The afternoon sun hung heavy over the ruined shrine where they trained. Its broken walls casting long shadows across the stone floor.
The sound of the Ohandu village was faint, and they were alone here, in a forgotten corner of the village.
Nneka stood barefoot by a small pool which was being filled by a trickling spring. Her river serpent totem was slung across her neck.
Obi faced her, unsure of what they were about to do. He caught his reflection and he flinched.
So thin...
"You won't need brute strength to master this," Nneka said, as if reading his mind. Obi exhaled and she smiled faintly, suddenly kneeling beside the pool. She reached out and touched the water gently, her hand skimming across the surface.
The water rippled, small waves forming as her voice resonated. "Water doesn't fight like fire or stone. It listens. It feels. It moves around force. And if needed..." Nneka flicked her fingers sharply and the water solidified, turning into a sharp spear, "... it becomes the force."
Obi stared at the spear, his eyes sparkling in awe of her powers. "How do I start?" He asked.
Nneka released her clenched fists, and the water followed her motion; the spear dissolved and started twirling around her fingers instead.
"First, you need to feel the water inside of you. Everything carries a little. Blood, sweat, tears. It's all part of the flow."
She tapped the pool slightly, causing it to ripple again, but this time, it rippled strangely. Clearly, she was controlling the waves.
An insane level of control...
"Close your eyes," she ordered. "Forget the village, forget the noise. Just listen... to the flowing waters inside of you."
Obi hesitated, then closed his eyes. The world dimmed. He concentrated deeply, filtering out the village noise, then the sound of the water dripping into the pool became louder.
He delved into it, as if zooming deeper into the sound, he felt something deeper. A pulse.
It was flowing in perfect symphony with the pool. His mind seemed to broaden and he felt it... every liquid on earth, rivers... oceans... streams... sweat... blood... they all flowed the same, with one rhythm.
Obi's breathing shallowed slowly, there was water in the atmosphere too.
"That's it," Nneka whispered, feeling the changes in him. "Invite it. Respect it."
Obi focused even more, willing the water out now. But everywhere was still, nothing happened.
Nneka spoke softly again. "Imagine the water, not as something outside of you, but as something familiar. It flows inside of you, now let it flow outside too, the power is coming from within."
Obi closed his eyes again, trying to will it towards him. A few minutes later, he felt it. A connection had been made. Something flowed in his veins, blood, and something else...
Water.
Suddenly, the surface of the pool vibrated under a palm which he had stretched forward. Nneka's eyes widened in surprise. He was a quick learner.
She continued her teaching duty. "Good. Now, guide it, don't control it. Strengthen your connection with it, give it a path to follow...and a form to take."
The water started to spin, it spun very quickly. A thin tendril of water lifted from the pool, wobbling in the air like a newborn snake.
It coiled around his hand, but the moment the contact was made, Obi's eyes fluttered open, he saw the water and he gasped, causing it to splash back down.
Obi's eyes widened, staring in wonder.
Nneka smiled warmly. "You lost focus, but still, that was better than most people's first tries. Way better than my first try."
Obi wiped the sweat off his forehead, his heart was already beating erratically. Just from that tiny effort.
"Water Style is about rhythm," she continued, rising to her feet. "You find the rhythm in yourself, then find it in the world."
Nneka pulled the totem from her neck now, wearing it around her hand like a bracelet. The totem flared, glowing a soft blue light.
Water rose from the spring at her gesture. It rose high, then spiralled around her, billowing softly. Obi stared as the water suddenly solidified, spikes growing out of them. The spikes were long and pointy.
"This is only the beginning. Mastering the water style will teach you patience, flow, and healing... but also fury when you need it."
Obi gasped as the spikes burst forward, flying towards him at the speed of light. His pupils constricted but he couldn't move, his reaction was too slow... no, the attack had come too fast. Obi fell to the floor as the spikes suddenly stopped, turning into a pool of water that dropped to the floor, slowly flowing towards him.
Obi clenched his fist slowly, determination burning in his eyes. "I...would learn it."
***
Far away to the west of the Igbo kingdom, the village of Agbaja sat between the kingdom borders and turbulent mountains. Its stone walls older than memory itself.
Where the other villages looked to spirits and gods for their strength, Agbaja trusted in the earth, the ancestors, and the iron hidden beneath the many hills and mountains in the land.
However, today, the village was not its usual bustling self, none of the six villages were.
The elders of the Agbaja village sat in a tight circle, under the shade of the Ukala tree, discussing amongst themselves.
Ichie Ikenna, the oldest elder of the Agbaja village presided over their council meetings. He spoke, his voice was low but powerful.
"Ohandu has sent word. Ndiume too. It it's not just us, the Ncheta-Obi has shown itself to each of the six villages."
The elders frowned. Another one spoke up. "Why have they suddenly attacked? What's their goal?"
Ichie Ikenna answered his question. "It appears the tenth totem has resurfaced again. And that's what they are after."
"Then we destroy it. Where has the totem surfaced?"
Ikenna paused, then he spoke. "In the Ohandu village. On the chest of a member of Umu-Oka clan, the stargazers."
The elders murmured on the mention of the stargazers.
"Let's send a delegate to them, requesting that the tenth totem be destroyed immediately."