THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

Even before Zakaru’s message was delivered to the villages of the Saharaifa (Saharan Civilization), his name was being mentioned everywhere. His name was being mentioned because everyone feared he may become the next threat the world would have to deal with. He had defeated the Wosu of Dagbaala and now commands the combined armies of the Wosu and Gondwa. How can such a man be stopped? It is said he does not bleed. He cannot be cut. No weapon forged by man can harm him. He was Sidiata (the immortal).

 When his message finally arrived, the chiefs and their so called strong men were rattled. The question that was being asked was, “How do we stop him?” “In numbers!” was the answer. This was first demonstrated by the Akantis, the Gamas and the Wontoses whom united their armies. All these villages were somewhere between the north and center of the continent. They were defeated but at least slowed down Zakaru’s movement considerably. Their unity sparked the formation of Kingdoms. The fact that they were able to slow down the movement of the immortal also gave villages enough time to put their differences aside and unite their armies. Still a leader was needed and instead of simply joining forces, the formation of kingdoms began across the Saharaifa.

The villages that were centrally placed in the world at the time quickly united into three small Kingdoms; Hanfusu (land of brave men); Akoman (Kingdom united by a man called Ako) and Gamufie (land of corn growers). Zakaru defeated the Hanfus, the army of Akoman and the people of Gamufie but settled in Hanfusu. He was now ready to start his work. He renamed Hanfusu as Zaagai (the great city of the Zaas). Zaagai was where he settled. His plan was to build and lead an army that will travel near and far conquering every village or kingdom that will not accept his leadership and his view – a world of equality. While his army was being prepared, he stopped fighting.

The fall of Hanfusu, Akoman and Gamufie almost broke the alliances between the villages. It was futile. There was no way Zakaru could be stopped. Rumors about who he was started spreading. Some said he was a giant whom wielded a huge sword. With one swing of his sword a thousand men could be slain. Some said he was a beast that fed on the flesh, blood and bones of humans. Some even called him the first son of the god of war sent to punish mankind for his sinful ways. And then there were a few whom still believed that life begets death. All things born must eventually die. It was a cosmic law that can never be broken. It was a law that was a respecter of nobody.

Zeiba was Zakaru’s older brother. He loved his father and he knew his father loved him. That was why Zimbaru personally trained Zeiba and nurtured him to take his place when the time comes. Zeiba was probably the strongest man in Gondwa. However, during that period when he was injured, Zakaru challenged and killed Zimbaru. Zeiba’s beloved father and without a worthy challenger, Zakaru became Gondanwura. Zeiba was incensed and sought ways to end this so called immortal. He consulted an oracle and it was revealed to him in the form of a riddle: “The one who came into the world looking for love shall only leave it when he is betrayed by it.” Zeiba initially did not understand until he introduced Zakaru to the beautiful Princess Ayofemi.

Princess Ayofemi was the only daughter of Chief Ayigbeni who was very instrumental in uniting the villages that formed Hanfusu. He was therefore the leader of the armies of Hanfusu and also the first King of that Kingdom. Prior to the war between Hanfusu and Zakaru’s army, the immortal had a dream. In his dream, he saw many people standing around him while he lay on a bed. He looked dead and the people around him were all shedding tears. Of course he was not a believer of dreams and quickly ignored it. But to be cautious, he commanded his army not to spare any man or woman in that kingdom. Many of the Hanfus fled but the majority was slaughtered during the war. However, one very beautiful princess was saved by Zeiba. He was spelled by her beauty and decided to take her as wife.

Word reached Zakaru about his older brother Zeiba’s disregard for his orders. Zakaru therefore called his brother to answer why he decided to save a woman after he, Zakaru, had ordered that no man, woman or even child be spared. Zeiba knew how serious his brother was about cleansing the world of the so called strong. He really didn’t understand why Zakaru was so serious about it and he did not care for his dream either. But somehow he went with Princess Ayofemi. When they arrived, Zakaru was sitting on his lion skin. He had crossed his leg and facing the window behind him.

“Great Ruler of Worlds! May your rule be long,” greeted Zeiba. He was kneeling behind the great King Zakaru. Zakaru did not like his brother but tolerated him. “Why did you decide to disobey my commandment? Were you not the man whom once said that you are my humble servant and will do anything I command? So what is this I am hearing about you sparing the life of a Hanfu Princess? Explain everything to me my dearest brother,” inquired Zakaru.

Zeiba did not lift his head for even a second. Still kneeling behind his brother, he said, “Please forgive me, Supreme Ruler of the world. Your orders are like commandments from the gods themselves. I wanted to kill this Princess but when I saw her, something about her convinced me that she would be the ideal wife we all want for you. I know how determined you are. But I sometimes wonder if my only brother is at peace. I know our relationship has been rocky from the very start. I know I am not someone you can open up to. But maybe a wife can help ease your troubled mind. So before you make your decision, just take a look at her. Whatever you decide after that will be accepted by your poor servant.”

Zakaru may move around carrying a suspicious looking sword. He may be strong and an immortal but one thing he was not, was inconsiderate. A few of the men he trusts and keeps as friends together with some of the aged people he respects as elders have tried to settle down the Supreme Ruler but Zakaru was too focused on his task. Wife or wives and children were all unnecessary distractions. But the way his brother talked and the deep care he felt his brother had for him softened his mind and heart on the subject. “He did not want to punish his brother so he will take a look at this girl and gently turn her away for the sake of his brother,” he thought. He turned to face this princess who will steal his heart and calm his mind.

A guard opened the door and Princess Ayofemi entered. Zakaru at first tried to avoid looking at her in the eyes. So first, he kept his attention on her feet. She wore no slippers and had small dainty feet characteristic of most women. She took her steps carefully towards the ruler. Slowly Zakaru was raising his eyes and saw her beautiful legs. His blood boiled and he was tempted. He wanted to see more and saw her hips swinging from left to right as if she was walking to a particular sound. Before he could see her flat stomach and her bellybutton, the girl was kneeling in front of Gondanwura Zakaru. She was wearing a rather unusual smile and looked at Zakaru straight in the eyes. Zakaru was in some real trouble now because he could not stop himself from looking. He was now under her spell.

The second dwarf said, “I have fought a few men since Nomposuro came into existence but no one has ever shown interest in my art. So I will answer your questions. My name is Kuntu (second dwarf). I am the King of insects and I love insects. Why did I choose to use a circle? It is quite simple. Many phenomena in the universe are circular if you think about it carefully. The sun sometimes appears circular. The moon on a full moon night is circular. The planets are also circular. In a circle the electrons move around the nucleus and this is the same way the planets move around the sun. Maybe not a perfect circle but it still is circular in nature. Time also moves in a circle. To me, a circle represents eternity. Each point along a circle could be considered a starting point. Wherever you are in life is never an end but just a beginning. That is how I understand life. That is why I decided to represent my beloved insects on a circular platform. So that no matter what, I know that they live on forever. But that is not all…”

Kuntu pointed at one brick. This particular brick had a bee drawn on it. The earth began to shake once again. A loud buzzing sound was heard. The brick shifted and opened to let free many bees; large sized bees. The dwarf added, “…so if ignorant human beings like the two of you enter the circle of eternity to disturb my work or my sleep, my insects will come out and devour you. Ha! Ha! Ha!”

Fuogo was an entomologist from the west. When he was about nine, his teacher asked his class to bring pets to school. His mates brought dogs, cats, snakes, lizards and other animals. Shockingly, Fuogo’s pet was a spider. His teacher asked his students to show or do something that was proof of a bond between pet and master. One of his mates, a female, came with a cat and asked her cat to roll on the floor and the cat obeyed. Another student, a male, brought his dog and commanded the dog to bite the class bully. The bully escaped with his life but his shorts were bitten and chewed by the dog which almost chewed the bully’s butt off. It was now Fuogo’s turn.

His spider pet was not exactly his pet. Fuogo was goofy. He was not bright and had no friends. He was a loner. His nose was always dripping. His clothes were always rumpled and sometimes torn. His mates made fun of him and laughed at him all the time. He did not have a pet but he did not want to come to school without one. He just went out and caught an innocent spider. Unfortunately, it was a tarantula. He let out his spider and while the spider was crawling on his desk, he offered his index finger and said, “Climb on my finger Gize (apparently the name of his spider pet).” His teacher immediately warned him. It was dangerous to do that but Fuogo told everyone that there was no way his pet would bite him. The first time, the spider turned and walked in the direction opposite to Fuogo’s finger but Fuogo was persistent. He had been laughed at for way too long. This time, he was not going to be laughed at. He offered his finger over and over again until the spider had had enough. The tarantula bit Fuogo and once again he was laughed at. He promised himself that one day, he will prove to the entire world that humans can communicate with insects. I say insects because at the time, spiders were considered insects and not arachnids. He spent all his time alone studying and graduated the best student in his class and did not stop there. He graduated from Wolotso (synonymous to University) and mastered the field of insect studies. He was employed as a teacher in Wolotso where he continued his research in insect studies, particularly in the field of human-insect communication.

Emperor Selasi became interested in Fuogo’s research and personally funded it. Emperor Selasi wanted to weaponize Fuogo’s research. After five years, Fuogo could not synthesize any chemical nor could he build a machine that could make humans communicate with insects. The Emperor cut Fuogo’s funding but Fuogo could not stop himself. He relocated to the Central Empire where he secretly continued his research. Three years in Nananompofie and he was still where he started until that day when he heard Kuntu’s (the insect dwarf’s) voice. Kuntu’s proposal was the answer to his prayers.     

Deila turned into Kaki. She turned to face Kiwakaazi whom was standing next to her lost in his thoughts. Kiwakaazi was surprised that he could not make the second dwarf a friend. She shouted, “Kay…! Kay, are you listening to me?” He turned to her and said, “Sorry.” She said, “Do not try to step out of this circle. It is surrounded by some messy energy I can’t decipher. Once you step outside this circle you will die. Do you understand? Not even changing into a rahasi (guardian of hell) will save you.”

‘No! That just complicates things,’ thought Kiwakaazi. He was planning on retreating and finding a way to make Kuntu his ally. Now it was going to be impossible. He must defeat Kuntu if he plans on getting out of this circle. He dug his left finger nails into his right palm and out came the kafunde (demon mummifier). By the time the weapon was pulled out, he was a rahasi with two red marks under his eyes and a hundred golden swords dancing around him. “Let’s dance,” whispered Kiwakaazi.

Kuntu smiled; a rare occurrence for the second dwarf. He thought, “So she can see the energy barrier; interesting.” He shouted, “Attack!” The giant bees flew towards Kiwakaazi and Deila.