Tunde's grip tightened around the Guardian's Staff as the silent warriors circled him. Their armor, cracked with age yet still gleaming in the moonlight, bore the marks of forgotten tribes. Their eyes glowed dimly, but their mouths never moved.
The Iwin trembled beside him. "These are the Lost Protectors. They were once great warriors, but their voices were stolen by an ancient curse."
Tunde's heart pounded. Were they enemies or simply guardians of the shrine?
He took a deep breath and raised his hands, keeping his staff low. "I don't mean any harm," he said. "I seek only wisdom."
The warriors did not move.
Then, the leader a tall warrior with a jagged scar across his face tapped his spear against the ground.
A wave of cold air rushed past Tunde, and suddenly,
His mouth felt heavy. His voice was gone.
Tunde's eyes widened. He couldn't speak.
The warriors had placed him under the same curse of silence.
The Iwin gasped. "Traveler! They have bound you to their fate. If you cannot break the curse, you will remain silent forever!"
Tunde's mind raced. How could he prove himself without words?
His gaze dropped to the Guardian's Staff, still warm in his hands. The golden ember from the shrine pulsed faintly, as if whispering something to him.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the energy of the staff.
A vision flashed in his mind a battlefield, warriors screaming, their voices stolen by a dark force. A spirit of vengeance had silenced them, binding them to the shrine.
Tunde opened his eyes. He understood.
The warriors were not his enemies. They were trapped.
Breaking the Curse
Tunde stepped forward and lifted the staff high. He focused on the golden ember, willing its warmth to spread.
Light flared from the staff's tip, illuminating the warriors.
They flinched, their armor rattling. The magic resisted. The curse did not want to let them go.
Tunde gritted his teeth and pushed harder. The shrine had tested him with wisdom now it was testing his heart.
The glow from the staff swirled, forming golden Nsibidi symbols in the air. The warriors stared at them, their eyes widening. Memories flooded back to them who they once were, the battles they fought, the voices they lost.
Tunde saw their hands twitch. Their lips parted.
Then,
A voice broke through the silence.
"We are free."
The leader fell to his knees, his spear clattering to the ground. The other warriors followed, their mouths opening as whispers filled the air.
One by one, they regained their voices.
The leader met Tunde's gaze. "Traveler, you have lifted our burden. For centuries, we were bound to this shrine. But now…" He placed a hand over his chest, his body glowing softly as he began to fade. "…we can rest."
The warriors vanished into light, their spirits finally at peace.
The shrine trembled once more, but this time not in warning.
A final Nsibidi symbol appeared on the stone tablet.
"The path forward is open."
Tunde exhaled, his voice returning. He glanced at the Iwin, who was staring at him in awe.
"You freed them, traveler," the Iwin whispered. "The Guardian chose well."
Tunde looked at the path ahead, his grip on the staff tightening.
One challenge was over.
But the journey was just beginning.
The Path of Shadows
Tunde tightened his grip on the Guardian's Staff and stepped forward. The Nsibidi symbol on the shrine glowed faintly before fading, revealing a narrow path winding deeper into the forest.
The Iwin floated beside him, its golden glow flickering with uncertainty. "Traveler, the warriors are gone, but their warning remains. This path has not been walked in centuries."
Tunde exhaled. "Then it's time someone did."
With each step, the air grew heavier, colder. The thick canopy overhead darkened, casting eerie shadows on the ground. The forest seemed… alive. Roots shifted. Leaves rustled without wind.
Then, a whisper.
"Turn back… turn back…"
Tunde froze. The voice wasn't human. It echoed from the trees, slithering through the branches like a snake.
The Iwin trembled. "The path is testing you."
Tunde clenched his fists. "Let it try."
He pressed on. The whispers grew louder, but he ignored them until he saw it.
Up ahead, the path split into three.
Each trail looked identical, but the air shifted differently around them.
The left path was shrouded in mist, its end unseen. The middle path was dry and cracked, like a road abandoned by time. The right path was bathed in golden light, almost too perfect to be real.
The Iwin hummed. "A trick. Only one is real."
Tunde scanned the paths. His mind raced. This was another test of perception.
Then he noticed something.
The ground before each path had markings.
The left path had deep claw marks, as if something had tried to escape from it.
The middle path had footprints human ones.
The right path had no footprints. As if no one had ever walked it.
Tunde smirked. A path too perfect… was the most dangerous of all.
"The middle path."
The Iwin hesitated. "Are you sure?"
Tunde nodded. "Someone walked it before. That means it can be walked again."
He stepped onto the middle path
And suddenly,
The forest shifted.
The other two paths vanished, replaced by twisting thorns and black fog. A monstrous roar echoed through the trees, shaking the ground.
The Iwin gasped. "Traveler, RUN!"
Tunde didn't hesitate. He bolted down the path, the roar growing louder behind him.
Something was following. Something huge. Something unseen.
The Guardian's Staff pulsed in his hands, guiding him forward. The path twisted and turned, leading toward a break in the trees a way out.
Tunde pushed harder, heart pounding
And then,
He burst through the final stretch of trees, stumbling onto solid ground.
The whispers vanished. The roar faded.
He had made it.
The Hidden Kingdom
Tunde caught his breath and looked up.
Before him stretched a vast valley, hidden deep within the forest.
At its center stood a city of stone and gold, towering walls covered in Nsibidi symbols. Giant trees wrapped around its edges, and glowing lanterns lined its streets.
The Iwin gasped.
"Impossible. That is the Lost Kingdom of Udene."
Tunde's eyes widened. A city long forgotten. A kingdom erased from history.
And now… he was standing at its gates.