THE MEETING.

Oduduwa stood amidst the vast grounds of the tower, gazing upon the lifeless bodies of innocent citizens sacrificed for some ominous purpose. Witnessing his workers removing the corpses of the ineffective security personnel assigned to protect the tower, his expression darkened, and anger surged within him.

"I am here," Obatala suddenly materialized, his once-handsome face now veiled in shame as he bowed, unable to meet Oduduwa's gaze.

"Obatala, how could you allow something like this to happen?" Oduduwa's question hung in the air, met with a silence from Obatala who stood clenching his hands by his sides.

Sighing, Oduduwa looked up to the sky, hands folded behind him. "I am so sorry. If only I had known that the parchment I left at my wife's place would be stolen, and that my security team would prove useless, I would have..."

Obatala fell into a contemplative silence, and the anger Oduuwa harbored began to wane as he observed his older brother's apparent helplessness. In truth, he recognized that blame extended to all of them; a collective neglect of their duties had allowed this unprecedented event to unfold.

Placing a comforting hand on Obatala's shoulder, Oduduwa offered a reassuring smile. "Let it be. The damage has been done; we are all at fault."

Obatala nodded, but his spirits remained low. "Call the other gods for a meeting. We need to discuss this."

Meanwhile, Ohi slowly opened his eyes to a blurry scene, the shape of a person's head gradually coming into focus—Musa, exceptionally handsome, was looking down at him. The excitement of Prince and Philip surrounded him with a barrage of questions, exacerbating his already throbbing headache.

"Guys, please stop. My head hurts," Ohi pleaded, holding his head.

Apologetic, Prince explained, "Sorry, you scared us last night. We didn't know that you were also possessed by a jinn."

Ohi furrowed his brows, taken aback by Prince's revelation. Musa continued, "Last night, people with jinn were going crazy, some injuring themselves badly."

As the shock settled in, Musa added, "That's not all. There's a river behind the school, and it's completely frozen now."

"Many students were playing on it until the teachers banned them from playing on the frozen river," Prince chimed in, revealing more surprising details to Ohi.

As Ohi contemplated the reality of the previous night not being a dream, he learned about an upcoming assembly. Ohinoyi simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"Excuse me, I have to check on the patient," announced the male nurse. The trio informed him that they would be waiting outside before leaving the ward, which housed thirteen beds occupied by students seriously injured during the chaotic events.

Suddenly, Ohi was startled by the male nurse, revealed to be none other than Eshu. His Dada bounced on his head as Eshu approached and sat on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Eshu inquired, his expression seemingly impassive.

"I saw what happened last night," he continued, noting Ohi's surprise. "I'm telling you that seeing events like that is one of the abilities a guardian possesses."

Ohi blinked in astonishment. Eshu pressed further, "What do they look like?"

Describing the figures, Ohi mentioned, "Well, that weird dude that tried to kill me was there, a huge man, and two ladies with him." Eshu pondered the information.

Before he could respond, more students and medical staff, including Musa, Philip, and Prince, entered the ward, shifting the focus of the conversation.

left the ward. Ohi was discharged, and as they walked down the hall toward their hostel, a sizable guy collided with Prince, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Ohi extended a hand to help Prince up, but the guy persisted in trying to bump into them. Frustrated, Ohi confronted him.

"Hey! Are you blind or what?" Ohi glared, but Musa cautioned, "Ohi, he's a senior. We cannot offend him."

"He's no senior. He's a new SS1 student like us," Ohi asserted, surprising the others.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the wuss called Ohinoyi. I had you fainted last night just because of a little cold," the guy sneered.

"The cold that freezes all the lakes in Ilorin isn't a little cold," Prince retorted, earning a glare from the guy. Prince stepped back nervously, prompting laughter from the aggressor.

"A wimp is always surrounded by wimps," the guy mocked.

"Says a guy who lost to me in a one-on-one match. It makes me wonder who among the two of us is a wimp," Ohi retorted defiantly.

The guy approached, fists clenched, causing concern for Musa and Philip. Seniors intervened, asking what was going on.

"Ohi is the gangster senior from last night," the guy declared.

The senior, who had a previous clash with Ohi, overheard and remarked, "I'm glad you remember because you guys still owe me your butts and I am not a ganster."

Ohi and the others suspiciously looked at him and the seniors beside him quickly moved away from him.

but before he could explain the bell rang, dispersing the crowd.

"What's that oversized guy's problem with you?" Philip asked.

"His name is Ochena. He was vying for the same position as me. We played one-on-one, and I beat him." Ohi explained.

Understanding, Philip said, "Ooh, I get it now."

"Let's go change into our uniform. We don't want to be late for our first assembly," Ohi suggested, and they hurried to their room.

In the divine realm, in a white, well-decorated room with a huge carved table, the gods convened, each emanating a unique aura with different colors.

"Welcome to all gods from close and faraway lands. I, Oduduwa, invited you all because of the recent mishap that has befallen humans," Oduduwa addressed the divine assembly.

Ala, the goddess of fertility, inquired, "Thank you for welcoming us, but why do we need to be here for that?"

"Last night, some unknown people broke into the tower and released all the evil creatures we locked away," Oduduwa informed them, while ignoring her question.

Surprised murmurs rippled through the assembly, as many gods and goddesses had already sensed the disturbance.

"How did such a thing happen? If I remember correctly, you gave the responsibility of tower protection to your older brother Obatala," Kurnayel, the god of cattle, questioned.

Obatala tightened his grip on his chair, a visible reaction to Kurnayel's words.

"He is also in charge of safekeeping the parchment, which fell into the hands of the unknowns," Olukun, the ocean goddess, added while fixing her gaze directly on Obatala.

Oduduwa, irritated by the blame game, asserted, "I do not remember inviting you all to play the blame game!" Silence fell as they looked down, acknowledging his authority.

"I invited all of you to figure out how to protect the humans from the calamity that is about to befall them," Oduduwa declared.

Ogun, the god of iron, challenged, "I mean no disrespect, Oduduwa, but I will not protect the humans, for they have forgotten us."

"They have a new guardian now. He should protect them," Ikenga, the god of strength and war, suggested, gaining agreement from others.

Shango chimed in, "I will protect only my believer," wearing a smug expression.

"Me too. It won't be easy since my followers outnumber someone else's," Amadioha added, a clear jab at another deity.

Veins surfaced on Shango's forehead. "Some people are jealous because I am the true god of lightning and thunder, while someone is a fake."

Amadioha stood abruptly. "Here they go again," Yemoja commented, yawning.

"How about a match to see who is the strongest?" Amadioha proposed, and Shango accepted. Lightning covered Shango's eyes.

"Let's do this!"

Ohinoyi and his friends rushed towards the assembly ground, the searing rays of sunlight bearing down on them as they traversed the vast compound.

"Run faster, Prince! You're too slow," Philip urged, but he noticed Prince wasn't running, instead, he was gazing up at the sky.

"Prince, what are you—"

A deafening clap of thunder interrupted Philip, prompting him to also look skyward. All the students and teachers assembled on the ground joined in, observing the once-blue sky now transformed into a foreboding peach-black hue.

The thunderous roars and bright flashes of lightning unsettled the younger students and sent shivers through the older ones. Ohi, too, stood in shock, his gaze fixed on the colossal bolts of lightning illuminating the entire school.

"What is happening to Ilorin?" Philip's fearful question echoed, and Ohi remained rooted in fear, staring up at the ominous sky.