A Thousand Years (the sword of Fate)

Jaja prayed endlessly for the day he would be chosen as one of the warriors of Zuzuwe who would be sent to fight the shadow monster queen. different tale has been told, that a twin and the third son of a twin is the only one strong enough to defeat the queen of the shadow and renounce the course placed on the village by the shadow queen. OK that's enough, let's hear from Jaja himself. Hello, I am Jaja. Before I delve into my tale, allow me to introduce my dear family. My mother, Jane, and her lion-hearted husband, Lucas, who also happens to be my father. The bond between Papa and Mama is so profound that one might mistake them for reincarnations of Romeo and Juliet. The way my father gazes at my mother, as if he has just encountered her and fallen in love all over again, makes me ponder whether they had ever met before, despite living together. Odd, right? But this story is not about them, it is mine. Oh, I almost forgot about my spirited younger sister, who harbors a strong disdain for me. I am two hours older. She refuses to enter this mysterious world. Mama felt her soul slowly leaving her mortal body after a long trial in labor. She willed her eyes open. The midwives kept begging her to push. Father was not going to let her go, as he couldn't bear waiting outside any longer. He rushed inside and held her hands tightly. As he looked directly into her eyes, Jane felt something strange as she heard the cry of a baby, the most adorable sound in the world. It was a boy. The midwife smiled as she held the baby. Jane reached out her hands, yearning to cradle her newborn. The midwife then placed him in her arms. At that moment, all the pain and agony she had felt suddenly disappeared. Seeing his angelic face, her heart melted, and tears streamed from her eyes as she held her son close. In the midst of this tender moment, the midwife suddenly exclaimed, "There is another baby...!" Jane transferred the fragile boy to Lucas and struggled intensely to deliver the second child. This time, the strange superpower she had gained from Lucas's touch began to fade. Her strength waned, her muscles weakened, and her eyes grew dim. The only part of her body she could still move was her index finger. "Please, morning sun, don't leave me; please don't leave us!" Lucas cried out like a desperate child, imploring his lifeless wife to defy death. An hour passed, and Jane's body continued to refuse to regain strength. Her body rejected strength. Lucas and the midwife were confused, unsure if Jane was dead or alive. Their only glimmer of hope was the little finger she continued to move. Despite their efforts to encourage her soul to remain in her body, life seemed to elude her. Lucas held her hands tightly, fear and confusion evident in his expression. Another hour passed, but Lucas refused to give up on her, continuously urging the midwife to take action. "Please do something, she is not dead. Please do something...!! Do..! Do..!! Something!!!" His pleas seemed to stretch on indefinitely. Suddenly, a delicate cry from a baby filled the room as Jane took deep breaths, as if she had been forcefully brought back to life. What occurred that day remains shrouded in mystery. Perhaps Jane had a journey to the land of the dead, where the angel of death was her friend. Just, maybe. Jaja! Jaja!... Yes!!! Okay, that's my dad calling me with his wild voice. He always sounds like a lion roaring. Lucas was standing in his room, waiting for me, rhythmically tapping his left foot on the earth, causing it to raise and drop on the dusty sandy floor. Our house was built with the strongest timber, featuring a beautiful roof adorned with palm trees for shade. "Good morning, Papa. Did you call me?" "Yes, sit down," he replied. I settled onto the soft bear rug. As he stood there gazing at me, his expression suggested he was about to deliver some somber news. "Don't take this the wrong way," he began. "I don't think you should apply this time to be a member of the Zuzu Warriors. Maybe it's not meant to be your fate to be chosen." "Is that coming from you, Dad? You always said I am worthy, that I am destined to lead the Zuzu one day." "Jaja, it's time to redirect that energy into something else. Look at you, you've attempted this like a thousand times."" Ten times, Dad!" "Yeah, ten times. But if you were immortal, I bet you would try a hundred more, which is approximately a thousand times." "Papa, even if I had to try it every lifetime, I would." "You're stubborn. Have you heard what the whole village calls you? The un...?" "I don't care, Papa," I responded "Hey, good morning, Darling," Jane greeted him as she walked into the room. "Good morning, my morning sun. I was just telling your son here not to bother about joining the Zuzu Warriors anymore." "And why is that?" Jane asked. "He is the only chosen one who can defeat the Shadow Queen," Jane added. "So you want him to keep fooling us, right?" Lucas walked close to Jane, brushing her hair from her face. "Darling, the Queen is more than a thousand years old, and my twin brother, said to be the legend, is just 28 years old. How ironic," added Ruth as she walked into the room and sat down close to Jane on the left. While I was sitting on the right, "Oh, not again, here comes the crazy twin sis." I said feeling exhausted. "Good morning, Papa. Good morning, Mama. Hey, good morning Un-chosen twin bro. "My night was fine, papa, at least I didn't "Ruth, stop that! He is your twin brother," scolded Jane, looking displeased. I just said that, Mama. Of course, he's my brother," replied Ruth. "Ruth, how was your night?" Lucas asked politely, trying to change the subject. "My night was fine, though I didn't dream of the Shadow Queen. , her tone mocking. Ruth retorted confidently, her tone mocking. And so what...? I dream of her because I am the only one who can break her curse. The only chosen one. I said. "Hope she told you where she hid her secret power or her weak point," Ruth continued with her provocations. Don't worry, little sis. When she does tell me, I'll ensure you will be the first to know, I said, fighting back her words, refusing to be belittled. "Oh come over here, luck! There is a family meeting going on in Papa's room! Exclaimed Jack excitedly. Jack and Luck ran in, the older twins in our family who always acted younger, unlike me and Ruth. They did everything together, even dressing in matching animal skins. Sometimes, they spoke as if sharing one mind. The village often referred to us as the twin family, even though our dad was also a twin. "What did we miss?" they both asked eagerly upon entering the room. "Well, tell your brother Jaja to do something else this year rather than to be rejected again. Lucas pointed at me as he spoke, as if nobody would see me if he didn't. "Jaja! Oh, sorry, I meant to say the chosen one," he teased, imitating Papa's seriousness. "Papa said we should tell you to stop asking the Shadow Queen out on a date. She is way older than you," Luck added, his tone laced with sarcasm." Yeah, and she may have a boyfriend," Jack chimed in, "Is that what I just said?" Lucas added playfully. "Don't worry, Jaja, I believe you will be chosen this time," he reassured me with a wink. "If only I had tried once, that sword of fate would have been lifted off that rock already," Ruth interjected, her words dripping with sarcasm. "I am the strongest man in this village. You all know it," i boasted. "Wow, that's great, at least I can beat the strongest man in the village," Ruth replied with a grin. "Ruth, leave your brother alone, and please go check what you are cooking before it becomes a burnt offering," Lucas said, shooing Ruth away. "Hey Ruth, go fast. We are hungry, jack and luck both said at the same time. " Jaja my Son, take this one, zu go buy me 3 white stones of the gods. "Mum, what's for"? I asked, surprised. "Tomorrow night is the day you will be chosen son" she said with great confidence in her voice. " "Hey Ruth, hurry up. We're hungry," Jack and Lucas chimed in unison. "Jaja, my son, take this coin, go buy me 3 white stones of the gods," Mum instructed me. "What's it for?" I asked, surprised. "Tomorrow night is the day you will be chosen, son," she said with great confidence in her voice.