The growl rolled through the night like thunder under the earth. The windows rattled, and the air grew heavy, thick with something unseen. Taye froze, eyes on the river, watching the ripples twist against the current.
"The light remembers," he whispered again, but this time his voice shook.
Nnena stepped closer. "Taye… what was that?"
He didn't answer. He could feel it, a pull from deep below, like something alive was pushing against the barrier of the world. The mark on his wrist burned brighter.
Then the river moved. Not a wave. A pulse. A heartbeat.
"Taye," Nnena said, her tone sharp. "Back away. Now."
He took a step back as golden light flashed beneath the water, spreading fast like veins. The current turned black for a moment, and the golden glow faded, replaced by faint, red light that moved like smoke.
Taye felt his knees weaken. "It's starting.
"What is?"
"The awakening."
The ground trembled. From the distance, the city lights flickered one by one, like candles in a storm. The hum of traffic grew faint, replaced by an eerie silence. Then, one by one, car alarms began to blare across the streets.
Nnena grabbed his arm. "We need to move!"
He nodded, and they ran away from the river, toward the road where his car was parked. Behind them, the water started to swirl violently, sending cold mist into the air.
By the time they reached the car, the power across the city had failed. Lagos was dark...no streetlights, no sound but the wind
Taye started the engine, and the car roared to life. "We need to find shelter. Somewhere with ground protection."
"Ground protection?" Nnena said. "What are we hiding from, Taye?"
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Not what. Who."
They drove through empty streets, their headlights slicing through fog. Somewhere ahead, a billboard sparked and fell, the metal frame hissing against the wet ground.
"Where are we even going?" Nnena asked.
"There's an old chapel near Third Mainland," Taye said. "Built before the bridge, on sacred ground. If the veil's breaking, that's where we can regroup."
"You sound like a priest," Nnena muttered.
"Maybe I was," he said quietly.
She glanced at him, unsure if he was joking. But the way his eyes glowed faintly gold under the dim dashboard light made her heart skip
As they turned a corner, the car headlights caught movement, a shadow darting across the street. Taye hit the brakes.
Something....someone.....stood in the middle of the road.
A man, or what looked like one, drenched in mud and water. His head tilted unnaturally to one side, eyes glowing faint red.
"Taye," Nnena whispered, reaching for her gun.
"Don't shoot," he said softly. "It's not alive."
The figure turned slowly, its mouth opening. No sound came out, only smoke. Then its body began to twist, breaking apart into tendrils of black mist.
Nnena cursed. "What the hell is that?"
Taye stepped out of the car, pendant glowing faintly. The mist circled him like it recognized him.
"It's an echo," he said. "A piece of the Shadow Lord's will. They're feeding on fear."
As the mist drew closer, he lifted the pendant. The gold light flared, and the shadow hissed, shrinking away before dissolving completely.
He returned to the car, breath rough.
Nnena stared at him. "You're telling me ghosts are real now?"
He looked at her. "Everything's real when the gate opens."
The chapel sat on a small hill, half-broken, half-forgotten. The cross on top leaned sideways, and vines crept up the walls. But as soon as Taye stepped inside, he felt the difference. The air was calm. Still. Safe.
They closed the doors and lit a few candles.
Nnena sank onto one of the benches. "You said this place is sacred. Why?"
"It was built over the old ground of the guardians," Taye said. "Before the city grew around it."
"You mean your people?"
He hesitated. "Our kind. We were called the Lightbearers."
"Were?"
"I don't know if any are left."
Nnena sighed, rubbing her temples. "Taye, I'm trying to understand. You said you sealed something in the river.... the Shadow Lord. Why? What is he?"
Taye sat across from her, staring at the flickering candle. "He was once like me. A guardian of the gate. But he turned against the light. Said the world didn't deserve it. He wanted to rule through darkness."
"And you stopped him."
"I thought I did," he said bitterly. "But the seal weakens when the light fades, when I forget."
Nnena frowned. "Forget?"
He touched his temple. "When I was reborn into this body, my memories were locked away. I was supposed to live as Taye, normal, human. But the balance broke when Adamu's curse was lifted. The river started to stir."
"So now he's coming back," she said quietly.
Taye nodded. "And he'll want what he lost.....the light."
Thunder cracked outside. The windows shivered.
Then Taye froze. His pendant flared suddenly bright. He stood up fast. "He's close."
Nnena jumped to her feet. "Who?"
Before he could answer, the doors of the chapel burst open. Wind rushed in, throwing candles to the ground. The flames went out, leaving only the glow of Taye's pendant.
In the doorway stood a tall, hooded figure. Its eyes burned crimson beneath the shadow of its hood.
"Taye…" Nnena whispered.
The figure stepped forward, the air around it twisting. "Eran," it said, its voice deep, layered with echoes. "You kept me waiting long enough."
Taye's hand tightened around the pendant. "You should've stayed buried."
The figure laughed softly. "And you should've stayed forgotten."
The ground split beneath their feet, cracks glowing red. Nnena stumbled back, covering her face from the dust.
Taye stepped forward, light rising from his mark. "You're not whole yet. You're only a fragment."
"Enough to destroy what you love," the shadow said.
Before Taye could move, the figure vanished....replaced by smoke that rushed toward Nnena. She screamed as it wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground.
"Taye!"
He ran forward, raising the pendant. "Let her go!"
The light burst from his palm, golden and fierce. The smoke shrieked, recoiling, and Nnena fell hard onto the floor.
But as she gasped for breath, the voice of the Shadow Lord echoed again. "You can't protect them, Eran. You never could."
Then it was gone. The doors slammed shut, and silence returned.
Taye dropped to his knees beside Nnena. "Are you hurt?"
She nodded weakly. "Just shaken."
He looked at the burn mark on the ground where the shadow had stood. "He's stronger than before. He's feeding on the fear in the city."
"So what do we do?"
"We go to the core," he said. "The heart of the river."
Nnena frowned. "You mean go back?"
"Yes," he said, standing. "If we don't, Lagos will fall before sunrise."
By the time they left the chapel, the rain had started again but this time, it wasn't normal. The drops glowed faint red, like the sky itself was bleeding.
They walked to the car, but halfway there, Taye stopped. The air around him shimmered.
"Taye?" Nnena said.
He didn't respond. His eyes had turned gold again.
Inside his head, another vision began.
He saw the first war....cities burning, rivers turning to light. He saw Lira again, standing before him with tears in her eyes.
"Eran," she said softly. "If you fall again, I'll follow you through the dark."
He reached for her, but her image shattered like glass.
When he blinked, he was back.
"Taye," Nnena said, gripping his shoulder. "You okay?"
He nodded slowly. "The memories are coming faster. The seal's almost gone."
"Then we don't have much time."
He looked up at the sky. The clouds twisted, forming a spiral above the city, the same symbol from the sand, from Aisha's mark, from the river.
"Time's already over," he said quietly.
They got into the car and drove toward the bridge, headlights cutting through the red rain. Behind them, the city lights blinked like dying stars.
The Shadow Lord had awakened and Lagos had become his hunting ground.