Adetunji Awakens Under The Sun
When Prince Adetunji woke, the sun was already high. His head ached, and his clothes were wet with dew. He looked at his arm and saw the glowing blue mark. It looked like a small symbol made of light the shape of a river flowing around a moon.
He touched it, but it did not hurt. Still, he felt something strange inside, like the mark was alive.
He walked back to the palace quietly. The guards were surprised to see him coming from the forest. They said nothing but quickly told the king.
Adeyemi And The Forbidden Mark
King Adeyemi called his son at once. “Adetunji,” he said in a strong voice, “where have you been? The people are afraid. The river rose last night, and the earth shook.”
Tunji knelt before his father. “Father, I went to the river. I saw her again.”
“Her?” the king asked. “Who?”
“The spirit woman,” Tunji said. “Her name is Aramide. She is not evil. She is cursed.”
The king’s face darkened. “You have spoken to a river spirit?”
“Yes,” Tunji said softly. “She saved me.”
The queen gasped when she saw the glowing mark on his arm. “The gods have marked him,” she said. “This is not a small matter.”
Ifagbemi And The River Gods Warning
King Adeyemi stood up. “Call the royal priest,” he said.
The priest, an old man named Ifagbemi, came soon after. He looked at the mark for a long time and nodded slowly. “This is the mark of the river god Òsun,” he said. “It means the prince’s life is now tied to the spirit world.”
Tunji asked, “Can it be removed?”
The priest shook his head. “No human can remove it. The gods themselves must choose to take it away.”
King Adeyemi frowned. “Then what must we do?”
The priest looked serious. “The prince must not go near the river again. If he does, the guardian beast will return, and Ile-Oro may fall under a curse.”
Adetunji And The Unbroken Promise
Tunji wanted to speak, but his father’s voice stopped him. “You will obey, Adetunji. You will not step into that forest again.”
“Yes, Father,” Tunji said quietly. But inside, his heart was heavy.
That night, he sat alone in his room, staring at the blue mark. It glowed brighter whenever he thought of Aramide. He could hear her voice in his mind soft and sad.
“Our fates are one,” she had said.
Babatunde And The Call Of Aramide
He could not sleep. He went to the window and looked toward the forest. In the distance, a faint blue light moved above the trees, like a call.
Babatunde entered quietly. “You should rest, my prince,” he said. “The priest warned you.”
Tunji turned to him. “I cannot rest while she suffers. She is not my enemy.”
Babatunde sighed. “But she belongs to another world.”
Tunji looked at his glowing arm. “Then I will find a way to walk in both worlds.”
Outside, the wind blew softly, carrying the sound of water from the river. The mark on his arm shone brighter, and for a moment, he felt a gentle warmth like Aramide’s touch.
He knew she was calling to him again.
The curse was growing stronger
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