#freelancewriter

Tunde did not feel like himself anymore.

Since that night, since Sango appeared, something inside him had changed.

It wasn’t just power.

It was pressure.

Like a storm trapped inside his body, waiting for the right moment to break free.

He stood alone behind his house that morning, staring at his hands.

“Control it,” he whispered to himself.

He remembered Sango’s words:

“To control the storm, or be destroyed by it.”

Tunde clenched his fist.

A faint spark appeared.

Then another.

“Come on,” he muttered.

He focused harder.

The air around him began to vibrate slightly.

Electricity danced across his fingers.

For a moment,

It worked.

A small bolt of lightning shot from his hand and struck the ground.

Tunde stepped back, breathing heavily.

“I did it,”

But then

The energy didn’t stop.

Instead,

It grew.

“Wait, no—”

The lightning spread violently across his arm.

Pain shot through his body.

“STOP!” he shouted.

A sudden explosion of energy burst outward.

The ground cracked.

Nearby objects were thrown aside.

Tunde fell hard to the ground.

His chest rose and fell rapidly.

Sweat covered his face.

“I can’t control it,” he whispered.

Losing Control

That was the problem.

The more he tried to use the power,

The more it tried to take over.

At times, he could feel something else inside him.

Watching.

Waiting.

Not fully Sango,

But connected to him.

Ancient.

Wild.

Tunde closed his eyes.

“If I lose control,” he said softly,

“I could destroy everything.”

The Cult’s Deadly Mission

Not far away, the Children of the Storm had already begun their next move.

Inside the shrine, the leader stood before his followers.

“The boy is unstable,” one of them said.

“He may not survive the power.”

The leader smiled slightly.

“Then we will force him to evolve.”

He turned to Kunle.

“You know him better than anyone.”

Kunle hesitated.

“What do you want me to do?”

The leader’s voice turned cold.

“Bring him to us.”

Kunle’s expression darkened.

“And if he refuses?”

A long silence followed.

Then the leader said:

“Then break him.”

The Trap

That evening, Kunle found Tunde.

“Tunde,” he called out calmly.

Tunde turned, his guard instantly up.

“What do you want?”

Kunle raised his hands slightly.

“I’m not here to fight.”

Tunde didn’t relax.

“You already chose your side.”

Kunle stepped closer.

“And you haven’t chosen yours.”

Silence.

Heavy.

“I can help you,” Kunle said.

“You’re losing control. I can see it.”

Tunde hesitated.

Because deep down,

It was true.

“Come with me,” Kunle continued.

“There’s a place, where you can learn to control it.”

Tunde studied him carefully.

Every instinct told him not to trust him.

But the pain.

The power.

The fear of losing himself,

“Fine,” Tunde said slowly.

Kunle nodded.

“Good.”

But behind his calm expression,

His eyes told a different story.

The Massive Battle 🔥⚡

The moment they reached the shrine

Tunde knew.

“It’s a trap,"

Figures emerged from the shadows.

Dozens of them.

The cult.

Tunde stepped back.

“You lied to me!”

Kunle’s voice dropped.

“I had no choice.”

The leader stepped forward.

“This ends tonight.”

Tunde’s anger exploded.

Lightning burst from his body instantly.

“I won’t let you use me!”

The ground shook.

Thunder roared above them.

The cult members attacked all at once.

Tunde raised his hands

Lightning struck.

One.

Two.

Three bolts crashed down, scattering them.

But it wasn’t enough.

They kept coming.

The leader moved forward calmly, unaffected.

“You’re still weak,” he said.

Tunde’s eyes glowed.

“Then I’ll get stronger.”

Energy surged violently around him.

Too much.

Too fast.

The shrine began to crack.

The altar trembled.

“Stop him!” someone shouted.

But it was too late.

Tunde lost control.

A massive explosion of lightning burst outward.

Blinding.

Deafening.

Unstoppable.

The sky split open.

Thunder roared like never before.

Cult members were thrown in every direction.

The ground shattered.

Trees collapsed.

Kunle was caught in the blast.

Thrown hard against the stone walls.

“TUNDE!” he shouted.

But Tunde couldn’t hear him.

He wasn’t fully himself anymore.

His voice echoed with power.

Not just his own.

“I AM NOT YOUR WEAPON!”

Lightning struck the altar directly.

Breaking it apart.

Silence followed.

Smoke filled the air.

The shrine was half destroyed.

Tunde stood at the center.

Breathing heavily.

Eyes glowing.

Then slowly…

He collapsed.

Chapter Ending (Hook)

Kunle struggled to stand.

Injured.

Shaken.

He looked at Tunde’s unconscious body.

Fear filled his eyes.

“This is worse than we thought,”

Behind him, the leader appeared again.

Bruised,

But smiling.

“Good,” he said softly.

Kunle turned.

“Good? He almost destroyed everything!”

The leader’s smile widened.

“That means,”

He looked at Tunde.

Figure out where your skills and passions align. Then determine the lifestyle/work culture you thrive in and what sacrifices you're willing to make in your chosen career path (for some, it's always traveling/talking to people 24/7, working late hours, unpredictable/unconventional hours, potentially lower pay/less predictable income, etc.). It truly depends on your top values, your personality, and your goals/priorities in life.

First focus on getting incredibly talented at your craft. Find a mentor(s) who will push you with their feedback/suggestions. Take classes/skills courses/read books & articles to gain more applicable knowledge/hard skills. Join clubs, apply to internships, volunteer, and request informational interviews in your desired field.

Make your skills marketable. Create a professional resume and/or neat portfolio/collection of work samples. Discover and articulate your USP (that should essentially serve as the backbone of your elevator pitch). Frame your skills through a customer/business-centric lens. How does your experience/skillset solve their problems and help a company/client achieve their goals?

Build a network for yourself. Don't be shy to reach out to companies/individuals who inspire you. Speak with your secondary school teachers and professors for connections. Create peer-to-peer networks, too, so you can grow together. Be a fearless networker and connector. Help others, do favors, and make the person glad they met/hired you. Make it your objective to be memorable through your work ethic/providing high-quality work products and showing up with a motivated & overall positive attitude allows people to like and trust you with their time, clients, money, etc.

Master the art of a killer email/cold pitch. Especially in today's world, learning how to sell yourself through intriguing emails/LinkedIn messages is the key to unlocking potential success. One client or opportunity can create momentum that will be useful years down the line, too.

When in doubt, follow up – on an email, pitch, job opportunity, connection, etc.

Be ruthless and relentless with your research. For new contacts, connections, opportunities, and information to support your pitches/job interviews/networking conversations, new technologies, and trends within your field. Read everything credible you can get your hands on. Display working knowledge and practical applications of these concepts and how they can benefit the person in front of you/their business.

Create systems. For how you structure emails/pitches, conduct research, different types of workflows/ work template structures for different types of projects, time-blocking, client funnels, etc.

Get comfortable with rejection. Use it as a primer for self-reflection and refining your craft/processes or help you pivot your approach to help you achieve your goals. Never take business decisions on behalf of a company personally (and vice versa).

Hi, I’m Amy 👋 When I was a teenager, Tumblr was a place where I shared my fitness and health tips, answered your questions, and all that good stuff. Finding 42,000 of you good souls here helped set me up for my journey through college and Hollywood... and now I’m back!

I’m 28 now and I’m a six-figure freelance writer, produced TV writer, soon-to-be novelist, digital nomad, and a health nerd battling an autoimmune disease diagnosis. (Genetics weren’t on my side, but I'm on the road to remission thanks to healthy habits!)

You can find me on TikTok, Twitter, etc. (@sutoscience) or here on Tumblr where I’ll be posting writing advice, freelancing tips, favorite travel destinations, and what it’s like to be a full-time writer and digital nomad. 

Let me know if there is any content you’d like to see from me :) 

Wishing you all a happy week!

illwriteanything wants to help you write your stories!*

Pitch me an idea! Tell me what you want me to write about - you can be as unspecific or as specific as you want. A description of the character's traits is greatly appreciated (because I may not have heard of them before), and a run-down on notable locations to visit would also be a great help. Payment on Paypal will only be requested after the piece is written and ready to give.

Discuss in DMs and please wait patiently for response.

Rates**: 425 words (1/2 page) - 10$ 850 words (1 page) - 20$ 1700 words (2 pages) - 30$ 2550 words (3 pages) - 40$ 3400 words (4 pages) - 50$ 4250 words (5 pages) - 60$ 5100 words (6 pages) - 70$

*this excludes academic papers, stories that are literally illegal, stories made for the purpose of hate-speech, and stories i feel uncomfortable or unfit to write (i have the right to reject a commission) **word count based on a single-spaced, 11pt arial font document made up of 4 letter words