Chapter 5: The Beast That Bends.

The ikoro drum pulsed through the air like thunder carried on bone. Obinna didn't flinch. The black feather in his hand glowed hotter now—alive, humming like a thing with memory.

The hills ahead twisted in shadow, swaying not with trees, but with presence. Each step he took away from the burnt yam fields dragged his past behind him like a funeral cloth.

The call was not just a sound—it was a command etched into his bones. His legs moved, not by choice, but by a summons deeper than instinct. He walked east, toward Anyanwu's Spine—the crooked ridgeline behind the village, where old myths said the gods descended when Nigeria still breathed fire and salt.

The climb wasn't long, but it wasn't natural.

The soil changed—soft to silvered gravel, then to stone that pulsed faintly underfoot like heartbeats. A mist gathered. In it, shapes swam: lion heads, tusks, feathers. Whispers coiled around his ears.

He didn't stop walking.

At the ridge's summit, the mist parted.

And the beast was waiting.

It was no animal. It was a story sculpted in flesh.

Its body was part leopard, part eagle, part river. Black feathers spread across its back, but fire shimmered beneath them. Its eyes were human—but ancient. One blinked slowly at him, glowing faint red. The other had no iris—only a hollow, swirling dark.

It crouched beside a monolith carved in a forgotten script. Words moved across the stone, constantly rewriting themselves in blood and starlight.

Obinna said nothing.

The beast tilted its head. "You drank it."

Its voice echoed in his chest.

"Yes."

"You saw the gates?"

"Yes."

"And which did you reach for?"

Obinna hesitated. "Fire wrapped in feathers."

The beast's feathers rustled slightly, like a wind passed through them from another world.

"Ah. You almost made the same mistake again."

Obinna frowned. "What mistake?"

It didn't answer. Instead, it lowered itself until its wings swept outward across the clearing. The heat rising from its body warped the air.

"You carry a remnant of the Obianwu bloodline. Hidden. Feared. Misunderstood." It paused. "You are not the first chosen. But you may be the last."

Obinna stepped forward, fists clenched. "What do you want from me?"

The beast's voice grew soft. "I want nothing. The gods do. The world does."

The stone behind it shifted. A rune lit up, pulsing.

"Step forward. Kneel. Be claimed or be consumed."

The moment Obinna stepped into the circle carved into the grass, the feather in his hand flared—and vanished into his skin.

The beast raised one claw, traced a line in the air.

A hole in the world tore open.

Wind screamed. A sky not belonging to Earth boiled behind the rift. From it descended a storm-wrapped chariot shaped from lightning and wood. It hovered, pulled by nothing. No beast. No magic circle. It simply existed.

The beast gestured. "This is not the only gate that heard the ikoro. Others were summoned. Others answered. You are late."

Obinna climbed into the chariot.

Before he could speak, the sky bent.

And the world changed.

The air around him cracked, tore, and turned inside out. Cities flickered beneath him. Rivers danced in reverse. Mountains moved like sleeping giants. And then—all at once—it stopped.

The chariot hovered over a suspended slab of stone, floating high above a massive jungle valley. Stone towers curved into the sky like spears stabbed into the heavens. Fireflies as large as dogs danced in the sky.

And in the center of it all, surrounded by nine glowing thrones, stood the Council of the Realms.

Seven of the thrones were already occupied.

Obinna stepped off the chariot.

The air buzzed. Eyes turned. Not all were human.

Some had no eyes—only orbs, insects, scars, or spirit masks.

One seat glowed red, waiting. As he stepped toward it, he passed a girl with chalk-white hair and metal rings around her arms. Her eyes flicked to him, measuring him like prey.

She whispered, "Obianwu, eh? Let's see if your blood burns like the old myths say."

He didn't reply.

He simply stepped onto the stone before the throne marked with the symbol of the fire-feathered realm, and as he did, the throne accepted him. It pulsed once—then folded open like a blooming flame.

The room darkened.

The gods were watching.

And the council had begun.

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Mini-Dictionary (Chapter 5)

Anyanwu's Spine – A mythic ridge outside Obinna's village where divine phenomena are rumored to occur; linked to solar and ancestral energy.

Ikoro – A massive, sacred Igbo drum used to summon the attention of gods and mortals alike.

Obianwu Bloodline – An ancient, forgotten lineage tied to fire, rebellion, and divine judgment.

Fire-Wrapped Gate – One of the Nine Gates of Power; tied to transformation, destruction, and divine fury.

Council of the Realms – A hidden meeting of Nigeria's realm-born champions, each representing a divine or mystical force, selected by different gods or powers.

The Beast – A spirit-beast guardian of thresholds; also a judge of bloodline purity and readiness.

Realm Chariot – A magical vehicle that crosses space and spirit realms simultaneously, used to summon chosen to the Council.