We were moving through the forest again, only this time, I wasn't running. I was on Major Obika's back, my leg still pierced with the shortened piece of wood, and every jolt of movement sent a dull pain through my thigh. Our pace had slowed drastically. Even Hema, who usually kept a calm rhythm, was now several paces ahead—moving faster, annoyed.
Then, just as the last orange rays of sunlight began bleeding out of the sky, Hema came to an abrupt halt.
Major Obika stopped too.
He narrowed his eyes ahead, tensing. "There's another portal up ahead," he muttered. "It's birthing more Voros."
I tried to lift my head to see, but the distance made it hard, and the dimming forest light didn't help. All I could make out were vague shapes and shadows. But Hema saw it clearly. She sighed, frustrated, and glanced over her shoulder at me—her face twisted with contempt.
"Great," she spat. "More Voros. Just what we need."
Major Obika remained still for a moment, jaw clenched. "This is getting out of hand." he said under his breath. "They've been waiting. Lying low. Letting us get deeper into the forest. And now—this. They're springing the trap. It was a setup."
He looked around, brows furrowed in thought.
"There's still a way through," Hema interrupted, nodding ahead. "We can jump over them."
She said it with a strange sharpness—then shot a quick glance at me before turning her eyes back to Major Obika.
That glance was the signal. The unspoken message. I was the problem.
Major Obika understood it immediately. But instead of agreeing, he surprised her—and maybe even me.
"No," he said. "We're heading back."
Hema spun toward him. "What?"
"I said, we're going back to where we were. Now." His tone was firm—final.
Hema was about to protest, but he raised a hand to silence her. "Follow orders."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and carried me back through the trees, retracing our steps. Hema followed reluctantly, muttering something under her breath.
We arrived at the earlier clearing—a quieter patch of forest slightly tucked in by thick brush. It wasn't much, but it was hidden enough to provide cover.
Major Obika scanned the area, then gently lowered me against a large root, adjusting me into a seated position. I winced as the wood shifted in my thigh.
He scanned the area once more, then spoke quietly. "Our presence will draw the Voros away—you'll be safe here. But I can't leave without making sure someone stays behind."
He turned to Hema. "You'll remain with him."
"No," she said flatly, arms crossed. "I'm not missing out on the action to babysit someone who shouldn't even be on this contract."
"You will obey—"
"No," she said again, firmer. "He knew what he was signing up for. So did his Master. He's a Hand, isn't he?" She looked at me coldly. "Then let him act like one. Let him sit, rest, recover—and maybe prove that he's not just dead weight."
Major Obika clenched his jaw, but before the argument could escalate again, I finally found my voice.
"I agree with her," I said, my voice low but steady.
They both turned to me.
"I'm a liability right now. Major Obika, you shouldn't be out there alone—but you also can't afford to waste your strength protecting me. You're both needed for the battle ahead. Hema's right—I'll stay behind. You said it yourself: the Voros will be drawn to you and the others. I doubt they'll come looking for someone just lying low. So go. I'll be fine."
Obika looked torn, but deep down he knew I wasn't wrong. His mission was bigger than me.
He crouched down in front of me, placing a steady hand on my shoulder. "You better be fine. Once we regroup with your Major, we'll come back to get you." His voice was gentler now. "And if anything happens before then—you connect with me."
He pulled off the Izu band from his wrist and slipped it onto mine.
Hema scoffed. "Why are you giving him that? He's—"
"Silence," he cut in sharply.
Then he turned back to me, locking eyes. "Don't be proud. If you're in danger, don't try to be brave. Use the Izu. I'll be back. No matter what."
Something tightened in my chest. In that moment, I understood why Major Deji and Major Obika were so close. They shared something rare—selflessness. A duty that went beyond the contract. A responsibility for the people under their care.
"Promise me," he said.
I nodded slowly. "I promise."
He stood, his expression hardened again. He looked at Hema with disappointment. "I can't believe you're in my group."
She rolled her eyes and looked away. "As long as we get the job done, that's all that matters."
Without another word, the two of them vanished from my sight in a flash, leaping through the trees and heading toward the growing storm of Voros ahead.
And I… was left behind.
Alone, in the dark.
Waiting.
***
The tension in the air was suffocating.
We stood still—Major Deji, Ajani, and I. The last shrine in our designated area had just been reduced to ash, and with it, we'd spent most of our remaining divine energy. We were meant to be heading back. That was supposed to be the end of it.
But it wasn't.
They came from the east first—slow, calculated steps. Then from the south. North. West.
Uro Voros.
I could already see it—that grotesque, singular eye lodged deep in the center of their chests. It pulsed faintly, a sick rhythm that responded to the divine energy still clinging to our bodies.
A few more minutes standing here, and we wouldn't be able to move.
Ajani shifted slightly, stepping closer to Major Deji.
No one spoke.We didn't need to.The situation was clear.
And the worst part? I felt it in my bones—this wasn't coincidence.
We had done everything right. The deal with the native doctor had been finalized. He gave us the shrine coordinates, and we paid him. The ambush meant to intercept him at the drop point should have happened by now.
So why were more Uro Voros still appearing?
A cold realization tightened in my chest.Had he planned for this? Was this his way of retaliating if we betrayed him?
Had we been outplayed?
I needed answers. Not guesses. I needed to speak to Major Hassan. Only he could tell me if the native doctor had escaped, or if there was something else behind this.
Suddenly, Major Deji moved.
"Jump," he said, his voice firm and low. "We're not winning this. We have to move—now."
We didn't argue. The Uro voros were getting closer.
All three of us launched into the air, pushing the limits of what energy we had left. I heard the shriek of a Uro Voro just below my heel as we cleared the line of encirclement. No time to look back—we hit the ground running.
It wasn't long before we found a quiet stretch, away from the corrupted clearing. The trees here were denser, the light dimmer, and the air clearer of spores.
Major Deji took a knee and glanced at us. "Hold this position. I need to connect with the others."
He sat down, fingers touching the ground, closing his eyes to begin the Izu.
Ajani and I were left to stand guard.
Just like earlier.
The silence settled awkwardly between us as we scanned the woods.
Then Ajani spoke. "Still thinking about disappearing on your own again?"
I shot him a dry look. "Funny."
He smirked and leaned back against a tree.
But I wasn't in the mood. My thoughts were racing.
This wasn't just about the shrines anymore. Something had gone wrong.
***
For the first time since the start of the contract, all group leaders were present in the same Izu.Major Deji, Major Obika Udoka, Major Hassan Husafi, Upper Ikenna Udoka, Upper Samir Husafi, Major Adeshola Adesina, and Major Alero Tari were finally linked. And rightfully so—the situation demanded it.
Major Obika was the first to speak, detailing the emergence of new portals of birth. What was once unthinkable had become their new reality: portals appearing without visible shrines, spawning voros in increasing numbers.
The other leaders confirmed the same across their zones. Several groups had already suffered casualties. The Northern zone groups had been forced to merge and were currently locked in a brutal defense, fighting off waves of voros and Uro Voros.
Major Adeshola explained how Groups 3A and 3B had journeyed to rendezvous with Groups 4A and 4B in the Northwest zone. But on arrival, they found them entrenched, unable to move. Chika Udoka and Amarachi—an eastern Madarikan—had been gravely wounded. Simi Adesina was attending to their injuries, which left the rest of their unit stuck in place, fortifying their position against wave after wave of attacks. The timely arrival of Groups 3A and 3B had tipped the odds, but only barely. Without them, Major Adeshola admitted, the outcome would've been tragic.
The Southwest teams were facing a similar dilemma. Group 2B had been surrounded and overwhelmed. All members except their leader, Upper Ikenna Udoka, had been injured and rendered combat-ineffective. Had Group 2A not completed their designated area early and rushed to reinforce them, 2B might have been lost entirely.
Major Obika then described his own situation—how his group had witnessed a portal birthing Voros without a visible shrine, and how both members of his team had taken defensive positions to observe.
This, of course, was before Akenzua got injured.
At the mention of Akenzua, Major Deji looked up briefly.He didn't speak—but inwardly, he felt a quiet relief, thankful that Akenzua had managed to hold his own. A flicker of pride followed the thought.
Now that every leader had shared their zone's condition, Major Obika proposed the next course of action.
"Staying like this," he began, "is unsustainable. We've regrouped, yes. But that won't last. If the Voros and Uro Voros keep multiplying, this contract turns into a death march."
Everyone agreed.
Obika continued. "Our mission has shifted. We must find the ones responsible for creating these new portals. It's no longer just about the shrines. Someone has been working behind the scenes—quietly, skillfully. Evading us all this time."
"How?" Major Alero asked, brows drawn tight. "We had the entire confluence covered—every group, every zone. This contract wasn't just about destroying shrines; it was also meant to flush out whoever was behind them. So how did we not spot a single trace?"
"That's exactly the question," Obika replied. "If they managed to slip past every patrol and set up new shrines, then they're either incredibly skilled or they've studied our movements and prepared for this long before we arrived. Either way, one thing is certain: they're still in this forest."
Major Adeshola added, "If we let them escape, this won't end. It'll spread beyond the confluence."
Major Deji gave a grim nod. "Then we cut them off—now."
Major Obika nodded. "We send the wounded back to the center. Everyone else regroups and forms a new strike unit. We find the perpetrators and end this properly. If we fail now, everything we've done—every shrine destroyed, every comrade injured—it will have meant nothing."
He turned to Major Deji. "I'll regroup with Group 1B. As you've all united with your zone partners, I will do the same."
Major Deji gave a small nod of understanding. The others followed, one by one, giving their assent.
After the Izu with the group leaders ended, Major Deji agreed to wait for Major Obika's group to arrive. More than anything, he was anticipating his reunion with Akenzua. He had always wondered how the boy would fare on his own. Not being able to refill Akenzua's Divine Craft must have been a serious challenge. The moment they reunited, Deji planned to lend him a bit of his own essence—just enough to keep him going.
Now that their next steps were clear, his group took the time to rest and recover some Divine Energy while they waited.
But the stillness didn't last long.
From a distance, the howls of Voros echoed through the forest, growing louder with each passing moment. It was only a matter of time before the swarm reached their location.
Rather than wait and risk being surrounded, Major Deji decided to reach out to Major Obika, hoping to inform him of a change in plans. Instead of waiting, both groups could begin moving toward one another—clashing mid-route. It would save time and reduce the chance of being pinned down.
But every attempt Major Deji made to connect through Izu failed.
It wasn't that Obika was busy—no essence signal came through at all. Usually, even if a Divine was occupied, there would still be a flicker, a subtle response in the Izu channel—something. But this time, there was nothing. No trace of activity. No sign of life.
A cold wave of unease settled over Major Deji.
Without hesitation, he gave the order
"We have to leave now."
Ajani glanced at Deji. "Weren't we supposed to stay here and wait for Major Obika's group?"
Deji exhaled, gaze fixed on the dense stretch of forest ahead. "That was the plan."
He held up his wrist, the Izu band still faintly glowing. "But I've been trying to reach Major Obika—and nothing's coming through."
Ajani's expression shifted. "You think something's wrong?"
Deji didn't answer right away. His voice dropped. "I have a bad feeling."
That was enough.
Ajani gave a quiet nod. No need for further explanation.
Idris checked the path ahead. "Then we shouldn't wait."
Deji agreed, already moving. "We head toward their direction. If we cross paths, good. If not—at least we'll be closer if something has gone wrong."
They fell into formation, swift and silent.
And as they moved, a cold knot of dread twisted in Deji's chest.
He prayed he was wrong. But the forest had gone too quiet—and silence often meant something was waiting.
They got into formation and began moving quickly into the forest.