The Legend of Cush

The Underworld

Chapter 4: The Underworld

The Lesser spirit paid an unwelcome visit to the Underworld where the Prince of the Underworld confronted him furiously and questions his mission in his domain,

“Ah” he said, “the deceiver of his brethren has come again. And might we know on what mission, perhaps to deceive and sell out?” he laughed in a hallowed voice, looking sideways to his underlings, fierce-looking hounds, forming a circle around him.

“Who could be more the deceiver, than he that colludes with man to thwart justice after he shamelessly fell to the witchery of Aqamasi. How dare you question my presence in a territory of the Underworld?”  The Prince laughed again, this time in a guttural, crackling manner and his acolytes laughed in such a manner, too. It angered the Lesser spirit who lashed out on the acolytes with flaming eyes that threw them backward with such force that they fell far away from the Prince left standing alone.

The Prince’s reaction was belated before he could recover and take any action within his power to repel the attack, the Lesser spirit moved swiftly to the dungeon where Adida, the warrior of Alonika is held, smite the guards on the portals of it vicinity and with flashes of his potent eyes broke the chains about him and laid a hand on him as they bolted from the Underworld and reappeared on the wild mountains, Cush favorite haunt preparatory to meeting the expected liberator. But it seems, the Lesser spirit is not yet through with Adida as he took him to the spirit world and to a different world completely. What came over Adida was beyond fear as he encountered the actual spirit world they only hear in stories. It was otherworldly, surreal and weird, for he saw people walking upside down, their heads down and their legs up; some walking sideways; others backward, some running and others walking on the air and all talking to nobody.

The entire city was full of this kind of people, the light there was brighter than the one he is used to so it mildly affected his eyes, but one salient quality he will never forget and which he took away from his visit to the spirit world was that silence prevailed everywhere; there was no single sound heard till he left that land only the voice of his host and he slightly noted that nobody, among the people, paid him second attention, rather all were as busy as in the human world, selling, buying and going, each on his way. It was all unbelievable to Adida, but was real.

He took him to a building, the beauty of which he had never seen in the whole of Abyssinia; it was massive, with columns of about twenty feet tall, ten on the right and ten on the left and in-between the columns was a wide door which he took him through. Inside, the mansion itself, the appearance was like a labyrinth of sorts, with several doors crisscrossing and never knowing were one lead or exits and everything inside was pure gold; from the chairs, not like those found in the natural world, but looked like carved straight out from massive tree trunks and some other things beyond his description. And to one of the chairs, he pointed him to sit. He looked at the chair and looked at him, he smiled,

“Sit, warrior of Alonika”, he said, being the first time he was speaking to him, “Welcome to my home. Fear not, this is the world of the spirits, not like your world. Be not afraid”. He left him and just so soon returned along with a woman and two little kids, male and female.

“My family, meet my wife, Eldred, and my kids, Lily and Dante”. The woman Eldred is a beauty Adida has never behold in earthly life, she was fair, tall, taller than him, and he wondered for a woman, she was all smiles but said not a word. The kids were equally beautiful and hard to differentiate the boy from the girl.

All Adida did was stare, and then bowed in greetings and the woman and her children bowed, too in return and without a word left them and he notices that as they leave they dissolved into the surroundings of the massive sitting room. Again, his host left him and like his family dissolved just meters away from his presence and fear was on him like never before, but he held himself tight from screaming. The host returned with a jug and a gold cup, handed the cup to Adida, and poured the content on the cup in Adida’s hands, a silver-colored liquid which Adida stirred at in that fear that has overcome him.

“Drink, it is the drink of the gods. You, my master, didn’t possess, this will give you the strength to brave the dangers ahead. For the one you are about to meet is possessed by my master.”

So, he slowing raised the cup to his lips and tasted the drink and it tasted bitter-sweet, and he drank all, and before long he felt a new surge of strength, like one possessed by a new spirit, as if his body is coming out him and it lasted briefly. All the while his host was observing his reaction and then he said,

“You are now ready, warrior.” He left him and just as soon returned wielding two swords, gold, and silver. Handing him the swords he said,

“These are from the gods for him you are to train. He trains with the silver and he fights his enemies with the gold. As for you, you shall go back to your home and take hold of your warrior sword; you shall find it where you left it.” Adida’s mind immediately went back to his famed sword. Happy that after Alonika is freed he shall reunite with his sword and his family, but never understood that he is been sent down to occupied Alonika even now.

Adida in all these strange happenings had not said a word when he finally spoke, he said, “Be not offended, fair one, who are you, and who is your master?

 “You have asked well, warrior. I’m the Lesser spirit the messenger of the mighty Sun god, guardian of the Seven seas. I see what no man sees, I go where no man goes. Alonika, your beloved land, and kingdom is desecrated as you rightly well know, but shortly you shall reclaim it from the imposter, king Isasda. Nevertheless, you shall learn what justice is to be able to deliver justice; you will unite with the kingdom of Matella if deliverance must come to you and your people.”

“See, your mastery of swordsmanship is even noted by the mighty gods and approved, and you have been chosen to train the liberator of Matella, the great-grandson of the great Ukal, raised by creatures of the Forest of Death”.

He went near him, blew a gentle breeze into his eyes,

 “Go, great warrior, to Alonika”.

At the second mention of Alonika, Adida understood clearly he is been sent there now, nor after the liberation, his body choked momentarily and he asked, “My lord, how to? Did you rescue me to send me to my death?”  “Go, I shall watch your back. Get your warrior sword, which is intact where you left it, and begin walking towards the Forest of Death three days hence, and I will meet you midway to the training ground”, and he was gone, vanished.  The warrior, was perplexed, but believing the word of his spirit guide, he set out there and then with his face set towards Alonika, daring even the gods to stop him.T