GAZA (war with MUGHAI)

What Did The Gods Said

As the sun hung high in the sky, casting its relentless heat upon the village of Gaza, an eerie sound filled the air. A slithering, unsettling noise, like the writhing of a thousand snakes, swept through the village. It crawled over the earth like a dark omen, sending shivers down the spines of every villager who heard it.

From behind their locked doors, families huddled together in terror. Whispered questions passed between trembling lips, "What is that sound?" It seemed to move from house to house, as if searching, as if hunting.

Meanwhile, in the king's palace, the king, the priest, and the council of elders sat in tense silence, their faces pale as they, too, heard the ominous sound. The priest hurriedly performed his rituals, his trembling hands holding sacred charms as he peered into the spiritual realm. His eyes widened with horror at the sight that appeared before him.

For a long moment, he was speechless. Finally, turning to the king, his voice barely a whisper, he said, "This is a great calamity. The Mughai has awakened. The seven-headed serpent that was vanquished long ago by the warrior Akali has returned. But one of its heads escaped into the Anog forest... and now it is back to finish what it started."

The king's face darkened with fear. "Mughai? The very creature that my father spoke of, the one that ravaged villages five hundred years ago? How can this be?" he asked in desperation. "Akali defeated it with the help of the sea princess, Nluka. Is there anything we can do now?"

Before the priest could answer, a deafening cry pierced the air from outside the palace walls. The sound of desperate wailing filled the village. The Mughai had broken through one of the houses and taken two children from a family.

The villagers poured out of their homes, their faces twisted in terror, as they watched helplessly while the enormous, slithering creature dragged the children away into the thickening darkness of the nearby forest. The king and the priest stood frozen, powerless. The cries of the villagers echoed in the still night, a heartbreaking symphony of despair.

"Priest," the king said, his voice trembling, "you must beg the gods for an answer. We cannot lose more of our people. Mughai must be stopped."

For eight market days, the priest fasted and prayed, tirelessly calling out to the gods for guidance. Yet, with each passing market day, the Mughai returned, claiming two more victims. Fear and sorrow hung over Gaza like a thick cloud, for no one knew who would be next. The villagers lived in constant dread, their hearts heavy with the bitter reality that the monster would come again.

On the eighth market day, after endless prayers and rituals, the gods finally spoke. Their message was delivered to the priest in a vision. He rushed to the king with the divine revelation.

“There is hope,” the priest said, though his voice was somber. “The lineage of the warrior Akali still lives among us. A woman of her bloodline is with child and will soon give birth to twins. These twins are destined to defeat Mughai. The gods have decreed that on the seventh day after their birth, the twins must be brought to the temple for fortification. Only they can save Gaza.”

The king listened intently, but the priest’s words came with a heavy burden. “However, the gods also demand that after the fortification, all the villagers must leave Gaza. The village must be deserted, except for the mother and her twins. They alone must remain until the children grow old enough to face Mughai.”

The king was silent for a moment, contemplating the enormity of what was being asked. “And what of the people? Where will they go?” he asked.

“The gods command that they scatter to neighboring villages. They must stay hidden, for Mughai feeds on the presence of many. When the twins are ready, and Mughai is defeated, the people may return.”

A heavy silence settled over the room. The king’s heart weighed heavily with the decision, but there was no choice. The village of Gaza would have to sacrifice everything they had known, pinning their hopes on the unborn twins—the last hope to vanquish the monster once and for all.