20/4/2024
7:35pm
Tolu tossed and turned in her bed, unable to find any semblance of peace. The vision of Osun, the weight of her past actions, and the daunting prospect of confessing to the council of magic – it all swirled within her, creating a maelstrom of anxiety and fear.
This could be her last night with her family, her last night of freedom. The thought sent a pang of sadness through her heart. She knew she had to do what was right, but the consequences of her actions loomed large, threatening to engulf her in darkness.
Suddenly, her phone rang, the shrill tone piercing the silence of her room. She glanced at the caller ID, her heart skipping a beat. It was Moses.
Hesitantly, she answered the call, her voice barely a whisper. "Hello?"
"Tolu," Moses said, his voice tight with concern. "The council is coming to pick you up. Are you sure about this? You can still change your mind, you know."
Tolu closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I have to do it, Moses," she said, her voice firm despite the tremor in her hands. "It's the right thing to do."
She forced a smile, trying to inject some levity into the somber conversation. "Just remember to take care of Sunmi for me, okay? She's going to need all the support she can get."
With those words, she ended the call, severing the last connection to her old life.
Unbeknownst to her, as she spoke those words, a hooded figure watched her from the shadows of a nearby window. The figure's face was obscured by the deep cowl, but their eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity, their gaze fixed on Tolu with an almost predatory hunger.
Tolu left her room and walked downstairs, the weight of her decision pressing heavily on her shoulders. She found her family gathered around the dining table, their faces etched with concern and confusion.
As they ate in silence, each bite felt like a lead weight in her stomach. She stole glances at her mother, her father, her little twin brothers, their faces etched in her memory. These were the people she loved, the people she was leaving behind. She took a final glance to memorize their faces.
Before she knew it, tears began to cascade down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Her family noticed her distress, their expressions shifting from concern to alarm.
"Tolu, what's wrong?" her mother asked, reaching out to touch her hand. "Are you okay?"
Suddenly, the front door burst open, shattering the fragile domesticity of the scene. Three figures, dressed in black suits and wearing impassive expressions, strode into the house.
"Toluwanimi Johnson." one of them said, his voice cold and impersonal. "We are here to escort you to the council."
Tolu's heart sank. This was it. There was no turning back now.
One by one, the men made eye contact with her mother, her father, her brothers. Each time, her family's expressions shifted, their eyes glazing over, their memories fading away. Vampiric persuasion was enacted.
They were making them forget about her. They were erasing her from their lives.
With a final, lingering look at her family, their faces now blank and unseeing, Tolu allowed the men to escort her out of the house and into a waiting black limousine.
As the car pulled away from the curb, speeding into the night, the hooded figure emerged from the shadows, their eyes narrowed, their lips curved into a playful smile.
They followed the limousine, their presence a silent, menacing shadow lurking in the darkness. Tolu had made her choice, and now, the consequences were about to unfold.
The limousine sped through the night, the hooded figure trailing close behind, their intentions masked by the shadows. Then, without warning, a shimmering portal ripped open in the air, swallowing the limousine whole. The hooded figure followed, their form flickering as they passed through the dimensional rift.
The portal spat them out into a breathtaking spectacle – the Magical Court. Buildings were constructed out of pure magic, some were built and looked like the old Roman buildings, but they also had designs that were just incomprehensible.
As the limo came to a stop, Tolu stepped out, her heart pounding in her chest. The air thrummed with raw magical energy, and she could feel the eyes of hundreds of magical creatures upon her. Vampires, werewolves, witches, wizards, and beings she could barely comprehend, all gathered to witness her fate.
The click and whir of cameras filled the air as reporters from various magical publications jostled for the best shot. It was a media circus, and she was the main attraction.
As she walked towards the entrance of the court, she clutched her phone tightly in her hand, gazing at a picture she had taken with Emeka, her lost love. The sight of his smiling face brought a fresh wave of grief, a reminder of everything she had lost.
With a deep breath, she steeled herself and stepped inside. The grand hall was even more awe-inspiring than the exterior, a vast chamber filled with floating platforms, shimmering lights, and swirling magical energy.
She scanned the crowd, searching for a familiar face, a sign of support in the sea of judgment. Then, she spotted him. Moses. He was sitting in the front row, dressed in a sharp black suit, his dreads neatly braided back. He looked so different, so serious, that Tolu almost didn't recognize him. But his eyes, filled with concern and unwavering loyalty, were unmistakable.
The layout of the court was unlike anything she had ever seen. The judges stood on a floating podium that hovered in the center of the hall, their faces stern and imposing. Tolu was led to a similar platform, a smaller version that floated just below the judges, positioning her as the accused, the one on trial. The rest of the audience was seated on the floor, their eyes fixed on her, waiting to hear her confession.
Taking another deep breath, Tolu began to speak, her voice echoing through the silent hall. "I stand before you today," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "to confess my crimes against the magical community."
She recounted the events that had led her to this moment, how she had received a brown box one day and in it was the Obsidian Codex, which was filled with dark magic, which was now bounded to her. It told her to kill someone, to let her go, but she refused and wanted to kill herself instead, but it was too late that during the excursion when it took over Emeka was trying to get her back but the dark magic hold was too strong she lashed out and killed Emeka.
The revelation sent a ripple of shock through the audience, a wave of murmurs and whispers washing over her. Tolu drew in a shaky breath, fighting back tears, and continued her confession.
"I took advantage of the hatred between the vampires and werewolves," she said, her voice growing stronger, "and lied against the vampires. I created an illusion spell, manipulating the chronoscape to match my false testimony, claiming they kidnapped Emeka."
"And then," she said, her voice cracking with emotion, "I tried to use necromancy to learn a resurrection spell. If I could do that, If I do find him. I can make him come back from that nightmare. And when that time come, I would fix everything. But the spell went wrong, I had failed, and created the zombie plague."
That statement again led the court to another round of murmur and whisper.
The judges conferred amongst themselves, their faces grim, the air thick with tension. After a lengthy discussion, they reached a verdict.
"Because of all the darkness you've caused," the head judge announced, his voice booming through the hall, "this court finds you guilty of crimes against the magical community. You will be sentenced to the Void, a dimension of naughtiness."
A gasp went through the crowd, a collective intake of breath. The Void was a fate worse than death, a place where all hope and magic were extinguished.
As the guards moved to escort Tolu away, the doors of the court swung open with a deafening crash. A figure strode into the hall, their face concealed by a hood and mask.
"Objection, my lords!" the figure declared, their voice ringing with authority. "Toluwanimi Johnson was under the influence of dark magic! She was not acting of her own free will!"
The crowd erupted in murmurs of confusion. Who was this mysterious figure, and what did they know?
The hooded figure raised their hand, revealing a chronoscape, a device capable of recording and replaying past events. "I will show you what really happened," they said, their voice echoing through the hall.
The device flickered to life, displaying a series of holographic images. The first showed Tolu being surrounded by dark crows, their eyes glowing with malevolent energy. Then, the scene shifted to the moment of Emeka's death, revealing a terrifying truth - one of the crows had pierced Emeka's chest, causing his death.
The video then switched to the moment where Emeka disappears, a small and horrific creature dragged his body through a rift.
A collective gasp swept through the hall. The truth was finally revealed, and it was far more complex than anyone could have imagined.
"Who are you?" the head judge demanded, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "How do you know all of these things?"
The figure slowly reached up and removed their hood and mask, revealing a familiar face, a face that had been mourned and grieved for months.
It was Emeka.
A collective gasp swept through the hall, a wave of shock and disbelief washing over the audience. Tolu stared in disbelief, her heart pounding in her chest. It couldn't be him. It was impossible.
Emeka winked, blowing a kiss towards Tolu. Then, with a swift movement, he leaped onto the floating platform where Tolu was standing.
Taking her hands in his, he smiled. "Hey, babe," he said, his voice warm and familiar. "Did you miss me?"
As Tolu gazed at Emeka, tears streaming down her face, doubt clouded her mind. He was here, standing before her, yet a part of her struggled to believe it. She'd watched him die, hadn't she?
Emeka, sensing her hesitation, gently cupped her face in his hands, his touch warm and reassuring. "Tolu," he said, his voice soft and filled with love, "look at me. I'm very much alive. I'm not cold, I'm not undead. I'm here, with you."
He placed her hands on his cheeks, letting her feel the warmth of his skin, the familiar texture of his stubble. The evidence was undeniable. He was real.
Tolu's pent-up emotions finally burst forth, and she threw her arms around Emeka, burying her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry," she cried, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I didn't mean to. I didn't want to."
Emeka held her tightly, stroking her hair soothingly. "I know, Tolu," he said, his voice filled with compassion. "I know you were being controlled by dark magic. It wasn't your fault."
As they clung to each other, the head judge cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to the proceedings. "Chukwuemeka Michael," he said, his voice booming through the hall, "please tell us what happened. How are you still alive when we all saw what happened in the chronoscape?"
Emeka stepped forward, addressing the court with newfound confidence. "When I died," he began, "I didn't go to the other side, like all other magical creatures do. Instead, I found myself in a dark void. There was nothing there, no light, no sound, no sensation. I was trapped, unable to move, unable to see. It was as if I had ceased to exist."
He paused, his expression darkening. "Then, suddenly, there was a light. A blinding flash, and I was back. Back to life. I don't know how it happened, or why. I only knew that I was alive again, and that I needed to understand what had brought me back."
"I began to research, to investigate," Emeka continued. "And I discovered the truth. The Obsidian Codex, the same book that Tolu found, contained fragments of the Darkness, an ancient and malevolent force that seeks to corrupt and destroy all that is good. The Darkness has been controlling Tolu, manipulating her actions, using her as a tool to sow discord and chaos."
He turned to face the judges, his eyes pleading. "Tolu wasn't fully in control of her actions," he said, his voice filled with passion. "You can't blame her for the crimes she committed while under the influence of the Darkness. What you need to find is the person who brought the Obsidian Codex into her life, the person who is trying to resurrect the Darkness. Someone is obviously trying to bring back the darkness and the evil, it is the purpose of my resurrection."
The crowd erupted in murmurs of fear and apprehension, the name "Darkness" sending shivers down their spines. The judges conferred amongst themselves, their faces grim, the weight of Emeka's revelation heavy on their shoulders.
After a lengthy deliberation, the head judge stood and addressed the court. "In light of the new evidence presented," he announced, his voice filled with solemnity, "this court finds Toluwanimi Johnson not guilty of the crimes with which she was charged."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the hall, and Emeka turned to Tolu, his face radiant with joy. "Let's go home," he said, taking her hand.
21/4/2024
Tolu, Emeka, and Moses were seated at their usual table, the tension of the previous night replaced with an atmosphere of relaxed camaraderie.
Moses was engrossed in his phone, his fingers flying across the screen, while Tolu and Emeka were engaged in a lively conversation, their laughter echoing through the café.
Suddenly, a high-pitched shriek pierced the air, drawing their attention towards the entrance. It was Sunmi , her face beaming with joy.
"Emeka!" she screamed, rushing towards him and throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Oh my God, I thought I would never see you again! I'm so, so sorry for how I treated you before you died. I was so confused and angry…"
Emeka chuckled, patting her on the back reassuringly. "It's okay, Sunmi ," he said, his voice filled with warmth. "I understand. There's no need to apologize."
Sunmi stepped back, turning to Tolu, her expression shifting to one of playful rage. "You!" she exclaimed, poking Tolu in the arm. "You went to testify without telling me? What if they had found you guilty? What if Emeka hadn't come to save you? What would I have done without my best friend?"
Tolu shrugged, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "I knew you would try to stop me," she said. "That's why I didn't tell you. And besides, I told Moses to take care of you."
Sunmi turned to Moses, her eyes narrowing. "You!" she said, jabbing a finger in his chest. "If anything had happened to Tolu, I would have killed you! Regardless of the seven guardians protecting you! If anything had happened to my best friend, I would have never forgiven you!"
They all burst into laughter, the shared relief and joy washing away the last vestiges of fear and uncertainty. They were together again, their friendship stronger than ever, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.