Behind them from afar, Anyanwụ had made a drum and began beating it calmly yet fiercely. It immediately gets to Ekwensu which was the target. It instantly begins moving him.
"Ekwensuuuuuuuuuu!" Anyanwụ screams. Ekwensu screams aggressively and charges towards the enemies, they, feeling threatened, charges at him too.
Amadioha makes to follow suit as Ekwensu is already stabbing and slicing with aggressive and reckless abandon, but Ani runs towards him calling out.
"Amadioha. Dịenyemaka m." He turns and beholds her. "Ne Agba na Mma agha welu." She shouts. She gets closer to him and hands him the weapons.
The rays of electricity moves round their bodies in rhythm. Their fingers intertwine as he receives the full power from the Agba.
She on realizing that he's seemingly ready now proceeds to kiss his cheeks. He wraps his hands around her and blushes abit. She looks into his eyes and he pulls her closer to himself seeking to escalate the moment.
"Amadioha!" Ekwensu calls out.
He is standing on his Ube lodged into one of the beings' hearts, it acts powerless, it is. And with his Anyu, he's slicing at another's arms and ears. Yet another is coming to take a swipe at him.
Amadioha squeezes her at the back and runs off to the fight but not without planting a kiss on her forehead.
She turns around, blushing and cupping her mouth with her palms in joy and Ikuku just smiles. Anyanwụ shakes her head with a sorry smile and Ọma straight out frowns, rolling her eyes. Ani couldn't care any less.
"This is not good..." The voice around them calls out.
Amadioha sends electricity strikes at the third being before it can get to Ekwensu instantly roasting and blackening it out. Ekwensu smiles at him and they nod a thank you at each. He jumps off grabbing his Ube in the process and shoving it behind his shield. He charges on at the rest monsters with his anyu in a spin-cutting frenzy.
Amadioha bends low touching the earth with his palms and at the violent trembling of the ground, rays of electricity come from beneath and half the monsters blacken out into nothingness.
Ọma finally decides to do something about the situation for seemingly no particular reason. She rises into the air and sends the waters to wipe out all the beings and thereby leaving the lands green, the waters sparkling and everywhere serene once more.
"Ọma..." Ikuku calls out.
"Ọma is something wrong with you?" Ani shouts.
"Y'all should calm down nụ." Anyanwụ says. "Ọma, ara ana apụdu gị? What's really wrong with you?"
"Ọma, undo what just happened right now!" Ani calls out.
"Ani calm down and relax..."
"Anyanwụ kparikwa onwe gị o na adịrọ agwa Nwaanyị ihe ọga eme o. Ma ibu Nwoke ma ibu Nwaanyị, imana agwa Nwaanyị ihe ọgana eme, bụtụkwa o, adịrọ eme ya chaa chaa!" Ani queries her Sister. Anyanwụ raises her hands in acceptance.
"Akwudọ m gị na azụ, I remain loyal my Sister."
"Anyanwụ tell this one to bring back Amadioha o, which kinda play is she up to sọ, does it even make sense?"
"Ọma..."
"Anyanwụ, I've cleaned up our messes please, we can start again. I don't like the future I'm seeing." Ọma says.
"Ara gbagbuo ọdịnihu ọbụna ina afụ, amadioha gba ụnụ ncha niile ọkụ!"
"Ani, my Love, I want to have a word with you, I wanna listen to what you have to say, but this is not the right way, the right approach, Nne. Especially for I that came before you all." Ọma replies.
"Who cares, okpo a, who fucking cares? My own is that you bring back my Amadioha this instance or else..."
"Or else what Ani? Or else what?" Ọma begins to tear up. "Ani if you're really that powerful, bring them back." She wipes her tears. "If it's that serious, bring the beings back! If you can do it I got no issues, bring them back..."
"Ọma all these that you're up to is not my own o, my own is that you should bring my Fine Boy back immediately. Of course, I can't bring him back, they come from you, all Life does but when their time is up because nothing should last forever not even the izizi na ikpeazụ, Chineke, the Chi nnukwu, nothing will last forever. When they die, they come dwell with me till they're ready for reincarnation, Ije Ọgbanje mọ Ibịa Ụwa Ọzọ, Ilo Ụwa (To not let go of the World). That's my job, your job is giving Life, like the Life of my Amadioha which you just took."
"Ani..." Ikuku calls out.
"I get it, you're the greatest of us all, the first deity, the Mother of the waters, the Mother of the entire Universe, of even Chineke. Ibu Nne Nne, chọ chọ chọ but what ever future you saw..."
"Ani..."
"Ikuku, lemme be! Ọma, I don't care the future you saw just let me be with my Amadioha now, please." She goes over to hug her Sister sobbing on her shoulder.
"Ani..." Ọma calls out. Her hands are free, she's looking at Ikuku and Anyanwụ right now as if looking for answers. They look away completely avoiding her glance.
"Ọma please, I'm begging." Ani continues. Ọma finally returns the hug. She taps on her back repeatedly and then proceeds to rub on it gently.
"Alright I'm sorry my Love. I'll bring him back." Ọma then replies.
"Picking your Sister over the world knowing fully well that she'll bear the grunt of her decisions later on..."
Chineke Nne, biko kwa!" Ọma calls out.
"Thank you, my Mother, Ọma." She says still hugging her Sister. "Don't try to fight destiny, let destiny handle herself as we're handling ourselves as Ụmụ Mmadụ will handle themselves. All of us our affairs by ourselves. Chineke, she is Chineke, Kadu na Ofili, she doesn't need our help for she is us, leave her be. Ụmụ Mmadụ, they should need a little bit of our help but our major significance is reflecting to them how Women and Men dynamics should be and should work, Women, us, first, Men next they'll do the rest work by themselves... Ọma biko, Amadioha m, now! Please."
"I've heard you." She replies tapping on Ani's back again.
They turn and behold Anyanwụ and Ikuku standing with two similar looking people, one seems like them, with the busts and hips and everything. The other seems like Amadioha and Ekwensu.
"This is Idemmịlị and her nonidentical twin brother Ikenga. Idemmịlị means the pillar or the support of the Waters, Ide Mmili and..." Anyanwụ says.
"Ikenga nkọ?" Ọma asks.
"Ikenga means a lot of things to the people but this one particularly means the strength of the people, Ike Nga, Ike Ora, Ike Mba, all words for 'collective or people'." Ikuku adds.
"Look Ladies, I appreciate but let's bring back the first two, for everyone's..." She looks at Ani who smiles squeezing her palms. "for everyone's anwụli (joy/happiness) na ọdịnamma (and well being)." She smiles back.
Anyanwụ shrugs. "I'm keeping this one biko, he go help us na alụ ọlu igwe, metal works." She says.
"Definitely." Ọma says. "And Idemmịlị, I'll keep her, she'll help me keep a watch over the waters while I take care of the Moon. Problem solved. Yeah, and maybe I'll multiply myself alot like babies of myself every night, ka nwe nnea akpa agwa ọma... Yes, I'll call them Kpando." Ọma says.
"Mọ Kpakpando..." Ikuku says.
Ọma smiles. "Alright, One star will be Kpakpando, two or more till infinity and uncountable will be Kpando, yes, lovely idea everyone."
"I think after this I'll go take my ọnọdụ, my place here. Floating above the waters and the land, you know, cooling Okooko, the flowers and Ifuru, the blossoms, I'll just be chilling." Ikuku says.
"Smart, I'll be in the Moon, yes, inside the Moon cos I am the Moon. I'll be a light and the stars will assist me because... I'll only shine fully once in a while, but I'll still be their light every night."
"That means myself, I'll be the bigger light nụ, shining more often since you'll be busy with the moon and the waters right?"
Ọma grabs her shoulder. "Yes my Love. Sis, you'll be like a day, Ubọchi and I'll be the night, Anyasi, I'll come first, you'll come next right? Darkness, then Light, Darkness, then Light, Darkness, then Light and till the time that has no end." Ọma says.
"Smart. Yes, that'll do." Anyanwu says.
"And me." They all turn to Ani. "I'll want nothing more than to dwell on this Earth, this plane that we're stepping on right now that we're in with my Life partner, my husband, Dịenyemaka m na Ụmụ m niile, and all my children." Ani says.
They all look at Ọma as if giving her the go ahead and Ọma emerges up to the atmosphere and from her powers brings out forth from the Waters, Amadioha and Ekwensu alongside all their weapons and properties.
"Ọma, why are the weapons still available?" Anyanwụ asks.
"Light of the world, Anyanwụ, Anya Ụwa, the Men were birthed to help out with the problems but they'll be the problems themselves and they must solve it by themselves. The parts of me that chose to not be with me are out here disturbing the world, they chose not to remain in the Waters and they're Men and our mistake is making more Men to solve the problem, so I had to delete it but..."
Ani lets go of Ọma and rushes to go hug Amadioha. "Ọma, amarodi m nkea ịna akọ mana my Amadioha is back!" She jumps onto him with her legs and arms. He spins her around as she finally kisses him on the lips.
"Anyanwụ, the Apple doesn't fall far from the tree..." Ọma continues as they look on.
"What's an Apple?" Ikuku inquires.
"Anyala mmịlị. I'll show you later."
"What's now Anyala?" Anyanwu asks.
"I don't think I'll be needing this mma agha, Ani." Amadioha says to her.
"Why? I made it just for you." Ani says suddenly overcome with shock. She grabs it from him and makes to weigh it.
"I know but I think I'm highly satisfied with the Agba. It's just, so me."
Ani looks at Ọma. She says nothing but squints her eyes.
"This is the first step of betrayal. Refusing a gift from a partner is detrimental but no, you won't like to listen to me." Ọma says to her through her mind.
Ani hears it, widens her eyes and shakes her head as if to unhear it. Amadioha is confused. He just stands there holding Ani by the waist.
She replies. "Ọma Nne m, you're overthinking things, fine Girl."
Ọma shakes her head and turns away. The rest are playing with the animals.
"So what will become of the sword Nnaa?" Ani asks.
"Nne m, I'll simply give it to this Guy that's sipping on water with his obo aka (palms)."
Ikenga turns to look at them. "For the record, we all came from water, so we can't live without water." He says.
"Chill Man, lapping water with your tongue is so cool, I would also totally do that too. What I'm saying is would you like to have my mma agha?" Ikenga stands upright approaching him.
Amadioha tosses the sword at him, he catches it from the handle. He nods and charges at Ekwensu who was distracted by Ugo. He instinctively turns around to block Ikenga and proceeds to hit him with his stick, mkpara. He had found a way to bend his Ube, spear into an Mkpara, walking stick at will. They begin to play fight.
"Ani, I wanna get in on that action." Amadioha says.
"Alright, let's go." They hold hands and move towards the two.
"Ọma you've not yet told me what Anyala is o." Ikuku says.
"Ladies, I'll show you all these later. But as I was saying, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I fear that the evil which they were birthed to help eradicate will eventually envelope them and they will then try to dominate and subdue us the Life givers with various lies, nsacha ụbụrụ (brainwashing) and what not. That's my only fear but Ani is not ready to listen."
"Ọmarịcha, let Ani be, like we know it will be her problem, maybe mine too cos I'll be closest to her but let her learn her lesson by herself and come to her senses eventually. We're here till eternity, we are the eternity, we're the time that has no end. She'll soon know the stupidity of letting go of the family you chose, one's friends for a Man. A Woman that chooses a Man over their own Woman knowing fully well that the world to come won't be treating Women as a collective any fairly is only silly and foolish and bound for lonely destruction but when the time comes, she'll understand. For now, let her have her fun."
"Me myself Ikuku, I'm just here for the tea. Choosing a Man over a Woman for anything is never a good idea any day if you're a Woman, you know." Anyanwụ says.
"My only fear is the day when Women will betray themselves for the validations of a Man. It will be so shameful and stupid. Because imagine telling the one who gives birth to Life to submit to the Life she has birthed?" Ọma asks.
"May that never be our reality, never!" Ikuku calls out.
"Nne, that's the future that I saw and tried to eliminate but y'all were against me for doing it. I saw a future where Women forgot how powerful they are and who they really are. One where they began to cower before their own creation and birth."
"What could be worse than what you've just described?" Anyanwu asks.
"One where the Woman serves a Deity imagined and crafted in the image and likeness of the very Men who she gave Life to, they who only fertilize. I saw a future where she, the Life giver is demonized and relegated to the level of non-existent because she forgot that they whom she serves or worships whether real or not dwells in her subconscious. If one's Deity is in the image and likeness of the Mother, the Life giver, it will apply in how they treat the surrounding ones, the Women in their Life or any around them no matter how close they are but if the Deity one serves and honors is in the image of the other arụ (gender) then it will apply too likewise, in how one treats their fellow Woman and how one cares for the world and the surrounding Life around them."
"Women give birth to Life, so they know the value and importance of Life and only Women should have opinions about childbirth and anything else concerning Life and death."
"You're there, Anyanwụ!" Ọma agrees.
"Ọma, I believe I understand what you're saying. If one's Deity is an all powerful, ever loving Mother, who cares for her Children, supports them and wants them to be better than she ever was, she tends the plants and loves nature and all wild and domestic Life, her followers, worshipers and devotees will do likewise, whether she's real or not."
"Exactly Ikuku nwanne m Nwaanyị, exactly!"
"But." Ikuku continues. "If one's Deity is a supposedly all powerful, supposedly all loving Father, who asks that babies' heads be smashed against a rock, has stage nine dementia because he always contradicts himself, has babies he didn't make cos Fathers don't birth Life they only fertilize the seed and his children have no Mother because he's probably Gay which is fine but he hates queer people, condones and dictates about rape, claims he loves all people even they who don't love him but dictates rules on how to go about having slaves, and he tells the slaves to obey their masters so that he can love them, if he actively assaults under aged children to redeem... Supposedly redeem himself through a sacrifice to himself and if he loves to kill people and commands his followers and devotees to actively kill other people or races because they, his devotees are quote unquote superior to everyone else... You know, if that's the Deity a group of people follow and glorify actively you then know that the world will never be a better place especially if our gender Nwaanyị are the ones constantly feeding the Deity's ego since he hates them so much but they appreciate him and call him Father or other pet names..."
"Yes, Ikuku, like if a war deity is the greatest and most revered Deity for absolutely no reason whereas the Mothers are victimized, villainized and practically shaded into non-existence then we'll be rest assured that the world where that is occurring will perpetually and constantly be at war with itself, and against each other and will be full of chaos." Anyanwụ says.
"And we all know that the Mothers can't work in cooperation with an active war apologist because it will be in contradiction to all the Mothers are and stand for. War takes Life and no Mother wants to see Life being lost so no Mother will ever be for war or for death unnecessarily."
"All these things Ikuku, exactly! All these things! That's the future I saw, you're correct. And all these are happening there. I saw a future where they stop worshipping the great Mothers and begin worshipping the destructive Fathers who hates the Mothers and despises the fact that they birthed the World and they can't... Ever!" Ọma paces around. "Ikuku, all these things in one future, Nne, maka ginizi?"
"What do we do to correct this great evil ahead Ọma?" Anyanwụ asks.
"First we must awaken the Woman from her delusions of Love and masculine protection and what not. Ani has already began to center Amadioha, Women must decenter Men for the world to be a better place and Men must center Women to create balance and stability. She doesn't need a Man to provide for her anything because she has more capabilities than him to provide all she needs for herself. She can want a Man, totally ok but she must never never need a Man because Womanity and Femininity is all she needs. And Men need Women to exist and survive. The Woman most certainly don't need protection whatsoever from him because he is what he seeks to protect her from so the calculations cannot equate. The Wombman must first understand this for her to truly awaken and be free, the Mother must know this. She is Life itself, she is Life so she is second to none."
"But Ọma, Ani looks so happy..." Ikuku calls out.
"That's because she doesn't see what the future holds. She's too blinded to wanna see and it hurts me."
"Ọmarịcha what then do we do?" Anyanwụ asks...