Ada and The origin Flame
656 Words
One evening, as the harmattan winds blew dust through Nwagu, an old woman cloaked in feathers arrived at Ada’s shrine. She introduced herself in a tongue few remembered—Ekùn, the language of the West.
She placed a burnt feather on the shrine’s stone and whispered:
> “The First Flame stirs.
The gods grow restless.
The Isles are waking.”
Then she collapsed.
That night, Ada had a dream. She stood on an island of fire surrounded by water. A voice, deep as the sea, said:
> “You hold a piece of us. But not the whole. Come, child. Come to the source.”
When Ada woke, the burnt feather had turned to glowing embers.
And so, with Danjuma, Ngozi, and three flame-bound guardians, Ada boarded a ship bound for the Whispering Isles—a place spoken of only in lullabies and warnings.
---
The journey was long, and the ocean was alive with secrets. At night, voices sang from beneath the waves. One sailor vanished. Another grew mute. But Ada pressed on.
When they reached the Isles, the crew refused to go ashore. “No shadow touches that land,” the captain warned. “And no one returns the same.”
He was right.
The island had no shadows—not from trees, people, or even stone. The sun hung high, unmoving. Time felt strange.
They met the Kin of Flame, tall beings with glowing skin and no eyes. They spoke in riddles, touched fire like water, and said one thing over and over:
> “The fire you wield was a gift stolen. Now the givers want it back.”
Ada felt a deep pull in her chest. As though the island recognized her flame—and wanted it.
---
At the heart of the island stood a mountain wreathed in golden smoke: Orí-Iná, the Source Flame. Legend said it was where fire first touched the world, gifted by the Sky Goddess to humans in a time before memory.
To reach it, Ada had to pass the Three Trials of Flame:
1. The Trial of Truth – A vision of her past: her father, her mother, the moment they hid her and erased her name. She relived the betrayal, the pain, the lies—and had to choose whether to cling to anger or forgive.
2. The Trial of Sacrifice – She was shown a vision where Danjuma’s life could save the world—or hers. She chose to sacrifice herself. But the moment passed—a test of her heart, not her death.
3. The Trial of Fire – She was consumed by blue flame. No body. No breath. Only spirit.
And there, in the center of the mountain, she met the First Flame—not a god, but a presence, ancient and eternal.
> “You are not the flame,” it whispered.
“You are its story.
But now… you must choose: Be its guardian. Or become its end.”
---
Ada stood at the edge of power beyond comprehension.
To become guardian meant binding herself to the Source Flame forever. She would be immortal, eternal… but no longer human.
To walk away meant letting the fire return to the world, uncontrolled, wild again.
Then she remembered her mother. The people of Nwagu. The children who now ran beneath her restored shrine. The healing, the songs, the laughter.
She spoke calmly:
> “Let the fire be shared. Not chained.”
The Source Flame flared—then split.
A golden flame entered Ada’s heart.
But seven sparks scattered across the world, choosing new bearers.
Ada collapsed, returned to her body, alive.
When she opened her eyes, Danjuma was there.
“You did it,” he whispered.
“No,” she replied. “We’ve only just begun.”
Because now, the world had seven new flames—and not all of them would burn for good.
---
To Be Continued…
- Writer
