Chapter 20: THE LAST OF THE OLD BLOOD
EXT. AJILOMI VILLAGE – NIGHT
The air is heavy.
Akin stands alone in the center of the village square.
Surrounded.
Orodare's warriors move like shadows, their blades gleaming under the moonlight.
A low whistle cuts through the air.
Orodare raises his hand—
The warriors halt.
The leader tilts his head, studying Akin.
ORODARE
"You are young."
Akin's fists tighten.
His heart pounds.
The gods' whispers swirl in his head.
"Stand your ground."
Akin's eyes flick to the nearest hut.
The villagers are watching from the shadows.
Fear in their eyes.
He cannot let them suffer because of him.
AKIN
"I don't know who you are."
(steady, firm)
"But if you came looking for a fight, you have found one."
Orodare's lips curve into a smirk.
His hand drops.
The warriors attack.
EXT. AJILOMI VILLAGE – THE FIGHT BEGINS
The first warrior lunges.
Akin sidesteps.
His foot swings out—
CRACK!
The warrior slams into the ground.
Another swings a dagger at his throat.
Akin twists, the blade missing him by inches.
His elbow smashes into the man's face.
Blood splatters.
The crowd gasps.
But the warriors do not stop.
They move faster.
Stronger.
Their eyes glow red.
Their skin pulses unnaturally.
These are not ordinary men.
Orodare watches, arms crossed.
ORODARE
"Do you see now, Akin?"
Akin grits his teeth.
Something is wrong.
These men—
They fight like demons.
Orodare draws his sword.
It hums with dark energy.
ORODARE
"You carry the blood of the ancients. But you do not understand it."
Akin's chest rises and falls.
His body aches.
But the whispers in his head—
They grow louder.
"Unleash it."
Akin stares at his hands.
A memory floods his mind.
The moment he defeated Arogun.
The power that surged through him.
It is inside him.
Waiting.
And now—
It begins to stir.
EXT. AJILOMI VILLAGE – THE AWAKENING
Orodare lifts his sword.
The warriors charge again.
Akin closes his eyes.
His heartbeat slows.
The whispers become clear.
"Breathe."
He inhales.
"Accept it."
He exhales.
Then—
His eyes snap open.
They glow with golden light.
The warriors halt mid-step.
Something shifts in the air.
The ground rumbles.
Orodare's expression changes.
For the first time—
He looks uncertain.
ORODARE
(whispering)
"Impossible."
Akin lifts his hand.
A golden aura crackles around his fingers.
A warrior lunges—
Akin's palm shoots forward.
BOOM!
The warrior is blasted backward, his body slamming through a hut.
Gasps erupt from the villagers.
Akin stares at his hand.
Power surges through him.
This is not just strength.
This is something greater.
Something ancient.
And Orodare knows it.
His grip tightens on his sword.
ORODARE
"So… it is true."
Akin's eyes burn like fire.
His voice is calm, but powerful.
AKIN
"You came to test me."
(beat)
"Now it is my turn."
Orodare's jaw clenches.
Then—
He charges.
And the battle truly begins.
EXT. AJILOMI VILLAGE – NIGHT
The ground trembles beneath Akin's feet.
His golden eyes burn like molten fire.
Orodare's warriors hesitate.
They have never seen anything like this.
Even Orodare himself—a man of war, a man of legends—tightens his grip on his sword.
For the first time, he knows:
He is facing something beyond his understanding.
Akin clenches his fists. Power hums beneath his skin.
The air between them thickens.
A moment of silence—
Then—
Orodare lunges.
His sword swings with unnatural speed.
Akin dodges just in time, the blade barely missing his throat.
The air behind him splits open, leaving a faint, blackened trail.
AKIN (thinking):
"That was no ordinary swing."
Orodare twists, bringing the sword down—
Akin raises his arm—
CLANG!
A shockwave erupts as the blade meets Akin's bare forearm.
A golden aura surrounds Akin's skin.
The blade doesn't cut.
Orodare's eyes widen.
Akin exhales—
Then pushes back.
Orodare is flung backward, his feet skidding across the dirt.
The village watches in shock.
Akin lowers his arm—his skin is unscarred.
This power—
It is not just strength.
It is something divine.
But before Akin can process it—
Orodare laughs.
A slow, knowing chuckle.
ORODARE
"I see now."
(beat)
"You are one of them."
Akin stiffens.
AKIN
"One of what?"
Orodare's eyes glow red.
His sword hums.
Akin's breath catches.
This man—
He is not normal either.
EXT. AJILOMI VILLAGE – THE CLASH
Orodare's body pulses with dark energy.
His blade shifts, turning a deep obsidian black.
Akin's instincts scream a warning.
This fight—
It is no longer just a battle.
It is a war of ancient bloodlines.
Orodare moves first.
He vanishes—
Then reappears behind Akin.
Akin barely reacts in time—
CLASH!
Sparks explode as their powers collide.
Akin swings—
Orodare blocks effortlessly.
Their blows shake the ground.
Warriors stumble as the force ripples through the air.
Villagers scream as huts begin to collapse.
Akin realizes—
If this continues, Ajilomi will be destroyed.
He needs to end this.
Now.
EXT. AJILOMI VILLAGE – AKIN'S FINAL MOVE
Akin leaps backward, breathing hard.
Orodare smirks.
ORODARE
"You fight well."
(beat)
"But you do not know how to kill."
Akin's jaw tightens.
Orodare raises his sword—
A surge of dark energy explodes outward.
Akin has seconds to react.
He closes his eyes.
The whispers return.
WHISPERS
"Remember."
Akin's mind flashes—
Visions of the past.
The first warriors.
The old gods.
And then—
The truth.
Akin opens his eyes.
His aura flares.
Golden light erupts from his body.
Orodare swings his blade down—
Akin steps forward.
And catches the sword with his bare hand.
A moment of silence.
Then—
CRACK!
Orodare's blade shatters.
Gasps echo through the village.
Orodare stares in disbelief.
Akin meets his gaze.
AKIN
"It is over."
Orodare falls to his knees.
For the first time—
He bows.
The battle is won.
But Akin knows—
This was only the beginning.
EXT. AJILOMI VILLAGE – NIGHT
The village is silent.
Smoke rises from fallen huts.
The air is thick with the scent of sweat, blood, and burning wood.
Akin stands motionless, his golden eyes still glowing faintly.
Before him—Orodare, the once-mighty warlord, kneels in defeat.
The Ajilomi warriors watch in shock.
Ogunlaja's expression is unreadable.
Then—
The Chief Elder steps forward.
CHIEF ELDER
"A battle like this has never been seen in our land."
(beat)
"Akin… what are you?"
Akin does not answer.
He doesn't know.
His hands tremble.
Not from exhaustion—
But from the power surging through his veins.
He looks down at Orodare.
AKIN
"You knew what I was before I did."
Orodare smirks, even in defeat.
ORODARE
"Not fully."
(beat)
"But I knew you were different. And I knew you were not ready."
Akin frowns.
AKIN
"Not ready for what?"
Orodare's eyes darken.
His voice drops to a whisper.
ORODARE
"For the war that is coming."
A chill runs through the air.
The Ajilomi warriors exchange uneasy glances.
Ogunlaja finally speaks.
OBA OGUNLAJA
"Explain yourself, Orodare."
Orodare lifts his gaze.
His voice is grim.
ORODARE
"You have won this battle."
(beat)
"But soon, you will fight a war unlike any before."
A moment of silence.
Then, from the distance—
A low rumble.
The ground shakes.
The villagers look around in fear.
Something is coming.
Something big.
EXT. AJILOMI VILLAGE GATES – MIDNIGHT
Akin, Ogunlaja, and the village warriors stand on high alert.
The air is thick with tension.
Then—
A figure emerges from the shadows.
Draped in a flowing, tattered cloak.
His eyes gleam red.
His voice is like thunder.
STRANGER
"The gods are watching."
Akin steps forward.
His blood burns with recognition.
This man—
He is like him.
Or worse—
Something beyond him.
The stranger raises a hand.
And in an instant—
The sky turns black.
The war has begun.