Phew! Phew!
Thick, poisonous arrows flew from all directions—targeting one person: Jhuni.
Without stopping to breathe, he ran as fast as he could.
"Arghhh!" he cried out as one arrow grazed his arm. He quickly ducked behind a tree, panting. In a low, shaky voice, he whispered:
"I've never accepted your existence in my life, God. But if you're truly almighty… please help me. Please help me escape from this forest, and I promise—I'll acknowledge your presence in my life. Please…"
—
Inside the hut, where Aiko and Jhuni's mother were hiding, Aiko whispered through her tears:
"Father Lord… I've failed. As a daughter, and as a mother to Ruth. I have only one request. Please protect Jhuni. Hide him under your mighty wings. Please, Lord…"
She held Jhuni's mother tighter, wiping her eyes. But then, she realized something. The woman was too quiet. Too quiet.
"Nordee…? Nordee?" she called softly.
No response.
Aiko's heart dropped. Her hands trembled as she slowly pulled away. Jhuni's mother collapsed onto the bed.
Then—sheew, sheew, sheew—Aiko heard footsteps rustling through the leaves outside, approaching the hut.
Panicked, she backed away until she hit the wall. A sinister, angry laugh echoed inside the small hut, chilling her to the bone.
"Hahaha… Aiko, Aiko, Aiko…" Assey's voice was sharp, almost playful in a wicked way. "Why do you keep going against me? Aren't siblings supposed to have each other's backs? You gave the amulet to Jhuni… knowing full well I needed it. Hmm, tell me—what should I do to you now?"
He was trying to contain his thirst for blood.
But Aiko didn't cower. She stood up and walked straight to him—her brother. The one who was supposed to protect her.
"How does it feel?" she asked, voice cracking. "How does it feel to realize you're not omnipresent? If you were so smart, you'd have known I was hiding something. But no—this just proves how blind you are, Assey."
Her voice rose, full of pain.
"You'll never find Jhuni. He's covered by the blood of Jesus. Kill me if you want. At least I know I died fighting the good fight."
Tears streamed down her face. Her veins bulged from the pressure of holding it in for so long.
"I don't even recognize you anymore. I miss that thoughtful big brother I once had. Assey… we're the only ones left. Mother ran away when we were kids. Father is dead. Please… change. Let's unite. Anaya needs a father—her only blood left on earth. Please stop this…"
For a moment, something flickered in Assey's eyes. Her words almost reached him.
But then—it came.
A strange aura swept over the hut.
And then she appeared.
A woman dark beautiful aged woman in her fifties dressed in a rich blue-black kente cloth, adorned with black beads. Her presence was chilling. Her face unreadable. The kind of figure that made your soul go still.
Aiko froze in shock.
But what shook her even more was what happened next.
Assey knelt down and bowed before the woman.
"My Queen," he said.