Chapter 1

It is a bad morning, but a good day.

The rays of the morning sun leaked through the wooden window into the hut made of clay. It is a bright and sunny morning and the birds sang joyfully, rendering the early morning chorus to the beautiful yellow face in the sky.

Oluṣeyi groaned in his disappointment, because mornings like this one, always produce good days, unfortunately, such days begin on a bad note. The useless chicken had succeeded in waking him up late again. Judging from the rays of the sunlight that leaked into his humble room, he guessed it to be 10:00 am, but in those days, clocks didn't exist, so the people of the land would just say "after sunrise". Even though his eyes were still heavy with slumber, he forced his reluctant body to move. After all, it is not honourable for an aspiring warrior to be caught sleeping during the day. He walked out of his home lazily to urinate in a nearby bush or so his slow mind thought, within the twinkle of an eye his memory triggered off a warning a second too late. His head exploded in a spasm of pain, a familiar kind of pain, a pain he calls his daily wake up medicine.

"How come?" Ṣeyi wandered,

Why? Years of suffering the consequences of letting his guard down,' and yet! He still can't figure a way to evade a simple attack like this one. The one who attacked was his angry next-door neighbour, Chief Oloyede! Who's not too pleased that Ṣeyi had turned his home into a public latrine. Ṣeyi grunted an unintelligent exclamation in reaction to the pain right before he placed his hands on his head carelessly allowing his urea to wet his clothing if he was not awake before, he is definitely alert now.

"Ṣeyi! How many times have I told you not to defile my house?" A plum, angry-looking man from the window shouted brandishing a long cane.

"I am sorry sir" Ṣeyi replied as he recovered from the shock of being hit on the head, he knows that chief Oloyede hates him. To be honest, everyone in the village hates him, nothing too surprising. He rather enjoyed being scorned, he was raised that way, being looked down upon with hating eyes. Although Ṣeyi had wanted to respond with his heartfelt curses and abuses, but the village priest, the elder who had raised him as a child taught him the most painful lesson of all. A lesson he reluctantly had to accept, "always respect your elders, including those who treat you negatively, that way hatred will not be a part of your nature." Of course, he modified the advice a little to include "insult all those who insult you so you can have a little peace"

"Sorry for yourself, every day it is the same thing…" the chief boomed, pleased at the opportunity to bully Ṣeyi. Sadly, he could not finish his statement, because Oluṣeyi ran off towards his front door with the thought "a bad morning," unfortunately, the morning wasn't over for Ṣeyi, and listening to chief Oloyede's opinions about how the world would be a better place if he were dead, isn't a part of Ṣeyi's morning agenda.

Oluṣeyi rushed back to his home and shut the door, forcing his melancholic tears away, he had always been hated, and like a man, Ṣeyi had refused to blame anyone for his misfortune. He simply accepted his present situation with a smile on his face.

"It's Time for breakfast!" He said, with the same forced smile on his face. Usually, Ṣeyi enjoyed going out to eat in the village eatery. The village had food in abundance, especially for a growing young warrior like himself, which by his standards is better than his home-cooked meal. Nevertheless, the Balogun had given him three months' worth of food supply and he had no intention to let it go to waste and he was too greedy to share his meal with the pests crawling around the house. He sliced some pieces' yam into a cooking pot and boiled it, without applying a single ingredient, because he did not know how. Cooking is not a part of his many gifts. He never had any parents to teach him or to prepare him for the challenges that life had to offer. He was raised in the shrine of Ifa by the high priest, then his aged wife still lived, but when she passed away, he was forced to survive on his own, something as horrible as that a 5-year-old was forced to achieve. A large part of his lonely life was that he had to learn how to cater for himself the hard way, through trial and error. "That is the way of a warrior," he always told himself with a smile on his face. Minutes later he had finished cooking his breakfast the foul aroma could kill a chicken and send an army running, but for Ṣeyi, it's all he has so the least he can do is enjoy it. He had barely begun eating when he suddenly heard a voice from outside his window, which interrupted his morning ritual and his meal.

"Oluṣeyi! Oluṣeyi! A deep baritone voice called, "Osi-Balogun, has sent me to call you".

"Yes!" Oluṣeyi shouted, alarmed by a sudden jolt in his memory.

"Now I'm in trouble," he exclaimed,

The Osi-Balogun is the supervisor of all the youths intending to join the warriors or "Ibas (lords)" within Ilu-ina village. The Balogun had placed him in charge of basic training and Yoruba history lessons, every morning from sunrise until midday. Those placed in his charge are to report to him, in other words, Ṣeyi is hopelessly late. Leaving his unfinished breakfast of poorly prepared yam and palm oil, he rushed off to the village square as fast as his legs would carry him.

The moment he got to the village square, he found the Osi-Balogun busy teaching the other children under the mango tree, due to the sun being too high for physical training. Ṣeyi's arrival was figuratively a sweating and panting entrance, worthy of laughter from his peers.

"Ṣeyi you are late, AGAIN!" Said Osi-Balogun stressing the last word

"Forgive me, sir" Ṣeyi pleaded, "I was sleeping very lounge," what he intended to say was "long" unfortunately it didn't come out the way he had planned.

All the other children laughed at his foolish reply.

"Come here Ṣeyi," the Osi-Balogun said sternly, "pick up that stone, hold it up above your head and remain like that until I release you" pointing to a big rock

"But my hand will break" Ṣeyi protested

"And that will serve as a reminder for you, and as an example to others that, next time, you will not be late for your training. Now do as I have ordered".

That was how Ṣeyi spent the rest of the morning on punishment, while the Osi taught the rest of the children, ignoring Ṣeyi's presence, of course, this always occurred, every single day. So it is nothing surprising.

The status Osi-Balogun is rank two next to the Balogun, Balogun is the highest rank for a warrior in the village, Osi-Balogun is not a wicked man, but he was known to be strict, his instructions must be followed to the letter. Unfortunately, Oluṣeyi has always been the one going against those instructions.

"To be a truly successful Ẹṣọ you must be a symbol of strength not only for yourself, but for the whole Yoruba land, Ẹṣọs must be faithful to the Balogun," Osi-Balogun continued showing that he had been saying something before Ṣeyi's entrance.

"What about the king," Akin asked, "we ought to be faithful to the Oba".

"Yes! And, No, The Oba is protected by his guards and the Ilaris," the Osi-Balogun replied, "the Balogun must serve the interest of the Oba and to protect him"

"So by obeying the Balogun we are also obeying the Oba," Akin said

"Yes!" Osi replied with a smile on his face grateful that his students were very attentive. "And the Oba must obey the Alaafin of Ọyọ, Warriors in this village are divided into various fields of Specialty depending on their individual talents".

"Are there Ẹṣọ's in every village within the Yoruba Empire?" Kayọde asked

"It depends on the size and influence of the province; more powerful provinces are financially capable of setting up multiple warrior villages like this one"

"And what are these fields?" another student asked, "We know that you are only allowed to tell us once we reach the rank of Ẹṣọ but please tell us now"

"The fields vary depending on the location of the village and the preference of the villagers" the Osi began sensing the pleading eyes of his attentive pupils. "And right here in Ilu-inọ village, we have six official divisions known as the Ẹgbẹ. the hunters (Ẹgbẹ awon Ọlọdẹ), the herbal healers (Ẹgbẹ awon Onisegun), the warriors, the guards, the scouts, the shadow gates, the mask cult (Ogugu) and the BADAs (ẸGBẸ ẸRANBAYAN). They all have an area of specialization and a specific skill set"

"Is it true that they're all Igbimo (a council/cult)?" Ṣeyi asked as he struggled with the stone he was carrying

"Yes, they are all bounded by an oath of brotherhood. They are indeed a high council each one under the command of a high-ranking Ẹṣọ and that Ẹṣọ in turn under the command of the Balogun. The hunters, who were acknowledged a few years ago, thanks to the efforts of a great hunter who saved the village at that time"

"What about the Jaguna's?" Sodipo asked

"They are under the direct command of the Balogun, an ambitious warrior who desires to make a name for himself has the right to become a Jaguna. Which gives him the ability to command a small band of warriors with which they can perform various iṣẹs (Missions)"

"Is it true that the Ẹṣọs have the ability to fight against evil spirits?" another child asked

"Who is filling your heads with all this sensitive information?" The Osi-Balogun complained, and the child who asked the question in person of Niyi chortled. "Well, it is true," the Osi-Balogun continued in a defeated tone "long before Oduduwa descended into Yoruba land with the divine chain to rule it, there was a big conflict in the heavens"

"Ehnnn!" the pupils exclaimed

"The first demon rebellion, it was once called. God who was once called "Olodumare" in His anger cast out all of His traitorous servants from Ọrun (heaven) to imprison them here on earth. This all happened long before the moulding of the first man, all the evil spirits were caged within trees, rocks and even within the rivers. As Ẹṣọs you will one day be ordered to fend off such evil threats"

"How?" A quiet boy inquired. The Osi-Balogun was at first offended that there is someone who would dare to ask such a question, but the moment he looked at who asked the question he realised that the boy had every right to ask. The boy's name was Kayọde an albino from Ijebu land, the boy had just moved into the village with his family and he was forced by his overprotective father to join the Ẹṣọs training

"The only way to combat a spiritual entity is to harness the powers of the spirit in order to transcend the physical" the Osi replied, "the ability to create power through the manifestation of the spiritual realm. This can only be achieved by the divine covenant which is handled differently based on tribes and families"

The Osi noted that Kayọde shivered the moment he mentioned the word 'ritual,' 'what has that young man been through' he wondered. Kayọde's parents might have told the Balogun but from all indications, it seems like his reasons for being an Ẹṣọ was very far from plain ambition.

Two hours later when the Osi-Balogun dismissed the children for the day, all that remained was poor Oluṣeyi, sweating in pain with the big stone he held over his head, Akin his best friend stood afar off waiting patiently for Ṣeyi to join him.

"Oluṣeyi!" Osi-Balogun called

"S - I - R" Oluṣeyi replied weakly, for him the bad morning was almost at an end.

"Why! Why are you so stubborn?"

"I am sorry, sir, Ẹ ma binu sir! (don't be angry, sir)"

"Always you are sorry, and what you don't understand is that you are only harming yourself. If you keep this up none of the Jagunas will be willing to recruit you"

"Can I put this stone down now?" Oluṣeyi pleaded without paying any attention to the last statement. "O! Please! Please! I promise to come early tomorrow, this stone is too heavy" Ṣeyi cried, "Ṣẹ fẹ pa me ni (Do you want to kill me)"

"Ṣeyi you are training to become an Ẹṣọ one of the most powerful guardians of the Yoruba Empire, but you are the most un-serious of your colleagues".

"I will change," Ṣeyi said. The Osi-Balogun signed in disbelief knowing that Ṣeyi lacks the ability to change. There are certain disadvantages to being raised in the shrine of Ifa. The boy might have had the determination to become a warrior, but his heart is far from the mark.

"Put the stone down Ṣeyi," the Osi said calmly, then he placed his hand on Ṣeyi's shoulder, as a sign of assurance "I know you will change, you have the heart of an Iba, a true lord of Yoruba land, but you lack the strength, the will and determination of a true warrior. I fear you will fail".

"I will not fail "Ma Ja Ma SA" is the code of an Iba "to fight on and never to flee. No retreat no surrenders, this is my code. Gbabe!" Ṣeyi said in determination, with a vicious smile on his face

"Your words are strong Ṣeyi but a true dog must bark and bite, I am afraid that when you come to the test of strength you would fail".

"I will not, no one knows when the snake will strike from the soil".

"Inner strength comes when you learn discipline and self-control, the day you understand this, that day you will become stronger"

Ṣeyi smiled finally some positive words from his mentor, the Osi-Balogun is always lecturing him. Speaking about one important thing or another, the only thing he cares about is living his life to the fullest within the world that rejects him. "Until then," the boy replied, seeing the opportunity to make his big getaway. Ṣeyi ran off before the Osi could stop him or speak another word.

"Brat" The Osi silently exclaimed with a slight grin, the boy is young there is no need to expose the child to the harsh reality of the world just yet. He smiled as he watched Ṣeyi run away, unlike other members of the village who had a negative opinion of Ṣeyi, he admired Ṣeyi as a boy and understood his plight. Oluṣeyi's family background remains a mystery, people called him "the son of the shrine," because of the mysterious way in which he had appeared in the village. Various rumours and beliefs had blackened Ṣeyi's image in the eyes of many. Some had said that as a child Ṣeyi was used as a sacrificial item in a ritual for fame, riches and glory, the only flaw in the ritual was his spirit, which was far stronger than the demons that held him captive so he escaped 5 years later. How true this is, no one can tell. All they know is that Ṣeyi simply appeared a few years back without any explanation about his origins. The Ifa Priest brought a boy from the shrine and placed him in the house of the great hunter whom they said died defending the village, word had it that the land given to the boy was cursed and only an accursed can live peacefully on the property since then the boy had been in control of that property. Because of Oluṣeyi's reputation as the son of the shrine or "the accursed", the people of the village both hated and feared him. No one would send their child close to him or would allow him to make any friends for fear that he would curse them as well.

One of the village drunks had once decided to put an end to the nuisance once and for all and that proved to be Ṣeyi's breaking point, as the drunk dragged the boy towards the Balogun's hut the people of the village supported the action and even assisted by raining curses on the helpless boy. All the negative emotions within him exploded into a huge fit of rage. He could not remember how many times he landed his blows on the offending drunk or how they separated him from the fool that sought to chase him out of the village. He blacked out on that day and forgot how he had claimed his vengeance the only thing he remembers is that suddenly he developed the habit of replying to their hate with even more hatred he decided to become the monster they think he is, but he's going to have his fun while he's at it. He has no intention of sullying his hands with human blood, but he will perform every negative action in the book just to amuse himself, insult those who insult him, burn the farm of those who dare to confront him and spit in the faces of those who dare to spit at the sight of him. As they say blood for blood, vengeance for every insult and a fist in the face for everyone who dares to insult with the words "Son of the shrine".

He was then seen as a negative stigma in the village as a result of his actions, a stigma that they find difficult to purge from their peaceful community. One who is willing to die to prove that he is innocent of the crime they are accusing him of committing. He might be respectful to those who respect him, but when it comes to those who openly scorn him, then it will be the day of reckoning. He doesn't want the village to recognise his existence all he wants is the respect that he is has given to others. Osi was one of the only few who loved the boy and accepts him just the way he was and he is glad that Akin, another one of Ṣeyi's peers loved Oluṣeyi as well. They were both the best of friends, together and inseparable.

Oluṣeyi ran towards Akin without slowing his pace, he grabbed a hold of Akin's hand and ran towards the river, as usual, to make trouble

"Ṣeyi," Akin voiced, "where are we going?" He said, alarmed by Ṣeyi's desperate need to hurry.

"To the river Akin," Ṣeyi replied, "I was told that Nike would be having her bath there this afternoon," he laughed. Right Ṣeyi also had the reputation of a peeping tom, for some reasons a few years back Ṣeyi developed the habit of watching others for despicable reasons.

"Ha! Ṣeyi! May you not be the end of me" Akin protested "don't you know that Nike is a very wicked girl, and all the girls of this village hate me?"

"And so what! Let's go" Ṣeyi shouted,

Akin by physical description would be less than impressive when it comes to the looks department, If Akin should apply to compete in the contest of finding out who the ugliest human being in Yoruba land is, the organisers' honest report would be "sorry, no professionals!" Some would even scream thinking of him as an evil spirit. The boy was a cross between a pig and a man, and then the question is why is Ṣeyi so close to such a human being?

Akin is quite short for his age a very big head, a hunchback, misshapen hands with 4 fingers each the size of bananas due to his abnormally large bones, 2 to 3 missing teeth, no hair whatsoever and he always garbs himself in rags for clothes. Ṣeyi knew Akin for a while, but never said a word to him until the day the hunchback was almost killed by a herd of stampeding cattle. Without thinking, without flinching, Ṣeyi saved his life by pushing him out of the cattle's way, they've been close ever since.

Akin was the only other person who understands Ṣeyi's pain because he suffers from it as well. Like Ṣeyi he appeared out of nowhere, knowing neither his parents nor his tribe, and because of his ugliness people keep him at a distance. Some of the people who knew him even tried to kill him. The Balogun, who seems to be fond of him had kept him under her protection, rumours were going around saying that the Balogun once killed two men who had attempted to kidnap Akin as a sacrifice for Ọrunmila. How true this is nobody knows.

Ever since he met Oluṣeyi, His sadness seemed like a distant memory long forgotten. The two had become inseparable, and through Akin's companionship Ṣeyi monstrous reactions to specific stimuli had drastically reduced or maybe the hunch back had kept him occupied with other things, or the people of the village simply deemed it wise to ignore their existence completely so as not to incur Ṣeyi's wrath. Whatever the case, it had worked for more than two seasons, as long as they left the ugly hunchback and the cursed child alone there was peace in the village.