Chapter 35: A Mysterious Ally
1353words
She tightly held onto the old leather cover of the book, which seemed like her only true connection to a past that felt more distant each day. Dapo's strange message, meeting with Guardian who acted very mysterious, and Yemi behaving oddly – all these things combined into a confusing whirlwind around her.
A wave of tiredness came to her, mixed with a strong feeling of being betrayed. Was there anyone she could trust?
With a big breath, she picked up her phone and called Kunle's number. He answered right after one ring, his voice sounding very worried.
"Eki? You alright? It's barely noon."
Eki takes a deep breath, her ears hear the sound very shaky. "Kunle, I need to talk with you." About everything."
She talked about all the things that happened the previous night, her words flowed like a river – she spoke of her fear, confusion and Ayo's eyes with doubt that stayed. Kunle listened without stopping; his silence was so different from Eki's storm inside.
Finally, when she finished talking, there was heavy quietness between them. Then Kunle spoke; his voice was calm in a surprising way.
"Eki, I believe you," he said. His words make her feel better because she feels emotions very strongly. "What happened with the Guardian, it is true." The Moonlight Lease isn't simply a contract; it's something… more."
Eki's heart pounded with a mixture of relief and growing dread. "More? What do you mean?"
Kunle stopped for a moment, his voice getting very gentle. "There are stories," he spoke softly, "tales passed from one generation to another." The Moonlight Lease was not only about selling land; it was an agreement, a deal with something... powerful."
A shiver ran down Eki's spine. Powerful? What kind of power could be tied to an old lease?
"What whispers, Kunle?" she pressed, her voice barely above a whisper.
There was another silence, this time it stayed longer. When Kunle finally talked, his voice had some fear she had never heard from him before.
"They say Olori, who is our ancestor, made a promise to secure the family's future. But each agreement has its price, Eki." And the consequences of breaking that pack… well, those are lost to the shadows.``
Eki's mind raced. Consequences? Shadows? This was more than just a disagreement over land rights. This was about heritage, a gift passed from one generation to the next, which might bring hidden dangers.
"But why keep everything secret? Why not tell me earlier before things happened?" she asked, a tear falling down her cheek and making a shiny line on her red face.
"Fear," Kunle admitted. "Fear of the Guardians, fear of the unknown. They watch from the shadows, enforcing the pact, making sure the truth remains buried."
Eki pictured the dark figure in the dim hallway, noticing the glint of a knife and listening to that icy, emotionless voice. Everything became clear—the secret moves, their fearfulness, how much they would do to protect their hidden truth.
"But why are they letting this happen now?" Eki asked, with a fresh question coming into her mind.
"Maybe," Kunle said, his voice having a little bit of uncertainty, "because someone is trying to break the agreement."
Eki's breath stopped suddenly. Who would wish to destroy such a strong pact? And why? Was it Dapo? Was there something in his past that tied him to the Moonlight Lease?
Before she could ask her questions, suddenly a loud knock came on the apartment door. The quiet tension breaks and Eki quickly stands up with adrenaline going through her body.
"Who could that be?" she whispered, her eyes flitting nervously to the window.
"Stay here," Kunle warned, his voice suddenly firm. "I'll check it out."
Eki watched as Kunle went to open the door, feeling very worried inside her stomach. It did not seem like a smart thing because there was so much danger around them, but she could not stop thinking that maybe whoever was at the door had more information for them.
Through the thin wall between the room and the entrance, she heard soft voices talking. Only a few words reached her ears, sending shivers down her spine.
"...urgent message… Olumide family… danger…"
The conversation stopped suddenly, and then we heard footsteps going away down the hall. Kunle came back to the room quickly; his face looked very pale with both fear and urgency mixed."
Eki rushed to him, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Who was it? What did they say?"
Kunle took a deep breath, his eyes big with new determination. "They said… they said strong power has been awakened." Something tied to the Moonlight Lease. And it's coming for you, Eki."
Eki's blood ran cold. A powerful force? Is this what nobody thinks could happen with the deal? And if it is happening to her, why like that?
Before she could answer her question, something unusual started inside of her. The air made a gentle buzzing noise and a soft blue light shone from the book she was gripping firmly in her hand. The worn leather cover seemed to hum with a low, unseen energy.
Eki took a deep breath and allowed the book to fall onto the table. It hit with a loud thud, causing for an instant the blue light to become brighter before it slowly dimmed away.
Kunle stared at the book, eyes growing big with both amazement and worry. "Eki... the book," he said slowly. "There is... there is power in this. Maybe the important thing is to understand the agreement, or even... stop what could happen."
Eki looked back at the book, feeling something strange pulling her to it. Maybe this old artefact has what she needs—answers and tools—to deal with this danger she doesn't know much about. Or maybe it was a very old dangerous thing, a cursed object that might release just the power they wanted to keep locked away?
The heaviness of this new information felt like a big, heavy blanket on her shoulders. She learned about a legacy that was much more complicated and dangerous than she ever thought before.
But as fear tried to control her, she sensed a tiny flame of courage growing within. This was not just about herself alone now. A strong power was coming fast, and Eki Olumide made up her mind she would not just be a tool in another person's plan.
She looked Kunle straight in the eyes, standing tall and steady even though her hands trembled a little. "We must find out what this power is and how we can use it." Before it's too late."
Kunle nodded, now sharing the strong determination she had. He was no longer only an outsider looking in but became a hesitant partner in dealing with her family's hidden dark secret.
Together, they gather closely around the book, a silent promise shared deeply in their hearts. They will explore the mysteries of Moonlight Lease, manage the results of their agreement, and face any force waiting for them.
But when they looked more carefully at the old pages, a scary writing on the first page caught Eki's attention and made her feel very afraid. It was just one word, written in beautiful letters: "Betrayal."
The letters on the book looked like they moved with dangerous energy, almost as if telling a silent warning to anyone who stared at them. Eki started feeling very scared – she thought that maybe the danger was not from far away but possibly from someone near her, someone she trusted and had faith in.
The journey to find answers just started, but it is already difficult to recognize who is friend or foe. In a place where everyone has hidden agendas and ancient secrets, the greatest threat could be betrayal.
