POV: Moremi, Damilola, Femi, Wale, Tunde
(Themes: Revenge, Trauma, Secrets)
---
Ashes Remember
POV: Tunde (Flashback)
The sky bled orange as flames licked the thatched rooftops of Ondulo village.
Tunde rode through the chaos, sword red with blood, laughter rising above screams. His men torched huts, dragging villagers into the open.
That's when he saw her — a girl no older than fourteen, standing barefoot in the ash with a dagger in hand.
"Ọmọ aláìnígbọ́n," he smirked. "Do you think that blade can stop me?"
She spat at his feet. "Your name will be forgotten before your body rots."
His men paused.
Tunde stared at her.
And smiled.
He could've killed her.
But he didn't.
Because courage like that… left a scar.
---
Chains of Memory
POV: Moremi – Present Day
Her wrists ached.
The chains bit deeper every time she moved.
Moremi's vision blurred as she blinked through the pain, her mouth dry. The cell was dim, the floor damp, her heart pounding.
Footsteps.
She looked up — and froze.
Tunde.
He stepped into the cell, armored in black silk and gold trim, a wolf's grin on his lips.
"Well," he said, voice low, "the girl with fire in her eyes has returned."
Moremi glared. "Cowards never forget what they fear."
Tunde chuckled, kneeling before her.
"You remind me of the old days," he whispered. "Back when screams were easy to come by."
He touched a lock of her hair.
She jerked away.
"If you think I'm afraid of death," she hissed, "try again."
Tunde's smile faltered for a brief second.
Then he stood.
"I'm not here to kill you," he said. "I'm here to own your silence."
---
The Monster Returns
POV: Damilola – Flashback
She was sixteen.
The house smelled of stale palmwine and dried meat. Her sister's hand gripped hers tightly as their father opened the door to Durojaiye.
He was old. Fat. His eyes lingered too long. His tongue always wetting his lips.
He'd asked to marry her sister.
She refused.
Durojaiye returned days later — with silver. And papers.
Her father didn't even blink when he signed them.
That night, they were dragged from their home.
Her sister screamed the whole way.
She never made it out.
Damilola did.
But the blood on her hands never washed off.
---
POV: Damilola – Present
She was shoved into the throne chamber of an abandoned barracks.
And there he was.
Durojaiye. Older. Slimmer. Richer. And still full of poison.
"My little bird has returned," he said, rising.
Damilola stared at him, hate boiling behind her eyes. "I should've killed you."
"You tried," he smiled. "But fate brought you back to me."
He approached.
She didn't flinch.
"Don't think chains protect you from justice," she said.
He leaned in, his breath sour.
"Oh, I don't believe in justice," he whispered. "Only possession."
---
A Coward's Courage
POV: Femi
Femi sat alone in a stone cell, head bleeding, arms tied behind his back.
He was shaking.
He always shook when he was alone.
But this time… it was different.
He could hear Damilola's voice echo through the walls — muffled but unmistakable.
She was in trouble.
And no one was coming.
No one but him.
He stood.
And for the first time in years…
He didn't feel like a joke.
---
The Blade and the Prince
POV: Wale
Wale moved like wind through the upper halls of the Ayo garrison.
His cloak wrapped tight, sword hidden, eyes scanning every corner.
He had bribed three guards. Poisoned another. And now, he stood outside the war chamber where Tunde awaited him.
The door creaked open.
Tunde turned. "Back so soon?"
"I like to finish what I start," Wale said coldly.
Tunde poured palmwine into a clay cup and offered it. "We may disagree, but your loyalty pleases my father."
Wale didn't drink.
"Tunde," he said softly, "The girl you captured… who is she?"
Tunde's smile darkened. "A firebrand. From Ondulo. She spat in my face when I was still earning my stripes."
Wale's hands curled into fists.
Tunde leaned closer. "You want her?"
Wale's jaw tightened. "I want to know if she's worth keeping alive."
"Then see for yourself," Tunde replied.
---
Final Scene – Storm Rising
POV: Yemi
Back in Akinwumi, Yemi slammed a dagger into the center of the map.
"We go at dawn."
Adeola looked up. "Into the heart of the empire?"
Yemi nodded.
"They have our own. We bring them back… or we don't come back at all."
---
[End of Chapter 11 – Shadows of the Past]
?