"In war, men die. But in forgotten wars, even their souls burn unheard."
— General Odumegwu Ojukwu, Secret Diary (1970, Unreleased)
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Enugu. A Day Later.
The wind carried the scent of burnt yam, diesel, and blood.
Obinna stood motionless on the outskirts of his ruined hometown. His legs trembled, not from fear, but from the storm raging within. He had buried what was left of his family with his bare hands just before dawn—his mother's anklet, his sister's doll, and his father's tobacco pipe. Three graves. Three gods taken from him.
Now, something inside him wouldn't stay buried.
> "You are no longer just a boy," the voice inside him whispered again—deep, layered, almost like three voices speaking as one.
"You are chosen. You carry the will of the land. You carry the wrath of the gods."
He looked at his reflection in a pool of blood-tainted rainwater. His once-brown eyes now shimmered faintly with gold. His veins, glowing in jagged, fiery patterns, pulsed like embers beneath skin.
> "This is madness," he muttered.
But madness didn't come with ancient glyphs floating above your head.
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Elsewhere — Abuja, Nigerian High Command
In a hidden bunker beneath the capital, General Aruna Bello watched the footage again.
> A boy.
Standing alone.
While nine flaming rings formed above him.
A godlike being descended.
It was not CGI. It was real.
> "He has awakened," murmured the French envoy beside him. "Another one. Like the ones you tested in Kaduna, but... cleaner."
The General didn't blink.
> "Find him. Kill him. Or capture him. Before Biafra finds out."
---
Meanwhile — The Spirit Grove, Aro Chukwu
Beneath the earth, where the veil between worlds thinned, three shadows knelt before a throne of glowing stone. On it sat Ala, goddess of the Earth, wrapped in a cloak of vines and stars.
> "It has begun," she whispered.
To her left stood Amadioha, eyes storming, lightning dancing on his palms.
To her right, Ekwensu, the trickster, smirked.
> "Should we stop it?" Ekwensu asked, voice playful, yet dangerous.
> "No," Ala replied. "We do not stop what has been promised."
> "Then who will bear our banner?" Amadioha thundered.
> "The Eagle boy," she said.
"Obinna."
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Back in Enugu — The Forest Ruins
Obinna walked until his legs collapsed beneath him. He fell beside a sacred shrine, one his father always warned him not to touch.
A carved eagle sat atop a totem pole.
Its wings were cracked.
Its beak broken.
Yet it pulsed with life.
A whisper called from within.
> "Say your name..."
> "Obinna Uduka."
The earth trembled. Roots rose around him like arms.
The eagle's beak reformed. Its wings burst into flame.
From the shrine, a spirit beast emerged—a massive eagle, body woven of light and fire, crowned with thunderclouds.
It bowed to him.
> "I am Azụmiri," it spoke. "Your spirit beast. You are now bound to the Path of Realms."
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⚔️ [End of Chapter 1]
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📘 Mini-Dictionary (New Terms Introduced)
Ala – Earth goddess in Igbo cosmology; mother of morality and fertility.
Amadioha – Igbo god of thunder and justice.
Ekwensu – Trickster spirit in Igbo mythology, often misunderstood as evil.
Azụmiri – A name meaning "One who flows like water." Here, the name of Obinna's spirit eagle.
Spirit Beast – A manifestation of one's soul power. Rare. Bound to elite cultivators/champions.