The villagers of Amosu stood frozen, their mouths agape and their eyes wide with a mixture of terror and disbelief. Before them, the most feared man in their community, the very eyes of the gods, lay beheaded. The head of Eze Mmuo, a man they had all cowered before, had been severed with a single, brutal strike. It bounced and rolled like a stray coconut, its momentum finally ending at the king's feet.
For a moment, a profound and horrifying silence hung in the air. Then, the silence shattered.
"Run! Ekene won't show mercy to any of us!" a voice shrieked from the crowd, and the panic became a tidal wave.
"We wanted him dead, but he survived and killed Eze Mmuo!" another villager added, his words fueling the chaos.
"We're all in trouble!" a third screamed.
The once-ordered crowd dissolved into a desperate, frantic scramble. People scattered in every direction, tripping over each other as they tried to flee the scene. But the king's voice, thunderous and commanding, cut through the noise of their flight.
"Stop! Wherever you are! All of you!"
The command was so powerful, so laced with the authority they had long respected, that the villagers froze in their tracks. They turned, their eyes filled with fear, to face their ruler.
"Come back, all of you!" the king ordered, his voice echoing across the open space.
"But, Igwe, Ekene will kill us," a woman whimpered, her body trembling.
Ekene stepped forward, his voice calm and reassuring, a stark contrast to the terror in the air. "No, I won't. I told you all, didn't I? I love you."
Slowly, hesitantly, the villagers began to make their way back, their movements wary and their eyes still fixed on Ekene.
"Ekene has something to say," the king said, addressing his people. "I want you all to listen carefully to him. It's for the good of our people and the future of Amosu village." He then turned to Ekene, offering a slight, encouraging nod. "Go on, my son. Let's hear what you have to say."
Ekene bowed respectfully to his king. "Igweee!" he began, his voice carrying clearly to every corner of the village square. "Great people of Amosu, I greet you all. I understand how you feel. I don't hold what you did to me against you, because honestly, I don't blame you."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "It was completely obvious to me that you were all afraid of opposing the customs and traditions of our land, even though you never truly liked them." His words were not an accusation, but a simple, empathetic statement of fact. He was not there to condemn them but to understand them.
As Ekene continued to speak, the villagers' terror began to subside, replaced by a quiet awe. They settled in, listening intently
"You've all seen or heard what happens to those who oppose the customs of this land," Ekene explained, his voice low and firm. "Then you learned of me – an ignorant fool, as you saw it – who went against those very traditions. Your actions were not born of malice, but of fear. They were an act of innocence"
A voice from the crowd, still hesitant but hopeful, called out, "Are you saying you won't hurt us, even though we wanted you dead?"
"No, I won't," Ekene answered without a moment's hesitation
A collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd. The fear that had gripped them for so long finally seemed to loosen its hold
"With that settled," Ekene continued, "I'll go on to the real issue of our land. One fateful evening, I was invited to the palace by Igwe here." He gestured to the king standing behind. "He welcomed me warmly and began to tell me about a tradition that forbids us from killing snakes. Honestly, I couldn't stand it. I still can't. In school, I've fought these monsters countless times. Sometimes I saved a life, but other times, someone had already died before I even got there. Hearing our king tell me about some funny custom that protects these dangerous creatures… it was truly maddening"
A hush fell over the crowd as Ekene's gaze swept over them. The villagers exchanged nervous glances, their expressions shifting from cautious hope to deep unease.
"That day, I came across a snake in the palace," Ekene continued, his voice dropping slightly. "Strangely enough, I could understand its emotions. I later learned that the snake is our Queen."
A wave of somber grief washed over the crowd. Their faces became moody, reflecting a shared sadness for the Queen they had missed.
"When, I entered the Valley of No Return," he went on, his tone growing more serious. "I was swallowed by one of the snakes there. Suddenly, I was transported somewhere. It's unclear to me what that place is. There, I found myself among ten women. They told me they had been turned into snakes. Let me be blunt: those giant, monstrous snakes in the valley were the women I met."
Shock rippled through the crowd, a collective gasp of disbelief. The villagers' eyes widened, unable to comprehend the horror of Ekene's words.
"According to them, Eze Mmuo turned them into snakes—and he did the same to our Queen."
The king and Princess Adaeze exchanged surprise glances, as they stood frozen by the revelation. Princess Adaeze's face, a mask of shock, crumpled as tears began to stream down her cheeks. Ekene continued, his voice now laced with a cold fury.
"They said Eze Mmuo was interested in them and asked them to marry him. They all refused because they loved their husbands. To satisfy his lustful and selfish desires, Eze Mmuo killed their husbands. He didn't kill the king, though. I have no idea why."
"Alu!" an elder roared, a cry of outrage.
"Abomination!" a villager spat, her voice dripping with disgust. The truth of Eze Mmuo's evil deeds was finally exposed, and the villagers' anger was a storm waiting to break.
The village square fell into a shocked, tense silence as Ekene continued his grim tale. "After killing their husbands, Eze Mmuo demanded they marry him once more. But, they refused again. In his rage, he raped them all, including the Queen. After the assault, they all turned into different species of snakes, with the Queen becoming a python. Eze Mmuo then cast a spell, turning the snakes into ferocious beasts, but he forgot to curse the Queen. That's why she's the only one who still has control of her mind. The others—they even devoured their own children."
"Eze Mmuo, may you never find peace in your next life!" a villager's voice boomed from the crowd, a raw cry of vengeance.
"Iseeee!" the rest of the villagers roared in a powerful, unified chorus of agreement.
The king, his face now completely streaked with tears, looked at Ekene with a flicker of desperate hope. "My son, please, is there a way to reverse the curse?"
"Igwe, according to the women, the only way is to defeat someone named Ikuku in combat!" Ekene answered.
At the mention of the name, the villagers froze. Their fear returned, palpable and cold, silencing their newfound fury. Ekene noticed the abrupt change in their expressions and turned to Princess Adaeze.
"Ada, do you know this guy? The one named Ikuku?" he asked.
"I've only heard stories about him," Princess Adaeze replied, her voice now a hushed whisper.
"Who is he?" Ekene pressed.
"He's a god! The god of this land, actually. The ancient kingdom of Amosu worshipped him, and he remains our god to this day," she explained, her fear now evident.
"Ah, I see!" Ekene's face broke into a wide smile, as if the news were a pleasant surprise. "Well, you guys don't need to worry. I'll protect you all with my life. That's a promise. But first, we have some sanitation to do."
"What do you want us to do? Anything at all! Just name it!" a villager shouted, a new fire of courage in his eyes.
"YES!" The entire villagers chorused
"Alright, let's begin by burning down the shrine in our village!" Ekene instructed.
A thunderous "Yeah!" erupted from the crowd, a sound of liberation and defiance. The villagers, now united in purpose, ran toward the shrine of Ikuku.
Shrine
A shrine is a place considered sacred, often dedicated to a deity, ancestor, or important person, where they are venerated or worshipped. It can be a physical structure like a temple or church, a niche, or even a home altar. Shrines can also be created to commemorate significant events or individuals, serving as places for remembrance and reflection. The people of Amosu, however, no longer saw a place of worship, but a symbol of their oppression.
With a collective effort, they tore it down and set it ablaze. As the flames licked the sky, their cheers of jubilation echoed through the land. They returned to their homes, their hearts lighter than they had been in years. In the palace, the python—the Queen—was pleased to see her daughter alive and to know that Ekene had survived the dreaded valley. For the first time in a long time, happiness filled Amosu village.
However, in the place where the shrine had stood, a dark omen descended. The sky tore open, and hundreds of thousands of strange, reddish-skinned beings flew down. Their ability to fly was clear, their forms alien and menacing. They were followed by another, more powerful being who landed in their midst.
"Great Ikuku! Welcome," the aliens bowed in reverence.
"It's been a while. It's interesting to know that the human race in this kingdom no longer values their lives," Ikuku said, his expression cold and unchanging. "Prepare for battle!"
"Yes, great Ikuku!" the aliens chorused as they erupted into a cacophony of battle cry, their voices a single, chilling sound that promised war.