THE LEGEND OF KIWAKAAZI

It had been more than a year since the thousand men were sent into Nomposuro and still no word. The huluwaazis (emperors) of the four great empires met once again. This time, they met in Jumapafie (The Southern Empire). Sitting around a round table, all four emperors looked glum. A gourd fruit shaped into a dumbbell sat on top of their round table and filled with the finest wine in the south. However, none of the emperors filled their calabash shaped into cups with this wine. They were disappointed. They had failed. They had sent a thousand men to their deaths in Nomposuro. What were they going to tell their families? What were they going to tell their friends and loved ones? What excuse are they going to come up with now to save their faces?

In Nomposuro and long before the huluwaazis met, Kafu’s walking stick had pierced the chest of the thirteenth shinko. The beast was shocked. It never anticipated a simple walking stick held the potential to kill and trap him inside a stone cocoon. Blind Kafu pulled out his walking stick and the thirteenth shinko’s lifeless and stone body fell down. Kaki before this had been injured by Kafu. She had been cut again by Kafu’s walking stick. This time it was across her chest. She was recovering slowly than she anticipated when the thirteenth shinko was killed. She sluggishly rose to her feet. She stood on four feet. She frowned, growled and rose to stand on two feet before she roared right into Kafu’s face.

Susinta Mabi this time saw the face of the creature that had killed her allies. She looked angry and was on the bridge for blood; the blood of the sibudu (single-headed water serpent). The serpent opened its mouth and Susinta aimed at the head. She waited for the serpent to shoot one of its slimy blue balls before she also released her arrow and jumped out of the way. Her arrow pierced through the head of the serpent and the serpent disintegrated into a billion water drops that fell like rain and back into the Gajun (Blue River). Susinta Mabi in her ignorance thought she had won. She went on her knees and cried for the comrades she had lost. She felt a presence behind her. She stopped crying. She had only three arrows left. She quickly reached for her back and drew an arrow. She planted the arrow in her bow string, turned sharply and shot at the sibudu again. Flying towards her and not with enough time to react was another blue slimy liquid.

“The most difficult thing about being a leader is accepting responsibility. Each one of us is responsible for this. We decided to do this. We sent those brave men and women to die in the forest. But it has happened and we cannot change the past. Perhaps it is time we step back and let others deal with Nomposuro. I suggest we appoint some of our wise elders to start what I call the Nomposuro Council to deal with Nomposuro. Maybe they will succeed where we have failed,” voiced Jaazi Sasu Basabasa IV.

The remaining three huluwaazis (emperors) did not have anything to say. They listened to the Jaazi’s suggestion and agreed to do exactly that. Four elders from each empire were named at that same meeting and they constituted the Nomposuro Council. Of course there was no way Nomposuro could be gotten rid of without sacrifices but their task was to do this with the barest minimum.

During the first year, the council went over the report that was submitted by the scientist, herbalist, wise man and priest who examined Nomposuro. They pondered over the message that was left by Ohuade before he died in the arms of his twin sister. They opened their eyes and ears and searched for information about Nomposuro. Their search led them to a small group of men calling themselves Ishfa Vayi (Observers of Time).

M’Poku only had one shinko to deal with — the third shinko. The third shinko was being very careful and with his very long and loud roar, M’Poku’s bullets sometimes can’t hit him. M’Poku was getting exhausted. He shot many times but the shinko quickly leapt from behind one tree to the next. The shinko strategically used the tall trees as shields from M’Poku’s bullets. He had been forced by the beast to look at his target. He moved his eyes very quickly. He stood with his arms opened; his right pistol facing his right and the left facing the left. He was ready for anything but not ready for what came.

M’Poku suddenly felt a sharp pain across his abdomen. He looked and saw blood.  He looked up again and saw a man standing in front of him. It was Arangosango. “You…,” muttered M’Poku right before he fell on his back and died. The third Shinko came out of hiding and asked “Shinko… Is that you?” Aran turned and with a voice that sounded very much like Shinko and not Aran answered, “There are other places I need to be. Take care of yourself,” and he vanished.

Kaki never thought a blind man could be that perceptive. She tried sneaking up on him. She quickly climbed a tree and landed behind Kafu but the blind man summersaulted many times and avoided her right arm attack. She hid behind the trees and pounced on Kafu but the blind man quickly turned and slapped her side with his mysterious walking stick. She lay on the ground like a cat. She did not make a sound until she was ready to attack but when she swung her right hand, he held up his walking stick to block it. She knew there was no way she could fight him. Her best chance was a sneak attack and with that not working, she wondered if she was ever going to kill the blind man. But she didn’t have to.

Kafu suddenly had a weapon Kaki could identify that was pushed through his abdomen from behind him. Kafu started to bleed from his mouth and after the weapon was withdrawn from behind him, he also fell face down and died. Kaki questioned angrily, “Why did you give your human vessel half your powers?” Aran simply answered, “You are welcome. Time to end this,” and again he vanished.

This group which were calling themselves the Ishfa Vayi shared their story with the Nomposuro Council. Their great and first leader; perhaps the greatest seer of all time had a vision. In his first vision, an evil forest will be created by Kaazi Kiwakaazi II and in his second, someone powerful enough will be born to destroy and bring an end to the forest. He called this person, Luasinwe (the chosen one). They chose to believe in their leader’s second vision and for having faith and hope in this vision, they have been persecuted and killed by their fellow brothers and sisters.

The Nomposuro Council still had many questions. Like, who would be the parents of this Luasinwe? In which empire, kingdom and village would he be born? When would he be born? Unfortunately, the Ishfa Vayi did not have answers to these questions. The second leader who would have probably unraveled the mysteries and answered these questions was killed and since he was unable to name his successor, the group lacked someone with the ability to foretell the future. They were hiding and praying a great leader will show up soon.

Aran finally showed up. He appeared behind Baba Ingida but before he could kill him, Baba Ingida turned and swung his unsheathed sword horizontally. Baba Ingida’s soldiers were dumbfounded. They were still men of little faith until they saw a man appear somewhere behind Baba Ingida. “I have been waiting for you for quite some time now,” said Baba Ingida with a smile. Aran smiled too and voiced, “Well, it seems your prayers have been answered.”

The Nomposuro Council could not just sit around and wait for the Ishfa Vayi to get a leader powerful enough to foretell the future. They had to start from somewhere. They agreed that perhaps this Luasinwe would be a great warrior — a master swordsman, a great archer; an excellent gunman and so on. So they started the first program to train the best of these people and they called it the Asrafodom (league of warriors) Program. The best warriors would be sent into the forest until it would be Luasinwe’s (The Chosen One’s) turn.

The few surviving warriors could have sworn that the very instant Baba Ingida drew his sword from his sheath, a great light shone inside Nomposuro. It was blinding and it made a long whistling sound and when he swung it diagonally from left to right, it cut everything in its path. Aran was so aroused. His desire to fight reached its maximum and the two great men begun.

Aran suddenly appeared in front of Baba Ingida and went for Baba Ingida’s head first. Baba Ingida quickly raised his amazing sword horizontally above his head and stopped Aran’s strange bone sword. And he was the first man to withstand Aran’s power. He remained on two feet and even Aran was impressed. He was impressed that there lived a man who could withstand his great power and Shinko’s combined.

It was one of the best fights to have been fought that early inside Nomposuro. The remaining few surviving shinkos even came to witness this great fight. They did not interfere. They just came to watch and perhaps in their own way cheer their leader. Aran appeared on Baba Ingida’s left. Instead of turning, Baba Ingida simply passed his sword from right to left and pointed it in that direction. Aran appeared with his sword vertically along his chest and in the path of Baba Ingida’s sword. Baba Ingida quickly lunched into a series of quick attacks with his sword in his left. He quickly passed it to his right and after a couple of attacks passed it back to his left. Aran was struggling to keep up with the speed of Baba Ingida’s sword artistry. When Baba Ingida stopped attacking, Aran’s beautiful white robe had been cut on the shoulders, arms, thighs and his chest and face were healing from cut wounds. Aran was perplexed. He stopped or dodged every single attack by Baba Ingida so how exactly did he get cut. Don’t ask me. I don’t have the slightest idea.

The humans with Baba Ingida cheered on and stopped after they saw the frowns on the faces of the few shinkos who had come to support Arangosango Shinko. I guess they understood the frown to mean, “You wait until your leader dies. You will follow him soon.”

It was now Aran’s turn to attack and excite the crowd. He attacked as quickly as Baba Ingida. However, he did not move his sword from right to left like Baba Ingida did. Aran’s sword simply remained in his right. He went diagonally from right to left and quickly from left to right. He went for Baba Ingida’s abdomen and for his neck. He went for Baba Ingida’s face and his chest. He did everything he possibly could with his sword and Baba Ingida avoided each one. Then, Aran swung his sword from right to left aiming for Baba Ingida’s neck and followed it quickly with an upper cut. There was enough power in Aran’s attack with his sword and Baba Ingida had to lower his head slightly and raise his sword to block Aran’s sword. Aran’s fist met Baba Ingida’s jaw and drew blood. Aran thought that was it. That was the moment he had been waiting for. Aran vanished and Baba Ingida pointed the tip of his sword behind him. Aran appeared seconds later again in front of Baba Ingida and looked at his chest. He was healing from another wound. It was very close. Aran almost got himself killed.

Both warriors became serious and the exchanges continued. You remember the fighting style of Aran. He would fight for a while and then suddenly disappear to attack from the right or left or from behind. But each time Baba Ingida knew where the attack would be coming from and Aran had to be very cautious. After trying this for about three times, Aran stopped and fought like he did not have the ability to change locations in a flash.

Baba Ingida was doing very well. The shinkos feared he could beat Aran and they knew they did not stand a chance against him. The humans prayed he would win because his death would spell doom for them. However, Baba Ingida was no immortal. He did tire and he also had one flaw. When he was a kid, he broke his left leg because he was show off and told some friends his kick could break a tree. He kicked the tree and broke his leg. His left leg was quite fragile and occasionally, he feels the pain. It was one of those occasions. One of those rare occasions that can make or break you.

Baba Ingida had been given an eighty percent chance by both shinkos and humans to win the fight and Aran was given a twenty percent chance. But Baba Ingida got too excited. He fought with everything he has got and forgot about his bad leg. To increase the power of his attack, he leapt off the ground, screamed and attacked Aran with great power from above. Aran’s right knee suddenly dropped to the ground. Baba Ingida landed on his left foot and he felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Aran disappeared and when he appeared behind Baba Ingida, he feared he had made a wrong choice. He thought Baba Ingida would get him that time but instead he got Baba Ingida. He drove the sikan dompesan (three edged bone sword) through Baba Ingida’s back and killed him.

Shinkos and humans were both surprised. They never saw that coming. Baba Ingida should have turned and perhaps killed Aran. However, he remained grounded where he stood and he was killed in that moment. He coughed blood and he smiled before he died. He whispered, “All my life I wanted to die at the hands of a great warrior and I have. Arangosango, the man I admired all my life killed me. This is a glorious death.”

Aran fell flat on his back. He was very exhausted. He watched while his shinkos roared, attacked and splattered the skin and blood of the few remaining humans on the white walls of Nomposuro.