“Abeni, where the hell have you been? I’ve been so worried!” Uncle Ibrahim pulled her into a hug next to the main gate entrance as she watched some of the village guards whisper amongst themselves in what sounded like Derin. The familiar smell of herbs in her uncle’s green poncho grounded her.

“I know, I’m sorry!” She whined in the same langauge, already feeling at home.

Uncle Ibrahim looked her up a down, bronze bald head glistening in the light as he momentarily stroked his short beard and looked behind her. His eyes widened. “Where are your parents, are they…?”

“They…have passed,” Abeni felt tears fill her tear ducts and fall as she heard the man choke up. “I only was able to return home safely b-because…” she gestured behind herself, “of this ẹda.”

It might be a lot to take in, but she may as well rip off the band-aid now. She’d explain it as patiently as she could so they didn’t have a repeat of that guard in the graveyard an hour ago.

“Ẹ-Ẹda? Let’s forget your parents for now. An ẹda?”

“Yes. This female ẹda is not the one who hurt Iya or Baba…” Abeni sniffed, whipping her tears away. “She helped me...please trust me.”

“But Abeni…” Uncle Ibrahim sounded hesitant, but it was understandable.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but please!” She insisted. “This ẹda won’t hurt you!”

“Abeni…there’s no ẹda here,” he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

…What?

Haha! Very funny.

That couldn’t be true.

But when she swung around in his arms to look, she realised that he was right.

The female ẹda…she’s…gone. All Abeni could see was rocks where she had been.

Since when?

Why?

“Have you lost your mind?” Abeni heard her uncle ask before he turned her face his way and appraised her.

“Well…” A guard muttered to his colleague from beside them. “I did hear word of a—”

But Abeni cut them off with a lie, looking down to the ground. “I’m fine…” Even though she wasn’t.

This couldn’t be the end. It couldn’t be. Where did the female ẹda go? Abeni hadn’t heard much slithering from behind her in their last moment before they arrived here…so maybe she slipped inside the village somehow? Maybe she was waiting for Abeni somewhere? She wouldn’t just leave without saying goodbye, right? Not after everything they’d been through.

The female ẹda wouldn’t abandon her too.

Abeni wriggled out of his hold then. Dashing away from the village border and brushing the villagers who watched her run to the main plaza. Barely breaking a sweat as she soon caught a glimpse of the extravagant village hall and public calendar display. Abeni surveyed the area.

The square was illuminated by bright lighting as per usual, filled with various higher-end shops and commercial buildings like a hotel, clipped minty scents, and a huge waterfall in the middle surrounded by strolling villagers but no female ẹda. Just as Abeni looked for a nock to investigate, Uncle Ibrahim gripped her arm tight, panting as he spun her around.

Had he been chasing her?

Abeni bit her lip and placated her urge to tell him to leave with her mind manipulation ability. She couldn’t be overzealous and use it for no reason. No, that would be idiotic. She wasn’t stupid, despite the female ẹda insisting otherwise.

Speaking of the female ẹda. “Let me go,” Abeni’s eyes darted around the space, but she couldn’t see anything but gossiping eniyans, staring eniyans, eniyans. “I’m going to find her and introduce you two.”

But Uncle Ibrahim shook his head. “No, you’re not. What the fuck is wrong with you? I’m going to take you to a doctor—”

“What is going on here?” A new, deep, monotone voice asked. And just like that, the whispering stopped.

Abeni looked away from her uncle to the new person, eyes widening when she realised that this was no ordinary man as the villagers froze up at the sound of his voice. This man…was the village chief.

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Even without the memories of her parents introducing her to him as a young child, she would be able to tell from his slightly wrinkled copper complexion, heavy and layered white and gold clothing. The make-shift fabric gold crown on his crispy curly black hair and his relaxed expression as countless eniyans tended to his every need.

He reached to his left and a woman, armed with a white and gold-handled short sword on her waist, a thick white jacket and pencil skirt, handed him a cup of water. He lifted a foot off of the ground and three men wearing the same outfit but with trousers rushed off to bring a cushioned wooden chair from a nearby shop for him to sit on, all the while Uncle Ibrahim began bowing and apologising for their behaviour.

“Village chief! I had not expected to see you today,” he lowered his head, still speaking Derin over the sound of running water from the waterfall. “My sincerest apologies.”

For what? Abeni wondered.

“What is this? I desired to leave my beautiful hut filled with only the freshest of smells to visit my plaza and observe the state of things…only to spot two of my villagers arguing in the middle of the day. How disappointing. Explain yourselves.”

“I’m so sorry for disturbing the peace, chief. I was simply greeting my colleagues’ daughter who had recently gone missing.”

“Really? Is this true?” He turned to his left and the same woman with daisy skin, blonde hair and blue eyes leant into his side, whispering something to him that made the chief hum. Abeni thought that was a bit ridiculous, but she didn’t know about the world of adults. Maybe this was the way chiefs were supposed to act.

Honestly, Abeni didn’t care about all of this, anyway. She just wanted to say a proper goodbye to the female ẹda and her parents. But these people…

The village chief drunk some water before sitting down on the chair his attendants managed to bring him and got comfortable before turning to her with a smile. “Your name is Abeni, correct?”

Said girl startled at the sound of her name. How did he know it? Oh, was that what that woman told him? Was that woman some kind of information bank or something? “Yes.”

Without a second breath, Uncle Ibrahim punched Abeni on the back of her head and the pain of the blow had her mind spinning. She stumbled, struggling to regain her bearings…Ouch. Ouch!

What was wrong with him? Abeni sent a sneer in his direction. That was uncalled for! But she couldn’t hit him back, could she? This was no longer a life or death situation, she didn’t need to or want to get into a fight every time she got hurt. Her family had always been a secluded one. Her parents only let her hang out with one boy, Martin, and talk to Uncle Ibrahim, so she didn’t know how to feel.

Was this how other adults treated children? Was this normal? She didn’t know. Her parents never hit her.

“Yes, chief,” her uncle corrected her.

“Is it true you went off with your parents yesterday and came back without them?”

“Y-yes, chief,” Abeni bit her bottom lip, feeling conflicted. This was such a waste of time. She’s finally home and things were already much worse than she thought they would be. She recalled what her parents said to her the day before.

“Do you remember those times when even just a little feeling of excitement spirals until you feel like you must destroy everything in your way? That’s not just your hormones that are making your veins show. The curse influences everyone in this world. Including Uncle Ibrahim. No, especially the people in that village...”

Was the curse the reason they were all acting like this?

But their veins… weren’t pulsing.

“Hm…” the chief downed another big gulp of water, “who were her parents?”

This was just how they were.

“Tiwa and Oludemilade Tejuosho, chief,” Uncle Ibrahim answered on her behalf again in a low tone. Careful not to be overheard by the few villagers who lingered and we’re only now being shooed away by the second and third attendants.

That was the first time they got some kind of reaction from the chief. His eyes widened with intrigue, clearly the man recognised her parents’ names. “Did they pass away?”

Silence, before Uncle Ibrahim smacked Abeni on the back to get her to respond. She gritted her teeth. This wasn’t how she recalled the man to be…he never hit her when her parents were around. “Yes…chief. They p-passed away…but not before taking down an ẹda to save me…it was all my fault.”

The chief let out a breath at that, then calmly reached to his side, still holding his cup which quickly filled up with water by a fourth attendant who she now saw was holding a water jug. “Wow,” he took an additional sip, “The two of them took down one of those horrific creatures by themselves…all for the sake of protecting a single child? A girl no less. How bizarre,” he turned to his left. “Caterina. Tell me, how strange is that?”

“It is quite the oddity, chief.” The pale, blonde replied, “Out of the ten, it would usually take a group of at least five junior manipulators to take even one down. We were not aware those two were capable of a feat such as that.”

“Exactly…” The village chief turned to look down at Abeni with interest. “That is truly impressive. Though, it is rather unfortunate that the last of their true talent was used just to rescue some weak little girl with no manners…” Abeni felt a fire begin to grow in her chest at those words. “But alas, the past cannot be changed...”

No one dared to interrupt the village chief. With most of the villagers gone, Uncle Ibrahim watched with apprehension while the chief’s four attendants remained still. Ready for anything. And Abeni just…stood there, wondering if this really was the home she spent her whole life in. It already seemed so alien to her without her parents’ warm presence.

“Still…to lose such talented manipulators. Someone needs to take responsibility,” the chief continued, then smirked. “Bow down.”

Huh?

Her?

“Yes, chief,” but Uncle Ibrahim was the one who obeyed. Following the instructions and rested his knees on the ground. Eyes looking to the ground as Abeni, the chief and the attendants stared at him as sounds of the waterfall grew louder in the deafening silence.

No. Why was he bowing?

“Bow…lower.”

Don’t!

But he did. Gravel clearly grating his knees until he was told he could rise again by the chief who had a smug smile on his face as he waved them off. “Hm…good. Now, take this nuisance out of my sight.”

Uncle Ibrahim bowed standing this time, forced Abeni’s head down in a similar manner before dragging her to the doctor with a reassuring smile that was…lacking something. Something important. But she couldn’t figure out what.

[Current Total Beings In ‘Abeni’s Army’ – 1]