The young man and woman were without question Ochieng" and Apeleka severally. Since Ratong"s transformation, everything in it had changed. It had become severalfold stronger than Jade Eagle. It"s intelligence and power of its senses had also increased by leaps and bounds. Ochieng" was yet to know its importance as a companion. The beast had arrived in their clan within less than ten minutes! After that, the two were driven here by Jakony immediately they arrived in the forbidden land. The others were left behind to recuperate.Ochieng" and his girl wanted to have rest in his "simba" but noticed the commotion in his brother"s compound. They decided to come over and take a look when they heard the conversation between Oyamo and the tribe head.
"Talk of the devil".
Oyamo sighed within. He wanted to say something but was lost of words. The people present had turned to him and they wanted to hear what he was to say.
"Just give it a try, who knows, it might be a good opportunity for you." Apeleka"s melodious voice reverberated waking many who had been lost in their own thoughts.
"Alright then, I will give it a try."
Oyamo nodded and Ochieng" walked into the ring. The crowd had opened a wide path for him looking at him with mixed feelings. This young man that looked innocent on his face had saved their tribe from a serious war. They had celebrated for a long time such that when they saw him, the best they could do was look at him confusedly. He also wanted to duel with Oyamo, it was good to watch the fight first before they praised him, right?
Apeleka had found where her mother and Ochieng"s sat and sat next to them. Not all the women were cooking. In fact, most of them were outside enjoying the party. Everyone else held their chests looking at the dueling ring intently. They were yet to watch a big fight.
"How I wish this was a good opportunity for you Oyamo just like Apeleka said." Ochieng" smiled at Oyamo before waving at the latter to start. The seriousness of his voice was however apparent.
Rumble!
The rumbling of thunder was heard. The sky was filled with dark clouds once again and streaks of lightning appeared. Suddenly, a splash of a heavy lump of liquid was heard coming from the center of the ring. Everyone lifted their heads only to see a pale blue liquid flowing from Oyamo"s head towards his face and body.
"What the h.e.l.l is happening?"
Many of them started wondering. They had thought the rain was about to fall but were surprised it did not. What happened was this stunning thing. Ochieng" also noticed the bracelet was shining brightly. He knew everything that was happening was due to that bungle.
"Ordaining from heaven"s power! The ultimate ordaining realm! Ochieng" has obtained the Supernal bracelet!"
As others were buried deeply in their shock, one person was mesmerized by what he was seeing. It was none other than Mboya Ogw.a.n.g, the one who had read a few things from Anindo Ngilo"s book concerning Ordainers.
"But it was mentioned that the bracelet was only used by the very first Ordainer Mbaraka Nyika. Did it not disappear with him?" Ogw.a.n.g was still looking at the scene with widened eyes. He did not believe that the things he had read in a book he casually came across he could see in real world.
Ah!
Oyamo tried wiping the liquid off his head but was unable to. Suddenly, he felt his muscles vehemently contract. He wailed in pain and started hopping here and there like someone possessed by demons.
In normal occasions, people could have run away as fast as they could if they witnessed such a scene. Others could have run to the clan"s medicine men or any gifted person to come and help. In this case, many stayed out of curiosity. They first heard Ochieng" making a wish and barely after doing so the atmosphere changed.
Thud!
Oyamo fell on the ground writhing and groaning in pain. At the same time, his cha.s.sis was growing stronger and stronger. When he stood up after around three minutes, his entire being became different. His breathing slowed down, his physique looked powerful and his skin had become hard to an extent that no weapon could harm him. His face became more handsome and his senses became sharper. The liquid that appeared a moment ago had dissipated without trace. Feeling the flow of energy in his body, he smiled a little before turning to Ochieng" who was staring at him attentively. He wanted to thank this benefactor of his but before he even talked, the latter had spoken with a large smile on his handsome face.
"Can we have a duel now?"
"Sure." Oyamo had no choice this time round. This was also an opportunity to test his newfound strength.
Oyamo dashed at Ochieng" with great force barely after accepting the challenge. With his newfound strength, his speed was several times greater than his former speed. He had gone through an earth shuttering transformation. He reached before Ochieng" in a blink of an eye. He sent a punch at Ochieng"s chest. The latter smiled a little before sending his palm to collide with the powerful punch.
Boom!
A resounding explosion resonated in the air after the collision. This was followed by a surge of powerful airwaves that swept out in all directions like ferocious hurricane. Everyone watching was sent flying several meters away. It was fortunate that the chief"s compound was large enough such that the huts were far from the dueling ring. Otherwise, they could have turned into detritus. Their roofs were all the same blown away.
Oyamo was sent flying two hundred meters away. He fell on one of the buildings in the chief"s compound reducing it to nothingness. This was the building closest to the ring. Only Ochieng" stood his ground.
"Apeleka!"
The only person Ochieng" could think of at this moment was Apeleka. It is this time that he realized what they had really done. The sky was now clear but the ambiance was still covered with a mist of dust. A large circle with radius of almost a hundred meters was formed with him at the center. Around the circle were the people who had been watching the duel a minute ago. They were all lying unconsciously on the ground.
"What did I just do!"
He cried within. He tried making a wish but nothing happened. In the end, he tried casting some power to help them recover but was interrupted by a tuneful voice from the sky. He saw a gray bird with white wings singing cheerfully while flying across the sky. The unconscious people rose one by one in their peak conditions following the bird"s song.
When he saw everyone was up, Ochieng" heaved a long sigh of relief but barely after, he saw the bird plummeting from the sky. He ran towards it after shouting its name.
The bird was still singing even during its fall so everyone was still more or less unconscious. No one noticed what was happening. He found the bird in an unkempt condition. It"s breathing was unstable and its eyes were completely pale. It looked like it could die at any moment.
"Jakony!" The bird was of course Jakony.
"Help the people out of their trance lest they die with me."
Disregarding Ochieng" who was almost currying it away, the bird instructed weakly. Ochieng" turned only to see the people looking at the sky with large smiles. It was as if they were finding pleasure in looking up.
"Apeleka!"
Without knowing why and how, he shouted. Apeleka understood Jakony most. She also loved the bird like a sister. Maybe she could save the situation easily.
"What are you doing?" He heard the bird"s weak voice again, "I told you to wake them up, why are you shouting her name? Do you think you can save them that way? Or your love is speaking in your stead"
"How do I save them?" The young man asked in tears.
"My song is go...cough! cough!"
The bird was cut short by her coughs before spouting a mouthful of blood. Ochieng" did not know what to do. He did not want to lose Jakony neither did he want to lose the people. He did not know how to save the people but could at least try and help Jakony. After pondering for a second, he decided to save Jakony since that was the only choice he had.
"Jakony!"
His girl"s voice rung in his ears in a timely manner. Even the bird was surprised to hear that voice. It smiled a little in its vulnerable state. In a flash, the girl appeared before it and knelt just beside it. The girl"s tears started welling uncontrollably falling drop by drop on the bird that was almost dying. Ochieng" stared bewilderedly.
As the tears fell on the bird"s chest, they were miraculously absorbed confusing Ochieng" even more.
After a few seconds of Apeleka"s weeping, the bird opened its eyes with vitality. It stood and shook vigorously before staring at the two with a smile.
"Thank you Apeleka for saving my life. How did you manage to wake from the tra..."
"The people Jakony! Save them first!" Ochieng" shouted at the bird who was looking at Apeleka skeptically.
"Oh! You are too anxious Ochieng" they will be okay." It a.s.sured the young man with a frown between its brows. The bird once again sang a song and one by one everyone woke up.
"What happened?" Apeleka asked with concern.
"I have never helped more than three people at the same time before. I was forced to use too much energy making me weak."
"Then why didn"t you tell me all I needed to do was to cry?" Ochieng" asked quite indignantly.
Before the bird answered, a grumble echoed. They lifted their heads only to see a figure struggling out of the debris that was once a building in the chief"s compound not far away. The people present also turned their heads over and were astounded by what they saw.