TRAILING SHADOWSCHAPTER 1OH MY G.o.d!
"I am Sunday. And I was sent to bring you the answer to your prayers, Bolu" The man in the shimmer of white light spoke.
He had clear, almost transparent eyes that seemed to glitter with st.u.r.dy, thick nose and lips. He had a seemingly bald head, although one could not categorically say he was bald.
His chest was bare and round about his arms with bands of light that spiraled round and round. Like a snake slithering around a tree branch.
Bolu trailed her watery eyes down to the mystery man lower torso,. He had a blue black trouser with brown leather trappings. Standing aloft, he towered above her kneeling frame at a height of 6ft.
Despite that he was the definition of beauty. Any woman would kill to have him.
And she was no exception!
Bolu shivered. She wanted to say something terribly but the pain she had been through seemed to steal the words away. All she could do was to stare open mouthedly as silent tears streamed down her face.
Bolu had been through a lot recently. She didn"t know why but her life just seemed to have a sort of affinity for problems. Often times, she"d wonder why her life turned out as it did.
No, not that she had lived anyhow and Karma was only repaying her… No
She was a goodnatured girl. Atleast, that was what the people around tagged her as. Most times, she would go out of her way to ensure that all went well with others.
Even at her detriment!
Twice or so, she"d lent her university school fees to friends who where in dire need of money. Althjough she only lent her school fees to them based on the reasonable reasons they had.
One had complained that her dad was to undergo surgery and the finally was unable to afford the surgical fees as at that time. She was on her way to pay her FUTA school fees when she heard this and instead sent the money to her friend. Knowing that it would cost her a lot.
And it did. She was not allowed to write examination and hence had a carry over. Although the friend refunded the money 3 months later.
But, A carry over was already seated on her plate. Yet, she didn"t complain or once regret her decision.
"It was the right thing to do" She"d say whenever she was called names of all sort for that lending out her school fees.
"Look, bolu, the way you are going, you are sure to fail ooh." Iyanu once told her.
"Well, do not fear failure;It is only an indication that something worthwhile has been done" She replied nonchalantly with a little smile playing across her chocolate complexioned skin.
"Are you not even worried about her future? Don"t you want to turn out to be something meaningful in life? " Iyanu retorted. Red was burning into her fair cheeks already
"Of course, why do you think I am still in school?"
"You keep on doing mother Theresa. One day, your missus do-good would do you irreversibly harm. Wise up, babe" Iyanu shouted, gesticulating wildly with her hands.
"I don"t understand you oh!" Bolu fired back. "Afterall, the bible says we should do good at all times, doesn"t it?"
"Does that mean you should make yourself a fool?" Iyanu replied with hands on her slim waist, frustrated now.
"Pastor use to say, the message of the cross of jesus is foolishness to the world, but to us who believe, it is the saving grace of G.o.d unto eternal life" Bolu replied, walking away before Iyanu went physical. Iyanu was her closest friend in the school but also was p.r.o.ne to severe anger issues.
But that was only one of the many confrontations Bolu had to deal with as she lived her life.
Often times, she was waylaid, beaten and robbed.
One time, she was even raped alongside.
But Bolu would not lay any complains. Even when she happened to know the persons behind her predicaments.
Instead, she would go to them, the next day, tell them she was aware of what they did and then say she had no grudges against them.
She was good to a fault.
But recently, Iyanu had been dragged into her missus do-good misfortunate life. Iyanu was beaten silly after they both had been waylaid one darkened evening. They lived quite a distance from the school campus in a neighbourhood that seemed to bear eternal grudges with the electricity providing company.
The hoodlums had come to them as they walked through a corner. Iyanu made to run but she held her back.
"These men need the gospel. We can preach it to them." She said.
Now, she wished she hadn"t.
She wished she could turn back the hands of the clock and made to run with Iyanu. She wished until she got tired of wishing and began a 3-day dry fast from the time, Iyanu was rushed to the hospital, after she tried to resist the hoodlums.
In a critical condition.
,This was the 3rd day of her fast already. Her room was scattered and the clothes she had on were tattered. Hair disheveled and she hadn"t been out of her room since then. Now on the 3rd day, Bolu hadn"t received any conviction in her spirit that her prayers for speedy recovery for Iyanu had been answered.
Neither was she sure if G.o.d heard her pleas to end her life"s affinity for trouble.
But she was determined to continue fasting and fasting and fasting. Even until the next week.
"If I perish, I perish" bolu had steeled up her mind.
She pulled fantically at her hair, ripped her clothing here and there like a mad woman. Throwing herself into fits as she crashed about the room. screaming at G.o.d.
G.o.d would answer her today. He must, or he better prepare to receive her soul.
Bolu squirmed around, yelling her frustrations at G.o.d, demanding answers. She wasn"t praying now. She was Demanding.
She raised herself, weakly from the ground only to crash down on all fours. Her body wouldn"t yield. Trembling, she crawled to the bed and supported her upper torso on it.
When a flash of brilliant light blinded her eyes!
The curtain fluttered wildly as an eerie yet comforting chill filled the atmosphere. Loose papers tossed about. The door that had been shut for 3 days straight suddenly opened and banged shut violently. Not that she wasn"t scared. She was.
But her body didn"t just react in anyway.
She raised her left hand weakly to shade the light that beamed from this figure.
"Ar…are you an Angel?"She mumbled inaudibly, waiving her weak fingers in the air.
The figure blinked at her as if trying make up his mind. Then it advanced towards her with stretched right hand.
"Rise,daughter of man. Your answers are here. Iyanu has recovered and the perpetrators have been taken into custody."
"Young woman, arise." The figure said now. He was standing over her now. As he did, a strange rejuvenating energy began to flow through Bolu. It was warming her entire body, soothing the various places on her body where she"d self inflicted on herself.
"Are you an angel?" Bolu asked again. She angled her head from the bed to have a better view of the towering angel over her.
The figure was hesitant for a while. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he spoke
"I am Sunday and I am simply a messenger of light."
She remembered that she had read In some Christian literature that angels were basically at a height of 6ft and were always in a shimmer of white or wore white robes.
This fellow, here, seemed too odd to be the angel she had been doctrinated to believe. That angel with the white robes with accents of Gold here and there and occasionally, a mighty golden sword at the side.
Her instincts were screaming at her to run. But she didn"t. Not that she had the strength to do so.
She ignored the voice at the back of her mind urging her to flee as she probed this "Messenger of light"
Weren"t angels messengers of light? Was G.o.d not the almighty G.o.d who dwells in light. This "angel" must definitely be telling the truth. She thought further.
"Su…sun..Sunday! But Angels don"t tell their names. " She blurted instead.
The door opened again and banged shut loudly as the eerie chill increased . Bolu could almost feel her heart beating against her ribcage.
Something was off. Definitely, she thought
Sunday did not reply.
Instead, he opened his right palm to her. The Spirals of light at his arms had begun to glow brighter than before as an angelic sort of aura filled the atmosphere.
In his hand was a little ball of light spiraling into form as it grew. Inch by inch, it increased till it covered the entire palm.
Then the palm moved for Bolu.
She tried to rise up and jump away. But instead, the fear paralyzed her. Not like she had half an ounce of energy left.
Instead, she watched as the palm made for her shoulders and rested there.
Heaving, She watched as the light ball seemed to fade into her shoulder.
No, it didn"t fade. It slowly transferred itself into her shoulder. At this, Sunday withdrew his hand and watched with satisfaction as the light ball that seemed to diffuse into Bolu began to spread.
Stretching out wisps of light like tentacles as it slowly diffused from the shoulder onto the entire body.
As the light spread through, a seemingly equivalent ball of darkness began to converge on her other shoulder that was pinned to the bed.
"Wah??.." Bolu moaned weakly as tears began to flow down afresh
"I know you have a lot of questions about all of this. But it is not to me to answer. True, Angels don"t tell their names. But the term Angels is relative" Sunday spoke with clear voice that seemed to echo around the room.
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Ýou"re..not an angel?" Bolu gasped now, feeling more energized than before. The wisps of light had grown stronger in her already as the ball of black light that had converged at her other shoulder suddenly dispersed into thina air.
Looking down at her hands, she noticed that her hands glowed and her skin suddenly became more refreshed and brighter.
"Yes, I do. Angels, don"t tell their names. That"s what pastor told me. Who are you?"Bolu asked with renewed interest.
The "messenger of light" simply shook his head.
*****************************************
Elsewhere, a man walked onwards. He had an emotionless face but his eyes shone of great aggression. All around him was a type of aura that flowed about causing pa.s.ser bys to bow their heads at him in greeting.
His arms had bands of white light spiraling on them too. He wore a white trouser with sharp accents of deep blue. On his waist were white strange beads that seemed as if they held the trouser to his waist.
Going upwards, he was also shirtless. And yet despite that, he seemed comfortable working while stroking the white streak of beard on his taut face even with the huge strange curved blade that hung from his back.
If one had just strolled by leisurely, then one would have a.s.sumed that the 6ft heavily built, bare chested and dashing handsome man simply was showing off to get the ladies.
However the reverse was the case. He was thinking.
For a moment, he shut his eyes and ground his teeth.
And then, Vanished.
Like he was never there.
"Heyyy.. 3rd prime… Eka ni 3rd prime sha(1). He can"t even wait for a brief second…"
A girl muttered breathlessly to herself as she dashed over to where 3rd prime stood from a couple of huts.
The people around who mostly had white cloth wrapped around their body alongside with white beads and spirals of light on their arms looked at the person running.
They too seemed to ooze out a cool calming aura of essence.
After finding out the commotion source, they turned and went about their businesses as if she mattered little to them. And she really did.
Afterall, she was Ninola, from a neigbhouring ilu(2) on exile. Infact, for her to still be able to move freely showed that the Orisha(3) was merciful.
Even at that, she was not worth their attention and had been allowed to roam freely between the various ilu orun(4).
"Aiiieeee…" Niniola cried and punched into the hollow of her open palm sending golden sparks of energy into several directions.. Despite the fact that she was exiled and had been away from training, Niniola had yet been able to maintain an impressive feat of power and strength.
Even to the extent of matching low level primes in power and vigor. She was feared and this was a major reason as to why her existence was ignored in all of Orun.
Except in the Orun Apaadi(5) where huge and deadly sinister creatures and demons never gave thought to who they had for breakfast.
Niniola, flung her hands backwards and lunged forward.
As she did so, her feet blurred on the ground leaving flickers of afterimages as she progressed.
"I need to be faster… I can still trace his essence but its getting faint. Need to get into range before it fades off" She thought as she sailed forward on the brown crusty ground.
Minutes later...
The trees were huge and birds of all colors fluttered about them, flooding the air with beautiful harmonies. In the midst of the trees was a huge all-white building with statues here and there lining the entrance and steel faced guards wearing white robes with crimson armor and grayed beads. The statues resembled humans in strange clothing and each and each of them, despite that they were statues, had a sort of G.o.dly aura about them.
Beneath these statues was a man walking down in though. He had a huge blade that was curved at the tip and had several markings on it. On this person"s waists were white beads that glowed and jingled as he pulled at his silver streak of hair at his chin.
As he walked, the guards bowed their heads in acknowledgement to senior official. But he did not even heed their greetings. He just kept walking.
Until, a voice rang through the air, startling him.
"Maeriussss… What have you done?... How could you do this?" Maerius looked up front and bowed slightly for a second as a strong yet familiar aura brushed about his skin.
He knew who it was.
It was The Elder. The one in charge of the entire ilu orun that they lived in.
And he had violated his orders.
"How could you send Sunday down there? I warned you not to. I forsaw this. I forsaw this…"
"But you are no diviner, Elder. How could you read into the future?" Maerius said to the old man in front of him.
This old man had a full bunch of graying beard that streaked from his Earline, growing in width and thickness down to his chin. He wore flowing white garments and held a wooden staff that he shook furiously. But a second glance at this staff would tell that this was no ordinary staff. It had markings that oozed out a faint hue of golden light.
About them, the air rustled and birds flapped their winds away in fright. A repressive aura was already spreading out from the elder as opposed to the other natural aura he had.
He was angry. And Furious.
"Don"t Mock me. As the highest ranked, I have been blessed by the Orisha themselves." The Elder warned shaking a finger at Maerius.
Maerius chuckled before tapping the shoulder of Elder. "Then you need not worry. Most blessed of the Orisha."
"Fate has sealed him already. We need to get him away from us before he taints us all."
Maerius opened his mouth.
"We need to eliminate him totally" The Elder spoke, gaining hold of his hysterical self.
"But he is your son! He came from your loins.How can you do that? You and I know that Fate is never constant." Maerius retorted.
"I will not have my son ruin my legacy. And as the elder of all Orun Emi Rere(6), It is my duty to prevent darkness from growing within us." The Elder spoke, gazing into s.p.a.ce.
"No, let me go to him. Let me bring him back. I sent him there. Let me call him back. If he refuses...." Maerius spoke solemnly with a head bowed in dejection.
"He is my son. That"s why I am taking these measures. " Elder spoke after awhile. A little slivery drop of tear dropped down from his eyes.
"It"s the right thing to do, 3rd Prime." He added. "Find him, before I do"
Just then, a bird fluttered past. It appeared to be singing a solemn note. But, in reality, it was crying.
It too up to the skies and flew on and on upwards as if trying to break through the heavens.
Then…
A flash of light shot across the sky. The light traveled down to the ground as if it was flung down hurriedly. It crashed down and then split into a visible form as if it was trying to form something solid.
THUD!!
The light hit hard against the ground. And flickered off. Despite the force with which it came down, the impact was minimal.
In its place was Niniola. She was stooping low, one hand drawn back and the other, holding a double ended spear made completely of light which was deeply rooted In the ground.
Then she rose slowly.
Tears falling off her cheeks freely, she said "No, I wont let them do this to you, Sunday… No, never." She muttered.
No more was the breathless girl trying to catch up with 3rd Prime. In her place was a "Messenger of light" in all glory clenching a light spear. Her braids and waist beads fluttered about as a soft breeze spread out from her.
In that same second, bluish metal appeared over her white gown creating an armor plate on her entire body.
*****************************************
"I already told you. There"s a lot of things you would not understand. The supernatural is mystery to humans." Sunday said amidst his shaking of his head.
"I talked to you only because of the spiritual essence you are oozing out right now. Its powerful. Even for a human."
"Spiritual essence?..." Bolu checked herself, starting with her hands.
Yes, she noticed that her body seemed brighter than ever. But that could also be as a result of her continuous exposure to bright light. What was this… messenger of light saying.
Or what did this "Messenger of light" mean?
"Yes, spiritual essence. Your aura." Sunday replied, tilting his head abit.
"I..I don"t understand." Bolu shook her head, still admiring her somewhat glowing hands. "My body is glowing. Strangely, I don"t feel any weakness or pain anywhere. Even the pain in my heart… i.. I feel brand new." Bolu added, looking up at Sunday now.
"You must be an angel. G.o.d sent me an angel… Ya.s.sssss!" Bolu eyes widened with realization as she leapt up from the ground, joyous.
"I told you, the term Angel. It"s relative. Angels are just what humans use to cla.s.sify supernatural encounters that they cannot explain." Sunday replied.
Bolu froze.
She stretched her trembling finger at her as panic shot across her face. "So, you are not an Angel?"
Bolu was heaving now. It seemed her knees were about to give way as she bent abit in a bid to stabilize them.
"No. no. no no no no… Nooooo…" Bolu screamed, backing away to the end of the room , away from Sunday."Get away from me, you devil."
Sunday"s eyes flickered for abit. The door opened again and banged shut, continuously sending cold shivers down her spine.
What had she entered into now? She could feel a force pushing at her, chipping her now regained energy continuously.
At this sight, Sunday chuckled. "Oh, I"m sorry. Didn"t mean to frighten you. I was only giving you an indication of what spiritual essence felt like." He moved towards her but she retreated.
They continued till she was backing the wall. Scared stiff, her fingers gripped at the wall, sliding over it as if searching a sort of object she could use to smash this creepy smiling… whatever
Sunday got to her now. And then, vanished.
In a blink,he was back where he started.
"Easy, Bolu. In human existence, there are higher up controlling the turn of events. The physical, your realm is controlled by the spiritual. And as you know it, even spiritual side has divisions.
There"s G.o.d and there"s him…"
"who"s him? Satan? " Bolu queried mentally
"Ever wonder why your life was chaotic earlier? It is because the forces of darkness have paid attention to the G.o.dly aura from you. That is why they have been trying to taint your aura inorder to weaken you. Your aura is scaring them. That"s why they have been fighting you in every area of you life."
"ME.., Bolu swallowed hard. How did I go to being focus for the devils?" She muttered inaudibly but he heard her.
"You know what you humans say.-No good deed is lost. Your times of helping people had built your aura to an impressive state, scaring even demons. That"s why it only logical for them to trouble you till they taint it or even take your life to have your essence to them and even put a dampener on you, like the one I just banished fro your soul. Lest just say, you are Very Important to in the spiritual. When you prayed, your aura jumped up higher, forcefully calling into the heavens and I was deployed to you. "
"Ohh…" Bolu cooed. She was seating on he ground now with her around her mouth as she ooh"ed.
"Because of you high essence, I am talking to you. I have overstepped bounds that shouldn"t be stepped and…"
"If you are not an Angel. Then, what are you?" Bolu asked again, puzzled.
Sunday did not reply. Instead, he walked to the place he originally appeared in. As he did, his body began glowing brightly.
Then he looked back.
"I am an Irunmole… a messenger of light." Sunday said before smirking at her.
He glowed brighter as a chaotic storm of light wisps flickered about in the air around him.
VHUUP!
He flashed, flickering for a bit.
Then he was no more.
It was just her.
And she still couldn"t believe her eyes•
(A/N)
Hey guys. First, I must thank you for sparing your time to read this. Each read makes me a even better author.
TRAILING SHADOWS is Yoruba themed Fantasy series that is set to blow your mind. Its Yoruba, yes. That"s because I am a Yoruba fellow from Nigeria, here in Africa.
And I am soo proud of my culture. I mean, I have read books sp.a.w.ned from Greek mythology, seen many concepts from roman myths. Even from Nors.e.m.e.n mythology. But due to western influence, thanks to colonialism, Africans seemed to have forgotten about the rich history we have on our own Awon Orisha(The G.o.ds). We have orisha like Obatala, esu, shokpona, Ogun, Sango, Iyemoja. Powerful enough to even strip Zeus of all his might.
And the interesting fact that makes Yoruba mythology so unique was that each and every G.o.d had "IRUNMOLE"(messengers of light) under them. These Irunmole were what modern religions would cla.s.sify as ANGELS.
However, if you look closely at it, you would know that the term Angel does not efficiently define who and what an Irunmole is. This Irunmoles were the go between-middle ground between Humans and Orisha.
The G.o.ds themselves were subjected to the authority of ObatalKing of the white cloth who in turn was subject to ELEDUMARE- The Almighty G.o.d.
Anyways, if you really want to enjoy this book, you must be ready to drop your religious inclination and embrace this interesting tradition for once.
I am not saying, ditch your religion. No, I am saying, Free your mind.
One would have thought that this book was Christian religion themed. Only for it to take a different path. So to avoid being confused,(this book is going to touch various religions in a way that might be controversial) please…
FREE YOUR MIND. Afterall, this is but fiction. .
Once more, thanks for reading.
Rate this chapter, please.
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Already this chapter is on 2powerstones. Your votes make me feel appreciated. Thank you. thank you. thank you. lol
(1)3rd prime is cruel . (2)City.(3)The G.o.ds. (4)City of heaven. (5)Realm of the unpure(6)realm of the pure spirits