There was unrest in the city that night, a kind of otherworldly unrest that the residents of Ake felt but could not understand. An eerie feeling that sprung goosebumps on their skins and made them shiver. An ominous presence wrapped itself around the city and engulfed each home. It was spring but the weather was extremely hot.
Cries of restless babies from houses filled the air as mothers paced around to console them. Sleeping children woke up intermittently from nightmares. Inexplicably, power went out in the city and the electricity company was unable to fix it.
In a two-story house, a middle aged woman dressed in sleeveless, white flowing gown with red beads around her neck and wrists opened a window to glance up at the dark sky. A lunar eclipse was upon them. A younger woman similarly dressed stood beside her.
"Ilara, do you think they will go through with the ritual?" The younger woman asked. Another woman in the candle lit room chimed in, "this is so wrong."
Ilara, the high priestess of Iwarere (Sisters of Virtue), a coven in Ake empowered by the gods and tasked with protecting the city from anything that would taint virtues, glanced at her fellow sisters one after the other. There were seven of them.
"My dear sisters, I can feel it already starting. The lunar eclipse draws near, a perfect setting for the Order of Omnila to draw power from the full moon to perform this ritual." She addressed them solemnly, the weight of the responsibility making her appear stern.
"We have a sworn duty to protect this city and we cannot fail. Not now. We have faced challenges in the past but none like this. I believe we will triumph. Have faith with me, sisters."
The women nodded in approval. Ilara continued, "Remember your oath, my sisters. The Order of Omnila cannot be allowed to raise the dead and let them roam among the living. It is unnatural!"
As midnight approached, the sun and moon drew closer, throwing the city into extreme darkness. The sisters of Iwarere matched in a single line into the forest where the Ake local cemetery was situated and the ritual was to take place.
The Order of Omnila comprised eight women and two men dressed in black gowns, each of them holding a wooden staff with images of a night owl carved on it. They formed a circle close to the cemetery, hands raised towards the sky as they chanted. Their voices rhymed in unison like a symphony.
The sisters of Iwarere arrived and stopped a few meters away from them. "Enough!" Ilara screamed and the chanting stopped abruptly.
The Omnilas turned their heads at the same time like robots towards the sisters. Their eyes, almost pearlescent, a sharp contrast to their black clothing against the darkness of the night.
Ilara could see they were almost lost to this world and close to the end of their ritual. Their leader, a four feet, short and stocky man with protruding stomach, matched out of the circle to face Ilara. The sisters of Iwarere moved into formation, their faces impassive and focused, ready for battle.
"How dare you, Ilara?!" Omnila's man-leader bellowed, his face twisted in anger. A powerful wind began to blow, shaking the trees, stirring up leaves and dirt. Both sides stood their ground. "You cannot stop the ritual! It is Okun-kun's time to reign among men."
Ilara pointed her index finger at him. "Shut up, Ipa! Your ritual is against nature and we are empowered to stop you. Desist now and go home to your families or face the consequences."
Ipa sneered. "You dare to challenge me? You would risk the lives of your sworn sisters in this battle?"
"We know our purpose. Your order cannot be allowed to rip the veil separating the living from the dead!"
Ipa narrowed his eyes at her, his hands itching to display some power. "You should learn to respect your betters or you will be the sacrifice!"
The Order of Omnila had resumed chanting. Ilara glimpsed the moon and the sun merge as one. The earth beneath their feet trembled and the tombstones on the cemetery ground began to groan and shift. Whiffs of sulphuric odor permeated the atmosphere.
Ilara tried to draw power from the wind when Ipa fisted his hands. Ilara in shock held her neck, her eyes bulging as she choked.
Ipa cackled and squeezed. "I'll just take your power and become the most powerful priest in Ake."
Ilara knelt on the ground, clawing at her neck, suffocating. Her sisters hurriedly flanked her on their knees and braced their hands on her shoulders, infusing her with power. Relieved a little, she quickly made a slashing motion with her hand. Ipa grunted and fell face down. Ilara was free.
"Sisters! Now!" Ilara shouted above the howl of the unruly wind. The sisters of Iwarere rubbed their palms together continuously as they chanted. Ilara looked upwards and called upon the gods of her ancestors.
A flash of lightning lit the dark sky followed immediately by a sharp clap of thunder that birthed a powerful force which zoomed down and pummeled the circle of Omnilas apart in a split second.
The wind ceased. The cemetery became still. The sisters glanced at each other and then at the Omnilas unconscious on the ground. Ipa groaned, opened bloodshot eyes to stare at Ilara.
"I warned you." Ilara said.
Ipa's face twisted in pain. "Beg the gods to spare us. Please!" He whispered hoarsely, his eyes wide with terror.
"It's out of my hands. You cannot defy them and live." Instantly, roots of trees around them sprouted forward, slithering through grasses to wrap around the bodies of the Omnilas, pulling them underneath the ground.
Ilara joined her sisters who were already in a group hug. The tall street lamps around the cemetery lit up. She smiled. She could feel Ake city was right again, balance restored.