THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

Immediately after Kiwakaazi defeated Aran, he felt so exhausted he almost collapsed. His body felt heavy that he could not control it. Slowly, he was falling. Drained of energy he let go — he might injure himself but that was okay. He had fought hard. He hard fought long. He needed to rest. Suddenly he heard a voice — a voice he has come to admire and love. It was Kaki’s voice. Seeing Kiwakaazi falling, she rushed and supported her falling ally with her back. It was neither furry nor hairy. It felt soft and warm. She turned and advised, “Relax Kay, I have got you.” Kiwakaazi closed his eyes and while breathing loudly, he smiled.

The darkness was slowly dispersing. Of course, Nomposuro was pretty dark but Aran’s roar made it worse. With him temporarily trapped as a kafushii (stone mummy), the darkness scattered and a light shone for the first time in a long time in Dun-da (caves of darkness). The raging winds were also calm and the dust settled.

Elsewhere in the world, Nuumo Tsuru was weakened. He had completed two rituals. The first ritual did not require great energy but the second sucked a lot of energy from him — the ritual to put all those who have been infected by Kiwakaazi’s poison to sleep. He was lying on his bed. His niece, the virgin, who helped her uncle with the Nompogbeto (pathway to Nomposuro) ritual, was taking care of him. He suddenly started mumbling, “The light has consumed dun-da. Praise the gods!” His niece was very worried. She feared her uncle was losing his mind — palpably the effects of his high fever.

Inside Nomposuro, Kiwakaazi slowly opened his eyes. First he beheld her face and closed his eyes almost instantly. But his desire to behold that face was too strong. He tried again and again until he was able to open his eyes completely. Kaki asked, “How do you feel Kay?” Kiwakaazi rose to his feet and answered, “I will survive like I always have.” Kaki smiled. “You are becoming cocky, Kay.”

Kiwakaazi picked up the kafunde on his left side and asked, “So are you coming or not?” Kaki lowered her head and answered, “I am sorry Kay. You will have to continue this journey without me.”

Kiwakaazi could not believe his ears. ‘Continue this journey without you?’ he questioned himself. How can he survive without her? He is a foreigner in the forest. He has no idea what he will be facing along the journey but he needs help — any kind of help. “What do you mean by that?” he questioned.

Many nompo days and nompo nights ago after Kiwakaazi invaded Nomposuro he was almost killed by Kaki. Later she saved him and guided his recovery. She later asked why Kiwakaazi had come to Nomposuro. He rightly explained how he had been framed and wrongfully banished to Nomposuro for a crime he did not commit — the poisoning of the people of Nibooman and its Quaazi (Emperor). And how he has fifteen days to find the guanvi and return it to Nibooman. Hopefully, the healing properties of the guanvibushi can be used to save the people he has been accused of poisoning. Perhaps after that, he can find out who framed him. He will clear his family’s name and save himself.

Kaki believed him and explained that the plant he sought can be found in Nomposomu (home of the gods). To get to Numposomu, Kiwakaazi would have to pass through the homes of all the kranju. First, he will have to cross the buduga (serpent’s bridge) that separated the shinkos from the nhutus and enter Nhutudan (elemental forest). Then he would have to cross the next bridge that linked the Nhutudan to Adopedan (nature’s beautiful forest). By the time he crosses the next bridge, he would have arrived in Nomposomu, home of the gods. This is where the guanvibushi grows. This was, in brief, Kiwakaazi’s trajectory. Now comes the reason why Kaki cannot follow him on his journey.

Each class of kranju lived independent of the others and to prevent any form of association among kranju of different classes, the bridges had been erected. Crossing the bridge will not just turn a kranju into stone but will destroy that kranju completely. How completely? No kranju knew because no kranju ever tried it. But that was what they all expected. That was why Kaki could tag along no more. At the foot of the first bridge, she has to say goodbye to Kiwakaazi.

Kiwakaazi explained, “I was banished into this forest to locate the guanvibushi (the plant of eternal health), but since my encounter with you, Kaki, I have wondered if perhaps I was sent here by fate. Fate did not bring me into Nomposuro for the guanvi. Fate did not bring here to become a hero — the vanquisher of Nomposuro. Fate brought me here to meet you — to help you. I want to behold your complete beauty and I have realized I cannot do it without you. I need your help, Kaki.”

Kaki just sat there frozen. His words hit a nerve. His words have stirred up something deep inside her heart; something frightening. She wanted to hug him but she felt too proud to do it. She believed him and she always will. She thought, ‘A human wants to help a shinko….’ She blinked.

 “There is a way!” Kaki exclaimed. “Kranjus cannot cross the bridge but humans can. If a kranju can turn into human, then it might have a chance of crossing the bridge.” Kiwakaazi hinted, “You are half beast now and I don’t suppose it will work.” Kaki explained, “There is a way to change from beast to human — a complete human. Before we fought Aran, he explained how to change from shinko to human.” Kiwakaazi said, “I don’t know. What if it does not work?” Kaki answered, “We will not know unless we try, Kay.”

 ‘She genuinely wants to help me,’ thought Kiwakaazi with a smile. He was looking at her and even nodded while she continued to explain but he heard not a word she said. He was simply admiring her beautiful face; the way she smiled when she talked about something passionately; the mustache she appeared to have and the few grey hairs in her hair; her beautiful and sparkling white teeth that seemed to be blinding him every time she smiled. Everything about her was beautiful and he just can’t get enough of her beauty.

“If I can sit quietly, I am sure I will come into contact with my fear,” were the only words he heard. Kiwakaazi then said, “Fine, you deal with your fear and I will deal with the budu (water serpent). Hopefully we will both resolve our issues just in time to cross the bridge together. By the way, what do you know about the budu?”

“The budu (water serpent or serpent guardian of the bridges) protects the bridges,” responded Kaki. “The Sibudu is the first of three budus you must slay before crossing each bridge. It is blue in color like the river it lives in. Unlike the others, it has a single head. It can interchange the positions of its head and tail. This is vital to its survival because the budu only dies after its head has been cut off, and, not at any point other than through the golden ring around its neck. Damaging its body, heart, lungs and spleen will not kill it. You definitely have to separate its head from its body. Its head turning into its tail and vice versa is one way of making it impossible for an opponent to end the budu. And there is one more thing. You must avoid being hit by one of the blue slimy things it shoots from its mouth; it induces paralysis.”

Kiwakaazi got up with his sword. He turned his back to Kaki and said, “Thank you for everything. I would have been dead without you. Deal with your fears and I will deal with the sibudu. This time, I swear I won’t need your help!”