Tunde felt his heartbeat quicken. The spirits had warned him others were hunting him.
Now, the first had arrived.
A dark figure stepped from the mist, his eyes glowing red like burning embers.
His presence felt unnatural. The air around him rippled with power, and the ground beneath his feet blackened with each step.
Adanna raised her bow, her fingers steady on the string. "Who are you?"
The figure smirked. "Names mean nothing to the dead."
Tunde gritted his teeth. This wasn't a man.
This was a Shadow Hunter.
The Shadow King's personal assassins creatures that walked between life and death, bound to hunt anyone who opposed their master.
And now, one had found him.
AFateful Decision
Tunde had two choices.
He could fight. The mask thrummed with power, and he had already defeated the Shadow King once maybe he could destroy this creature, too.
Or he could run. The spirits had warned him about the Elders of Nri. If anyone could teach him how to use the mask's power properly, it was them.
But the Shadow Hunter wouldn't let him go easily.
Adanna whispered, "Tunde, we need to move. This thing isn't human."
The Shadow Hunter's voice was calm, amused. "You can try to run, but you will not escape me."
Tunde's grip on the mask tightened.
Then he made his choice.
The Escape
Tunde grabbed Adanna's arm. "We run. Now."
Before she could argue, he turned and sprinted toward the edge of the village.
Adanna followed, her bow still drawn.
The Shadow Hunter let out a slow, menacing chuckle. "Cowards."
Then the ground exploded beneath their feet.
Dark tendrils shot out from the earth, twisting and writhing like living snakes.
Tunde leaped over a fallen log, barely dodging the attack. His heart pounded. The Shadow Hunter was playing with them.
He wasn't chasing them yet.
He was waiting for something.
And that terrified Tunde even more.
The Road to Nri
They ran for what felt like hours. Through thick forests, across deep streams, never stopping.
But no matter how far they went, Tunde could still feel the Shadow Hunter's presence.
Watching. Waiting.
Adanna panted. "We need to rest."
Tunde shook his head. "Not yet. We have to reach Nri."
The mask in his hand felt heavier.
Somewhere deep inside, he knew this was just the beginning.
And the true danger was still ahead.
The Hunter's Shadow
Tunde's breath came in sharp gasps. The night air was thick, pressing against his skin like an unseen force.
Adanna clutched her bow, her eyes scanning the trees.
The Shadow Hunter was out there watching, waiting.
Tunde knew they couldn't keep running forever.
They needed a plan.
Setting the Trap
Tunde grabbed Adanna's arm. "We can't reach Nri if he keeps following us."
Adanna frowned. "What are you suggesting?"
Tunde looked around. They were in a dense part of the forest good for an ambush.
He crouched near a fallen tree and began drawing Nsibidi symbols into the dirt. His grandmother had once told him about these symbols they could be used to confuse spirits.
If the Shadow Hunter was part spirit, this might give them an advantage.
Adanna nodded in understanding. "I'll climb that tree. I can take him from above."
Tunde exhaled. It was risky. But it was their best shot.
The Hunter Strikes
Silence fell over the forest.
Then a whisper of movement.
Tunde barely had time to react.
The Shadow Hunter stepped into the clearing, his red eyes glowing through the darkness.
Tunde's trap was set. Now, he just had to survive long enough for it to work.
The Shadow Hunter smiled. "You cannot run from the darkness, Tunde Adeyemi."
Then, he attacked.
The Shadow Hunter moved like smoke. One moment he was standing still the next, he was in front of Tunde, swinging a jagged black blade.
Tunde barely dodged. The blade cut through the air, leaving a dark mist behind.
He needed to stall.
Tunde lifted the Mask of Omenka. Energy surged through him, filling his body with warmth.
He could feel the mask whispering to him, offering him power.
But could he trust it?
Adanna was waiting for the right moment to strike.
Tunde had to hold his ground.
The Shadow Hunter lunged again. Tunde raised his hand this time, golden light flared from his fingertips.
The Shadow Hunter hissed and stepped back.
The mask's power was working.
Tunde took a deep breath.
It was time to end this.
The Power Within
Tunde felt the energy of the mask surging through him. It burned, wild and untamed, like a fire waiting to consume everything in its path.
The Shadow Hunter stepped back for the first time, sensing the shift in power.
Adanna was still waiting in the tree, her arrow drawn. She trusted him to make the right decision.
Tunde clenched his fists. He couldn't afford to hold back.
If he didn't stop the Shadow Hunter now, he and Adanna might never make it to Nri.
Unleashing the Mask's Power
Tunde closed his eyes.
The whisper of the mask grew louder, ancient voices echoing in his mind.
"You are the last wielder. Accept the power… or be destroyed."
Tunde exhaled sharply. He had no choice.
The golden light around him flared.
The ground shook as energy erupted from his hands. The mask's power surged through his body like a river breaking through a dam.
The Shadow Hunter hissed, raising his blade. "Fool! You don't even know what you are wielding!"
Tunde didn't care.
He lifted his hand, and a blast of golden fire shot forward.
The Shadow Hunter screamed as the energy struck him. His body flickered, as if caught between two worlds.
Adanna seized her chance. She released her arrow,
The projectile glowed with the same golden energy, piercing the Shadow Hunter's chest.
For the first time, fear entered his red eyes.
The mask's power was stronger than him.
Victory… for Now
The Shadow Hunter's form began to disintegrate, dark mist rising from his body.
"This is not over," he growled, his voice fading. "You will regret unleashing that power."
Then, he vanished.
Silence fell over the forest.
Tunde collapsed to one knee, breathing hard. The power of the mask faded, leaving him exhausted.
Adanna jumped down from the tree, rushing to his side. "Tunde! Are you okay?"
He nodded weakly. But something was wrong.
The mask was still humming in his hands, the whispers louder than before.
Had he awakened something even more dangerous?
Adanna helped him up. "We need to get to Nri. Now."
Tunde looked toward the horizon, where the great city of Nri lay hidden beyond the mountains.
They had won this battle.
But the real war was just beginning.