Tunde stumbled forward, his body heavy with exhaustion. The mask in his hand still thrummed with energy, its whispers growing louder.
Adanna held onto his arm, steadying him. "You need to rest, Tunde."
But Tunde shook his head. Rest wouldn't help.
He could feel something inside him changing the mask's power wasn't fading. It was growing.
If he didn't control it soon, it might consume him.
"We can't go straight to Nri," Tunde said finally. "I need to understand this power first."
Adanna frowned. "Then where do we go?"
Tunde's mind raced. There was one place.
An elder from his village had once spoken of a hidden shrine deep in the forestb a place where ancient warriors learned to wield the power of the gods.
If the legends were true, that shrine might hold the answers he needed.
Adanna hesitated, then nodded. "Lead the way."
The Journey to the Shrine
The forest grew darker as they walked.
The trees loomed like silent watchers, their branches twisting unnaturally.
The closer they got to the shrine, the more the air felt… different.
Heavy.
As if something was waiting for them.
Tunde shivered. The mask pulsed in his hands, reacting to the unseen energy.
"We're close," he whispered.
Then, the ground beneath them shifted.
Adanna gasped. "Tunde!"
The earth collapsed, pulling them into darkness.
The Trial of the Shrine
Tunde hit the ground hard, pain shooting through his body.
Dust filled the air, but as it cleared, he saw where they had landed.
They were inside a massive underground temple.
The walls were covered in Nsibidi symbols, glowing faintly with golden light.
At the center of the shrine stood a stone pedestal.
And on that pedestal…
Another mask.
Tunde's heartbeat quickened. Another mask?
Before he could move, a deep voice echoed through the chamber.
"Only the worthy may claim the power of the shrine."
A shadow rose from the ground, taking the form of a warrior in ancient armor.
His eyes glowed like fire.
"Prove yourself, Tunde Adeyemi."
The warrior charged.
The Ultimate Test
Tunde barely had time to react.
The warrior moved with impossible speed, swinging a curved blade.
Tunde lifted his mask golden energy flared around him.
The warrior's blade clashed against the light, sending sparks flying.
Tunde gritted his teeth. This wasn't an enemy he could simply overpower.
The shrine wanted something else.
A test.
A choice.
Tunde realized he had to prove he could control the mask's power.
Not by fighting.
But by resisting.
He took a deep breath.
And he lowered the mask.
The golden energy dimmed.
The warrior stopped.
Then, he smiled.
"You have chosen wisely."
The temple shook as the second mask floated toward Tunde.
"This mask," the warrior said, "will unlock your true path."
Tunde reached out his fingers brushed against the stone.
A blinding light filled the chamber.
Then everything went black.
The Mask of Truth
Tunde's head spun as the light faded. His fingers trembled as he gripped the second mask.
It was different from the first. Darker. Heavier.
The first mask had whispered power. This one was silent.
Adanna stirred beside him. "Tunde? Are you okay?"
He nodded slowly. But something had changed.
The warrior's voice still echoed in his mind.
"This mask will unlock your true path."
But what did that mean?
Tunde glanced at Adanna. Should he put it on now?
Or should he wait until they reached Nri?
The weight of the decision pressed on him.
The First Vision
Before he could decide, the second mask pulsed in his hands.
A sharp pain stabbed through his mind.
Then images flooded his vision.
A great city in flames.
A figure standing at the gates of Nri wearing the same mask Tunde now held.
And then a voice, deep and ancient.
"Choose wisely, Tunde Adeyemi. The wrong path will destroy everything."
Then, darkness.
Tunde gasped, his body shaking.
Adanna grabbed his shoulders. "What happened?"
Tunde struggled to find words.
The vision had felt… real.
He looked at the second mask. It held secrets. Dangers.
But it also held answers.
Tunde clenched his fists.
He needed to know the truth.
Slowly, he lifted the second mask
And put it on.
The Mask's Power
The world blurred.
When his vision cleared, he was no longer in the shrine.
He stood on a battlefield.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground warriors in armor, their weapons broken.
The sky was red, burning with fire.
Tunde turned and saw a masked warrior standing before him.
The figure raised his hand. The ground cracked open.
Power surged through Tunde's body.
The mask was not just showing him the future.
It was testing him.
The Battle for Control
The masked warrior charged.
Tunde barely dodged. Energy exploded from the warrior's fists, shaking the ground.
Tunde felt the power of the mask responding.
But it wasn't his power. It was the mask's will.
It wanted to take control.
Tunde gritted his teeth. "No."
The mask tightened around his face, trying to consume him.
He had to fight back.
Not with power.
With will.
Tunde reached deep within himself, remembering his grandmother's words.
"Power means nothing without control."
He focused. Pushed back against the mask's influence.
The masked warrior stumbled.
Then vanished.
The battlefield faded.
And Tunde was back in the shrine.
Adanna's voice was distant. "Tunde! Take it off!"
With a final effort, Tunde pulled the mask from his face.
He had won.
For now.
A New Path
Tunde stared at the mask in his hands.
It was powerful. Dangerous.
But he understood now it wasn't evil.
It was a tool. And he had to master it.
Adanna exhaled. "That was reckless."
Tunde managed a weak smile. "But now I know what we're dealing with."
Adanna shook her head but didn't argue. "Then we need to reach Nri fast."
Tunde nodded.
The real journey was just beginning.
And now, he had two masks.
One of power.
One of truth.
And a destiny waiting to be fulfilled.
The Guardian of the Forgotten Path
Tunde adjusted his grip on the two masks. He could still feel the second one's lingering energy powerful, unpredictable.
But now, he had a choice to make.
Adanna's eyes were full of questions. "We should go to Nri. The elders will know what to do."
Tunde shook his head. "Not yet."
The vision had shown him something terrifying a warrior standing at the gates of Nri, wearing the second mask.
What if going there now put the entire city in danger?
No.
He needed to understand the masks first. Control them.
"There's someone else who might have answers," Tunde said.
Adanna frowned. "Who?"
Tunde's heart pounded as he spoke the name.
"The Guardian of the Forgotten Path."
The Journey to the Forgotten Path
The Guardian was a legend. A protector of lost knowledge.
Many said he was a spirit, neither living nor dead.
Some believed he was the last of an ancient order a warrior who had walked the earth for centuries.
But all stories agreed on one thing:
The Guardian only revealed himself to those who proved their worth.
Adanna pulled her cloak tighter as the wind picked up. "And where do we find this Guardian?"
Tunde glanced at the masks.
They had led him this far.
Maybe… they would lead him again.
He closed his eyes and focused.
The second mask pulsed.
A new vision appeared
A mountain, shrouded in mist. A ruined temple at its peak.
And a path that only the worthy could walk.
Tunde opened his eyes. "We head east. To Uke Mountain."
The Forbidden Trail
For two days, they traveled through dense jungle and winding rivers.
The deeper they went, the stranger the land became.
Trees grew in unnatural shapes. The air felt thicker, charged with unseen energy.
By the third night, Adanna stopped suddenly. "Tunde… do you hear that?"
Tunde listened.
At first, silence.
Then whispers.
Coming from the trees.
Adanna grabbed her dagger. "We're being watched."
Tunde felt it too.
The jungle was alive. And it didn't want them here.
The second mask throbbed in his hands.
And suddenly the path ahead changed.
The dense jungle shifted, revealing a narrow stone bridge leading across a deep gorge.
Tunde swallowed hard. "We're close."
Adanna hesitated. "Or we're walking into a trap."
But they had no choice.
They stepped onto the bridge.
And the whispers grew louder.
The Guardian Appears
The temple ruins stood at the mountain's peak, covered in mist.
Tunde and Adanna stepped into the ancient courtyard.
Then a figure appeared.
He was tall, cloaked in black and gold robes. His eyes were hidden beneath a deep hood.
But the air around him hummed with power.
"You have come far, Tunde Adeyemi," the figure said.
Tunde's breath caught. How did he know his name?
The Guardian raised a hand.
Suddenly the two masks flew from Tunde's grasp.
They hovered in the air, glowing.
The Guardian's voice deepened. "Do you even understand what you carry?"
Tunde steadied himself. "That's why I came."
The Guardian studied him. Then, he reached up
And removed his hood.
Tunde's eyes widened.
The Guardian was not a man.
His skin shimmered like bronze. His eyes glowed with ancient light.
And when he spoke again, his voice echoed across time.
"Then let the trials begin."