The village was coming back to life, little by little. People patched up their homes, hugged their kids, tried to stitch together what was left after everything went so terribly wrong. Even with the noise of hammers and children running about, Ade still noticed how the old fears clung to the corners, like cobwebs no one dared sweep away.
His feet led him through the square, but his head was far from it. He'd made it through the portal, smashed the gate, even faced down that thing with the red eyes. But somehow, Ade ended up with even more questions than before.
Who were the Night People, really? What had he just survived?
Later that night, Ade found himself sitting beside Baba Ikuomola at the edge of the river. The sky burned orange and gold, sun sliding lazily toward dusk as the water tossed the colors around. Ade spoke without really looking at the old hunter.
"I don't get it," he said softly. "I don't understand them… or where they came from… or my father."
Baba's sigh sounded heavier than the river itself. "Listen close. There's nothing simple here. Some truths—well, they might shake you more than any monster ever could."
Ade sat up, eyes fixed on Baba.
"The Night People," Baba started, voice low and careful. "They're older than any village. Older than even the big trees in the forest. They live between life and death, a place most of us never see. It's a shadow realm—and your father? He was one of them once."
Ade felt his chest tighten. "My father… a Night Person?" The words nearly caught in his throat.
"Yes," Baba said. "But he left them behind when he met your mother. That choice made him different. It made him vulnerable, but it made him human too, in the ways that count most."
Ade's blood pounded in his ears. "And the red-eyed one?"
"That was no ordinary Night Person," Baba said. "That was the Keeper of Shadows. Their leader. All it wants is to merge its world with ours, to stretch out its darkness. And to do that, it needs a bridge. Someone like you. Someone who can walk between worlds."
A chill ran through Ade. "So all of this—was because of me?"
Baba nodded. "In a way. But it was also the village. Fear, anger, greed—they feed on that. That's what brought them here. Your father fought to keep them out… and he gave his life for it."
The memories smashed into Ade—screams, chaos, the split in the world, the unbearable light, then quiet.
"What about the people they possessed?" he finally managed to ask.
"They weren't fully gone," Baba said softly. "The Night People use them, latch onto them to anchor themselves in our world. When you destroyed the portal, you broke their hold. But part of them lingers. Think of it as a warning, not a victory."
Ade glanced down. "So they'll come back."
Baba just looked tired, eyes shadowed. "Of course they will. Darkness waits. It always waits."
The river sparkled in the last of the day's light, and for a second Ade remembered that other place—the River of Shadows. The cold. The grabbing hands. Whispered voices that wanted him to give in.
He clenched his jaw. "I'll be ready next time."
Baba nodded, a faint pride slipping into his eyes. "You have your father's blood—and your own courage. That's power they don't understand. But you'll need more. Bravery's not enough."
Ade's mother came up quietly and set her hand on his shoulder, worry and love flickering in her eyes. "You've saved us once, Ade. But the Night People are clever. When they come again—promise me you'll be careful."
He met her gaze, feeling something solid spark inside him. "I promise. But I can't just run or hide. I'm going to fight them. I'll protect all of you. Always."
The hunter clapped him on the back. "Then it's time to start. If they come back, you won't face them as a boy. You'll be ready—as a bridge, and a warrior."
Ade let his eyes travel to the horizon. The sun dipped lower, but the light felt stronger, not weaker. For the first time, he could feel his future, clear and electric. The next fight would be harder. The shadows would be thicker.
But he wouldn't back down.
Not now.
Not ever.