Muur Chronicles

CHAPTER 6

EPISODE ONE:

       When Elvis finally opened his eyes, he saw himself lying down in a well cushioned soft blue furniture inside a lavishly decorated room. He could not remember how he came to be in the place as he stood up to observe where he is, still dazed. Everything was strange and plush, and he felt very different. Still wondering how he came to the place, he walked to the door facing a balcony he saw while he observed the room. The door was not locked, leading him to a great view outside the room. Expectantly hoping to see familiar civilization, he was surprised at what he saw.

 Standing by the hand rails constructed with a mixture of wood and steel overlooking the swooshing ocean afar, he stared in awe. Looking at the perfectly manicured lawn, the lush vegetations around the deck, the path down to a supposed dock and the structures that glittered even in the snowy spectacle, he marveled.

 From the balcony, he saw that he was on the second floor of the building, and this gave him a sweet but odd consoling view. The whole place was sparsely built on with houses, each building miles apart from the other. Torrents of snow covered vast areas in-between structures, including trees. As he looked on, he could see lights shining in each of the buildings both inside and outside. It signifies that at least people lived in the area, though he didn't know what kind of people. He still struggled with the idea that the surrounding was not his usual familiar environment. He decided to enter back and run down through the stairs should he find any inside the building. His mind was fixed on inquiring from any of the people he may possibly see in one of the buildings as to where he was.

 As soon as he entered back into the room, he saw a fellow sited at one of the nice cushioned furniture’s in the room with a glass of wine in his hand. "Enjoyed the view?" It was at this point that everything came rushing back to him, and he immediately remembered how he came to the place after the events at the Police Headquarters, Owerri.

However, because the environment he saw himself in looked very unfamiliar, he was tempted to ask and he did ask the fellow out of fear "where am i?" while still standing up, calm and fully in his view.

"Somewhere safe"

"I am at Somewhere Safe?" Elvis asked, not knowing if ‘somewhere safe’ is the name of the place or just a form of reassurance from the huge fellow smiling at him with a serious face.

"Which other answer do you want to hear?" the fellow asked him in a brisk mature tone, looking at him interestingly.

"Can I sit down?" Elvis asked him politely.

"Go ahead!" he urged him. He went ahead and sat down while the fellow's eyes were fixed on him.

"I know that if you wanted to kill me, you would have done that already. So what am I doing here?  Because I know for a fact it has something to do with the viral news in the media and press credited to me" he ended, still looking at the huge fellow expecting an answer obviously.

"Good, apt and direct!"

"How would you like revenge?" he asked.

“Revenge?" Elvis asked.

"Yes, revenge!"

“Revenge for whom? …And for what?" Elvis inquired.

"Well, keep that in mind for now and think about it."

"Please, I just want to go home. Please!"

"You are part of a bigger reality now. You are now part of something much bigger than you going home and having a normal life. There is no normal for you anymore and the earlier you accept it the best for you. You don't want the alternative!"

"Please, I beg you in the name of God, whatever it is; I don't want to be a part of it. Please, I beg of you, I have a family and my wife just gave birth. I'm even supposed to be on my official Leave before all this started." he said as he knelt down, pity and fear written all over his facial and body expressions.

"Your life is already in danger. You don't want your family involved if you love them so much." the fellow said as he sipped from the glass he was holding and relaxed back into the cushioned furniture.

"I don't understand any of what you are saying!" Elvis said out immediately, standing up.

"Good!" he replied.

"Ever heard about a place called Muur?" he asked afterwards.

"No!"

"You witnessed something horrible recently?"

"Yes, but I don't want to talk about it!" Elvis told him as a matter of fact.

"You saw the wreck the perpetrator of the act did first hand?"

"Yes."

"Now, in clear details, describe it to me. Don't leave anything out" he told Elvis.

"After he humiliated me, I ran away according to his instructions or I risk losing my life. Then when I went back, I saw everything. It was like some sort of energy was released from his body, it came out with some kind of vibrations if I recall it well, a very massive and powerful one. The next thing I saw was massive destruction. Every place within that vicinity has been leveled down to the ground. Every policeman previously standing was killed and charred like they had no liquid. It was like they were milked. It was unbearable, and it all seemed like a... like in the movies. I know you may think I'm crazy, but that's what I saw I swear to God. That's the only thing I saw" he ended.

"The perpetrator of that act was helped by a person from Muur!" the huge fellow told him.

"Where is this place?  Which country is it?" he quizzed, making the huge fellow to smile.

"It's not a country or a place you can just visit. It's somewhere up there." he said, pointing his index finger across the window to a place somewhere above the sky visible to Elvis.

At this, Elvis went back to his seat and sat without saying a word while the fellow watched him keenly. "You are a Muur?" he asked afterwards.

"Used to be"

"What happened?"

"You will know in due time!" he answered him.

"What do you actually want with me? " he asked the big guy.

"You will see."

"I have nothing you could possibly want." Elvis told him.

"You have everything I need!"

"Which is what?"

"I have a mission for you!"

"What type of mission?"

"A very important one"

"And if I refuse?"

"You have not heard the details yet." he quickly answered.

"I'm listening. But before that, I have just one question to ask you."

"Alright, go ahead!"

"What is your name?" he inquired, making the huge fellow to stand up and drop the bottle of wine and glass he wanted to pour it into. He has been expecting him to ask this for a while since their discussion began.

"There are huge consequences that come with knowing my name" he warned.

"I don't mind!"

"Very well. I am Ekwediani by my name and Bonadi Buamada by my heritage!" he told him. Elvis didn't say anything.

"Well, that's out of the way. So what’s the mission?" he asked.

"Well, you are of no use to me at the moment. But not to worry, that will soon be out of the way." Bonadi said. This statement rattled Elvis who has been previously told that there is an important mission for him.

"I see the look in your eyes, that feeling of confusion and worthlessness. But, that’s not what this is about." Bonadi assured.

"Then, what is this about?" Elvis asked, overreacting a little bit with his composure a bit stretched than how it was previously.

"I have been doing this all alone with my friend since i can remember.  Little allies here and there, a little push sometimes. But, I have done it alone for a while now. However, everything is changed now, and you my friend will be my greatest ally and confidant!" Bonadi stated, smiling at him as he sat back down. He took back the bottle of wine, poured some into another glass and offered it to Elvis. Though not fully trusting of the fellow before him, he didn't hesitate to take the drink from his hands and gulped it down.

"How do you feel now?" Bonadi asked.

"I feel gre..." An excited Elvis wanted to yell out but couldn't as his body started readjusting without his control. Bonadi kept a close distance observation as he watched Elvis shiver and vibrate epileptically.

Elvis's body started squeezing, he could literally feel his body cells die and rebirth, swing around and structurally recompose while he yelled in pain. It was an excruciating moment, and as it kept happening, the glass of wine in his hands broke into pieces in his hand and he fell down. Bonadi kept watching him as he unfolded in his presence while writhing in pain in the process but rarely screamed nonetheless. A few seconds later, he was up on his two feet’s, not knowing whether to be angry or not at Bonadi.

"How do you feel now?" Bonadi asked him again.

"How do I feel?"

"You don't feel great right?"

"I feel just fine!" Elvis told him.

"Great. You are ready then!" Bonadi exclaimed.

"Ready for what?" Elvis asked and did not even finish before Bonadi came at him as if wanting to fight him but rather grabbed his hands and asported off with him to an even more solemn and hideous location covered only in what looked like defrosted snow. The only other visible thing in the region was an overly Illuminating sun that shined brightly at the edges of an empty landscape, creating a form of snow beauty for the entire landscape.

It was not actually a building as they entered inside, but just a solid structure with little space and a huge circular object standing in the center of it. Elvis knew immediately he saw the technology and innovation behind such wonder, earth could not have created such.

"Did we just?  How did we get here?  What is this place?" he asked concurrently, all at almost the same time. 

"This is a safe haven I built for myself. And yes, you vanished as you would put it, but it is called travelling through asportation points." Bonadi simply stated.

"Wow. This is unbelievable!" Elvis echoed out in excitement.

Looking at him as he moved forward to a point and pressed a key, Bonadi smirked.

The light inside the structure was dimly lighted but its full brightness as it came on soon revealed the overall view of the entire place. It was totally amazing, with the walls of the building constructed with materials Elvis knew nothing about. But the decorations and appearance was soothingly alien from the surprised excited look on his face. His demeanor expressed awesomeness from the look on his face!

 The machine they were facing as they walked further down inside was dark in color, and had three big transparent glass tubes fixed structurally to its main control box that was attached to the ground. It covered a huge space in the hall, it's width around 50cm.The big glass tubes were covered at the top with erabil mixed with ebamel steel. Ebamel steel is one of the strongest steel compounds in the Muur. The box is a rectangular shaped black box that has the name Axib clearly written on it. The machine itself towered above both Elvis and Bonadi, and has a steel stair attached to it which leads to the inside of the glass tube that is in the middle.

By the side of the three big glass tubes, there were two other tubes made of glass which were evenly placed beside the three big ones at both ends. They were transparent as well but were filled up with a brownish liquid substance. A few inches away from the Axib was another big machine box, the central control brain box. It controls everything in the building, including the Energy Analyzer and Converter just outside the building affixed to a structure in the heavily flooded snowy landscape. It looked like an ordinary fridge, but not with the features. It stood tall, measuring about 15fts and covering a width of about 25.1cm. Just on top of it is a square-shaped three-phased smaller machine attached to it. It acts as a modifier, modulator, and analyzer to the main box. The Central control box had a screen which uses touch and voice functions, nine key buttons, a handheld remote controller and a power button which is located somewhere else but still on the Control Box. It also has a hidden key log that can only open upon proper identification by eye verification or Bonadi's anani. The Quantum Matter Distiller is situated just behind the wall, and it processes most of the substances and particles Bonadi feeds it after keying in the necessary configurations to execute such specific functions.

       Bonadi set up everything like a pure chemical laboratory but with bigger apparatus for its specific functions and various matter romances. There were seven small transparent cylinders on it filled with dark brownish liquid, and two big non-transparent ones about 20ft in height each. Affixed to these two gigantic cylinders were two vases with opening at both ends to help with the transportation of liquids from the big cylinders. The vases were connected with pipes to connect with a bigger rubber pipe along the edges of the wall. All the pipes were carefully constructed in such a manner to make sure that the small cylinders transported the liquid substances from all the smaller cylinders to the large ones. On their part, the gigantic cylinders does a double crossover between itself,  transferring and returning before pushing its contents off through the top which the erabil crafted vases capped. The pipe takes over the flow from the vases and then pushes them through to the Central Control Box which modifies and modulates it before sending it to the Axib through a visible pipe. In there in the Axib, it is transformed totally and sent to the small glass tubes for the final output. The final output goes to the Big Glass tubes. Whatever program or function given the whole machine manifests itself in the big glass tubes.

 Bonadi walked up to Elvis, and while leading him to the Axib machine, he began to tell him some stories.

"You know, at some point in the distant past, the universe was hotter, denser and expanded more faster than it did today." he stated, looking at Elvis sternly and warmly as he marveled at the scene he was beholding.

"The stars and all the different galaxies exist as they do because the universe has expanded and cooled, allowing gravitation to pull matter into clusters and clump.

"In the beginning, at the early stages, the universe was filled with a variety of ingredients, collectible elements and very insane amount of pure energy. Not the ones you kill yourselves on earth with anyway, but energy levels that will make your star get jealous. There was normal matter, dark matter, dark energy, radiation, neutrinos, black holes, white holes, gravitational waves and a lot more, though tamed now to maintain a cosmic balance in the universe."

"I honestly do not understand what you are saying Mr. Bonadi" Elvis retorted in the most courteous manner he could as they now stood just a few feet from the machines. "I know." He said and continued.

"Based on the expansion rate of the universe, the amount of dark energy present on earth, coupled with its unsettled gravitational level makes our next action a little bit tricky while also giving us an advantage." He stated.

"Okay" Elvis replied as Bonadi switched on the machine which came up immediately with a mild humming sound before stabilizing.

"These places...why are we here?" Elvis asked, after stuttering a little bit, still amazed by the euphoria the place brings out in him.

"We are here for you!" Bonadi said.

"For me?  How?"

"Because of the mission and my plans for you, I have to do this... But you are going to be fine, trust me! "

"Do I have a choice?" Elvis asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"No, as a matter of fact. But you are going to be fine, you have to trust me on that" he assured, and then went near the Central Control for identification. He was verified immediately, and the wall keeping them apart from the Quantum Matter Distiller majestically gave way.

They entered and he urged Elvis to undress totally, to Elvis' surprise. However, since he didn't have a choice in the matter, he obeyed him and undressed.

"Step into the Axib."

Though not fully trusting but still assured that he was not brought this far all for nothing, he climbed the stairs and as soon as the central big glass tube opened, he entered inside.

"Stay on the tiny small dot in the middle and do not panic. I repeat, do not panic, alright!" Bonadi demanded of him and Elvis nodded his head in acceptance and affirmation that he won't.

Bonadi walked close to the Distiller, the remote in hand and pressed a button on the remote. The Quantum Matter Distiller came to life immediately, and started whirring. The liquids in the cylinders moved as each structure fixed as part of the Distiller engaged in one activity or the other. He rushed back to the Central Control Box and set a certain frequency level, then pressed on the screen severally till he got what he wanted; he stepped aside. He looked at Elvis and smiled at him. Within seconds, a lot of functions in all the machines spiked as he watched. It wasn't long before the liquids started moving through the pipes from the Quantum Matter Distiller to the Central Control box before being transferred to the Axib. Smoky steam started to fill inside the three big glass tubes on the Axib. Within seconds, they were all covered totally while Bonadi watched. Elvis didn't scream nor yell much to Bonadi's satisfaction.

Soon afterwards, a lot of liquids were pumped into two of the three big glass tubes, but the one Elvis was in was not among them. Both were filled to the brim. At this point, Bonadi pressed a button on the remote he held, went back to the Central Control Box and reconfigured the first program he was using. The reconfiguration required his anani as verification, which he hurriedly put up and it was sucked in. Then, the liquids in the two glass tubes started steaming before unleashing all of its contents into the glass tube Elvis was in. He yelled out, but stopped after a few screams. The liquid engulfed him totally, and covered the whole tube to the brim, from his toe to his head, and he lost consciousness immediately the chemical process which Bonadi has devised penetrated and merged with his body cells, transforming them in the process, enhancing his body cells in the process to manifest Bonadi's intention.

Some minutes later, the machine stopped while Bonadi looked on to see if Elvis will step out immediately, but he didn't. The steam and liquid were drained out of the glass tube by a suction vessel built into the machine. Worried, Bonadi quickly climbed the stairs and the glass tube opened. He saw Elvis still standing with his eyes closed. He was there just in time to catch him before he fell. His eyes were closed and he didn't seem responsive as Bonadi felt some pulses in him. He carried him down and asported off with him out from that place quickly back to his abode, the one they were in previously.

 "What happened?" greeted him. It was Varodi, his friend and confidant.

"I don't know if it worked." a worried Bonadi answered. "I did everything right, but I'm not sure if it worked. Nothing's changed yet, his body composition is still the same." he stated as he carefully laid Elvis in a comfortable machine supported recuperating tube that looked like an incubator. It was an advanced cryogenic stasis machine of some sort.

"Let's wait a bit then. If it doesn't work with him, you can always get another one." Varodi stated.

"Get another one?"

"It's either that or you quit with your obsession of  trying to create something even our forefathers saw as forbidden due to its twisted and unstable dangerous nature." Varodi advised.

“Someone just did. You saw it!"

"So, the plan now is to compete with this person rather than focus on the plan?" Varodi asked.

"Don't you just understand?" Bonadi asked as he supported himself with his hand pressed against the wall.

"It... It has changed everything. Don't you get it? Who do you think stopped Obotiba from delivering the artefact he acquired?"

"You never said!" Varodi answered.

"We didn't know who it was." Bonadi stated.

"I still advise caution. I still believe if we stick to the original plan, we will still achieve the goal. And if you believe he is going to be a problem, then it's best we neutralize him." Varodi cautioned.

"You want us to kill him?" Bonadi asked.

"Don't underestimate me Ekwediani!" Varodi warned.

"It's just a question. Do you want us to kill him?"

"If it will make you quit your obsession, yes." Varodi replied.

"That's your new task then!"

"What about Izemoru?  Won't this be a good time to repay the favor you gave him to help them capture Zanak?" Varodi suggested.

"Izemoru is ambitious and overstretched. His time will come!" Bonadi answered.

"I thought it's what you wanted? To kill the boy? Or is that fear I sense in you?" Bonadi asked him, but, as an indirect mock.

"And what gave you the notion I'm afraid?" Varodi asked back.

"I'm just saying. Just saying. But, you should be afraid. We both know what his full potentials can be!" Bonadi said.

"I'm going to kill him. We have come too far to let your obsession derail our decade’s long plan." Varodi retorted immediately. Bonadi simply smiled at him and turned to face Elvis who was still lying down there.

"What will you need then?" Bonadi asked him.

"Nothing! Don't forget I was once a high ranking Officer in the Amarandubi!"

"Not in doubt!" Bonadi assured and Varodi left.

After waiting endlessly for Elvis to wake up to no avail, he took him to a newly built State of the Art advanced Teaching Hospital in Padura, somewhere in the North Central part of Nigeria, not too far from Abuja Metropolitan Capital city.

"What is wrong with him?" A nurse asked as an emergency was declared for his case as soon he rushed Elvis into the hospital. Other nurses rushed up to him, and he was taken into a room near the main theatre while Bonadi followed them closely.

"I really don't know, he just slumped into this state since two hours ago." Bonadi replied.

"Okay, we will see what we will do!" the nurse told him.

"I need to be there in the room with him... He's my son!" Bonadi said, pleading with the nurse.

"I'm sorry, Mr.?" the nurse stopped abruptly, waiting for him to add his name.

"Elvis" Bonadi replied.

"Yes, Mr. Elvis, we cannot allow you to enter, its standard procedure!" the nurse stated.

"Can I at least stay outside here; I won't be causing any problem here now, would I?" Bonadi asked.

"We don't mind!" the nurse stated and closed the door. In the room, she quickly made a call from a land-line in the room, and within seconds two doctors were rushing in to the place.

"Hey..." Bonadi said to them, but didn't finish because the doctors didn't even bother to look at him.

He stood out there, very worried. His worry though was with what could be the unintended actions of Elvis when he wakes up. He has always known that the process he embarked on was unstable and dangerous. He stayed outside as instructed and kept pondering on the situation at hand. On his part, he knew he did everything right down to the minute detail. Elvis is not the first person he has tried the procedure on, even though he is the main reason why he improved the method to make it an efficient one. No doubt the emergence of Steve played a big role, but the Ami Nri has been something he has always considered despite the danger and unsteady territory it threads.

 The Ami Nri was outlawed and considered the most dangerous magical feat of the Mantacles of Muuragi when many Muurians started attempting it even though all failed to successfully complete the process but one. The atmospheric composition of their environment which they emigrated to after the first migration totally changed their internal body structure, cells, tissues and the way their body metabolism operates.

     In the past and prior to the events of the first migration, Zanak's great grandfather was the first known Muurian to successfully attempt and complete the ami nri. Despite his success, the Ami nri ultimately consumed him in the end as he could not control the great powers ami nri bestows. Back when Zanak's grandfather Edian Kalugo wanted to complete the process, he needed to acquire some unerg particles, mastering of the 8th Alcamara's of Muuragi and a sacrifice. But the problem is that the Mantacles of Muuragi only has seven Alcamara's. An Alcamara depicts the stages and the way the Mantacles are divided.

How Edian Kalugo pulled it off and successfully completed the ami nri at a time when everyone failed remained a mystery. But stories abound that the legendary and mythical Muuragi personally paid him a visit as he sought to finish the act.

Rumors abound though that he may have left clues for his family on how to simplify ami nri even while still warning against it's trial ever again. This is the reason why Bonadi was close to Zanak and elevated him when he became the ruler and ascended the Muurian throne.

Keeping Zanak very close to himself, Bonadi indirectly urged him on to grow in power and strength and tap into the family secret if ever there was one.

This was a long time ago now, he reminisced. He is not a grumpy old soul out with revenge to exact. He was still reminiscing when he heard shouts from the room Elvis was taken into by the nurses, and he rushed in immediately. The moment he barged into the ward room, he saw a confused Elvis awake and sitting upright on the hospital bed. Some of the equipment's in the room were scattered but no-one was visibly hurt as Bonadi observed.

"Do not approach him!" one of the nurses alerted.

"He is unstable and erratic!" another imputed from shock.

Bonadi didn't listen to any of them as he approached him and then stopped some few feet away from Elvis.

"Do not panic!"

"Who are you?" Elvis questioned.

"And what am I doing in a hospital bed?"

"You are going to make me do this in front of the nurses!" Bonadi replied.

"Do what?" Elvis asked and was expecting an answer before seeing himself asported off together with Bonadi and reappearing at Bonadi's secret safe house, a lair. Elvis saw himself in a solid round but tall see-through ebamel steel sealed with erabil immediately they arrived while Bonadi was outside of it. He went closer to Elvis and tapped on the hold to alert him.

"Can you hear me?"

"Of course I can hear you. What is this?  Why am i inside this thing?" he lashed out.

"Alright, do not panic!" Bonadi stated again. At this, Elvis reached closer to the glass separating them, banging on it and screaming "let me out of here!"

"Can't you just stay calm? You weren't like this few minutes ago!" Bonadi stated. "Wait a second, what the hell did you just say? Who are you and what the hell did you do to me?" Elvis pressed, barely stopping in between his breath, banging and shaking the steel walls.

 Bonadi heaved a sigh and lowered his head right in front of Elvis as he looked on, expecting an answer. After a few seconds, he raised his head with a smile and told him "I didn't do anything you didn't want me done to you!"

"What do you mean?" Elvis asked, taken aback.

Bonadi brought out his Anani, pressed on it and a screen projection displayed from it. He replayed the events before he took Elvis to the hospital. As they both watched, Bonadi could see the surprise on his face even though he was still undecided as to whether or not Bonadi was showing the truth.

 "I demand to be let out from this thing!" he ordered afterwards.

"Demand?  No-one is holding you. All you have to do is break free!" Bonadi assured him.

"Break free from this?  How? "Elvis questioned.

"You have not even tried!"

"You can't leave me here!" Elvis screamed.

"I'm not going anywhere. Take a look around, where will I go?" Bonadi asked, still walking off.