When a man bears the ability to live, he also carries the ability to die. And between those two extremes lies the one thing that decides which path he takes—the spiritual heart. Some families, like the Adesina, call it the Òkàn. The will to live or die. The vessel of a man's essence.
It was here that Master Abiodun found himself—within the spiritual heart of Akenzua, beginning the purification ritual.
The landscape around him was strange: a wind-swept forest with thick dust floating in the air, clinging to the trees like old memories. The wind howled low, like something was groaning beneath the surface. Even from the threshold, Abiodun could sense it.
The thing possessing this boy… it's strong.
He began his search, moving through the Òkàn with careful steps. His task was simple: locate the boy's essence. Bring it forward. But the deeper he walked, the more chaotic the realm became. Fires burned in random patches—some distant, others close enough to feel. The trees began to warp, shadows thickening until they looked like scars in the earth. The darkness grew denser with every step.
Abiodun quickened his pace.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
In most humans, the Òkàn was a small, focused realm. The essence was usually waiting—ready, or at least nearby. But here, it felt endless. He'd been walking what felt like twelve hours, even though barely a few minutes had passed in the physical realm. Still, no sign of Akenzua's essence.
Does he not have one? Abiodun wondered. No—that's impossible. He's human. He must have one. It has to be here… somewhere.
He pressed deeper into the spiritual forest, now surrounded by trees far taller than when he'd arrived. They stretched upward like they were trying to flee the place. The silence around him grew heavy—too heavy. The air became still. Eerie.
Hopelessness began to settle in his bones.
Then he heard it—a soft sound, like fingers brushing leaves. He turned.
There, beneath the roots of a wide tree, sat a young boy. Barefoot. Quiet. Petting what looked like a lizard, only it was the size of a small dog, coiled peacefully beside him.
Abiodun narrowed his eyes, stepping closer.
What is that?
But then he saw the boy more clearly—his face. His expression. It was Akenzua, or something close to him. But younger. Maybe twelve. Thirteen at most. A child version, untouched by time and tragedy.
This had to be his human essence.
Still… why was he so young?
Why was this whole place so vast and twisted?
Abiodun paused at the edge of the tree's shadow, suddenly aware of the question pressing at the back of his mind.
Could it get any stranger than this?
Abiodun stepped forward, voice steady but kind. "I am Master Abiodun. I've come to cleanse you of the fallen demon that's been living inside you. Once it's gone, I will share something divine with you—something that will expose you to a greater energy than anything you've ever known."
He took another step, speaking like a father trying to comfort a frightened child. "It will heal you when you're injured. Strengthen you when you're weak. Your body will move faster, strike harder—beyond the limits of any normal human."
He raised his hands slowly. "All I need is your hands."
But the boy didn't move.
Not a word. Not a blink. Just silence.
Abiodun frowned. This still isn't right…
He had always trusted his training and experience—his certainty that
Everything about the boy's essence radiated purity—untainted and peaceful. He was surrounded by gentle trees, healthy plants, and strange, serene wildlife. Nothing about this matched what Abiodun had experienced from similar situations of someone bound to a fallen demon.
When Abiodun stretched his hand a little closer, the boy finally stirred—almost like he had just noticed him for the first time.
And the look he gave Abiodun—
It wasn't defiance.
It wasn't confusion.
It was fear.
A hunted, desperate fear.
"No… no, no," the boy said in a soft, childlike voice.
Abiodun paused. "What's wrong?"
"What are you doing here?" the boy asked, eyes wide with panic.
"I've come to help you," Abiodun said, his voice softening with an edge of uncertainty.
He shook his head, panic flickering across his face. "No… you have to leave. No more deaths, please. You have to leave."
No more deaths? Abiodun's brow furrowed. What did he mean?
So he is possessed, Abiodun thought. But if that's the case… where is the fallen demon?
"You have to leave now," the boy said again, voice trembling. "Or else… I'll kill you if I see you."
Abiodun blinked. "What do you mean by that? You see me now, don't you?"
The boy shook his head. "Not this me," he whispered.
"…The other me."
Abiodun's words stumbled at the edge of his mouth. "You… you're saying there's another you?"
Akenzua immediately grew still.
His eyes widened.
"I have seen you," he whispered. "I'm coming. Run."
Before Abiodun could respond, the boy turned sharply. "Come with me!"
Akenzua broke into a sprint through the thick grove, the strange lizard-dog darting beside him.
Abiodun stood frozen for a moment, confused.
Then—he felt it.
A weight in the air.
A presence.
An essence.
Fast. Enormous. Approaching like a storm crashing through the Okan itself.
His chest tightened as he felt the presence draw nearer, an overwhelming pressure filling the air. "Oh my God, what is happening?
Part of him wanted to wait—to see what it was. Maybe even confront it.
But the boy was already gone, vanishing between the trees like a shadow.
No. He turned and took off running.
Let me run first.
And he chased after Akenzua.
As they ran through the forest, Abiodun could feel it—that presence chasing them. Heavy. Massive. Like a storm with teeth. But his mind wasn't on the fear alone.
How could a child exist in a place like this, with something this powerful?
No. That wasn't the right question.
Why was all this happening inside Akenzua's Okan?
They burst into a clearing—before them, a wide river stretched across the forest, separating two worlds. The other side was calm. Serene. Peaceful in a way that felt untouched.
Abiodun turned back.
Darkness. Thick and endless, rolling in like smoke and shadow. The forest behind them was burning—trees crumbling into ash, the fire swallowing everything.
"Oh my God," Abiodun muttered. He had never wanted to jump into a river more in his life.
They reached the edge.
"Now!" the boy shouted, grabbing Abiodun's arm. "You have to jump! It's the only chance we've got!
"What about you?" Abiodun asked.
The boy shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Just go."
"No." Abiodun took a step closer. "I'm not leaving you here."
He had come to save the boy. He wasn't going to abandon him at the edge of something so terrifying.
But the boy's tone turned sharp. Cold. "This is me."
His eyes burned.
"Don't try to save me. Or I'll kill you."
Then it came.
The other essence.
Not a demon.
No… something else.
It wasn't human, but neither was it mindless. It was intent. A living force, overwhelming and deep, a Fallen Essence unlike anything he had ever felt
It surged through the burning trees toward them. The air shook.
Abiodun stood his ground at the edge of the river, eyes wide. The boy beside him didn't flinch. He simply reached out and gripped Abiodun's arm.
"If I'm with you," he said softly, "I won't hurt you."
The essence screeched to a halt—lurking. Circling. Waiting. One wrong move, one slip, and it would devour Abiodun whole.
"I told you to jump," the boy muttered. "Why did you have to be so stubborn? Now we're in a tight situation."
Panic clawed at Abiodun as he struggled to catch his breath. Understanding came slowly, creeping in with dreadful clarity. He had to leave
He had to leave.
After a brief moment of thought, he said,
"Jump with me. Let's go into the water. You can let go of me when I'm in."
The boy nodded, finally.
Together, they stepped forward—
The Fallen Essence lurking.
Patiently waiting.
In one accord, they leapt into the river.
***
Abiodun's eyes snapped open, his hands still tied tightly to Akenzua's. In an instant, the restraints snapped like dry twigs, startling Deji into taking a step back. His face was a mixture of shock and confusion.
"Master, what are you doing?" Deji stammered, his voice laced with disbelief. "You could have just had me untie the bead."
But Abiodun didn't respond immediately. His gaze was distant, his mind racing as he paced back and forth. His breath was shaky, his movements tense, as though something had rattled him deeply. The room had grown unnaturally still, a weight in the air that seemed to press on everything.
Akenzua, still groggy from his trance, slowly began to stir. He blinked, his mind fumbling to make sense of the situation. He felt the weight of the silence around him, the confusion on everyone's faces. What in the world was going on? He looked from Deji to Abiodun, sensing something was terribly wrong, though he couldn't yet grasp it.
Deji's worry began to grow as he watched Abiodun's agitated pacing.
"What's wrong, Master?" Deji asked, his voice laced with concern. "What happened? What's going on?"
Abiodun finally stopped pacing, shaking his head as if trying to shake off a strange sensation. He ran a hand over his face, his brow furrowed in confusion, as though trying to piece together the truth of what had just transpired.
"I… I can't purify him," Abiodun muttered, his voice thick with frustration. "He's not possessed. Not by anything… not by a demon, not by anything you saw. It was all him." He paused, staring at Akenzua for a long moment, as if trying to make sense of the words himself. "But another him."
Abiodun's confusion seemed to bleed into his words, making the already unclear situation even more enigmatic. The words didn't fit, and they didn't make sense, even to him. The power that had surged within the boy, that terrifying presence, it wasn't what he had expected. It wasn't a fallen demon. It wasn't anything that could be purified.
Deji stood frozen for a moment, his brow furrowed deeper. "What do you mean, 'another him'? Master… you're not making sense."
Abiodun took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His mind was still reeling from the events inside the Òkàn, trying to connect the dots. But nothing seemed to fit. He couldn't explain it, not in a way that would make sense to anyone else.
"I don't know how to explain it." Abiodun's voice was low, still shaky. "But it's clear now. He's… he's not possessed. He isn't what we thought. He's something else entirely."
He looked to Deji, his expression softening just slightly. "Take him away."
Deji stared at him for a moment, the confusion still evident on his face. "Away?" he asked, unsure of what Abiodun meant. "Where?"
Abiodun's voice was firm, despite the uncertainty that lingered in his words. "Outside. His room, anywhere. Just away from here."
Deji, still unsure but trusting Abiodun's orders, stepped forward and gently guided Akenzua out of the room. Akenzua's gaze flickered back to Abiodun, who had stopped pacing but remained distant, lost in his thoughts.
As Deji led Akenzua out, the silence of the room seemed to grow even more oppressive. Abiodun's composure had cracked. This was something deeper, something far more dangerous than anything he could have imagined.
And Akenzua couldn't help but wonder… what had Master Abiodun seen inside him? What was it that had shaken him to his core?