The last song of the ancestors

The convertible airplane had discharged its power reserve. It had stopped working in the middle of nowhere. The trio was a long way from their destination: the waterfalls. Sunlight was already peeking over the horizon. Ilu Nla's wall cast its shadow across the three-kilometer stretch of arid land that separated the metropolis from the slums.

The man in the dark matte suit loosened his tie, it was going to be a long, hot day. He removed his glasses and hooked one of the stems into his pocket. He smoothed his bald head with his fingertips. He prepared a cigarette. He needed to clear his head and relax. He looked towards the northeast. A cool breeze hinted at less dry weather, a river perhaps.

He turned back. There were only the slums burning like hell. Ochre-colored smoke rose into the air. It smelled of death. He preferred his own, with aromatic herbs that removed impurities from the body and mind when he breathed it out. He stayed there until he had finished his cigarette. He threw the butt on the floor and stepped on the rest to finish the smoke.

He picked up a transparent slim smartphone. He activated the touch screen and scanned it biometrically. He entered a number that would seem random to anyone curious and dialed. He placed the smartphone on the hood of the vehicle and a dim, bluish beam of light emitted from the device. The interlocutor was projected in augmented reality, but only the lenses of the man in the suit could see.

A man dressed in a suit with a color and cut close to that of the smartphone's owner appeared in high resolution. He was tall and slender. His face was clean-shaven, long and with expression marks around his light brown eyes. His hair was curly and flowed down to his shoulders with numerous gray strands. His bearing emanated elegance and experience.

"My Babu, I revere you. I have fulfilled my mission, silenced all my targets and erased my presence at the crime scenes. May God smooth your paths and remove your difficulties."

The man said, resting one knee on the ground and drawing a half-moon around his chest. He stood up with the other man's permission.

"As Babu of Ilê Apanyan, I congratulate you on your mastery of your mission. May the heavens rejoice in receiving the souls of your targets, God willing. May we be instruments of destiny's will. Tell your Babu what happened."

"So I do. After silencing my targets, I realized that Ilu Nla has many conflicting forces. These disputes go beyond petty things like wealth and power. A medium called Yasini asked me to escort these two young men to the waterfalls where a group called the Masters of Suspicion live."

"Who is part of this group, my son?"

"Three powerful mediums, as far as I know, My Babu. They are former members of the Circle of Sages, mortal enemies of the Head of State of Ilu Nla, Acting President Ojwang. He carried out a recent coup d'état, dissolved the traditional institutions and seeks to transform the old monarchy into a republic."

"I didn't understand the relevance of the two young men in this equation, Fadala."

"The boy's name is Akachi, he's a medium. He has an exoskeleton connected to one of the Seven Keys of the Spirit, that of Faith."

Babu folded his hands behind his back and raised his chin. He remained silent for a few moments. He wondered what he should do.

"Ever since Ojwang appeared, I've always perceived him as an agent of chaos. Like something that didn't belong in this world. His existence disturbs me. My predictions about him have proved accurate, Fadala, my son. The Ilê Apanyan, after many centuries, will act as the scales of justice. It will force its weight until everything is balanced again. You will force that weight, my son…"

For a moment, the man hesitated. Fadala longed to know the rest. Sometimes he saw in his Babu the figure of a prophet, whose positive or negative words vibrated the fabric of existence with undoubted truth. His intuition knew no bounds. He felt honored to serve a man like him.

"Go on, My Babu."

"It won't be an easy mission. You could lose your life on your mission. But as a funeral director, you shouldn't fear death. It is an extension of life, and only those who have truly lived can know its mystery. It is only known to those who do not fear it."

"I understand, My Babu. I will do as you wish."

"This Akachi can be either our salvation or our downfall. May God allow him to be the one and not the other. Take him and his companion to the Masters of Suspicion. Protect them, and if the former wise men prove dangerous, eliminate them. Use the boy as an entry card to Ilu Nla, and kill Ojwang. Those who stand between you and your mission must suffer the same fate. May God smooth your path and remove your difficulties, my son Fadala."

"May God do the same for you, my Babu."

The conversation ended. Fadala twisted his neck, emitting a crunching sound. The leader of the assassins had asked for something difficult. The Ilê Apanyan agent knew the reputation of the Phalanx members. He couldn't come in shooting and killing. Ojwang's cybersoldiers had high-tech weapons, many of them unknown.

The man pondered. If Ilu Nla's forces had the same firepower as the bipedal tanks they faced on Chrome Hill, a single field agent wouldn't be enough. Fadala trusted his abilities, but there was a difference between acting solo and having to look after and protect people.

The Ilê Apanyan assassins trained together until they became members of the order. However, they acted alone in society as sleeper cells. They waited to be activated and acted, without remorse, pity or hesitation. They knew the language of death and only dealt with it.

Gradually, both Akachi and Spin Bomb woke up. They had been put in the back seat. They fell asleep clinging to each other. When they saw each other, they uttered a cry of astonishment. They felt the same shame that Adam and Eve knew in Paradise. Each went to one side. With his face flushed, Spin Bomb asked:

"Why were you grabbing me like that?"

"I, uh, was cold… I guess."

"No, you were just tired."

Fadala cast his shadow over them. The pair of young men jumped out of the vehicle. They got into attack formation. Akachi pulled out the sticks and Spin Bomb lit his portable torch.

"Come on, baldy! What kind of freak are you?"

"Yeah, where is everybody? What have you done to us, Mr. Nobody?"