Chapter Eight: The Hills of Echoes

The Hills of Echoes were not what Nina expected.

From a distance, they had looked soft, rolling, almost peaceful under the twin moons.

But up close, the air changed — heavy, thick, pressing against their chests.

Every step they took, a whisper floated past their ears.

Sometimes it sounded like laughter.

Sometimes it sounded like their own voices, twisted and wrong.

Nina shivered. "This place… e dey mess with my head."

Chris nodded grimly. "Dem call am de Hills of Echoes for reason. E go test your mind before e test your body." 

They pressed forward.

The grass underfoot turned cold and brittle, crunching like broken glass.

Shadows flickered at the corners of their vision, but when they turned, nothing was there.

After a while, Nina started seeing things — flashes of her mother's face, her father's disappointed stare, the street in Accra where she grew up.

But every time she blinked, they vanished like smoke.

"Chris," she said, voice trembling, "I dey see tings."

"Hold on to reality," Chris said sharply. "No listen to de voices." 

But even Chris wasn't immune.

Out of nowhere, a voice cut through the darkness —

deep, mocking.

"Failure. Weak. You let dem die."

Chris froze mid-step.

Nina grabbed his arm. "Ignore am, Chris!" 

But Chris's eyes were wide, haunted.

He saw something Nina couldn't — a memory so painful it rooted him to the spot.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him cracked open, revealing a black abyss.

Chris staggered back.

Without thinking, Nina lunged, grabbing his shirt and pulling him hard away from the edge. 

The illusion shattered like broken glass.

The ground was whole. The whispers faded for a moment.

Chris gasped, dropping to his knees.

"Thanks," he muttered, sweat pouring down his face.

"You dey save me, I dey save you," Nina said fiercely, helping him up. "No go solo on me."

Chris gave a shaky laugh. "Deal."

They moved on, side by side. 

Deeper into the hills, the air grew colder.

Suddenly, a fork appeared in their path — two twisting trails, both vanishing into dense fog. 

On the ground between the two paths, a message had been carved into the dirt in glowing letters:

 ''Only one way leads to truth.

The other to endless sorrow.

Choose wisely."

Chris frowned. "Which way?"

The left path was dark, narrow, lined with black thorns.

The right path was wide, lined with flowers glowing softly.

Nina hesitated. "If dem wan trick us, dem go make de wrong path look sweet, eh?

Chris nodded slowly. "Sometimes de hardest road be de right one."

Without waiting, Nina grabbed Chris's hand and tugged him toward the left — the thorny, narrow path.

Thorns tore at their clothes, scratched their skin, but they pressed forward stubbornly.

Minutes dragged into hours.

Their energy drained away.

Finally, they stumbled out of the thorns into another clearing.

At the center stood a massive stone door covered in ancient symbols — the mark of the first trial.

Above the door, another message shimmered:

"Face your truest fear… or be trapped forever."

Nina's stomach twisted.

Chris turned to her. "Whatever happen, no leave me behind."

"I dey with you," she promised, gripping the amulet Mother Akua gave her tightly.

As they stepped toward the door, the world around them began to melt and shift…

Their fears were waiting.

And they had only each other to survive what was coming next.