《Once Orishas》 The First Month On one scorching summer day, there was a man waiting in line wanting to ask Olorun and Orunmila, the Supreme God and the God of Knowledge, how he can change himself. The wait agonizing, he considered leaving due to the line being so long. Then from the front of that line, he hears, ¡°Why can¡¯t I get blessings and Domain?¡± That same question or a variation had been echoed throughout the crowd that day. The lucky few. Sadly, they didn¡¯t get their answer in one day. 7 days. It took 7 days for Olorun to announce that, they¡¯ll have a competition all year. Once a month, his messager, Orunmila will announce that a few blessings will fall from the sky that day. Whoever catches it, will have domain of that nature and the power of said domain. There¡¯s only two rules, if you catch a domain and still want to participate the next month, you can¡¯t use said power to catch the next domain. You must hunt for it as a human would. Lastly, killing is prohibited. Those rules were ingrained into their heads until January. The first month of the competition. Eshu waits in the bushes, the alarm went off a few minutes ago. The sky itself began to crack, the clouds formed into a hand that slowly opened its palm while encompassing all of Africa. The hand let go of a giant ball of light that slowly changed into something as small as a pebble. Eshu sat back to see how the others reacted. He thought, ¡°This could be a test, I don¡¯t want to possibly get a bad domain and waste my energy. Best thing I could get is the domain of crops. I wonder if someone can give away their domain? So many possibilities.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. 400 people where ready to look for the ball of light but, two stood out among them. A young royal lets out a thundering battle cry who wielded a big battle axe that nearly was the height of his own body. The boy is with another but slightly older, Ogun, who was also wielding a weapon. A masterfully made weapon whose sharpness couldn¡¯t be understated, something similar to a machete. He went left while his brother went right. Eshu made it a priority to watch after Ogun seeming to be the bigger threat since he had less bravado than his brother yet still seemed just as dangerous as him. Ogun was covered in trinkets that seemed to be tools for uses that baffled Eshu. He still found them interesting nonetheless, he witnessed how Ogun fought his way through the crowd of people. Until he found a frail man who seemed around his age, they both rushed to fight each other. Eshu pulled back his bow readying for the chance to strike down Ogun since he¡¯d prefer to have blood on his hands instead of have his own be eventually spilled. Ogun yelled, ¡°Move out of my way! I don¡¯t want to waste my time on you!¡± The frail man just stared at him and looked at him up, analyzing him. The man spoke, ¡°What¡¯s your name? Mine is Babal¨²-Ay¨¦. I rather remember you once I beat you, so I may repay you later.¡± Ogun replied, ¡°Huh?! What the hell are you on about? Repayment? For what? Actually, scratch that. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I¡¯m Ogun. Prince of the Oyo Empire.¡± Eshu thought, ¡°This was the perfect time to shoot, but Ogun seems still full of energy so if I mess up or he deflects it then I¡¯d get myself killed. I¡¯ll attack him once he¡¯s tired.¡± Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ gets into a stance where his body is sideways, front leg bent, and back leg slightly extended. Ogun recognized this is as a Dambe fighting stance. He relaxes his grip on his weapon and smiles. Chapter 2 He dashed at him, Ogun dodging each blow, the wrapped arm not moving a single bit. The royal pressed a button on a sphere shaped device which shot out dirt. Even though Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ was blinded for only a moment, when he regains his vision, he realized he¡¯s having trouble breathing. He came to realize he had been hit in the throat. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Suddenly, Ogun feels the pain from his broken leg. Making him fall to the ground. Eshu can tell they¡¯re both neutralized, but hears cracking and ripping. He turns to see Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ looking him dead in the eye. His wrist which was trapped is now covered in blood and showing some bone. Eshu vs Babalç…¤-Ay茅 This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. gives Eshu a axe kick, giving him pain so horrible he couldn¡¯t stand any longer. The Past is a Problem Eshu and Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ continue searching, sticking to the bushes. Something was bothering Eshu though. He turns to Babal¨²-Ay¨¦, ¡°How did you learn to fight like that? It seems like you¡¯re pretty advanced.¡± The injured man replied exasperatedly, ¡°I simply fought, relied on instinct through that fight mostly. Still, isn¡¯t great against raw skill. I¡¯m sure I would¡¯ve died if killing were allowed, Ogun held back that whole fight.¡± Eshu chuckled, ¡°A win¡¯s, a win. You don¡¯t have to think about the reason why.¡± They then see an old man, who¡¯s shrouded in long strips of mariw¨® (dried palm fronds) that obscured his face and body from view. The figure had sores everywhere, his skin looking somewhat decayed. He sees them and says, ¡°Leave, you don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening or what this thing can do.¡± While he¡¯s talking, they see a frog which ate the ball. They could tell due to its belly glowing. The old man continues, ¡°I know where you are and trust me, I¡¯m fast enough to attack you before those few arrows you might have can harm me.¡± Then an arrow is sent flying at him, the man easily dodges them. He started running and Eshu noticed that he seemed to also know the frog held the orb. Now left to the back, he¡¯s forced to just watch since the only available shots are lethal ones. Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ noticed his hesitation, then ran towards the old man. Yet, it was too late. The old man had ate the frog, suddenly darkness starting spewing from his month that engulfed the area around Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ and him. Eshu saw what had happened and slowly walked up to the black dome. His hand seemed to easily go through it like a knife through butter. He looked around and found it was a house, dark and decrepited. Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ was silent and slowly turned towards the older man. With a shocked tone, he barely uttered out, ¡°You¡¯re¡­me?¡± The old man looked away and walked over to a dog laying down on a few plies of grass. Slowly petting him, his touch almost sentimental and longing. The young man yelled, ¡°You can hear me! Answer! Who are you!¡± The older man turned back and his voice groveled with , ¡°Which you are you implying I am? The good parts? The bad? The future? I can be many things.¡± He sighs, ¡°Who I am isn¡¯t important, but WHAT I¡¯m doing is the true matter at hand. What we¡¯re doing, will bring you peace alongside everyone else.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. He sees his dog slowly begin to be covered in boils, Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ watches in horror. Meanwhile, Eshu asks the old man, ¡°What are you doing then? Specifically.¡± The man speaks in a matter of fact tone, ¡°Resetting the world.¡± Eshu responds, almost eagerly, ¡°How? And you¡¯re in a group right? How did you all come to this conclusion? How many of you are there? Are there all time travelers?¡± The man scoffs, and his tone shifts to warmth instead of coldness, ¡°I¡¯ll only answer-¡° He¡¯s grabbed by the dog, who¡¯s seemed to become closer to a human. Yanking the man into the ground. The two teens just stand shocked and confused at what happened. Eshu looks over and awkwardly utters, ¡°So, this is your home?¡± Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ shrugged, ¡°Yes but, my dog¡¯s been dead for awhile. Why are you asking?¡± Eshu responded, ¡°Because it seems like we might have to do trials to get the orb and want to prepare myself for what might happen. Also good to know what my partner might encounter so it doesn¡¯t slow us down. Is your dog the only bit of unresolved trauma you got?¡± Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ scowled and responded sharply, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s your problems, huh?¡± Eshu snickered, ¡°I might not even want these abilities. Also we don¡¯t know if these orbs attack people who aren¡¯t touching it. I need more information before I tell anything else about me¡­is that convincing enough?¡± The skinny figure looks at him suspiciously and decides to simply ignore it. The boy walks to the walls of his old home and touches it. Seemingly going through. He sees it¡¯s almost like they¡¯re ghosts, not being able to have effect on anything. He kneels down, and slowly sinks his hand into the ground. The floor slowly taking him in, and soon he vanishes. Eshu looking at the strange event and copies his movements. Soon being transported into a marketplace, Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ stares mortified by the familiar sight. He sees a young boy, dressed in rags and he knows what will happen next. He wants to stop it, wants to scream at the child. Yet no sound comes out. He saw the begger constantly touching and grabbing for people. Each slowly growing bumps that began to overcome their bodies, every one infected tried confronting Babal¨²-Ay¨¦. They all die before they can touch him. All chanting, ¡°Accursed Sopona¡±. The young man screamed, ¡°Stop. Shut up! That¡¯s not my name anymore!¡± He lunges at the crowd, senselessly smashing the ground until he sees that it¡¯s no longer the crowd. Who¡¯s he been hitting was the boy, the begger. The child reaches out shakily, coughing up blood. His hand covered in bumps and scabs, he¡¯s crying. He weakly gets out, ¡°I only wanted them to understand,¡± Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ breathes slowly and the blood he was drenched in only pulls him down deeper. Eshu watches as he¡¯s pulled down, following along like a fly on the wall. Simply analyzing. He hears a faint whisper while he¡¯s falling through the ground, ¡°Stop spectating, guide him.¡± Eshu looks around bewildered but, alas there was nothing but himself. The Feast for Failures He starts swinging wilding, until after his mind was clear, he realizes it was one of Ogun¡¯s metal constructs. While he¡¯s reliving the past, he says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Whatever I¡¯ve done, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve BEEN apologizing for that day ever since. Trying my hardest to be better, SO HOW THE H-¡° The figure interrupts him, ¡°Constancy and meaning it.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. That seemed reasonable enough, but it was dangerously and he wanted to ask him why would he take such a risk. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t important. He couldn¡¯t let his curiosity get in the way of completing this trial, they both decided to follow young Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ and the village changes into a banquet with the animals carcass being the center of the meal. The Cracking Shells He says, ¡°WHAT THE HE-¡°. He soon gets sucked underground and falls unconscious. Soon jolting awake in a bed and seeing a doctor with weird marks on his face. The man seemed to be covered head to toe, making sure to not expose much of himself. He utters, ¡°I¡­uh, I¡¯m Sopona.¡± The doctor gets excited and grabs Sopona¡¯s hands, ¡°Really? You¡¯re¡­I can¡¯t say your name but, you¡¯re him Baba?¡± The man¡¯s face lights up, it has a mix of fear as well. Sopona nods. The man bows, frantically. The god smiles and stops the man before he can go get an offering, ¡°My friend, it¡¯s ok. I thank you for housing me, that¡¯s offering enough. I must ask, why are you covered so heavily though?¡± Sopona responds, ¡°I understand your plea, I¡¯ll walk amongst you to see if you¡¯re worthy. And again, thank you for helping me. What¡¯s your name?¡± The doctor shyly laughs, ¡°My name is Maduabuchi. I¡¯m the doctor of this village.¡±Sopona attempts to leave but suddenly feels an agonizing pain in his chest. The pain feeling like daggers ripping away at his insides. It¡¯s so intense that it nearly makes him fall over. Maduabuchi quickly acts and catches him. Sopona has a random memory flash through his head, begging for his attention. The memory is vague but it makes him feel sick to his stomach. He feels like he has to vomit, but there¡¯s nothing coming out. His body reflexively rejecting what could possibly leave his body. Maduabuchi sits him back down and gives him a drink. Sopona drinks rather rashly, trying to calm down his chest pain and overall sick feeling. He thinks, ¡°Maybe this man is a test? To accept weakness? No, that would be too easy¡­.unless, I¡¯ll just see where this goes.¡± He nods and he¡¯s helped to his feet as well as given a gourd full of the tea that was made. He gets taken to the town central, it reeks of abandonment and isolation. Scattered bits of life remain- half burnt fires, worn blankets and the ground has faint impressions of footprints. There¡¯s so little here that it''s obvious that they¡¯re nomads. He feels an overwhelming sense of despair and he can hear thoughts of the people roaring in his mind. The shame, the guilt, the disgust, and the fear. They only get louder as he gets closer to the center of the town. Sopona asks, ¡°What was your sin?¡± The woman stays silent. He notices that she¡¯s starting to shake. She¡¯s about to be on the verge of a breakdown, he sighs. He reached out for her hands and she pulled away, her voice shaking with anger. ¡°No! I¡­I don¡¯t want you to see any more! Just tell me I¡¯m worthless! You''ve seen enough, haven¡¯t you?! Stop giving me this¡­ false hope!¡± He tilts his head, somewhat analyzing her. Seeing her fragile state, he walks closer to her and in response she stumbles back. He then asks, "Why''d you come to me? To be judged or perhaps¡­something more to affirm thoughts that aren¡¯t my own? Let me see what you truly are, if there''s redemption for you then, I-" Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. It gets killed by the commanding gentleness of his voice telling her, "Some deserve death, yes. But, your grief shows the action wasn¡¯t taken lightly. Death isn¡¯t a punishment because, you¡¯re already paying a big enough price. The guilt, the regret, the disgust, the shame, all of it is your price for whatever you¡¯ve done. They¡¯re also signs that you have a some humanity in you. Those who deserve death don¡¯t care about their sins, they have nothing resembling what you have.¡± He says, ¡°THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?¡± The figures simply laugh hollowly at his outburst, almost like a chorus of ridicule. They say, ¡°Like an animal, you lash out instead of presenting your point in a civil manner. It¡¯s oh so entertaining, you make children seem like elders!¡± Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ lowers his tone and start gripping the table, a feeble attempt at presenting a fragile self respect, ¡°Then why¡¯d you come here? If just to use me for your entertainment?¡± The figures become women and they¡¯re all familiar figures, ¡°We can ask you the same thing, darling?¡± He says, ¡°THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?¡± The figures simply laugh hollowly at his outburst, almost like a chorus of ridicule. They say, ¡°Like an animal, you lash out instead of presenting your point in a civil manner. It¡¯s oh so entertaining, you make children seem like elders!¡± Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ lowers his tone and start gripping the table, a feeble attempt at presenting a fragile self respect, ¡°Then why¡¯d you come here? If just to use me for your entertainment?¡± The figures become women and they¡¯re all familiar figures, ¡°We can ask you the same thing, darling?¡± He yells with his eyes enraged, ¡°WHAT DO YOU KNOW, HUH?! THIS ISN¡¯T EVEN REAL!¡± They respond indifferently, ¡°Yet everything we say is true, everything you¡¯ve done is very real. So no matter how much you want to discredit everything we claim, you know it¡¯s true.¡± Eshu sits there studying the expression on Babal¨²-Ay¨¦¡¯s face. As tears pour from the frail man¡¯s face, his fist clenched to the point of bleeding and his eyes reflecting guilt at the claims while his body language portrays a more ignorance than what¡¯s truly under the surface. Babal¨²-Ay¨¦ shouts in a defensive and dismissive tone, ¡°YOU THINK ME A MONSTER TOO, HUH? MAYBE I SHOULD PLAY THE PART AND KILL YOU RIGHT NOW, HM?!¡±Eshu chuckles and says in a more sweet yet casual tone, ¡°My friend, you¡¯re not a monster. Humans were naturally born selfish, what¡¯s wrong with a man being in tune with his nature? I¡¯m such a man, myself.¡± The confidence in his voice lessened and quiet, still trying to cling to a bit of playfulness, ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong guy, that¡¯s all Babal¨²-Ay¨¦. I just came for the show. You can proceed with your ridiculing. Hell, I¡¯ll join in if you wa-¡°