By the next noon, we reached the foothills of the eastern mountains. The Temple of Anuli awaited somewhere above, hidden among ancient crags and mist. A steep path of worn stone steps led us upward through clusters of wildflowers and gnarled pines. With each step, I felt a subtle humming in my bones, as if the mountain itself recognized our purpose.
At last, we emerged onto a broad ledge where an imposing doorway was carved into the mountainside. Two massive stone pillars flanked it, etched with faded symbols of the sun and moon. Anuli—meaning "joy" in an old tongue, Amina noted—was the name of this place, but the weathered carvings radiated solemnity and power.
The doorway itself was sealed by a slab of granite covered in more glyphs. In its center was a circular indent, like an empty socket awaiting something. Jabari ran his fingers over the indent. "Some kind of key?" he guessed.
Amina brushed dust from a sun-shaped symbol above it. "Or perhaps a beam of sunlight," she said thoughtfully. The glyphs around the circle depicted rays.
Remembering Grandmother's guidance that knowledge from the First Dawn lay here, I had a hunch. I drew a slow breath and raised my left hand, focusing my will. A gentle light blossomed in my palm—pale gold like morning's first touch. I directed the glow into the indent.
At once the mountain rumbled softly. The glyphs lit up in response to my starlight. Stone grated on stone; the heavy slab began to slide aside. My heart leapt—we had gained entry.
We shared a brief look of encouragement and stepped inside.
Beyond the threshold stretched a high-vaulted chamber carved into the mountain's heart. Narrow slits in the ceiling allowed beams of daylight to penetrate, illuminating motes of dust in the air. The chamber was warm and dry. Along the walls, faint murals depicted dawn over primordial hills and figures raising hands to a rising sun.
As we ventured further, our footsteps echoed. At the center of the temple floor lay a circular mosaic: a radiant sun intertwined with a crescent moon. Opposite us, at the far end of the hall, stood a stone pedestal.
We approached cautiously. On the pedestal rested a shallow stone bowl, and behind it rose a tall relief carving of a human figure holding a sun in one hand and a moon in the other. Perhaps this was the temple's guardian.
Jabari kept his voice low. "Where is this 'wisdom of the First Dawn'? I half expected an old sage waiting for us."
"Stay alert," Amina whispered, clutching her charm necklace. "Such places often have trials for seekers."
No sooner had she spoken than a low voice emanated from all around, echoing against the stone. "Who seeks the light of First Dawn?"
We froze. The voice was neither male nor female, but resonant and ancient. I stepped forward, bowing my head respectfully. "Obasi, chosen of the ancestors," I answered clearly, "with Amina and Jabari, my companions. We seek knowledge to restore balance and stop Nyos, the breaker of cycles."
At the mention of Nyos, the chamber dimmed. A strange mist coiled up from the floor, and the daylight from above flickered as if shadowed. The disembodied voice spoke again, stern and reverberant: "Balance is tested in the heart of the worthy. Will you endure the darkness within to uphold the light?"
Before I could respond, the mist thickened and rose around us like ghostly curtains. I felt Amina's hand grip mine for an instant, and then she and Jabari vanished from my sight. I was alone in swirling grey.
"Amina? Jabari!" I called, my voice muffled by the haze. Only silence answered. I steadied my breathing—this was likely the temple's trial.
The voice whispered from somewhere unseen: "Face what lies in your soul, Obasi."
Suddenly, shapes took form in the mist. I saw Jabari on his knees, bloodied and defeated, reaching out to me. Behind him loomed a towering figure of pure darkness with burning red eyes—Nyos. Jabari's lips didn't move, but I heard his voice echo: "You failed us…"
The scene shifted; now Amina lay on the ground, eyes lifeless. Standing over her was my grandmother, shaking her head in sorrow. Her voice cut through me like a knife: "Why did you not protect them?"
Pain lanced through my heart. Guilt, fear, and anger swirled inside me. My first instinct was to lash out at the dark figure or to collapse in despair.
My hands trembled. But I forced my eyes shut and summoned every lesson of wisdom I knew. These are illusions, I told myself. Nyos wants me to break.
I inhaled slowly. Within the chaos of my emotions, I sought the steady flame of love that anchored me. I thought of Jabari's unyielding loyalty, Amina's calm strength, Grandmother's gentle guidance. Those were the truths of my world—these horrors were not.
"This is not real!" I shouted into the mist, voice shaking but determined. "You will not break me with these lies."
The dark apparition of Nyos roared and lunged. I did not raise my knife or summon light; instead, I stood firm, arms at my sides. "You do not control me," I said, heart pounding but resolute.
The shadow creature struck—and passed through me like smoke. In an instant, the ghastly visions shattered. The mist thinned and the chamber's light returned. I found myself back on the mosaic, breathing hard but unharmed.
Amina and Jabari were suddenly at my side, as though the illusion had never separated us. They looked bewildered but safe. We clutched each other in relief.
On the pedestal, the stone bowl now brimmed with a golden liquid that glowed like liquid sunlight. The ancient voice spoke again, now with approval: "You have faced the darkness within and kept your light. Thus are you worthy."
The liquid light in the bowl began to ripple and an image formed on its shining surface. Together, we peered into it.
Within the golden pool, a vision unfolded: a sky half-covered by the black disk of an eclipse, the sun's corona blazing around it. Under that eerie twilight sky, two figures struggled on a rocky ridge. One was cloaked in seething shadow—Nyos. The other shone with pale radiance… I caught my breath as I realized it was meant to be me. In my hand I held a spear of light; in Nyos's hand, a writhing whip of darkness. They clashed again and again as the heavens hung in strange half-light above.
"The final confrontation," Jabari breathed.
The vision shifted. The sun and moon converged completely—the world fell under full eclipse darkness. At that moment, the glowing figure of me drove the spear of light into the ground. Radiant chains of energy burst from the earth, snaring the shadowy figure. Nyos threw back his head as if roaring in agony, then the image froze.
A soft whisper emanated from the bowl: "When the sun is devoured by the moon, the twilight realm opens. Only then can shadow be bound by light."
We stared as the final image faded from the liquid. The glow then winked out, leaving the bowl empty and the chamber silent.
"A solar eclipse," Amina murmured, breaking the silence. Her eyes shone with realization. "That is when we must bind Nyos."
Jabari let out a slow breath. "There's an eclipse coming soon—weeks from now. This must be telling us that's our chance."
I nodded, heart thudding with a mix of excitement and apprehension. The temple had given us the knowledge we sought: the time and method to defeat Nyos. Not by killing him outright, but by binding him—using my light—during the rare moment of cosmic balance when day and night briefly intertwine.
"Thank you," I whispered into the air, uncertain if I spoke to the temple's spirit or the ancestors. Either way, gratitude swelled in me.
Hand in hand, the three of us bowed respectfully in that sacred hall and then stepped back out into the bright afternoon sun.
The outside air felt fresher than ever. As we descended the stone steps, I noticed that the weight of dread I'd carried was lighter now. We had a plan shaped by ancient wisdom. Nyos could be stopped, and the ancestors were guiding our steps.
"We know what we must do," I said, looking at Amina and Jabari. Each of them smiled in determination.
Ahead of us lay preparation and likely a journey into the very heart of Nyos's influence. But as we left the Temple of Anuli, I felt hope burning steady within me. Like the sunrise breaking after the longest night, clarity and purpose had dawned. We would be ready when the shadow and the sun met—and when that moment came, we would bring balance and light to end Nyos's eventide for good.