CHAPTER THIRTY: REALITY

Chapter Thirty: Reality

"Naagin, wake up... wake up Naagin...is just a dream. Naagin please wake up"

I could hear Ovie's voice. He was shouting vigorously for me to wake up. I knew this was all just a nightmare, but how do I wake up.

After the black Cobra shrunk into it's normal size,it crawled into the pot leaving me in awe. After leaving me stranded in the creepy temple with a scroll in hand, I felt a feeling of lost. The temple was empty and only the statures and some fetish things that could be seen.

Still in my half snake form, Ovie's voice boomed through the whole temple. A feeling of hope overwhelmed me. I looked all over the temple in search of where Ovie's voice was coming from.

I couldn't find Ovie neither could I find were the voice was coming from.

"Ovie, I'm here" I shouted at the empty temple.

"Naagin, please wake up" Ovie voice was as if he would start crying.

I sighed in frustration. My hand tightening on the scroll. I didn't really know what to do, it was as if the silent temple was mocking me.

"Old lady Papirus, Naagin won't wake up from sleep" Ovie's voice again boomed through the empty temple.

Maybe he was calling the old lady that I couldn't wake up from sleep. Being trapped in your dream without anyway of waking up is the most terrible thing ever. I can't believe that the black Cobra left me in this creepy temple.

My eyes met the scroll in my hand.

Maybe this scroll could get me out of here. What if the black Cobra gave me this scroll for me to find a way out of my dream?

Well there was no better way to find out than to open the scroll.

I opened the scroll, throwing away the seal. Reading through the scroll, the words were written in foreign language. Maybe ancient language. I couldn't understand or comprehend it so I rolled it and put the seal back on it.

Suddenly, I vanished.

I woke up to see Ovie shaking me vigorously. Possible tears could be seen on his face. Old lady Papirus sat at the other side of the bed. Worries filled her face.

"What's happening?" I asked giving a yawn.

"You couldn't wake up. Yooou.. scareeed mme" he sniffled cleaning tears out of his eyes.

"Ahwwww. You are such a cry baby" I said sitting up.

"Hey, don't say that. I really thought you had died in your sleep or something" Ovie sniffled, slowly calming down.

The old lady just watched us . A smile crept on her face as she stood up.

"Naagin, you really did scare us. What actually happened?" The old lady pushed Ovie off the bed and sat closer to me.

Her hands trailed down my hair. I chuckled at her touch.

"Just had a bad dream that I couldn't really wake up from" the old lady nodded at my answer.

"It's already dawn,we better go prepare breakfast" the old lady smirked.

"Yeah, you are...."

"Hey! What's that?" Ovie asked pointing at something as he interrupted my speech.

"What's what?" I asked sending him a glare.

"Your hand, there is something on your hand"

Both I and the old lady's eyes went to my right hand. Consequently, the scroll that the black Cobra gave to me was held tightly on my hand. I raised it up as their eyes stared at it.

"Give it to me" Ovie said as he snatched it from my ✋ hand.

"Hey, give it back" I said threateningly as I glared at him.

Ovie seemed to be intrigued by the snake figure on the scroll. His finger romanced the golden snake head on the scroll. He smiled when I tried to take it from him but failed.

"It seems to be some snake head thing" he commented on the snake figure.

"Don't be a dummy. It's a snake seal" I shot him a dangerous smirk.

The old lady kept quiet as she watched the way I tried to take the scroll back. Her eyes not leaving the scroll. A fireball hit Ovie sending him crashing on the huge wardrobe in the room. I knew that was the old lady's fireball. She walked over to him, took the scroll from him and stared at it.

"Hijirar's prayer" she muttered which was obviously below a whisper.

"That's not fair. You used powers,it was with me. Give it back" Ovie cried as he tried to stand up.

I mocked him.

"It's mine now" the old lady said, tightening her grip on it. "At least, you guys will stop fighting for it"

She happily displayed the scroll in front of Ovie and that was my chance. I snatched the scroll from her hand and mockingly displayed it to them.

"Now it's mine" I said with mockery.

"First of all, before you start displaying it, could we check out what's in it" Ovie's menacing voice broke my era of triumph.

"You have a point there"I muttered slowly releasing the scroll.

I may have opened the scroll when I was in the temple but I didn't really understand the words. Maybe the old lady could understand it.

I took off the seal and opened the scroll. Both Ovie and the old lady peered in order to see what was inside. As expected, the words in the scroll were written in an ancient language.

"Lady Papirus, can understand the words?" I asked old lady Papirus who was quiet.

"Yes, I can. The words are written in snake language and only a snake immortal can read" the old lady crossed her arms as her thoughts seemed to drift away.

"Does that mean you can read it?" Ovie chipped in.

"Yes she can, don't be a dummy" I spat out.

"I never said I was a dummy"

"You don't need to say it, I already know that you are a dummy"

"Alright, enough with the argument" the old lady interrupted.

She walked up to the bed and sat on it. Both I and Ovie stared at her confused. Was she not going to read what was in the scroll or doesn't she know how to read it?

"Roll the scroll and go keep it somewhere safe. I will try reading it some other time besides there are things that need to be done in the morning"

I rolled the scroll, obeying the old lady. I didn't keep it somewhere, I feared Ovie was going to find it so I hid it in my dress.

The old lady left the room shortly.

"I'll take a shower" I announced to Ovie.

He came closer to me and cupped my cheeks. He chuckled at the way I looked like. Without any warning, he smashed his lips into mine. I felt bliss as he kissed me.

"Can't you go naked in front of me?"

"Don't be a pervert" I said as I slapped his hands off my face. "You haven't gone naked in front so why should I do it"

"I thought you had seen my nakedness before" he said touching his chin.

"Well I don't remember" I said as we both burst into laughter.

"I'll be outside gathering woods to make fire" he gave me a peck. "Make the best breakfast ever"

With that he left the room. I sighed as he closed the door behind. I took the scroll out of my dress.

It won't be that bad to read through it again? Right?

Taking the seal out, I opened the scroll. Just as expected, the scroll still had some foreign language. The old lady had described it as snake language. Since I'm a snake, I should be able to read it. From my comprehension, the words in this scroll should probably be HIJIRAR'S prayer. I decided to use my instincts in reading the words though I couldn't understand it.

€ Hijere €

€ rouche undras tache rubbus llo Kos tichr sdyhk yiikgsd tgdje errie undraskecha umbras ninda talk fishionshe nianta ledras lebras netion fushow €

€ Hijire €

Unknown to me,as I read through the scroll, the words on the scroll started giving a golden glow. The scroll floated from my hands. A voice started reading the rest part of the scroll and the scroll glowed even more.

A loud bang was head in the room and I had a black out.

Someone rushed to my aid helping me and also calling my name. I figured out that it should be Ovie. I felt my head was spinning and I had a serious headache. Surprisingly, the same voice that was reciting the words of the scroll was reciting it in my head. The voice kept chanting the said HIJIRAR'S prayer in my head, continuously and not stopping.

By the time my eyes shot open, I found myself lying on the ground in the empty room. I thought Ovie had rushed to my aid. I thought there was a loud bang or was it in my head.

Wow! Seriously somethings are creeping me.

I stood up but somehow I couldn't find the scroll. And to my sudden amazement, I could say Hijirar's prayer without the scroll. It was as if the words of the scroll was sealed to my brain.

Well I won't have to be worried about Ovie finding the scroll. Just have to lie to him that I lost it.

™™™

I and the old lady sat on a bench in the old lady's garden. The sweet scent of Roses filled my nose. The old lady was actually knitting a scarf for me and I was learning.

It had been two days since I learnt the Hijirar's prayer. I explained what actually happened to the old lady. She said that since I had acquired Hijirar's prayer,in the coming days, she would take me to Hijirar's temple.

I had learned that the temple I was in was Hijirar's temple. That empty temple that I met the black Cobra was Hijirar's temple.

"What are you thinking about?" Old lady Papirus snapped me back to reality.

"Not much. Just the past few days" I answered.

The old lady nodded.

"Have you told him?"

"Told who?"

"Have you told Ovie about you?"

I gave a heavy breath as she asked the question I dreaded.

"No I haven't" I looked at her face to see her reaction.

"You better tell him Naagin, he might hate you when he finds out by himself" she stopped knitting, maybe waiting for my reply.

"I will tell but I can't tell him now"

"So when will you tell?" She asked as she resumed what she was doing.

"I plan to tell him when I have activated the Jewel"

The old lady sighed at my reply.

The silence took over which I broke,

"Old lady Papirus" I called out.

"What is it, Naagin?"

"If Hijirar wanted to kill Huck and wipe out the Agbejor Community,why didn't he do by himself besides he has powers. Why did he have to send me to kill Huck and end the terror of the Agbejor Community. He could have just done it with the snap of his finger" I stated out facts as the old lady chuckled.

"It is true that Hijirar could have ended the reign of Huck and wiped out the Agbejor Community by himself. But there are rules that binds the gods" the old lady said which got me a little bit confused.

"I don't understand" I crossed my arms ready to hear something big.

"You may think that the gods live a life of lawlessness, but no. The gods follow certain rules that guide them and this rules are made by the moon goddess. If a god does not adhere to the laws of the gods, there are consequences for such actions"

The old lady paused to see if I was getting what she was explaining and she continued after.

"A long time ago, Thor the god of thunder and lightning in his rage wiped a whole nation. The moon goddess and the other gods were not happy with him. The reprimanded him for what he had done but he gave a reasonable explanation so he wasn't punished. Another time, he wiped a race of mortals. The moon goddess because of his act, made a law that no god should lay a hand on any mortal. That means the gods are not expected to use their powers on mortals and the punishment for this was to be sealed for thousands of years".

"What if there is a bad mortal like for example Huck, how will the gods pass their judgement on mortal?" I asked.

"They use other mortals in passing judgement on evil mortals just like you" the old lady gestured at me.

"I understand now".

Dark clouds started to fill the sky as rain came down from the sky.

"Naagin,we will be visiting Hijirar's temple by tomorrow, get ready". The old told me as I nodded.