The Fatal Flaw and the Hunter’s Tragedy

Ade rose to his feet glad for the sudden intervention of the Akogun and the other ẹṣọs of the village, relived that the Ebora didn't step on him, as the great chains of Ogun god of iron fire and war pinned the Ebora to the ground Ade turned to face the witch.

"Well," he said, "since the elders of this village are handling your husband, I guess I can now focus all my attention on you," he knew that the only way to send the evil spirit to the nether realm is to neutralize the summoner

"You dare to challenge me?" The witched responded in fury

"do you know who I am, child,

I am Igbo-eso, the seed of the forest,

The day the forest was planted, that was the day my destiny started

I am irreplaceable, unstoppable and untouchable

To fight with me would be to fight with death

I do not worship the Iroko, because I am the Iroko

As I live the forest lives

And the aura of the forest shadows me

No one vexes me without vexing the forest

And my vengeance is the vengeance of the forest

With blood did I lay the foundations of the forest

With blood did I plant the seed of the forest

And in blood did I nourish it

None can stand against me

Without becoming the food of the forest

Without becoming "Onje-Igbo" (the feast for the forest)"

Ade simply grinned at the witch's words, some believe that the Oriki of a person is meant to strike fear into the hearts of all their opponents, but to Ade, it's just a waste of time, as for her powers the first Witch had more fight in her than this one. Three ẹṣọs took down one Witch, Igbo-ojiji, she was called how much more this one and when they went up against the first Witch, they were all holding back using some of their weakest chants, but now the case is different, he has no reason to hold back.

"Your sister cried, she cried like a baby when I tortured her" Ade mocked

"You will regret those words hunter" Igbo-ẹso scowled

"Earth and dust" Ade chanted

"It is you that I address

I might have no covenant with you, yet we are still bounded

The air is the universal source of life

Where there is no air there is no life

For all forms of life must breath

The fire must breathe to burn

The plant must breathe to grow

The earth must breathe to maintain the balance

For each element to exist the element of the air is needed

By the virtue of the covenant of the air

That is connected to the covenant of the wind

That the earth must breathe, I command the earth to bend to my will"

The witch was held spellbound by the strong aura of Ade's casting and she couldn't explain what happened next. The only thing that the witch noticed were 4 stone pillars forcing their way out of the ground about her, 3 feet away from each other making a perfect square and about 12 feet high, the pillars planted her firmly to the ground nullifying all of her powers and rendering her helpless.

"How dare you do this to me," she screamed in terror, realising that she had landed herself into trouble. Then she studied her entrapment more carefully hoping to find a weakness to aid in her escape "this is impossible, you don't have the covenant of the earth"

Ade grinned maliciously, she's right, he didn't have the covenant of the earth, yet he can manipulate it

"Covenant migration" Ade whispered to the witch, "the ability to move from one covenant to another by the virtue of the interrelationship that exists among all the different covenants, for instance"

"The trees to drink water

Water evaporates into the air

The air becomes rain and the wind

Without the air thunder and lightning will not exist

Lightning creates fire

The earth drinks the rain and breathes the air

The animals feed on the grasses

The grass feed on the sunlight

The earth produces iron

Iron harnesses lightning, and so on"

"All covenants are interrelated and will forever be connected, it is the legacy of the hunters who mastered this art and passed it on to the next generation until finally, they taught it to the warriors of Oduduwa" Ade continued, "You have come to this village to turn everything to dust; now you are the one who will become dust" 3 bright lights appeared above the Igbo-ẹso, at first they seemed harmless, but then they began to increase in brightness and intensity, the heat became unbearable, the witch suddenly realised that the only person feeling the effects of the light was her person.

"You bastard!" Igbo-eso shouted "this is a divine chant; how can a mere hunter possess this kind of power"

"A secret you will never learn, to the dust" Ade chanted

The lights suddenly began to concentrate all their bright radiance at the exact spot that Igbo-ẹso stood threatening to incinerate her into nothing, Igbo-eso felt every nerve in her body tingle in fear "so this is how I meet my end" she thought regretfully. Ade's lips moved rapidly, it seemed like he spoke another language instead of the native Yoruba, the flow of Agbara began to increase in its intensity drying up Igbo-eso's youthful skin mercilessly. Ade felt the sigh of victory, he could smell the scent of success in the air just a few more words and the witch would be dead, the Ẹbora banished and everything would be returned to normal. He felt the blade pierce him in the back, he saw the sword sprout from his ribs, he felt the pain flush throughout his entire being "how?" He thought in sudden shock

"So close" Igbo-ẹjẹ whispered as she pressed her blade deeper into Ade's back, she smiled, the fool was so carried away by the hope of victory that he had not noticed the approach of a new enemy and he failed to recognise the warning screams of Ogunlara from afar off "it's a pity hunter, but you forget when witches hunt for vengeance we hunt in groups"

Ade groaned in reply, blood flowed from the stab wound and his mouth, he wondered what would kill him first, loss of blood or the pain?

"It's about time you got here" Igbo-ẹso grouched

Without the divine enchanter to power the divine chant, the divine chant was broken and Igbo-ẹso was set free, the force that held her completely helpless evaporated enabling her to be able to push the stone pillars aside with a great deal of her self-confidence restored

"So you think you could capture the shadow of the forest without being judged for it," Igbo-ẹso said gloatingly "the termite that wonders from one mountain to another claiming the land for itself will one day wander into the hole of a snake"

Ade couldn't respond, he couldn't even move, the blade in him might have damaged some of his vital organs. Igbo-ẹjẹ the one who had stabbed him stood uncomfortably close behind, caressing his face in mock pity. Judging from the pain and the sensation of the blade as the witch behind him moved then and again, she must have stabbed him right through his spinal cord, it must be a chanted blade and poisoned. Ade decided to count the seconds, how long will it be before his vision would go dim and he would finally join the ancestors. At least he tried, at least Adebisi was safe and at least his unborn child was safe.

"Does it hurt?" Igbo-eso inquired "it should, we intend to make you suffer and we intend to make you die in torment"

"Iya wa (our mother)" a voice sounded from afar off "it is done"

Igbo-ara emerged from the background dangling a necklace between her fingers with a smile on her face to Ade's horror. The witch threw the necklace towards Ade's feet, ensuring it landed within his line of sight that way he would be able to identify the strange ornament

"No!" Ade said too shocked to scream, the necklace belonged to Adebisi.

"That's Adebisi's necklace" Ogunlara shouted helplessly, if only Ade had someone fighting by his side, if only he had support things would have turned out differently, she thought. The only thing she can do now is watch helplessly as the witches play sport with the man she admires. All of her strength was being used to hold down the Ebora if she should break the connection the beast would be freed.

***

Ade found it difficult to hold back his tears, he struggled to speak, he would have threatened the witches but such a fit seemed impossible. How? Where was the Ifa priest when it happened, he promised to protect his wife, why?

"They're all dead" Igbo-ara mocked "I tore your pregnant wife to pieces with my very own hands right before I set your house ablaze, by the way, congratulations the child's a boy I mean was a boy by now our eldest Witch must be having a feast"

Ade cursed mentally, Igbo-ẹjẹ drew out her blade in a single swift motion causing Ade to exclaim in pain before he fell on all fours like a dog bleeding its lifeblood away, and throughout that time he never took his eyes off the necklace.

"Adebisi" he wept, to the Witches amusement "you killed her!"

Ade found it hard to accept, can she truly be dead? The only Witch that didn't rejoice with the other witches was Igbo-ojiji, she was sober, trembling within her wrapper, looking at Ade with the eyes of terror, holding back the impulse to rush towards his feet and start begging for mercy, of course, the other witches ignored her to them Ade was now as harmless as a fly.

Adebisi, Ade wept all she ever wanted was to be close to him, it was through her that he found a way to end the evils of his past, to destroy the monster that he once was a monster now finding its way easily to the surface, to rampage, to destroy

"YOU FOOLS," Ade said, and this ended their laughter with a start "by killing my wife you have released me from my bonds" Ade could feel it, his rage, his anger all coming out to the surface. Now with Adebisi gone, he no longer had the soul he needed to keep his evil in check, now he had no conscience, now he is no longer a man "you will die!" Ade shouted as his Agbara exploded in pure unchecked fury.

"Vengeance!" Ade declared as a power he had long kept hidden began to expose itself to the world rejoicing in its freedom inflicting the hearts of all present with sudden fear. The wind blew erratically responding to the call of its master, smoke oozed out of Ade's wound stimulating a rapid healing process his muscles expanded, his height increased and his skin changed in colour from ebony to purple with bright yellow marks all over his magnificent muscle structure. His eyes began to glow with strong yellow light and there were no signs of his pupils, his hair also changed in colour turning white and extending in length dropping down to his shoulders and finally the most terrifying aspect of his transformation two horns sprouted from his head likened to the horns of a mighty bull.

"Roarrrrrrrrrrrr!" Ade roared unleashing huge amounts of Agbara, his transformation was now complete

"No!" Balogun Alawo exclaimed "this is not supposed to happen"

The 4 witches were completely astonished by Ade's transformation; how can a man transcend his existence to become a demon? No one could have ever imagined it. Ogunlara finally understood what the Balogun had been trying to teach her, Adebisi knew Ade's secrete and loved him despite his problem. Then that means his previous story of being mad was just a lie, a necessary lie to get the people of Ilu-ina to accept him as an equal, but now all that effort has gone to waste, the truth has been revealed.

"Who is he that thinks that he can humble us with a power that no man can control," Igbo-eso said stubbornly thinking that she still had an advantage "no man can defeat the power of the Iroko, the Iroko is the king of all trees and I am ..."

In a motion so swift and so sudden Igbo-eso found herself dead, she didn't even see him move, he simply appeared in front of her with his right claw coiled about her heart, she didn't even feel the pain of his right hand penetrate her until he ripped her heart roughly out of her, as she fell to her death she heard him speaking in her head as though he was speaking to her consciousness.

"THE LION SLEPT UNDER THE TREE AT NOON, THEN THE FIELD MOUSE JUMPED AND PLAYED ON THE LIONS MANE, NOW THE LION HAS AWOKEN, WHAT WILL THE FIELD MOUSE DO"

Before she could muster her voice to reply her eyes closed in death, never to be opened again. "So," she thought "this is my journey of no return, how pitiful". The Ẹbora vanished the moment Igbo-ẹso died, according to a secret law, summoned beings remain in the mortal plane for as long as the summoner lives and once the summoner dies the beast returns to the nether region from where it was summoned, the only thing left in memory of the descendant of the fire deity was a pool of molten laver where it was once bounded

"YOU," Ade said to Igbo-ẹjẹ "ATTACKED ME IN THE BACK NOW IT IS YOUR TURN TO DIE"

The same chant he had once used on Igbo-ẹso was now being used on Igbo-ẹjẹ the earth raised 4 pillars about her 4 light shined above her to form a triangle and within an instant, the light radiated brightly, the heat burned furiously Igbo-eje screamed once and then no more everything became nothing but dust.

"Jo! Jowo!!" Please "saanu mi!" (Have mercy on me) Igbo-ara begged

"YOU! KILLED MY HEART, MY WIFE AND MY CHILD, YOUR CRIME IS UNFORGIVABLE, and YET YOU BEG FOR MERCY" Ade said telepathically in anger "YOU GAIN JOY FROM THE DEATH OF OTHERS, YOU FEAST ON THE CHILDREN OF THE INNOCENT AND YOU LAUGH AT THOSE WHO ARE WEAK, NO! NO MERCY FOR YOU. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO PERISH! PERISH!!"

If Ade had allowed her to continue her pleading, Igbo-ara would have begged for her life promising to do anything, but Ade had plans of his own the only thing that governed his thoughts was his unquenchable thirst for vengeance. Words will never stay his anger; Igbo-ẹjẹ trembled in absolute fear with tears streaming down her eyes "what is he going to do to me?"

"NOW SUFFER A THOUSAND YEARS OF PAIN WITHIN A MOMENT" Ade declared

Suddenly the ground opened and the aroma of sulphur steamed from the crack in the ground, the essence felt like the agonising presence of a million people going through an endless time of torment. Igbo-ara screamed, despite being held spellbound and mute then she looked at Ade's monstrous face with pleading eyes, begging, hoping, and wishing to no avail. The smoke wrapped itself about Igbo-ara and lifted her gently off the ground above the opening. What happened next would remain planted in Igbo-ojiji's memory for all time, tiny blood worms emerged from the crack in the ground and rapidly swarmed the helpless witch's body, consuming everything they touched, her clothes, her flesh even her bones were devoured. Igbo-ojiji was present and witnessed everything at close range, she watched her sister groan pain as the worms consumed her flesh, she saw the horrific look on Ara's face as the worms forced their way into her body through her mouth, her eyes and other openings in the body. By the time it was over there was nothing left of Igbo-ara it's as though she had just vanished from existence, the worms that had devoured her returned to the crack in the earth, which in turn sealed itself up leaving no trace or sign that a doorway to the realm of torment had once existed in that very spot it simply looked the way it was before the crack had appeared.

Ade stood silently, his monstrous face still distorted from his rage, the battle had finally ended all the chiefs of the village looked at him with wonder. Ade noticed nobody, he only felt one sensation and that was the sensation of blood lust, slaying the witches that had done so much damage to his village wasn't enough. He needs to strike them at their core, he needs to strike hard and if he strikes well he need not strike again. He then looked at the necklace again, he gazed at his wife's memorial, the treasure that glittered in his clawed hand "Bisi" he whispered, raising his horned head to look towards the outskirts of the village where his hut was located. Then he began to walk towards his home, Igbo-ojiji stood on the footpath leading towards Ade's house so one could imagine the horror in her face the moment the demon laid its eyes on her, she trembled uncontrollably and even urinated in fear. Ade walked past the witch without even noticing her existence; his only goal was to see his wife.

Every single member of the village looked at Ade speechlessly as he advanced towards his home or rather to where it once stood, his acidic tears burned upon his blue flesh sizzling as they rolled down his cheeks. It took him 10 minutes to walk towards his house, he found it in a state of ruin, hoping against hope Ade furiously dug into the debris hoping that she was still alive only to find her corpse. The chaos of emotions that washed through Ade's soul would never be measured, he roared in pain. Then Ade took his wife's body to the village burial ground and started to dig the grave away from the prying eyes of all the other villagers, of course, the Balogun advised the elders to leave Ade alone for a while to grieve the death of his wife

All the elders of the village watched as Ade walked towards his hut, for fear of what Ade would do with his present state of mind, not one of the elders dared to question him. This was the man they had come to love as a friend and a brother, ever since his acceptance as a member of the village, they had never seen him raise his voice in anger, he never spoke evil against anyone, is this that same man? Is this the same hunter?

The Balogun ordered the chiefs to leave Ade alone and return to the village while he and Ogunlara would wait behind to see what would happen next, to see if Ade the hunter could still be saved

"Elders" Balogun Alawo called "search the village, if I'm not mistaken the witches must have left something important behind"

"This is true" the Akogun agreed "when an elephant passes it leaves its footprints behind"

With the elders gone as reluctant as it seems Ade was given the privacy, he needed to bury his wife. Ogunlara observed how Ade dug the grave or rather split the earth opened with a simple chant, placed Adebisi's body inside the hole, covered the hole with a massive stone chanting into it to change its nature into that of crystals then he used the crystal stone to cover the grave.

"GOOD BUY MY BELOVETH"

The atmosphere suddenly changed and a familiar aura filled the environment, an aura that Ogunlara immediately recognised. "A summoning chant"

"Ogunlara quick the counter chant they're calling him" the Balogun shouted, already gathering his power to nullify the summoning chant. it was too late, Ade heard the call and happily answered, and there is no doubt in the hearts of both the Balogun and Ogunlara why he willingly answered.

"Ade! Come back," Ogunlara screamed

"Let him go," the Balogun commanded "the pain is too much for him to bear; only God can heal him now"

"So what do we do now?" Ogunlara inquired

"We join the other chiefs in looking for the missing stone" Balogun Alawo replied

Under the leadership of the Akogun, every warrior was put to work while some were out thoroughly sweeping the combat sight others were busy searching for those who have been wounded during the cause of the battle. That was how they were able to find the missing stone; it stood clearly in the centre of the now cooling magma pool glowing in crimson red with the ancient writings of Oduduwa inscribed on it. The Akogun immediately ordered the stone off to the shrine of Ifa where it belonged. Finally, the quest for the stones was over, but, at what cost.