At the top of a wide structure made of interwoven vines and leaves camouflaged to match the forest canopy, a secluded hideout sits hidden in plain sight. Inside, Oluchi speaks in private with a masked figure.
"I told you I really rescued the prince," Oluchi said, smiling proudly.
"Yes, I know," the masked figure replied, removing their mask to reveal a beautiful woman with long hair and radiant eyes—an energetic soul, bright and full of life. She was the commander of this secret group known as Chizua na Ogo. "But if I'd let you tell the others, you'd have been compromised. The last thing I want is for you to be in danger," she finished, locking eyes with Oluchi.
Oluchi rolled her eyes and pushed her commander's face aside. "What have I told you about the eyes? If you keep staring like that, you'll attract the wrong crowd. Honestly, I still don't get why you didn't just remain a maiden."
This drew a chuckle from Commander Chizua. "The young king looks dull in spirit," she said, glancing out of her chambers at Chibuzor, who sat silently, eyes fixed on a blank wall, deep in thought.
"Of course he does," Oluchi replied. "He lost his throne and his kingdom in the blink of an eye, only to wake up a month later to a land ravaged by war. We're all dull in spirit."
"And that's why we keep fighting," Chizua said, her tone lifted with fresh resolve. "Come, let's talk to our guest."
Chibuzor noticed them approaching and adjusted his posture, alert but silent.
"I hope we didn't startle you, young king," Chizua greeted with a warm smile. Chibuzor didn't respond.
Oluchi leaned in, nudging Chizua with her elbow. Under her breath, she muttered, "The eyes. I warned you."
Chizua blinked, realizing she had been caught staring. Chibuzor heard Oluchi's mutter and spoke.
"No, that's not the problem," he said, then eyed Chizua closely. "Are you the leader of this group?"
Chizua smiled casually. "Oh, that? Yes. I am."
With a smug grin, Oluchi chimed in, "Told you—women can be leaders." Her pride teased a faint smile from Chibuzor.
"Is this some kind of resistance?" he asked. "Because it won't work. You should all flee. Start new lives somewhere else." His voice was hollow, devoid of hope.
"Well, that's a rather bleak statement from our future king," Chizua quipped. Then, more sternly: "It doesn't matter whether you like it or not. You'll be our bait."
Chibuzor froze. "B-bait?" he stammered. "I don't think I can agree to that."
Chizua frowned and turned to Oluchi. "You didn't tell him?"
Oluchi looked away in shame. "Uhh…"
Chizua sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "Fine. I'll brief him. The palace is swarming with guards—we can't just storm in. But if we have you, we can enter with no questions asked."
Chibuzor scoffed. "A stupid plan. No surprise it came from a woman. I want no part of it." He stood abruptly. "Keep up your nonsense and get yourselves killed. I won't tell anyone what you're planning." Then he turned to Oluchi. "Let's go."
But before he could leave, Chizua struck him sharply in the neck, pinning him down and binding his hands and legs. She shoved him onto a chair.
"I didn't say you could go," she said coldly. "We'll pose as king and queen from another kingdom, coming in peace. When we present you to the tyrant, he'll call a meeting. Everyone will be there—every general, every noble, and every royal. The inner chambers will be empty."
"…That's my former chamber," Chibuzor whispered, realization dawning.
"Exactly," Chizua nodded. "And the king's bastard son will be there."
"You plan to kill him?" Chibuzor asked, appalled. "That's murder. I can't abide that."
"No," Oluchi interrupted. "We'll capture him. In exchange, he'll surrender the throne."
Just then, a lieutenant entered and whispered something into Chizua's ear. She grinned and gestured dramatically.
"And thus," she said, "our plan begins." She leaned in close to Chibuzor, eye to eye. "I'm sorry, my king. This is for your good. And if it fails… we've got a Plan B." She kicked him in the face, knocking him out.
Outside the palace gates, dozens of guards stood at attention. Before them, the tyrant king stood tall with his family—his wife and two siblings—everyone present except his child.
A royal caravan approached. Chizua and her team, disguised as a noble family, led the way. She played the queen, while a burly man named Ebuka, her lieutenant, posed as the king. Behind them, two men wheeled in a large basin inside a barrow. Within it, Chibuzor lay unconscious.
"I thought my spies brought false news," the tyrant king said, narrowing his eyes at the cart. "But it seems you've actually delivered." He stepped forward, tilting his head. "How do I know the bastard is in there?" he asked, locking eyes with Ebuka, then scanning Chizua's face. "Your wife has… striking eyes."
"He doesn't speak," Chizua said quickly, forcing a smile. "He's been blessed with divine power—his silence preserves it. If you have questions, you may direct them to me."
"The boy," the tyrant king said sharply. "I need proof."
The two strongmen lowered the barrow and opened the lid, revealing Chibuzor, still unconscious.
"We may talk," the king said with a smug, power-hungry grin. "Take this prize of mine to the inner chamber," he commanded.
Two guards rolled the barrow through the gates, the tyrant king following, with Chizua and her crew close behind.
Inside the palace, the chamber was vast and opulent—divided into two wings: one for the king's son, and the other, sealed by a heavy door, held the kingdom's treasures. The guards roughly dumped the barrow into the boy's quarters.
The noise woke a young boy, around Chibuzor's age. He blinked groggily, clutching his wooden toy sword as he stepped toward the source of the commotion. He tiptoed carefully, just as the lid of the barrow burst open. A battered Chibuzor rolled out onto the floor.
The boy poked him with his toy. "Hey… are y-you awake?"
Chibuzor suddenly jolted upright, startling the boy. "Where am I?" he asked, disoriented. His eyes locked on the child. "What's your name? Who are you?"
The boy straightened with pride. "My name is Chinedu na Udama, son of King Olisamedua na Udama. And you are?"
Too exhausted to respond with any enthusiasm, Chibuzor muttered, "None of your concern."
Chinedu scowled. "Hey! I'm the future king! That's no way to speak to me!" He raised his toy sword to strike, but Chibuzor easily disarmed him, pinning him gently to the floor.
"Look, I don't want to hurt you," he said, breathing heavily. "What I do want you to do… is hide under your bed. Please."
"I can't believe I have to save him," he muttered to himself.
"Okay," Chinedu replied reluctantly. "But not because you told me to."
Elsewhere in the palace, a grand hall stretched out—six meters long and two wide, adorned with flowers and brimming with aromatic food. Generals, kings, and queens from neighboring lands sat gathered at a long table.
The tyrant king rose. "It is with great pride," he began, "that I commence this meeting—one that will change the course of history. For too long, our kingdoms were scattered. But together, we took control of the farmlands and reclaimed our birthright. I thank you…"
He looked over the gathered monarchs.
"…for lending me your armies and minds. With your help and the technology we forged, we won the war. And now, with the last of the former king's bloodline erased, this kingdom is ours."
The gathered rulers raised clay cups filled with palm wine in a toast.
"And to you most of all," the tyrant king said, pointing to Chizua and her crew. "We thank you."
Chizua forced a smile, raised her cup, and joined the cheer—though her stomach churned with disgust.
Back in the inner chamber, Chibuzor helped Chinedu crawl under the bed just as a masked man descended from a ceiling hatch.
"Where is he?" the man thundered.
Chibuzor smirked. "Who? The prince? I don't know. As you can see, I'm just a prisoner trying to escape."
"The commander's orders were clear," the man said. He scanned the room and, seeing no one, turned his back.
In a flash, Chibuzor grabbed a nearby rock and struck the masked man on the head, knocking him unconscious.
Chinedu emerged from his hiding spot. "Who are those people?"
"They're here to kill you," Chibuzor said grimly.
"Guards!!" Chinedu shouted.
"No—wait!" Chibuzor rushed to silence him.
"When things go bad," Chinedu said, still yelling, "my dad says to call the guards! GUARDS!!"
Two soldiers burst in. "Who freed the prisoner? Apprehend him!" one barked. "And who's that on the ground?"
"Wait!" Chinedu stepped forward. "He saved my life!"
"Is that true?" one guard asked.
Chibuzor nodded. "Everyone here is in danger. Please—you have to listen."
Back in the hall, a guard whispered something into the tyrant king's ear. The king's expression twisted into curiosity and disbelief.
"Fetch him," he ordered, then turned to Chizua and her team. "In all the excitement of capturing the bastard child, I forgot to ask—what kingdom did you say you were from?"
Chizua's heart raced. He knew.
Without hesitation, her crew drew their weapons, pointing them at the king.
The tyrant king laughed. "Ah. The resistance. In case you didn't realize, you're outnumbered. And if you move…" He gestured to a guard holding Chibuzor. "…I'll kill this bastard myself."
Chizua exhaled. "Plan B, then," she whispered.
At her signal, a crew member blew into a cow's horn.
"What was that for?" the tyrant king asked, amused.
From above, a massive wooden sphere descended—catapulted into the center of the banquet table. It didn't explode immediately. Instead, it glowed with blue light and resonated with divine music. Then, it cracked open—releasing thousands of maddened spirits.
They howled as they tore through the hall, devouring flesh indiscriminately.
Chizua and her crew were among the consumed.
"Plan B was only for emergencies," Chizua said as the spirits closed in. "It spares no one… except true royalty—our rightful king." With those words, she was swallowed.
So too was the tyrant king.
The carnage lasted thirty minutes.
As the last spirits vanished, Chibuzor awoke in horror. The hall was littered with bodies.
"No…" he gasped, voice broken. "This… this can't be happening." Tears streamed down his face.
A spirit appeared before him—silent, still.
Across the hall, Chinedu trembled near the exit. The spirit turned to attack him.
"No!" Chibuzor cried. He leapt forward, shielding the boy in his arms.
The spirit stopped.
"Please," Chibuzor pleaded, "change this."
"I cannot undo the deaths," the spirit said. "Only the damage."
"Then erase his memory," Chibuzor begged, tears falling. "Please. Erase both of ours. Change our faces—curse me, bind me to him forever—I don't care. Just… let me save him."
The spirit paused.
"Very well. Your names, faces, and memories shall be stripped. You, chibuzor, will live as trickster and traitor, bound by blood. Your cunning shall lead you to ruin. These are the curses you accept."
"I accept," Chibuzor whispered.
A bright light engulfed them.