Yemi's POV
He sits at the edge of the camp, sharpening his blade.
"Another stranger we're told to trust? Again?"
He watches Akimule from a distance.
"He used to cut men down for sport under Ojora's banner. Now we're supposed to treat him like a savior?"
But Yemi says nothing. He knows they need every fighter they can get.
Ayomide's POV
Ayomide stands by Akimule's side.
"They won't understand. He saved my life. When others left me for dead, he pulled me from the mud."
He remembers Akimule risking his life to protect him from enemy fire, despite everything the man had once been.
"He's not the same butcher they fear. Not anymore."
---
FLASHBACK SCENE – "When the Butcher Held Back the Blade"
Setting:
A scorched battlefield. The rebels had launched a failed raid two months ago. Now the field is littered with corpses—some still breathing, most not. Smoke and silence stretch far.
---
Ayomide's POV
His eyes opened slowly.
Pain shot through his ribs. Blood ran from a cut on his forehead. His leg was trapped under the broken wheel of a rebel cart.
The sounds had faded. The rebels were gone. The Ojora soldiers had moved on—except one.
Heavy boots approached. He reached for his dagger, but it was gone.
Then he saw the face.
Ayomide (hoarse):
"You…"
Akimule's POV
He stood over the broken rebel, face calm. The red mark of the Ojora still crossed his armor, but his sword hung at his side.
Akimule:
"You're lucky I came last."
Ayomide spat:
"Do it. Make it quick."
Akimule didn't draw his blade. He knelt instead and gripped the cart wheel.
Ayomide:
"What are you doing?"
Akimule:
"Shut up and hold still."
He lifted the wheel and dragged Ayomide out. Ayomide groaned, biting back a scream.
Ayomide:
"Why save me? You used to enjoy killing our kind."
Akimule (quietly):
"I used to believe a lot of things. That was before they killed my men for hesitating… before they called me weak for sparing a child."
He tore fabric from his own tunic and began wrapping Ayomide's wound.
Ayomide:
"They'll kill you for this."
Akimule:
"They tried already."
Distant horns blew. Patrols returning. Akimule looked up.
Akimule:
"We need to move."
---
Scene Shift – Forest Shelter, Night
Akinmule carried Ayomide on his back through muddy terrain. No words. Only the rustling of leaves and Ayomide's shallow breathing.
They finally collapsed near a shallow cave hidden by vines.
Ayomide's POV
He opened his eyes again to see a fire crackling. His wounds were cleaned. His spear lay beside him.
He turned to Akimule, who sat watching the trees.
Ayomide:
"You're not the same man who led the slaughter at Okiri village."
Akimule:
"No. That man died the day he looked in the mirror and didn't flinch."
Ayomide (weakly):
"So what are you now?"
Akimule (after a pause):
"Maybe just a man who's tired of spilling blood for cowards."
---
Back to Present – Rebel Cave
Ayomide's POV (continued)
He looked at the man beside him now, standing tall despite the looks thrown his way.
Ayomide (to himself):
"Let them doubt him. I owe him my life."
.
Wale's POV
He stares at his former master, his voice low.
"You told me once that mercy was weakness. You taught me how to kill without feeling. I followed you blindly... until I didn't."
Akimule says nothing at first. Then, slowly, he kneels.
"I was wrong. Power made me blind. Let me fight for something right—for once."
Later, before the entire camp, Akimule stands and speaks clearly:
> "I was the sword of a tyrant. But I broke. Now I offer my strength to the ones who still stand. If you doubt me, give me the hardest path. I won't run."
Adeola's POV
He watches Akimule.
"He's strong. We need that. But strength without control is fire without a pot. Dangerous."
He nods. "You'll fight. But trust must be earned."
---
Ojora Palace
The palace is quiet, too quiet. King Adekunle stands by a window, staring at the storm clouds.
He hears the whispers: Akimule is alive. He fights for the rebels now.
Adekunle's POV
"He was mine. He feared no one. I raised him like a weapon—and now he's turned the blade on me?"
He calls for Bankode.
Bankode's POV
He enters, slow and composed.
"The gods don't give power without price. What you ask… will unleash what was sealed long ago."
Adekunle doesn't flinch.
"Do it. I'll pay anything. Let the skies break if it means ending them."
Deep beneath the palace, Bankode prepares the altar—blood drawn, chants whispered. Something old begins to wake.
---
Closing Image
The rebels sleep lightly in the cave. Outside, thunder rumbles in the sky. In the distance, something stirs in the dark, drawn by the priest's summoning.
A new nightmare is coming—and this time, swords may not be enough.