Season 1, Episode 4 : The Mirror Of Umudim ( Nnenna ) The Spirits Warning

The forest was quieter than usual as Nnenna made her way back from the shrine. The path she once knew now felt unfamiliar, twisted by something beyond nature. Her breath came out in shallow puffs, heart pounding like the rhythmic beat of a sacred drum.

In the distance, she could hear the faint clanging of an ogene (iron bell), but she saw no one. The sound pulsed through the trees like a heartbeat, guiding her forward yet warning her all at once.

As she reached the edge of her village, she saw that the air had changed. A heavy mist now clung to the rooftops. Children who had once played outside were now absent. Elders sat quietly under trees, their faces painted with lines of concern.

At home, her grandmother awaited her with red eyes and trembling hands. \"Nnenna,\" she said, \"you have stirred the attention of the unseen ones. You must be careful now. They do not forgive easily.\"

That night, Nnenna could not sleep. The parchment she had taken from the shrine now glowed faintly under her mat. Strange symbols danced across its surface like fireflies in the dark.

Suddenly, the room turned icy cold. Her mat lifted slightly off the ground, and the wind blew open the wooden windows. Shadows crept along the walls, taking the form of long, whispering figures.

One stepped forward, its eyes two deep sockets filled with red light. It spoke in a voice that echoed both within and outside her mind. “You have opened the gate, daughter of the stubborn. The old ones watch.”

Nnenna tried to cry out, but her voice was gone. Only her red scarf floated beside her, lifted by the unseen wind.

The spirit pointed at the parchment on the floor. “Burn it… or be marked.”

Then, as quickly as they had appeared, the spirits vanished. Her mat dropped, and the wind stilled. All was quiet—except for her pounding heart.

In the morning, her grandmother found her kneeling by the hearth, trying to set the parchment on fire. But it would not burn. Not even a spark caught.

“You cannot destroy what is already part of you,” her grandmother whispered. “The spirits chose you.”

Nnenna looked up, her eyes filled with tears and dread. “Why me?”

The old woman said nothing. Instead, she picked up white chalk and drew a symbol on Nnenna’s forehead. A protection mark. \"Because they fear you… or what you may become.\"

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To be continued...