Tales of Hadithia

Origin of Hadithia - Part 5

"Please!" Kibaraki shouted. The group quieted down, looking over at him. "I'm sorry. I...I'm so sorry. I don't want to cause you all any conflict. I just need to go. I love you all more than anything, but I am unfit to be around you. You are unsafe around me...and my heart is unsafe around you."

"That's absurd! Kibaraki, why-," Hasani was cut off by the overflowing sorrow in Kibaraki's eyes.

"Hasani. That day we were drying the grain, a hole opened in your soul that could only be mended by your beloved." Kibaraki moved his gaze to meet Ayao's grey eyes, unable to look Hasani in the eye for what he was about to say. "Well, I suffered the same fate. Only, my beloved only had eyes for you." Ayao tried to keep her face stoic, but Kibaraki could see pain in her eyes. Pain, but not surprise.

He looked down at the growing center of the portal, the edges flexing like tentacles desperate to pull something in. "It may sound silly to say this is less fearful a fate than death, but I'd rather see a new beginning than a permanent end. I'm just sorry you all had to see me in this pathetic state. Don't worry, the portal will seal once I step inside." Kibaraki smiled sadly and moved forward, but Hasani and the twins protested.

Even though his voice was the softest, Kibaraki could hear Hasani's pained voice over the twins. "Kibaraki, please. We can...we can figure this out. Please." The hesitation in his voice hurt him more than anything; the fresh pain of both betrayal and guilt darkening their pure friendship.

Suddenly, the gravely voice echoed over the field so they all could hear.

This is taking too long, let's move this along.

Everyone startled at the strange voice, but Kibaraki and Ayao recognized it. You fool! she screamed furiously in her head, but of course he could not hear her. His own eyes seemed to echo the sentiment, however, realizing too late that Eshu, of course, had his own agenda.

Unseen by the group, Eshu began twirling his finger in the air, ordering the portal to increase in size.

The next few moments happened in an instant, but would change the course of all their lives forever.

Oshun, with her penchant to absorb every little detail she could, quickly noticed that the dark green center of the portal started growing. And Kibaraki was close enough to get pulled in. She knew she had to act, even if unsure of the consequences. In the second she took to notice these details, she gave her twin's trembling hand one last loving squeeze. Then she shoved him into their parents, knocking all three out of the way.

"Get back!" Oshun cried, launching herself at Kibaraki to knock him out of the way. With the weight of her force, her ankle twisted on one of the iridescent stones, knocking her to the side and straight towards the portal opening. Kibaraki saw this and struggled against his own stumbling feet to pull her towards him. He got a solid grasp on her forearm, but she was decidedly stronger and heavier than he. In an instant, they both fell through the green light that immediately erupted into nothing, leaving only a few scattered stones and smudged runes.

For a moment, there was only silence, but soon wailing vibrated through the clearing. Obatala fell into the dirt and crawled forward, screaming and clawing at the mud. Over his panicked cries, a throaty laughter amplified as a large figure suddenly appeared out of the darkness, shrinking down as it walked forward from the height of the trees to the average size of a human. The sparkling stars, violet sky and fragmented darkness of the woods all remained on the being's figure, slowly melting away to reveal a sculpted chest and brown wolfskin coverings.

"Eshu." sneered Ayao, holding tightly to a broken Hasani shedding silent tears.

The being smiled wickedly and bowed comically to her. "My dear Ayao, I can barely recognize you in this form." He turned away from her and began pacing around the runes, his finger poised thoughtfully on his cheek. "This was very interesting. So, the portal can only take one, but if someone is already connected to that body, they will automatically come with them? I'll need to test this out again to be sure." He glanced over at Ayao after saying this, clearly reveling in her rage.

"Oh, you'll have to get used to it, I'm afraid. This is only the beginning of the end of Hadithia." Eshu leaned his head back and let out another laugh, followed by a satisfied sigh. "Oh, I do love destruction. Even an Orisha must allow themselves a vice, right, Ayao? You have become so fond of your human pets. It's too bad, really."

Ayao's eyes began to glow a silvery blue, which wiped the sly look off Eshu's face. "Oh, that's my cue. See you soon."

With that, he disappeared, leaving behind a shattered king, a hollow prince, and an enraged queen. It seemed that the ground and the trees themselves shook with fear of her rage. But it is up to you to decide what terrified them more: her power as an Orisha, or her fury as a mother.