Ojadili's body had already tilted forward.
Gravity had committed.
The roar of the waterfall swallowed thought itself, a white, endless thunder tearing at the rocks below.
Mist rose in violent breaths, cold against his skin, soaking his clothes until they clung to him like judgment.
One more inch, one surrender to gravity, and everything would end — the prophecy, the confusion, the fear that had hollowed him out since the day the gods returned him to life.
His toes slipped.
The world committed.
For a fraction of a second—
there was nothing.
No fear.
No regret.
Just the clean, empty certainty of an ending.
It felt… peaceful.
Then something impossible happened.
Udonkanka woke up , seeing what Ojadili is about to do .
Udonkanka moved—
and the space between them collapsed.
Not crossed.
Collapsed.
Udonkanka arms slammed into him from behind — not the weight of a falling man, but the grip of intention.
Fingers clamped around his wrist with brutal precision, locking bone to bone.
The moment their skin touched—something in Ojadili recoiled from interruption.
Like he had already let go of himself
and was being dragged back into something unfinished.
Ojadili's body jerked sideways as stones broke loose beneath him and vanished into the churning water below.
The grip did not slip.
Ojadili gasped, instinct screaming not remembering how to live, but how to finish falling.
He twisted violently.
His body fought to fall even as another force dragged him back.
He tried to wrench himself free, his muscles burning as he clawed at wet rock with his other hand.
The grip tightened.
With a strength that did not feel human, he was yanked backward and slammed against the cliff wall.
His back struck stone, breath exploding from his lungs as pain rang through him.
The world snapped back into focus — the mist, the roar, the sky spinning overhead.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Udonkanka shouted.
Ojadili's vision cleared just enough to see him — standing far too easily on the slick rock, feet planted where no one should be able to stand without slipping.
His chest rose and fell, but not from exhaustion.
From anger.
"And why the hell did you stop me?" Ojadili screamed back.
His hand lashed out on instinct.
The slap landed hard.
The sound cracked through the air.
Sharp.
Unnatural.
For a second—
even the roar of the waterfall felt distant.
Ojadili stared at his hand.
As if it didn't belong to him anymore.
Udonkanka's head snapped to the side.
For a moment, he didn't react.
Just stood there, jaw tight, eyes unreadable.
Then he slowly turned back, looking at Ojadili not with fury, but with something sharper.
" I'm ...I'm a ...the world is safer without me," Ojadili said, voice breaking. "That's the truth."
""And who told you that?" Udonkanka snapped.
"Because the gods toyed with you? The same gods who dragged you back just to confuse you? Who handed you power you never asked for?"
Ojadili froze.
"How did you know?" he whispered.
Udonkanka blinked. A bit confused.
"Know what?"
"That the gods gave me power," Ojadili said. "And that I refused it."
A pause — brief, but real.
"It's… Ugomma," Udonkanka said quickly. "Information spreads. Didn't you tell her?"
Ojadili nodded slowly.
"She told Obiagheli," Udonkanka continued. "Obiagheli told me. Everyone told everyone to keep it a secret, and somehow it is now a quadrangle."
Udonkanka held his gaze—
just a moment too long.
Then he looked away.
Despite himself, Ojadili let out a hollow breath.
"My point," Udonkanka went on, lowering his voice, "is that she's worried about you.
And how do you think she'll feel when she hears you jumped?"
Silence swallowed the space between them.
The waterfall kept screaming.
Ojadili's hands begin to trembled.
Udonkanka stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
A strange coolness passed through Ojadili's body — not comforting, not painful. Just… still.
The trembling in his hands slowed.
Not because he calmed down—
but because something steadier replaced it.
Not his own.
It felt familiar.
"It's okay," Udonkanka said quietly. "Just breathe."
Ojadili looked away.
His jaw tightened.
The words sat heavy in his throat.
Saying them would make everything real—
would make it impossible to pretend this was just fear.
"I…" he started.
Stopped.
Then forced himself to continue.
Minutes passed before Ojadili spoke again.
"I wasn't brought back randomly," he said.
"The gods said I'm tied to a prophecy. To stop Ekwensu."
Udonkanka smiled faintly.
"They also said I must prevent him from getting a divine key — the Oja. But now even the goddess assigned to guide me is confused.
She says I might be the one to stop him… and also the serpent itself."
Udonkanka inhaled slowly.
"You are who you are," he said. "Not what they named you."
He stepped closer, eyes locking with Ojadili's.
"You don't need their power to be a hero.
What pulled me to you was not lightning or prophecy.
It was that you planned an escape while chained."
Udonkanka looked at him directly into his eyes.
"You have the strongest will to do good I've ever seen."
Ojadili unable to hold eye contact
mist settling on their skin
"I've seen men with power," Udonkanka said quietly.
"They break."
"I've seen men without power."
"They disappear."
He stepped closer.
"But you?"
A pause.
"You refused both."
"That's not weakness."
"That's something even the gods don't understand."
"You are not defined by what happened to you," Udonkanka continued, "but by what you choose to do next."
Ojadili swallowed.
"How?"
"If Ekwensu is searching for the Divine weapon " Udonkanka said, "then get it first. Use it against him. destroy it if possible.
End this on your terms.
No gods.
No mockery.
You will be a hero without the gods power "
Ojadili looked back at the waterfall.
Not as an escape—
but as something he had already chosen against.
"That sounds…" he said slowly,
"…like something I can decide... a bit right ."
"What?" Udonkanka snapped, slapping him hard . " A bit Right? How does it sound "
"That sounds perfect." Ojadili said motivated to move on and get the Oja .
" Let's go and destroy it!"
They both laughed — breathless.
The future didn't feel like something chasing him.
It felt like something waiting.
Unclear.
Dangerous.
But his.
"How do we find it?" Ojadili asked.
Udonkanka didn't answer immediately.
His gaze drifted past Ojadili for a second—
as if listening to something that wasn't there.
Then it snapped back.
"I know someone," he said.
A beat.
His smile returned.
Easy.
Familiar.
Too easy.
"We'll start there."
Ojadili nodded slowly.
For a second—
Ojadili studied him.
Not the words.
The space behind them.
Udonkanka stood relaxed, shoulders loose, expression easy… but something about it felt placed. Not false. Not forced.
Just… positioned.
Like a man who had already decided the direction of a road before asking if you wanted to walk it.
The feeling passed.
Too quickly to hold.
But not quickly enough to ignore.
Relief came first.
Then something else followed—
quiet.
Uninvited.
The kind of feeling that doesn't scream danger…
but stays.
Watching.
"We find a powerful and genuine priest," Udonkanka said. "Not like your community chief priest. One that can locate the oja's perfect location"
They moved.
They did not speak much as they walked.
The silence between them was not empty.
It carried everything they had not said at the cliff.
Every word that almost broke.
Every truth that almost surfaced.
Even the air felt heavier with it.
The night found them before shelter did.
They sat in a community square, dusty and tired, watching people return from their farms. No one asked who they were. No one offered water.
Eyes followed them.
Not openly.
Not boldly.
But enough.
Enough to remind Ojadili that strangers were not welcomed here—
they were measured.
Weighed.
And if found wanting—
ignored.
Ojadili wondered when kindness had become optional.
Then a voice called his name.
"Ojadili?"
He looked up.
"What the hell," he muttered.
It's Nwafor ,the son of the uncle he hated the most.
They shared a very dark hatred towards each other.
'He must have transferred that trait to his son,' Ojadili thought with a shiver.
"The hero of the era!" Nwafor exclaimed, running towards him with open arms. He hugged Ojadili tightly, his voice filled with emotion.
The embrace was tight.
Too tight.
Ojadili did not return it immediately.
His body stayed alert—
waiting for the hidden strike that never came.
Slowly… cautiously… he relaxed.
But not fully.
'Wow. Maybe I'm wrong ' He thought
"Hi," Ojadili said, feigning politeness, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"What are you guys doing here? "
Nwafor asked smiling warmly,
'Is he saying that to attack us or is he concerned?' Ojadili wondered, searching for hidden motives.
"We're on a journey to look for something," Ojadili replied, his eyes curious. "We're expecting to stay at..."
"Oh! I'm glad to welcome you to my abode!" Nwafor interrupted, his face lighting up with genuine warmth. "You can stay the night here and continue tomorrow." He lifted Ojadili's bag, his gesture kind.
"Wow. So the side character had been forgotten," Udonkanka joked .
"Oh, he's with me," Ojadili introduced Udonkanka to Nwafor, a sense of protectiveness in his tone.
"The more the merrier," Nwafor said, searching for Udonkanka's bag, but instead, he handed him the palm wine gourd. His eyes twinkled with hospitality.
Udonkanka watched him.
Not smiling now.
Not joking.
Just watching—
as if measuring something no one else could see.
As they reached Nwafor's house, his two wives and children welcomed him with open arms.
"Prepare meals for my guests, and they will be staying the night," he instructed, his voice filled with authority and warmth.
In Nwafor's room, they waited for the meal, feasting on the remaining wine in the gourd.
Ojadili learned from their discussion that Nwafor couldn't tolerate his father's wickedness and had left to reside with his maternal family, which was this community. He had been doing well and had married two daughters of the community.
"So, what are you guys actually looking for in this journey?" Nwafor asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Ojadili looked at Udonkanka, who signaled him to tell the truth. Ojadili took a deep breath and shared his story: how he survived, the gods choosing him, the destruction he caused, and his journey to find the oja before Ekwensu got it.
Nwafor listened intently, his expression thoughtful. "Well, your village Chief priest must be evil. That's why I love the one from this community; he's among the oldest chief priests. In fact, he's specifically a Diviner, about a hundred and fifty years old. I believe he will help you. He's powerful and genuine."
Ojadili accepted looks at Udonkanka and nods .
They withdrew for the night, ready to continue their journey tomorrow.
They next day , they went to the shrine,entering with their back.
The shrine did not welcome them.
It watched.
The moment they stepped into its boundary, the air changed.
Cooler.
Thicker.
Like stepping into a place where breath did not fully belong to you.
Ojadili felt it immediately—
something ancient noticing him.
Not reacting.
Not attacking.
Just… aware.
Ojadili told him about the mission.
He began his rituals to know the location of the Oja .
The Diviner did not rush.
He moved with precision—
each motion deliberate.
Each chant measured.
Powder fell from his fingers in controlled lines across the earth.
Symbols formed.
Then shifted.
Then corrected themselves—
as if something unseen disagreed with their shape.
The air tightened.
The shrine responded.
Not loudly.
But enough.
Ojadili felt it in his bones.
Something was listening.
After endless incarnation, he touched Ojadili, the air shifted.
"The Oja lies in a split realm," the diviner said. "Not meant for mortals.
The words did not sound like a warning.
They sounded like a verdict.
Ojadili felt it settle inside him—
not fear.
Not doubt.
Something heavier.
Something final.
"Are you sure , you want to go to this mission" The Diviner asked his eye filled with dread.
Ojadili nodded.
" Ehm" Nwafor clears his throat " How many days are we meant to stay on this mission.
" Three to Five days , depending on how fast or slow the journey requires ."
"Others may walk with you," the diviner warned, handing him the charm which opens the door to the split realm.
"but only you can retrieve it."
They left the shrine, the morning air thick with tension.
"I don't know if I can do this," Ojadili admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes betraying a flicker of fear.
Nwafor's face lit up with determination.
"I want to do this," he said, his jaw set in a resolute line. Ojadili's eyes widened in surprise as Nwafor continued, "Come on, don't tell me you want to take the credits alone?" His tone was teasing, but his eyes shone with a fierce excitement.
"This journey is dangerous, I'm going alone," Ojadili said, his voice firm, but a hint of uncertainty creeping in.
Nwafor's grin never wipped. "I can't miss this adventure," he said, his words laced with a dare.
Despite Ojadili's efforts to dissuade him, Nwafor insisted, his resolve unshakeable. Ojadili's shoulders slumped in resignation. He knew he couldn't shake him off.
Nwafor packed his neccesities , kissed his family goodbye.
"I'm going on a short journey. I will be back in the next market week.
They bade him goodbye as they await his arrival
They prepared in silence.
When they were ready, Ojadili struck the ground with the charm.
The world did not break.
It rejected itself.
Sound folded inward.
Light bent.
The ground beneath them lost meaning—
and then—
split.
They stepped through.
The air on the other side recoiled—
like it had not expected them.
Like it did not want them.
Ojadili felt it instantly.
Not energy.
Not power.
Presence.
They felt it raw energy
Not around them.
Not in the realm.
Within
The realm breathed.