POV: Adeola (with perspective interludes from Bayo, Moremi, and Tunde)
---
The taste of smoke still lingered in Adeola's mouth.
It had been days since the convoy ambush, but he couldn't forget Tunde's laugh, echoing through the flames, or the moment his sword hovered inches from vengeance—only to be stopped.
Since returning to Akinwumi, he'd barely slept. Not from fear… but from want. The want to strike. The want to finish it.
He stood outside the training ring, arms folded, watching the recruits spar under Yemi's watchful gaze. Each clang of wooden blades made his grip tighten.
Moremi passed him, offering a small nod. She didn't ask how he was. She didn't need to.
Inside, the fire still burned.
---
A Rift Deepens
Across the courtyard, Yemi narrowed his eyes at Bayo.
The Ibadi prince barked orders at a group of younger fighters, his voice sharp, temper sharper. He moved like a man who trained for blood, not survival.
Yemi approached. "They're not soldiers yet. Ease up."
Bayo scoffed. "Ease up? That's what got Ondulo and Ibadi burned to the ground."
Yemi's jaw tightened. "You're training them to die."
Bayo stepped closer, chest rising. "And you're training them to kneel."
Adeola watched from a distance, the argument cutting deeper than either of them realized. Both had lost. Both were right. And both were cracking.
---
In the Palace of Shadows
POV Shift: Tunde
Tunde's words came easy now. Too easy.
He stood before Emperor Adekunle with his hands behind his back, spine straight, face expressionless.
"The ambush was minor," he said. "The rebels are desperate. Nothing more."
The emperor swirled his wine but did not drink.
"Minor," he repeated. "You lost men. Weapons. Control."
Tunde clenched his fists behind his back. "I will correct it."
Adekunle set down the cup, eyes cold. "You said that before."
Silence stretched long and bitter.
"Perhaps it's time someone more… reliable took over."
Tunde's breath caught, but he didn't speak. Not yet. Not while the knife was still in the emperor's hand.
---
Secrets in the Wind
POV: Bayo
The news hit him like a blade to the gut.
Chief Alade's voice was low, steady. "Our scouts report that the Ojora Empire is gathering near the Ibadi border. Heavily armed."
The word Ibadi hollowed Bayo's chest. A thousand memories screamed to the surface—none kind.
Later, he found Adeola in the weapons tent, alone with his thoughts.
"They're preparing to desecrate what's left of my home," Bayo said, voice bitter.
Adeola turned. "You were there, weren't you? When it fell."
Bayo nodded once. "I watched Tunde kill my father. Slaughter my people. My mother held my hand… until she couldn't."
He didn't cry. Bayo never cried. But his voice cracked anyway.
"When I kill him, it won't just be for me. It'll be for Ibadi."
---
Dreams Like Smoke
POV Shift: Moremi
That night, Moremi didn't sleep. Not truly.
The dream came without warning — vivid and silent. She stood in a burning field. Bodies lay around her. Blood soaked the grass.
And there he was.
Her brother.
Older now. Taller. Clad in the black and red armor of the Ojora Empire. His face was twisted with conflict. He raised his sword toward her… then hesitated.
Her scream shattered the vision.
She woke with a gasp, eyes wide in the darkness, breath sharp in her throat.
"What did I just see?" she whispered, trembling.
Is he alive?
---
Mission of Shadows
POV: Adeola
The night was humid as the legion slipped through the jungle, silence draped over them like a shroud.
Their target: a small Ojora outpost hidden near the border — a chance to steal maps, intelligence, anything to shift the tide.
Adeola moved with the others — Yemi, Bayo, Moremi, Femi, Ayomide, and Damilola. His heart pounded not from fear, but from purpose.
They reached the perimeter. Ayomide gave a signal.
They struck.
Steel flashed in the dark. The fight was quick, brutal. Adeola ducked under a blade, disarmed his attacker, and drove his sword clean through.
Inside, Moremi uncovered documents — and Adeola found something worse.
A list.
Names of rebels. Their locations.
His name.
His name.
---
Ambush and Aftermath
They didn't get far.
As they fled the outpost, elite Ojora fighters surrounded them, springing from the trees. Cloaks of shadow. Eyes like fire.
Ayomide led the charge, cutting down three in a blur of movement.
"Go!" he roared.
Damilola took a spear to the side while shielding Femi. He collapsed with a cry, and Femi dragged him through the underbrush.
Adeola fought beside Bayo, breathing hard, blade clashing.
And then — he slipped. Fell behind.
Alone.
And out of the trees, a masked warrior appeared.
Silent.
Fast.
Deadly.
Their blades met. Adeola barely blocked. The warrior's strength was inhuman — a phantom. The final strike came fast—
—and stopped inches from his throat.
The masked warrior stared… then vanished into the trees.
---
Final Scene – The Empire's Answer
POV Shift: Tunde
He stood near the throne again, but this time, he wasn't alone.
Beside him stood General Wale — taller, colder, revered and feared.
The emperor didn't even look at Tunde when he spoke.
"You failed, Tunde," Adekunle said. "It is time the real weapon takes the stage."
Tunde's face twisted as Wale accepted the command with a silent nod.
And in that moment, Tunde wasn't just bitter.
He was dangerous.
> The Lost King © 2025 by [Your Name].
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