"Your ancestors were not weak. They were bound. Your destiny is not to awaken, but to unbind."
— Azụmiri, Spirit Eagle of Obinna
---
The sky had not yet healed from yesterday's burn.
Obinna sat at the edge of the ruined shrine, his legs crossed beneath him, a dull ache in his bones. The wind that brushed his cheeks now carried whispers instead of smoke. The kind of whispers that live in sacred groves, in the spaces between drumbeats, in the cracks of forgotten stones.
Azụmiri hovered behind him—not flying, but suspended. Its vast wings beat slowly, each gust stirring the embers around the shrine.
> "The gods chose you. But the gods are not saviors. They are witnesses. You must walk the Path."
Obinna didn't reply. He stared down at his hands. They still glowed faintly—runes crawling under his skin like silver fire.
> "What is the Path?" he asked.
The eagle spirit tilted its massive head.
> "The Path of the Nine Realms is not walked. It is endured. Each realm is a gate. Each gate, a test. And you—a child of blood, ash, and fire—must pass through them or perish."
---
Realm One: Ncheta (Memory)
Without warning, Azụmiri plunged its beak into Obinna's chest.
Pain did not come.
Instead, the world shattered.
He opened his eyes to a jungle.
But not just any jungle. This was memory made flesh. His memory. Trees dripped with smoke. Voices chanted. The laughter of his sister echoed.
A woman stood in the clearing. His mother.
> "You must forgive to begin."
> "I can't," Obinna said, voice tight. "They murdered you."
> "Then you will never rise."
The jungle shook. Figures emerged—Nigerian soldiers, foreign agents in bio-armor, tanks that pulsed with strange green lights. The ghosts of his trauma.
He raised his hand. Lightning flared.
> BOOM!
Trees exploded into fire. Spirits screamed. But his mother remained.
> "You must see what you hate, and still choose to rise. That is the first realm."
He fell to his knees. The fire died. The jungle faded.
> Realm One: Complete.
---
Obinna gasped as he returned to his body.
His spirit eagle gave a slow nod.
> "The first realm is survived. Eight remain."
Obinna felt heavier. But also—larger. As though the world could no longer contain him.
> "So what now?" he asked.
> "You must awaken your magic."
Azụmiri extended one wing. Three glowing feathers floated down.
> "Choose your foundation."
[1] Charmcraft — The art of sealing spiritual intent into items, amulets, and weapons.
[2] Bloodline Flame — Inborn fire drawn from ancestors and divine pacts.
[3] Ritual Arts (Ụmụ Mụọ) — Calling power through rites, chants, and offerings.
Obinna reached forward.
> "I choose... Charmcraft."
As he touched the feather, it vanished into his palm. Glowing symbols snaked up his arm and sank into his skin. Knowledge burst into his mind—symbols, incantations, crafting circles, the pulse of reality beneath matter.
He fell backward, gasping.
> "Charmcraft," Azụmiri echoed. "The Igbo's oldest art. Forgotten by time."
---
Hidden Base, Cross River — Biafran Resistance Camp
A scarred man slammed a palm against the table.
> "You're sure? The boy awakened?"
Another soldier, dreadlocks bound with cowrie shells, nodded.
> "He survived the Nine Rings Initiation. Realm One, confirmed. His aura pulses across the East."
> "Then it's time," the commander growled. "Gather the old guard. Call the dibia. Tell Ojukwu's spirit we march again."
---
Abuja — Federal High-Tech Lab
"We have a problem," the French technician said, eyes wide.
A massive monitor displayed Obinna's image. Runes danced around his frame. Energy readings spiked beyond known limits.
> "He's just a boy," muttered General Aruna Bello.
> "No. He's a god's chosen," the technician replied. "And he just passed through the first gate."
A dark silhouette appeared in the doorway.
> "Then send the Reapers."
---
Back at the Shrine
Night fell.
Obinna lit his first charm.
A simple glyph for protection, carved into stone and sealed with a drop of blood. It glowed blue.
> It worked.
He grinned, despite the exhaustion.
Then a howl echoed through the forest.
Not human. Not animal.
The charm cracked.
Azụmiri spread its wings.
> "They have found us. Prepare yourself, Champion of Biafra."
---
To be continued...
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📘 Mini-Dictionary (New Terms Introduced)
Ncheta – Igbo for "Memory"; the first spiritual realm in the Path of the Nine Rings.
Charmcraft – The mystical art of embedding spiritual power into physical objects.
Ụmụ Mụọ – "Children of Spirits"; magic practiced through ritual and ancestral communion.
Dibia – A traditional priest or spiritual healer in Igbo culture.
Reapers – Nigerian elite strike units enhanced with foreign tech and dark rituals.
Getting started...