Chapter Fifteen: The passing 2

When the door opened, they were greeted with the body of King Taka II floating ten feet away from the ground level. It looks as if he grew rocks with flowers around him, and water flows from the whole of his body.

Isn't this beautiful? Yomi exclaimed. Asani rolled her eyes at him making him grin widely. We need to extract and dissect the elementals surrounding him to understand where and what to do from here, Ayooni said, bringing out her toolbox. I need to dig little parts from the rocks surrounding him and his body for examination.

Let's get to work, Ayooni instructed her team. Ayooni, Anike, Asani, Emman, Kunle and Yomi while Yemi began to sketch and map down the surroundings. The details he felt were too much, the cold and the warmth of the place, the sadness around it and the pain emanating from the body. The fear that the suffering will never end and what fascinated him the most was what he felt from Ayooni.

Anger and sympathy rolled in as Ayooni dug around the body. She could feel the suffering and pain coming from the King's body and also the darkness in his body. Visions of his past deeds flashed across her eyes, making her light-headed. She suppressed them and focused on the job at hand.

It was dark by the time they got to the camp. Ayooni excused herself and rushed down to her tent. She needed some time alone to clear her thoughts. What she felt from there scared her. But what scared her more was the visions she tried hard to suppress.

She shrugged off her clothes and soaked herself in the bath. She didn't know how many minutes she was there, but the sound from her tent snapped her out of her trance. She put on the clothes she took in and strolled out of the bath to find Yemi sitting on her bed. What are you doing here? She asked in a resigned tone. Yemi took in her appearance. She looked worn out, he thought.

He wanted to close in for the day, grab some bear and probably go and listen to his friend's banter. But he couldn't shake off what he saw through her. Are you alright? He asked her. Yes, I am, she said, sitting beside him. I don't know what to do, she told him. I feel lost. Everything seems to be thrown at me in different shades. What do I do? Where should I go from here? I felt like I was walking on thin ice. Please tell me what to do, she said looking up at him with a blurry eye.

Yemi hugged her close. We will figure it out together, hoping to assure her and himself of the uncertainty that looms over them. Her tears flowed uncontrollably. Yemi gathered her in his lap comforting them both. You look ugly when you cry, he said to her making her smile. She dug her head into his embrace feeling his heartbeat in hers.

We need to tell the others, he said, they need to know what we are up against. He kissed her hair. I know, she said, but where do we start? She asked him. We will figure it out. Two years ago, he held on to her as he did now when Jordan broke her heart. For some reason unknown to him, he has been feeling double the emotions she felt.

When he felt her body go lax, he tucked her in. Stay with me, she said when he stood up. Yemi got in bed with her, sleep he coaxed gently. He had no intention of leaving the room either. He was scared of leaving her alone and more scared of what was to come. Today felt too long for any of them. He didn't know what to do but knew passing through was the only way for them to right the wrongs, as did she.