The sun had barely risen over the hills of Umueze when Uzoaru found herself standing at the edge of a dense forest called Okpoko, whispered among villagers as the Forest of Forgotten Voices. Her feet ached from the long journey, yet her resolve remained unshaken. With a deep breath, she stepped into the shadowed thickets where even birds dared not sing.
The air inside was thick, not just with mist but with something more sinister like unseen eyes watching her every step. Her staff, blessed by the seer Ijeoma, glowed faintly, guiding her through thorn-laced paths and paths twisted by enchantment. Strange whispers tickled her ears, calling her name in tones both sorrowful and mocking.
Uzoaru paused. "You will not break me," she whispered back. The spirits may be strong here, but so was her will.
Elsewhere, Nwanne made her own way through the northern plains, bypassing Okpoko entirely. The evil seer she had visited had warned her: "Avoid the forest, go through the hills. You will find what you seek... if you survive what seeks you."
True to the warning, she encountered not spirits, but men bandits of the worst kind. Her fortification protected her from their blades, but not from the cold fear that followed. She had to hide her beauty, her pride, and sometimes her tears, pretending to be nothing more than a wandering herbalist.
Still, she pushed on.
In the village, Prince Nwabueze's condition worsened. His father, the Igwe, paced the palace grounds like a lion trapped in a cage. The royal healers could do nothing but offer herbs and chants. Some villagers whispered that the prince's soul had already left, but the seer Ijeoma merely said: "His spirit still lingers, held by the hope of one... or both."
That night, as Uzoaru slept under a tree wrapped in protective sigils, a strange wind swept over the land. In her dream, she saw Nwanne bleeding, screaming, lost in a cave of mirrors. Then the image changed: Uzoaru herself, standing before a great flame, and in its center Prince Nwabueze.
"Choose wisely," a voice said. "For the path forward demands not only strength, but sacrifice."
She woke with a start. The journey was no longer just about the cure. It was about destiny, choices, and the crown.
And not everyone would return.