up against the Ngobeni family's top dogs and the Phoenix gang's top brass. Who knows what other forces will interfere."

"Will your relationship with Lerato get in the way?" Mr. Masombuka asked, raising his left eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you have a girlfriend, but you mustn't forget why we're doing this," he continued.

"We are not trying to destroy the Ngobeni family. All we want is their resources and influence. After we beat them to the point where they don't see any chance of winning, we will come with a simple proposal for them. So Lerato won't be a problem," Tristin said, looking Mr. Masombuka in the eyes.

"The same goes for the Black Phoenix gang. We need more legs and eyes in the city, and the Black Phoenix gang is perfect for that. But it won't be easy; I hear their leader is part of the Phantom Five of the city, the five strongest guys in the city," Mr. Masombuka said, frowning.

"Yeah, he must have opened all eight qi meridian channels, and we both have opened seven," Tristin said, biting his nails.

"But if you can get that strange energy in control, plus your qi energy manipulation, you stand a great chance of defeating him. And if it's a two-on-one fight, it would be even easier," Mr. Masombuka said.

"If I defeat him, it will cause more problems for our plan. It's still too early for me to join the Phantom Five. If I do join, how will I start trouble when people know how strong I am?" Tristin asked.

"You're right. It will look like you are bullying the weak, and if you don't start trouble, our plan will slow down. Time is against us; your uncle might act anytime soon," Mr. Masombuka said, biting his nails.

"You will have to take care of him. But if push comes to shove, I'll step in regardless of the plan," Tristin reassured Mr. Masombuka, his gaze sharp and focused.

"I know you will, young master," Mr. Masombuka said, tapping Tristin's chest with a light punch and smiling a bit.

"Alright then, we need to move. You will get busy from now on. That battle was too flashy; people know about you now. The Ngobeni family will probably invite you for tea, or some other big family might," Tristin said, reminding Mr. Masombuka of what is to come.

"Well, everything you did since you came to this school was leading to this moment. We are now a step closer, and after we finish phase two, phase three will be even more of a blockbuster. You go now, make sure your grandma doesn't see that shirt," Mr. Masombuka said with a smile.

"Yeah, get a good rest, Mr. Masombuka," Tristin said as he turned to leave but suddenly stopped. "Oh, by the way, before I forget, I got a call from Butler Steven this morning. That truck driver is dead; the prison claims it was suicide," Tristin said, looking at Mr. Masombuka with narrowed eyes.

Mr. Masombuka looked at Tristin, raising his eyebrows. "So they have begun to clean up the loose ends. We need to speed up the plan. Soon they will be coming for you, young master," Mr. Masombuka said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

"Yeah, they are moving faster than I thought. I haven't even figured out why the president's daughter of the Ntuli Group is here, but her arrival is too coincidental. Continue to dig and observe her for me; she seems a bit dangerous," Tristin suggested, looking at the watch on his wrist. "I need to go home; Grandma might get worried," he thought.

Seeing Tristin checking the time, Mr. Masombuka responded, "I'll do what I can with Buhle, but without your father's resources, it will be even harder to get more info about her."

"Alright then, I'm heading home. Keep me updated," Tristin said as he turned around and walked to his car. "That lightning has helped me open the last qi meridian channel, even if it's just 10% now, but all my meridians are open," he smiled at the thought.

Mr. Masombuka watched Tristin walking to his Ferrari. "The young master will get even stronger. I've never heard about energy that can attract lightning; this must be something from the legends," he thought to himself.