Nneka did not turn around.
She couldn't.
Her body locked.
Her breath was shallow.
Her heart was pounding so loudly it felt like the entire forest could hear it.
Behind her—
Something stood.
Close enough that she could feel it.
Not touch.
Not warmth.
But presence.
Heavy.
Cold.
Watching.
"You will open the door for me."
The voice scraped against her ears.
Deep.
Broken.
Like something that had not spoken in years.
Nneka swallowed.
"I… I won't."
Silence.
Then—
A low, distorted laugh.
"You already are."
The wind died instantly.
The leaves froze.
The night itself seemed to step back.
And slowly—
Nneka turned.
At first—
Nothing.
Just darkness.
But then—
It shifted.
The shadows pulled together.
Forming.
Stretching.
Rising.
Into a figure.
Tall.
Too tall.
Its body looked… unfinished.
It resembled smoke, struggling to maintain its shape.
But its eyes—
They were clear.
And it was filled with something ancient.
Something angry.
Nneka's breath trembled.
"You're the one… from before."
The spirit tilted its head.
Slow.
Unnatural.
"I am the one they buried."
Her stomach dropped.
"You're the one who's been speaking to me."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Cold.
Sharp.
"I am the one who has been waiting."
The ground beneath them cracked softly.
Nneka stepped back.
"What do you want from me?"
The spirit moved.
Not walking.
Gliding.
Closer.
"You hear them."
It circled her now.
Like a predator.
"You see what they cannot."
Her chest tightened.
"That doesn't mean I'll help you."
The spirit stopped.
Then—
It leaned closer.
"You don't understand your role yet."
Nneka shook her head.
"No… I don't want any part of this."
The spirit's form flickered violently.
For a moment—
Just a moment—
She saw something else.
A man.
Alive.
Covered in dirt.
Scratching at wood.
Screaming.
Begging.
Buried.
Her breath caught.
"They buried you alive…"
The spirit's voice dropped.
"Yes."
The air grew heavier.
Thicker.
"They feared what they did not understand."
Nneka's chest tightened.
"They were wrong."
A pause.
Then—
The spirit laughed again.
But this time…
It wasn't bitter.
It was cruel.
"No."
Its eyes darkened.
"They were right."
The ground shook.
The trees bent inward.
The other spirits—the ones she had heard before—retreated.
Fading.
Hiding.
And that's when Nneka realized something worse.
"They're afraid of you…"
The spirit smiled.
A slow, twisted smile.
"They should be."
Nneka's voice trembled.
"You don't want to be free… do you?"
Silence.
Then—
"Freedom is not enough."
Her heart pounded.
"What do you want?"
The spirit leaned closer.
She was so close now that she could feel the cold pressing into her skin.
And then—
"I want to return."
Nneka stumbled back.
"No… that's not possible."
The spirit's form surged.
The ground cracked wider.
"You will make it possible."
She shook her head violently.
"No!"
The wind exploded around them.
The tree groaned loudly.
And suddenly—
The spirit grabbed her.
Not physically.
But something inside her.
Her breath vanished.
Her chest tightened.
Her vision blurred.
And then—
She saw it.
A door.
Not made of wood.
Not made of stone.
But something… alive.
Pulsing.
Breathing.
And it was opening.
Slowly.
From the inside.
Nneka gasped and fell to her knees.
"Stop!" she cried. "Stop—what are you doing to me?!"
The spirit's voice echoed everywhere.
"Showing you the truth."
Her hands shook violently.
"I won't open it!"
The spirit crouched in front of her.
"You already have."
Nneka froze.
"What…?"
The spirit's eyes locked into hers.
"Every time you listen."
A pause.
"Every time you answer."
Another pause.
"You make it easier for us to cross."
Her heart dropped.
"No…"
The spirit leaned closer.
"You are not just hearing us, Nneka."
Its voice lowered to a whisper.
"You are letting us in."
Suddenly—
The Udala tree shook violently.
A new voice cut through the darkness.
Stronger.
Older.
Furious.
"ENOUGH!"
The spirit jerked back.
The ground split slightly.
And the presence of the tree surged.
Protective.
Ancient.
"She is not yours."
The dark spirit hissed.
"She belongs to both worlds."
The wind clashed.
Cold against colder.
Nneka collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
Her head is spinning.
Her chest was aching.
"What… is happening to me…" she whispered.
The tree's voice softened slightly.
"You are awakening."
The dark spirit stepped back into the shadows.
But its eyes remained locked on her.
"And when you are ready…"
It smiled again.
"You will choose me."
And then—
It vanished.
The forest went still.
Nneka lay on the ground, shaking.
Tears slipped down her face.
"I don't want this…"
The tree responded gently.
"It is not about what you want."
Her eyes slowly closed.
"Then what is it about?"
A long silence.
Then—
"What you will become."
As Nneka drifted into unconsciousness…
Her body remained still beneath the tree.
But somewhere else—
She was standing again.
In front of that door.
And this time…
It opened wider.