Order of the WEB - The Countdown

“Is that so?” Esi asked with a soft chuckle. He had gotten much stronger huh? “I need to see this for myself.”

“So, are you going to tell him?” AJ turned her gaze to Esi who was looking down from the roof they stood on. She liked the view; the Red Hills truly was a beautiful place especially at night. “You know; he still might think you want to kill him, though he still sort of admires you despite that, for some weird reason. Hell, even I hated you till like two years ago.”

Esi laughed lightly, it still felt surreal to AJ, hearing Esi laugh. She obviously hadn’t known Esi as long as Nana had, but she had never thought that Esi was capable of expressing any emotion at all.

“I can’t.” Esi said casually.

“Why?”

“He needs the challenge; that’s the only way he can get stronger. You see, when I was younger, I did swear to kill him.” Esi explained casually. “He was an abomination that stained our family name. Not that it was his fault, but I thought, wipe away the abomination and the family’s honour can be restored; even if he was a well-kept secret. Which apparently he wasn’t.”

AJ knew what she meant by that; the incident at the final round of the SCT four years ago.

“When I was old enough I was sent to an Arena to train. There was this kid there; young, innocent, who wanted to train with the older kids so badly. He was a slave at the arena, and the older kids reminded him of that every single day. One day after one of my training sessions, this kid approached me – me, who was feared by everyone there, not just because of how strong I was, but by my royal blood- and said something I will never forget.” Esi chuckled; which caused AJ to just stare in shock. Did her friend have a heart after all?

“So, I was seven at that time right, and this kid was like two years old-”

“You were put in an Arena at seven?” AJ asked, completely perturbed.

“Six actually, my grandmother insisted they wait a year.” She replied.

“What the hell kind of family are you guys?!” AJ was trying to make sense of it. “Well… that explains a lot.”

“Do you want me to finish or not?”

“Go on, go on, don’t mind me.”

“So this kid comes up to me and says, ‘I am free’”.

“What?” AJ asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Same question I asked; mind you this was a slave who just walked up to me and said he was free.” Esi chuckled lightly again. “Then he replied that he meant he was free to spar with me, since no one else wanted to. I asked him whether he won’t be punished, but he replied that he was done with his chores and could do whatever he wanted, as long as he didn’t step out of the arena.”

“Wait, but how is this possible, if Nana is your brother/cousin whatever, and this kid you’re talking about is Nana, how was he a slave?” AJ paced up and down.

“Will get there. Family drama.” Esi replied. “So, I decided that why not teach him instead-”

“Aww, isn’t that cute, you did something nice-”

“I only did that because it was the tactical thing to do, not only will it be my way of thanking him, but it will help him defend himself against being bullied.” Esi quickly cut AJ off.

“Yeah, trying to be all emotionless… you are just a big softie at heart aren’t you.” AJ ducked in time to avoid a roundhouse kick. “Relax! I was just kidding… I think…”

“Anyway, so a week passed, then a month, then a year, I realised he was a very quick learner, he never stopped training, every opportunity he had he trained; he had down all the basics of the Southern Dance by the age of four, two years after I started teaching him.”

“So, what exactly went wrong?” AJ asked impatiently.

“When he was four I decided to find out more about who this kid was, because I realized I knew nothing about him. I asked around but found nothing. It was like no one knew anything about him either; even the master who was very fond of him and protected him most of the time claimed to know nothing about the kid. I couldn’t blame him, he was new to the Arena, and had started teaching there when Nana was three. So, I decided to ask the Master who headed the Arena, but he evaded all my questions. Then that night I was summoned by my mother and my grandparents- the vassal chief and his queen. They had heard of the enquiries I was making and wanted to talk about it. Apparently they knew of the fact that I had been helping a slave in the Arena train, and they didn’t mind. They just thought I had the right to know who I had taken as a disciple.”

“Oh… so that’s when you found out.”

“Yes.”

“So, what did you do?”

“It really shook my world. The kid I had been helping and had grown to- to-”

“Don’t worry… I get it, just go on.” AJ knew Esi hadn’t gotten to the point she could truly admit that she actually cared for Nana.

“That was the love child of the Aunt I was closest to. The reason why my family’s honour was stained. The person I had sworn to kill; that’s when the intensity of those words hit me; sworn to kill.” There was a long silence.

“I trained home after I found out, I didn’t step into the Arena for two years.”

“Wow, you left him for two years without a single word?” AJ stared at Esi with empathy. “That’s harsh.”

“I returned to the Arena when I was eleven; he was six by then. He had grown bigger than I remembered; at that moment, I knew I couldn’t go through with it; there was no way I could kill my Aunt’s son.” Esi however, knew that wasn’t her main reason for going back on her words. “I wanted to continue teaching him, but…”

“But what?”

“He couldn’t remember who I was.”

“What?!”

“He had somehow blocked that memory, apparently it’s a defence mechanism of sorts, to protect himself. He was just a kid when I left without a word.”

AJ knew what she meant, she had heard of people suppressing memories of experiences and entire life stages. It was normally unconscious, the minds way of protecting the person from trauma.

“So, I decided to keep my distance.”

“What changed?”

“The silly child had gotten lazy! Even though he had a good master, whom I later found out was sent by my grandparents to train him; this kid was taken his stupid time getting stronger.” She said with anger. AJ laughed out loud, surprised by Esi’s sudden expression.

“Why?” She said barely.

“I don’t know why exactly but compared to before, even though he had learnt more, his progress rate was much slower, and he didn’t train as much, I couldn’t stand it!” She spoke rapidly. “If I didn’t want to kill him then, at that moment, I wanted to. He was becoming useless.”

“So one day I approached and asked to spar-”

“Oh no… come on, he was just a kid.”

“With potential- who was throwing it away.” Esi retorted with conviction. “After breaking as much bones in his body as I could without causing major damage to him, I told him I was his elder sister, and that he’d better not forget my name.”

“That doesn’t sound so ba-”

“Then I told him I was going to kill him, and that the only way he could stop me was if he grows stronger.” Esi added.

“You psycho; you ruined his childhood.” AJ complained. There was a short moment of silence.

“To be honest I thought so too at first… but I think he’s doing just fine.” Esi said with a proud smile on her face. Something Esi rarely did; smile. “I really can’t wait to see how strong he’s gotten.”

It was barely morning as Nana climbed to the peak of the Red Hill. He had thought he was coming down with a cold the previous night, he had been sneezing all night, barely had enough shut eye (someone was probably talking about him); but he did feel much better and slightly more rested as compared to before, and his weight seemed to be returning to normal. He could feel it.

Climbing to the peak of this particular “hill” had been no joke when he first decided to challenge for the seat of King. He didn’t understand why the still called it a hill, it was even higher than some mountains in the kingdom. Worst part was how steep it was. Who thought of putting up a building up there in the first place? He looked down to see people who now almost looked like ants from where he stood slowly moving around.

He walked towards the huge hall which was the dwelling place of the Supervisors who rarely descended the Red Hill. He couldn’t picture spending the rest of his life there; he shuddered at the thought of it. He got to the huge doors that served as the entrance to the RED HALL, the doors slowly swung open on their own. He entered and walked towards the one seat at the centre of the large hall. The place was dark, and his footsteps echoed loudly. He sat down and waited, like he always did when he was summoned here. A familiar voice echoed through the room. He had grown used to the distorted voices of the Supervisors, which was meant to hide their identities. He knew better than to try finding where the voice came from.

“Nana Okai, King of the Red Hills, you have been summoned here today for two reasons. Any questions you might have must be saved till you are done being spoken to.” There was a short silence, as if to allow him to digest what he had just been told.

“The first is to commend you for your hard work as King. Being able to successfully restore the glory of the Red Hills, which shall be revealed to everyone in the starting Competition. Your current Royal Family is worthy of being likened to those of the glory days. And we do expect your Royal House to not let down the Red Hills. We do know this year’s events will be the toughest we’ve had in a while; with it being the gathering of the famed Royal Eight. And we also heard the Pure Queen is none other than Esi Bondzewaa, the winner of the First Stage of the SCT.”

“On behalf of the Royal House, I thank you for the commendation and swear to restore glory to the Red Hills, no matter the opponent.” Nana responded. Esi… she lived up to her reputation. Nana couldn’t help but feel excited. He wanted to see how strong she had gotten over the past four years.

“The second reason why you were summoned here is to let you know that your final trial has arrived.”

Nana’s eyes widened as he heard that. Finally! The final trial! He had almost forgotten completely about it in all the excitement.

“You know completing this trial will make you eligible to be under the discipleship of a Story Teller. The only thing you have to do after completing this trial is pass the Second Stage of the SCT. Then you can train as a Story Teller.”

Nana knew this better than anyone, even though he had already decided to complete all three stages of the SCT, completing the trials meant he could not only decide to skip the third stage, but also make him the top candidate for the position.

“Your trial is as follows; you will have to travel from these parts to the Ashanti Kingdom. In one of the villages there have been rumours of people having their Tumi stolen from them.”

Nana had heard of this, that there was once an Elder who could steal the Tumi of others. However, it was known to be just a myth. Apparently, it was more factual than myth.

“The last time anything like this was heard was nearly three hundred years ago, after the Kingdom had recovered from its encounter with the Order of the WEB. Your trial is to find out what exactly is happening and report back to us. You are allowed to use any means necessary to complete this trial. The duration for this trial ends when the Inter- Specialized Arena Sports Competition officially begins. If you are not on the Red Hills by this time, you would have failed the trial. Is that understood?”

“Yes. Understood.” Nana said rising from his seat, just as he was about to leave the room he was stopped.

“One more thing King.”

Ato sweated profusely as he swung his sword. A part of his training since childhood swing the sword in a form of a strike one hundred times very morning. As he grew older, the number of swings increased. When he was fifteen, he had to swing it at least nine hundred times. Now he was twenty-three, and he had lost count. The black blade which weighed more than at least a ton in its base state was his choice for this exercise.

He had only one intention to get stronger. Memories from his fight with Esi four years ago haunted him every single day. He had never been so broken in his life. In that very moment, he had realized what true power looked like. For one year after that fight he never picked up a sword. Not until the second year when news of one of the candidates from his group fighting for seat as King of the Red Hills reached his ears. In that moment he knew the only person who would do that was his former teammate. He knew he couldn’t sit around and be left behind. He knew what he had to do.

He smiled unconsciously as he thought of his two teammates. The smile on AJ’s face. Not to mention Nana had grown stronger, and looked good as king. Both teammates had become heads of their Royal Families too; he couldn’t wait to see what they were capable of now.

“Boss, what is it?” His advisor who had just entered the training area asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“For a second there it looked like you were smiling. I wanted to know what it was that was making our boss who never smiles smile like that.” His advisor said with a chuckle.

“Have you forgotten who you are speaking to?” He said staring blankly at his advisor.

“Just kidding boss… Don’t mind me.” The advisor chuckled nervously, immediately exiting the room.

Shit! He had let himself get distracted. He couldn’t afford to show weakness no matter what. He had no teammates, no friends. He just had one goal; defeat anyone who stood in his way. And with a goal like that, there was no place for childish thoughts. No. Not even his former teammates. Not even AJ.

“Have they all gathered?” Nana asked. His Royal Family followed closely behind. They tried to keep up as Nana seemed to be walking faster than usual. They couldn’t help but wonder why their King had been on edge since he returned from The Peak.

“Yes King.” Akose responded. She was itching to know what had happened, but she knew it wasn’t the right time yet. He seemed to have a lot on his mind at that moment.

“Alright then. Let’s go welcome our guests.” He said.

They all stopped on a round platform that was at the far end of one of the numerous underground passages found under the Red Hills. They could hear the loud cheers and gyama from above them. Dasebr3 seemed more nervous than he had ever been, and Dziedzorm was enjoying torturing him.

“Oh guys, one more thing?” Nana said as the platform they stood on began to rise. “The Supervisors just gave us the go ahead to remove our Adesua.”

They all just stared at him in shock, even Dziedzorm had stopped tormenting Dasebr3. Slowly smiles started appearing on their faces, one after the other.

“How long has it been since you made them put those things on us?” Dziedzorm asked after a low long whistle.

“Six… no seven months.” Nana said with a nervous chuckle. He knew they had not completely liked that particular strategy of his earlier.

“What is the Adesua you guys are talking about?” Dasebr3 asked slightly confused. He hadn’t been a part of that.

“Oh… you just wait and see kid.” Dziedzorm said cunningly. “You shall see what monsters are around you very soon.”

Every one of the Royal Family members started laughing lightly, even R.T. Nana’s training was one of the hardest things they had gone through as members of the Royal House. Outside, he was normal, likeable, even considered by some on the Red Hills to be too soft. But the moment it was time to train, he was the devil himself. Yet, being giving the Adesua was the toughest they had had to endure.

“Do you remember the first thing I told you all when I became king?” Nana asked with a smile.

“How could we forget.” Debrah commented with a scoff. Akose laughed lightly.

“I am going to kill you all one day; and the only way you can stop is to get stronger. Until then trust me to make you strong.” R.T recited.

“Oh yeah, you were so mean back then.” Enyonam recalled. Nana chuckled nervously; he remembered that day. He had gotten a little too carried away. He reminded himself of someone.

“Well, I take it back as of today.” They all stared at him in shock. “You have all grown much stronger than then, and I doubt I could live up to that promise myself.”

They had nothing to say in return, even Dziedzorm was in so much shock he had dropped his console without realizing.

“Thank you King!” They said in unison, including Dziedzorm.

They were met with loud roars and intense gyama as they appeared in the centre of the extremely large outdoor Arena where the competition was going to be held. The seats were packed. The Welcome Ceremony meant twelve days till the official start of the competitions. Eleven days for him to complete his last trial.

“Welcome all of you, to the RED HIILLS.” Nana’s voice echoed throughout the Arena. People shouted and cheered loudly in response. A familiar aura caught his attention, it was so small however, it seemed no one even noticed. He looked up to see her; with her usual bored expression. Hello sis, he thought to himself.

Esi had waited patiently to see Nana, and it had been worth it. She had let out a whiff of her aura, and he had caught it. She was impressed. He had grown; this was the kid she had met at the Arena so long ago.

In a faraway place… In a location known to no one…

He had known that someday his children shall return and cause havoc. He had expected it; after all, they were his children. He might have been impressive as a god, but he hadn’t been that good a father, and it was time to correct that once and for all.

He stopped and looked at the writer, he nodded a greeting which the writer responded to. He smiled knowingly.

“I should have known you were up to something.” He said as he walked through the hidden forest. “You this so called Millennial generation are always up to no good.”

“Well I can’t blame you; it was my fault after all. I should have been a better parent.” He went on. “Your readers probably think I’m crazy right- though they probably have figured it out by now.”

“I wish I knew what exactly it was that you were planning, but I know, I know… you hate spoilers. How boring of you. You must learn to live a little you know. I have been around for much longer than you have; so you should listen to me.” He sat on a log and sighed loudly.

“You have?” He asked with raised eyebrow. “Wait- who did you send?”

“Oh, that one… smart decision. I will be enjoying this one. I can’t wait to meet him; his father was a great person.” He added

“What do you mean “is”?” He asked confused.

“No spoilers? Really?” He gave the writer an exaggerated look. “Guess I’ll have to start weaving then. We will talk another time; I have to leave. And make sure you get well soon.”

“You’re welcome.” He waved, walking away.

To be continued…

Note from the Author

Hey guys, how are you doing? Well I’m glad you’ve made it this far and I’m glad you’ve been enjoying this series. Once again thank you for the support. Sorry this chapter wasn’t as action packed as you might have expected. Had a terrible cold and headache, so decided to avoid action scenes which can take a huge toll on me. I’m much better now though. However, I think it was a success. Gave more depth to the plot; that’s what I think at least. I did once again enjoy this chapter too, particularly the ending. It amazes me how the plot unfolds each time, I didn’t even plan that ending with the whole messing with the fourth wall stunt, it just sort of happened. And I loved it. I thank you for the love, support and everything. Please keep the comments coming, the feedback helps me bring out better content for you the readers; so please keep ‘em coming.

Yours Faithfully,

everydayGladiator(With a cold)