The last song of the ancestors

After the twenty-four hours fast, Akachi began the Axé discharge ritual. Feruzi inscribed zimbas all over the body of Adisa's son. A set of symbols that emphasized circles, semicircles, spirals, dots and discontinuous lines. He created a circle of white powder on the ground. Around the circle were various characteristic inscriptions.

The young medium lay down with his back to the ground. His arms and legs were spread. Fadala and Spin Bomb watched in silence. They felt a little worried about the ritual. The Discharge Session could drain all her Axé and leave her body as weak as it had been in childhood.

After finishing signing the crossed-out dots, Feruzi summoned Selassié. The three spirits appeared floating above Akachi. The boy was surprised by the age of these spirits.

"You have three Ori Guardians?"

"Oh, yes, that's Ekon, Iregi and Suluhu. They are my ancestors, triplets who died as infants. They're quarrelsome and hard-headed, but experts in Scratched Point Magic…"

The three of them surrounded Feruzi, looking irritated by these descriptions. The sage sighed. Iregi, his cheeks reddening, shouted harshly:

"Is that how you describe us to people? I should let you down, you know."

"Iregi, stop shouting. You're scaring the boy."

"Fuck you, Suluhu, you always protect that old man!"

Ekon approached Feruzi, looked him in the eye and said seriously:

"Come on, Feruzi, don't waste time with Iregi. He's hot-tempered by nature. Let's start the ritual, I can feel the suffering in Akachi's body and mind."

The former sage looked at the other spirits and spoke as if giving an order to his children.

"Selassié, are you ready?"

"Yes, we can begin."

"I was born ready, crown!"

"If they are, so am I."

'"The trinity is one and perfect, complementary in its vastness. I serve three wise infants, who fill my days with knowledge and fortune. Ekon, Iregi and Suluhu, who investigate everything with their curiosity, give me your knowledge. Firm spirits."

The trio of Ori Guardians merged inside Feruzi's body. He rolled up the sleeves of his tunic, revealing milky skin with purple veins. At that moment, Akachi realized that he was an albino man.

The circle and the scratched points began to emit a whitish glow. Akachi's body squirmed on the ground. His eyes rolled back in their sockets. Spin Bomb tried to run towards him, but Mashal caught her by the arm. She shook her head in the negative. She shouldn't interfere, no one could.

A massive energy dome rose from the ground and transformed into a translucent dome. The Axé spiraled centrifugally over its surface. Inside, Akachi would be protected. An additional double barrier of protection had been added. Anyone trying to break through or invade it would find it twice as difficult to access.

Inside the Axé Discharge Barrier, the medium fell into a daze. His senses gradually ceased. It was as if he had had a near-death experience. He felt as if his spirit had been taken out of his body. He saw himself floating in the air, saw his own body lying on the ground.

His friends were around the barrier and a military helicopter was approaching. He tried to scream, to alert those below, but he couldn't. A powerful and unknown force dragged him down. He resisted as long as he could, but was taken to another dimension. This place was in the world outside this world, where the fourteen Entities, the divinized ancestors, reigned sublime.

Akachi descended from the sky and landed safely on the ground. He was in a savannah, the greenest he had ever seen. The trees with their leafy tops and full of flowers exuded a scent like no other. Right next to it was a river. The current made a percussive sound of pebbles. The boy approached the water and saw his face. He fell backwards onto the ground.

"What's that?"

Akachi saw no human features, but a cluster of pulsating energy. It was an Axé body. He heard a metallic crackling sound on the floor. He turned around and saw two powerful silhouettes. They were a middle-aged man and a tall, well-proportioned woman.

The man was holding an opaxorô, a silver staff. Its shaft was embedded in three circles covered in strings of gray pearls and white gold ornaments. His crown was mixed with a white turban and his face was covered with a net of silver threads.

Around her neck were several white beaded necklaces. Two large bracelets covered his forearms. Her tunic was cut across her abdomen, and a large skirt with several layers of white ruffles with lead details completed her attire. He had the peaceful look of someone who had witnessed many eras and had lived through them.

The woman next to him was wearing a blood-red dress. In one hand she held an erukerê, a metal scepter with a wad of straight hair on the end. At his waist was a sheathed alpenstock with a half-moon guard and a gold pommel. On his head, he wore a golden pentagon-shaped crown lined with ruby silk, a ruby embedded in the middle of the crown.

Her bust was covered in golden-yellow silk, and a high-waisted dress in a ruby color completed her outfit. Heavy gold bracelets and rings showed off her wealth and refinement. Her face was covered by a veil of reddish beads, leaving her plump lips exposed. Her skin exuded a delicious freshness. She was haughty, with a beauty unattainable by any mortal woman.

The medium was paralyzed by these presences. He stood up and thought about retreating. There was nowhere to go, this was the domain of the Entities, the closest servants of Fante Obataiye. The old man slammed his staff into the ground a second time, and in a firm voice, ordered:

"Show respect to your elders, my son. You have entered the gates of Aruanda."

Unconsciously, Akachi knelt before the pair and said in an embarrassed voice:

"Bless my elders, my lord and lady."

The two Entities looked at each other and gave a slight smile. The woman gestured for him to stand up.

"That's better. Stand up."

"I don't know how I ended up here, I apologize if I ended up trespassing. I was dragged here by some invisible force."

The Entity bent over the staff. It fixed its eyes on Akachi, so that the boy's blood ran cold.

"You didn't break in, you're not competent. In fact, you were invited in. I understand your inability to understand the Divine Plan, what many religions and cults in the world call Heaven or Paradise. The dimension of Divine Power emanating from the Greatest Creator of existence. That is a privilege that few have seen."

Akachi felt embarrassed by his own ignorance. He scanned the horizon. Everything had an ethereal tone, a dreamlike aura that filled everything. It was frightening and invigorating at the same time.

"If I've been brought here, it's because you have a good reason."

The woman approached him. She pointed to the Spiritual Key that, even in this world, was connected to his chest.

"You are destined to sing the Last Song of the Ancestors when the Seven Keys of the Spirit gather at Irôko's feet. A glorious and heavy burden for a young man likes you. The moment your father linked your destiny to that of this spiritual key, he ended up putting you on the wheel of destinies."

"No, ma'am. It's a mistake. I don't know that song. That key, uh… it was an accident. I… I don't know how to answer. I'm not the chosen one, I'm just an ordinary young man who got caught up in this mess. I'm not a hero or anything…"

The man waved his staff as if the young medium had blasphemed. With a voice of authority, he declared to Akachi:

"Nobody said you were predestined to anything. There's no such thing. Being destined doesn't mean that everything is written and you'll follow a straight line to it. You have choices. They decide your path. Only those who don't make their own choices are predestined, led by the lines of random destinies."

"I don't know if I can do that. Until recently I was a paralyzed boy in a hospital bed. A person like that can't save anyone… maybe not even themselves."

The woman drew her sword from her waist and pointed it at the boy's neck. He stepped back with a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Such words would never come from someone who shares our blood. If starring in your life is so painful for you, I can put an end to that suffering now."

"I… ah, I don't know if I can, ma'am. I'm weak, and I know little about the mediumistic arts. Someone else should do it. Why don't you act, you and you are powerful Entities…"

The male Entity came up to his companion and, with his fingertips, lowered the gun. He looked at the horizon and said:

"Akachi, my son. You mediums always look back for the strength of those who came before you, and that is right. But you forget that you are ancestors in the present time. In the future, your children and grandchildren, your descendants will look to you for strength and inspiration. Which ancestor do you want to be now? What symbol do you want to bequeath to future generations, my son?"

The woman sheathed her sword. With a kinder voice this time, she declared:

"You are the bearer of the Spiritual Key of Faith, do you know what that word faith means, my son?"

"Believing in what you can't see? I think so."

"Yes, that's the limited understanding of faith, pure belief. Faith is something bigger, it's one of the aspects of Fante Obataiye. Faith is doing the possible when everything seems impossible, it's an action. If your father didn't have faith, he would never have allowed you to walk. Have faith in your destiny, Akachi. Take action, make your choices. Become an ancestor who inspires faith in people."

The female Entity placed both her hands on his face. His companion placed his left hand on the boy's shoulder. Akachi felt an even greater strength run through his body. His spirit was as invigorated as ever. He smiled, the frenzy of energy was uncontainable. Every spiritual particle in his body was vibrating with power.

"With your blessing, I will do as you ask."

"We bless you in the name of Fante Obataiye, the Greatest Creator."

The female Entity blew lightly into his eyes. Akachi saw nothing more after that. Seconds passed without him feeling anything. When he opened his eyes, he saw a real battlefield. There were corpses all around the barrier. He stood up in astonishment.

"What happened here?"