Dramatis Personae

Bí: Ela of Life
Safò: Ela of Thunder
Eshú: Ela of Crossroads and Trickery
Orògùn: Ela of War
Uyògòn: Ela of the Sun and Volcanoes
Agoba: a city in Ewo-Ife, formerly Aga-Obibo
Obi: Father of the Obibo, Keeper of the Flame, formerly the Ela of Mankind
Oya: Ela of Beauty, Fire and Magic
Chukwu; Former lover of Kaya, Evil, Chaos and Trickster
Kaya: Considered to be the One True God by a lot of people
Wúgi: Local version of Vuugi. Instead of Salo his superior is Kaya.

It was dark in the jungle, it was raining in the jungle, dense forest and swamp, a hybrid between sea and surface, where no one knows where rivers begin and end and where those who leave the roads do so accepting that their fate is now in the hands of some god and not their own. It was dark in the jungle, kind of dark but too much light for nighttime, it was the twilight of the jungle, the twilight of a single moment between day and night, not more than a single moment, it always went by unnoticed and yet in the jungle the twilight lasted forever. It was raining in the jungle, sort of rain that sounds nice if you are inside and because you are in the jungle the foliage confuses you into believing you are inside, it sounds like you are, but you are drenched and there is no place to seek cover from the downpour, the overcast that falls from nowhere because there are no clouds in the jungle, the sky is dark blue with the green of the nearly impenetrable foliage and there is no sun and there are no stars.

There was dead man in the jungle. He lay on the ground, unmoving and around his old, grey body, flowers blossomed and the vines grew. His corpse still spread life but there was none left inside it. Crouched over the corpse was his nemesis, a woman with a surprisingly light and coarse skin, she was eating from his gut, a scavenger by nature she was. There was nothing to this scene, the gnawing of her teeth and chewing of the flesh was muted by the downpour and the jungle was uniform in silence. An observer would have no proof of time passing in the jungle behind the world if nothing upset the scene.

The flash of lightning, instantaneous yet thoroughly experienced by everyone, gave that proof and in the moment, the woman, nemesis of the corpse, light and coarsely skinned, was blown away by the slightest gust of wind like sand in the wind, a gust caused by her own breath. The cause of the lightning sighed at the sight of the corpse, his impressive afro hair still sparkling from the powerful flash.

'Brother' he sighed again. 'Sorry about Death. Without you there is little we can do to stop her from running wild in the land beyond our control.'

'Ironic, isn't it? For Bí to die?' A new voice said, talking to the cause of the lightning. 'Seems the paradoxical concept of human sacrifice has finally caught up to him.'

'What is it always with you arriving first, Eshú? Looking for paths to run away when you inevitably upset someone? And cut your tongue with those poisoned words. Bí is your father!' The cause of the lightning said.

'I know the way, always, even when there are no roads.' Eshú said. 'I'm faster than everyone else. I don't even need to look for escape routes, no one can catch me. I can say whatever I want, because in the whole world, no one is faster than my words are, and I laugh at all attempts made. Even if your lightning strikes me, Safò, I will be gone before you arrive after the flash.'

'Eshú, bold are your claims.' Safò replied. 'Who can say you are cannot be caught when Life has been killed. Was he not immortal like we are? Did he not rule our kingdom for eons? This should shock you as it has shaken me. This called for a meeting.'

'You think that is worthy of a meeting? I don't dispute his death, but come on, who has seen the Twins in the past few centuries? They're dead too, so what? Shouldn't you be happy you can take the crown from him?'

'As much as I would like to do that, I know Orògùn will dispute my claim. The most important matter is the killer, because I do not take this death lightly. Bí was the first one of us to die at this murderers hand and we must band together to save our skins. Even you, Eshú?'

'Even Eshú?' A voice asked. It was a third speaker, Violence and Steel, it was Orògùn. He had taken a toll over the recent years compared to his brother Uyògòn, who was Fire. Uyògòn's feet shone bright and seemed the only one who could match the appearance of Safò. He had accompanied his brother to the meeting and they carried a young woman between the two of them.

'Even Eshú.' Safò replied solemnly. Then they sat in silence and waited for the other sons of Bí. Obi came soon. He was bald, dressed in rich but ancient silk, a longbow like Orògùn's on his back. He came from the west, whereas the others had come from the east, and he carried in his right hand a small but determined Flame, unbothered and untouched by the constant downpour.

'Azìgbe is not coming and neither is anyone else.' Obi said.

Eshú nodded. 'He speaks the truth. This is your meeting, Safò.'

'What a pity, but I thank you all. Orògùn, Uyògòn, Eshú, Agoba, Obi. Bí is dead and he has been killed by Kaya. If we do not work together, she will kill us all.' Safò said.

'Bí is dead. The king of our people is dead. That means I am the new king, doesn't it?' Orògùn asked. 'So why are you in charge?'

'Because, Orògùn, you are a violent fool. You would not have called this meeting, you would have attacked Kaya head on and lost.' Safò answered. 'Besides, no one else pays any attention to you these days, they prefer the warmth of your brother, Uyògòn.'

'Perhaps...' Uyògòn said. He spoke slowly. 'But I cannot believe... that Kaya... would kill us...'

'Uyògòn, all you do is swim in the fire of your mountain.' Orògùn sneered. 'Of course she killed Bí, who else?'

Agoba, the young woman, nodded profusely. 'Yes! It was Kaya! How could you miss how Omuafalara and Dígbenin were raped in her name?'

'Then it was... Kaya...' Uyògòn said, apparently convinced. 'How do we... fight she who... kills Life?'

'WE HIT HER TILL SHE DIES!' Orògùn shouted suddenly in a burst of violence. He jumped up and looked around the group expectantly, his spear drawn alongside his bow. When the only reaction was the disappointed shaking of heads, he slowly sst down again.

'You have always valued this land too much, this jungle.' Obi said. 'So you cannot win a fight against Kaya. I know I was born here, on the earth of this land. I built my house and my house became you, Agoba, but I understand from your youthful appearance that you no longer recall the day that I people named you. Your temple, the Temple of Bí, is almost as old as I am, because I too built it in honour of my father, but its name is now a misnomer. You all treat it as a sacred ruin and you, Agoba, you do not even sacrifice to Bí in that temple. That has not been done in a long time because otherwise he would not be dead. You fail to see that the only reason he died is because no one was left willing to recognise him as the king of our kind and the bringer of life.

You fail to see that that is what gave you life in the first place. How have you all forgotten you were the strongest when distant kingdoms like Nijaay were conquered by your fury? When the roads protected by Eshú stretched into nine horizons and when the wars in a dozen kingdoms were fought in the name of Orògùn? Because you were too occupied about the land where you were born, you somehow all failed to prevent the total eradication of your presence outside this jungle. You cannot kill Kaya, because she is incredibly strong, even stronger than you at your peak. Her followers erode your power and they burn your temples, because they don't even recognise you for what you are, they see you as mere evil spirits because you are not Kaya.'

After the damning words of Obi, only Safò had the courage to respond:

'Then what about you, Obi? Who even worships you outside these lands?'

Obi smiled softly. 'I am not as you are. I was born differently from mortal blood. I lived a man's life and then I joined you, but I also left you behind. I was not just a god of men, I became the soul of these men. My life is not tied to sacrifice, recognition snd temples, just like Agoba. Her life is tied to the people of her city. As long as this Flame in my hand rages on, I exist, and as you can see, it takes more than a heavy rainseason to even so much as touch this Flame. I will mourn my father's loss with you, but I will not fight Kaya. I am neutral in these sorts of affairs.'

Obi stood up and took the body of Bí with him. The Flame in his hand engulfed him and then he was gone. The others sat in silence again, because hope had left them and the mourning of Bí's death brought them misery in their minds. Then the leaves began to rustle ominously and a wind began to blow, as if only Obi or the Flame had kept the ill wind at bay. Ajàyònga! They foolishly hoped it would be her, but she never showed herself in person anymore. Instead, it was another, yet it was her company and not she that had caused the winds: Oya, beautiful in her nakedness, blue fire dancing on her back and war paint covering her face, breasts and legs, followed by an unspeakable Evil.

His name was Evil or Chukwu, which carried the same meaning in Obibo, and his form was vaguely human, but it changed rapidly, like a whirlwind shifting around its axis. Just like a sickly child he had a pale colour, white and painful to look at, but the light was cold, it did not bring warmth like fire did. Chukwu was unmistakenly male; his phallus was half the length of his legs, but his face shifted unrecognisably and when he spoke it was as if an elephant was being skinned alive.

'Oya!' Safò shouted. 'What is this Evil? What have you done to present a Taint such as that upon our sacred cove?' Eshú had disappeared. He remembered all too well that they had given up on reasoning with Oya altogether and that only bad would come from staying wherever she came. The rest, however, had forgotten, and they seemed relieved at seeing her, even if Chukwu made them shiver.

'This!' Oya shouted back. 'This can bring vengeance! This is my lover Chukwu!' - Safò and Orògùn must have felt incredible envy at this point, because both of them had made love to Oya in the past, since she was the most beautiful creature on the face of the earth. While they were equals in strength, appearance and manliness, they knew they could not match Chukwu in that regard - 'Chukwu can kill Kaya with our support.'

'Your lover? Hmpf! Can he even speak?' Orògùn asked.

'Yes.' Chukwu rasped. 'I speak better than Eshú, your brother.' Only now the others realised that he was gone. They were not in the least surprised.

'I will kill Kaya. I will end her tyranny. We will. I have no interest in a crown. All I want is for Kaya to be gone, destroyed, fragmented. For my beautiful creatures, their beautiful freedom, not to be constrained by the terror of laws and order. That is what she stands for and she will fall for defending it. As her mortal army presents itself at the gates of Agoba by the Ilesi, her strength will be nothing in a land so sacred to our side. If a significant sacrifice is made in my name, Kaya will die.'

'What sacrifice is significant enough?' Agoba asked upon hearing the mention of her name.

'You will do.' Chukwu rasped. Quickly, Orògùn and Uyògòn, not as quickly, seized Agoba so she could not run. Oya giggled: 'Your ugly face won't be missed.'

'I will not partake in this Evil.' Safò said.

'Then you are already dead.' Chukwu replied. Suddenly, his ill wind ceased to be and his whirlwind of a torso became more solid for a moment. It was the influence of his nemesis.

'What?' Safò asked.

'It is Kaya. Your friends Obi or Eshú must have betrayed this place.' Chukwu rasped. 'You are all dead, she has trapped you and only I will be able to fight my way out of here.'

'You are the end of us.' Safò said. 'But I will not die doing what you tell me. Everyone. Leave. Let me be remembered for saving your lives today!'

The others hurried away, even Chukwu, without a word. They fled for their lives, because it seemed Kaya was near: the rain ceased to fall, even the twilight seemed to end, though it did not, and yet the jungle awoke and from every tree came a dozen sounds of living animals, crawling and running through the trees and the forest. Safò conjured a spear from lightning and held it out before him: for the first time since the beginning of time, he would face an opponent stronger than himself.

But then out of the thick jungle came a scimitar oryx with white horns. It charged directly at Safò, but he stood his ground, took the horns lf the beast and threw it. He saw it only had one eye but he did not know what it meant. He went after the beast with his spear, but in a flurry it transformed into a pale man, still one-eyed, dressed in a beautiful and expensive set of armour with a long sword. Safò tested his strength and his speed but the one-eyed stranger almost matched him in both regards!

Safò threw one spear and summoned two new ones. One-eye parried the lightning and charged at Safò, almost cutting him, but he used both spears to attack again and he fended off the stranger for yet another moment. Then there was a ominous darkness: clouds, and pure lightning struck Safò, who reached forward and choked one-eye at the same moment. The stranger fell on the ground, motionless.

However, only a moment later twilight ended. The night passed in six seconds and suddenly it was noon. Before Safò noticed, a woman had appeared between him and one-eye. She was as naked as Oya and perhaps as beautiful, but Safò felt no arousal. Her head was bald and her eyes were stern like those of a judge, but her lips seemed capable of expressing kindness.

'You could have killed Wúgi.' She said.

'I would have, is that one-eye's name?' Safò replied.

'Yes it is. You could have joined Chukwu too, why didn't you?' She asked.

'I will never. Some things are not worth the price of victory. Besides, his endgame is incompatible with ours. He would wipe us out anyway.' He said.

'Without you, they will certainly lose.'

'That's nice to hear. Thank you. What is your name?'

'I am Kaya. I have come to destroy you and your kind.'

Safò smiled and then sighed. 'Refreshing.'

'Would you not join me? I can accept others, just look at Wúgi.'

'You killed my brother, Kaya. You're my enemy until you kill me.'

'Very well.' She said. 'Wúgi, stand.'

Wúgi stood up, refreshed. He had a mischievous grin on his lips.

'Seems like I win anyway.' He said smiling.

'You lost.' Kaya said. 'But I will not. Kill him.'

Wúgi charged at Safò with his sword. He raced straight through Kaya, who became translucent and like curtain of burning smoke. Safò raised his spear to parry and he called on his thunder, but the essence of Kaya made the lightning ricochet without doing the intended harm and with her direct guidance Wúgi stabbed his sword through the heart of Safò and in that manner another god had been killed.

'Does Chukwu really not stand a chance?' Wúgi asked Kaya after cleaning and sheathing his sword.

'He intends to sacrifice Agoba. Knowing Obi, he will never allow that to happen.' Kaya said. 'So Chukwu will fail.'

'Is Obi stronger than you?'

'Who knows?' Kaya said. 'But I doubt it's someone else.'

'It could be me.' Wúgi said.

'You? The strongest of us all?' She smiled.

'You don't know where I'm from, do you?' Wúgi asked.

'I don't.' Kaya admitted.

He smiled back at her. 'I miss those lands. I was invincible, you hear me?'

Kaya laughed and Wúgi joined her.

'Nice, but you lost to Safò.'

'Only the first time!'

'Second time was all me.'

'I stabbed him.'

'Did you know I did exactly the same thing when I was just a few years old?'

'You told that story a thousand times, Kaya.'

'It's a good one!'

'Want to hear a covenant? If we're talking about good stories.'

'Not this again, Wúgi.'

'Fires choked and surrounded the city of Kali. The once mighty city of the Vuugas...'