"Not all warriors wear charms. Some wear memory like armor."
— Oral Song of the Arochukwu Seers
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Somewhere Near Nsukka — The Sacred Hollow
The fire had died. The battle was over. But Obinna's heart hadn't stopped pounding.
Chijioke—once a nameless, weaponized boy—slept quietly under barkweave cover, his face slack, no longer haunted by forced violence. Obinna sat cross-legged nearby, spear beside him, hands trembling as he cleaned blood from the blade.
> "You hesitate too much," said the woman from the trees—Adaeze.
She was inspecting the edge of the forest with cold, deliberate eyes. Her red scarf was speckled with soot. In daylight, Obinna noticed the pendant she wore was no ordinary decoration—it pulsed with a faint, golden rhythm. Every step she took, the earth beneath her seemed to whisper.
> "That boy," Obinna said, without looking up, "wasn't my enemy."
> "And that's why you almost died," she replied, calmly.
He turned. "What would you have done?"
Adaeze met his gaze squarely. "Killed him. Regretted it. Buried him. Moved on."
The wind blew, stirring ash through the forest floor. Azụmiri, high above, let out a soft cry—like an old bird who had seen too many wars.
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A Moment Later — By the Shrine
Adaeze knelt by a collapsed shrine of Ani, the Earth Mother. She whispered something in a language older than Igbo, older than the land. Her fingers danced in circular motions—like one conducting invisible threads.
Obinna watched her closely now. She was young—maybe seventeen—but moved like someone who had fought too many battles before she ever held a sword.
> "You're not ordinary," he said.
> "Neither are you," she shot back. "But I'm trained. You're just... chosen."
Obinna's jaw tightened.
> "I didn't ask for this."
Adaeze looked at him sharply.
> "No one does. But the ones who don't run? The ones who keep standing? Those are the ones that matter."
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Flashback — Adaeze's Memory (1 Year Ago)
A younger Adaeze stood in a rebel compound near the Cross River. Her twin brother screamed as a UN-trained assassin squad razed their hideout. A war machine—half drone, half ogbanje construct—ripped through their defenses.
She activated her pendant for the first time, screaming in rage. She had watched as her brother dissolved into spiritual mist, not even a body left to bury.
From that day, she walked the Veil.
And it walked with her.
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Back to Present
> "Who trained you?" Obinna finally asked.
Adaeze exhaled.
> "The ones who still remember our gods," she replied. "A group called The Anointed Dust—we serve the gods who were silenced during colonization. We find those like you… and prepare them."
> "For what?"
> "The coming breach," she said darkly. "The real war hasn't even begun."
Obinna felt the words in his bones.
> "And what do you want from me?"
Adaeze leaned in, her voice dropping.
> "To stop being a boy with fire in his blood and start acting like a warrior with fire in his bones."
> "Then teach me," Obinna said without hesitation.
She smirked. "That's more like it."
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Hours Later — Deep within the Grove
A circle of glyphs now surrounded Obinna, carved by Adaeze using bloodroot and chalk. Obinna stood shirtless inside it, arms to his side, sweat dripping, focus sharp.
> "What is this?" he asked.
> "Your initiation," she said.
The sky darkened. Thunder echoed—not Azụmiri's doing, but something else—Amadioha was listening.
> "Say your name."
> "Obinna Uduka."
> "Say your truth."
> "I watched my family burn. I saw gods in the sky. I will never let it happen again."
> "Swear it."
> "On my blood," he said, teeth clenched. "On my realm. On my spirit beast."
Lightning struck the circle—but Obinna did not fall.
Instead, the glyphs around him lit up in blue flame.
The Nine Rings rippled across the sky.
And somewhere deep in the earth, Chukwu opened one eye.
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📘 Mini-Dictionary (New Terms)
Anointed Dust – A hidden organization of god-sent warriors who protect the ancient spiritual order of Africa from modern threats.
Bloodroot Glyphs – Powerful ancestral seals drawn with mystical roots and chalk, used for binding vows and triggering divine resonance.
The Veil – A metaphysical space between life, death, and spirit. Only a few trained warriors can walk it without going mad.
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⚔️ [End of Chapter 9]
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