The sky above Ajeji Village split open—not with thunder, not with lightning, but with something far worse. Darkness spilled from the crack, thick as oil, spreading across everything and smothering the morning sun. The air pressed down, heavy and suffocating. Birds just dropped from the sky, their wings folding mid-flight. Even the earth underfoot trembled.
People ran wild, shouting, sobbing, whispering desperate prayers. In the middle of all that chaos stood Baba Ikuomola, clutching his bow, eyes trained on the jagged tear overhead.
"It has begun…" he breathed.
Behind him, Ade's mother tried to sit up. She was weak, but her eyes flashed with terror.
"Ade…" she croaked.
The ground lurched under a deafening rumble. And then, out of that darkness, shapes slid downward—tall, warped, moving with a strange, eerie grace. The Night People. This time, they weren't hiding. They were stepping out into the human world.
"Ade… ADE!"
That shout rang out again—only this time, it wasn't his mother's voice. There was something older in it, something that crackled with power.
Ade staggered upright, gasping, as the sky above the Dark Realm throbbed with wild, furious energy.
"I hear you," he said, short of breath.
"Then listen," said the voice. "You're not just the bridge. You're the gate."
Ade frowned, knuckles white. "What are you talking about?"
"They're using your power to hold the portal open. Your blood… your very existence."
His pulse hammered. "So if I end myself, I"Stop them?"
"Not exactly," the voice replied. "You have to take control of the gate or destroy it."
Ade glanced up at the broken sky. "How am I supposed to do that?"
Silence, then: "You need to return."
Ade clenched his fists. "I've been trying!"
"Not with your body," the voice said. "With your will."
He closed his eyes, reaching deep. He remembered his mother's voice and strength. He remembered his father—his warning, his sacrifice.
"I'm not finished yet," Ade whispered.
A light inside him started growing. Slow at first, then strong. Darkness fought back, twisting and writhing around him. The red-eyed figure appeared again.
"You're still resisting?"
Ade opened his eyes. "Yes."
The figure lifted its hand. "You're wasting your strength."
Ade shook his head. "No, I'm using it."
The ground beneath him split open. Light surged out. The whole realm trembled.
"What are you doing?!" the figure shouted.
Ade stepped forward. "I'm going back."
The figure threw itself at him, but it was too late. Light exploded around Ade, swallowing him whole.
Back in Ajeji Village
A huge shockwave ripped through the village. Baba Ikuomola spun around.
"What was that?"
Everyone froze. The crack in the sky pulsed, and then a beam of light slammed down into the village square. Dust and wind blasted outward. When it cleared, someone stood there—chest heaving, glowing faintly. It was Ade.
His mother gasped. "Ade…"
He stared up at the sky. The tear had grown wider and even darker. Night People poured through in droves.
Baba Ikuomola ran to him. "You came back!"
Ade nodded, but his face was all business. "We don't have time. They've started the full opening."
His mother struggled upright. "Ade… what do we do?"
He glanced at her, then Baba, and then at the frightened villagers. Last, his eyes lifted to the sky. They hardened.
"We fight."
The ground shook again. More Night People landed, scanning the village with glowing eyes. One moved forward.
"You can't stop what's begun."
Ade marched out to meet it. "Watch me."
The creature leaped at him. Ade raised his hand. A burst of light shot out, catching it mid-air. The thing disintegrated.
The villagers gasped. Baba Ikuomola stared, stunned.
"You're stronger than before…"
Ade just shook his head. "So are they."
More creatures dropped in, sowing chaos and panic. Ade turned to the hunter.
"Keep the villagers safe. Stay together."
Baba nodded. "What about you?"
Ade looked back at the sky. "I'm ending this."
His mother grabbed his hand, trembling. "Be careful…"
He gave her a quick nod. "I will."
Then he sprinted toward the village center, toward the heart of the broken sky. The battle would end there.
Above him, the portal thundered—light and darkness clashing. Deep inside the rift, the red-eyed figure waited and watched.