Chapter 1 Ep. 1
Origin of the Beast, 15th Century
The council of elders calls upon Ndikum and Ndifor. The king, now aged, can no longer confront the battlefield. He had established a strong and tranquil kingdom, complete with vast farms and significant trading routes, successfully keeping foreign explorers at bay. He had fiercely defended his throne, even against threats from his own family, particularly his half-brother, a formidable sorcerer. All dangers to the kingdom had been eradicated, allowing it to thrive with wealth, crops, and livestock, until a new, enigmatic threat emerged from the dark forest: a beast controlled by the spirit of his deceased half-brother. Before him stood his twin sons, Ndikum, the rightful heir, and his younger brother Ndifor. According to the chief priest’s instructions, only someone of royal blood could slay the beast. This was a challenging decision for the king, but he had no alternative.
Although he had other sons, they were not born of the queen and thus could not ascend to the throne unless the crown prince and his brother were absent. They needed to uphold their honor and that of their great kingdom. This endeavor would earn them immense respect and instill fear in other realms. The brothers ventured into the sinister forest, following the chief priest’s commands. They were tasked with killing the wild, dark, enormous creature resembling a hyena, which had been terrorizing communities and causing devastating human losses. Their late uncle, a man endowed with mystical abilities, had attempted to usurp his brother and seize the throne. Ultimately, he was defeated, exiled, and left to perish alone in a forest.
Before he died, he harnessed his mystical powers and incantations to transfer his spirit into a wild animal that became his vessel. He then returned to the kingdom as a massive black hyena, seeking revenge. Ndikum was an adept swordsman and acrobat, while his younger brother, though not as courageous, excelled as an archer. His older brother thrived on direct, perilous confrontations, whereas he opted for stealth, striking from a distance to eliminate his enemy. Regrettably, his arrows failed to breach the thick, enchanted hide of the black hyena; its sole vulnerable area lay beneath its neck, which it never lifted.
Consequently, the attacker had to position himself underneath it. Ndikum, a man who relished confrontation, approached deftly and without a moment’s pause, wielding his shield in his right hand and his spear in his left. This provided him with a significant edge against his foes. He was particularly skilled with his left arm. The clash was fierce and extended for over an hour, during which his brother did everything possible to divert the creature’s attention, aiming for its eyes. However, the spears failed to penetrate, although they effectively distracted the beast from focusing on his brother. After a fourth attempt at its right eye, Ndifor succeeded in bursting it, prompting a furious scream from the beast as it raised its head, trying to locate the archer, inadvertently exposing its neck. Seizing the moment, Ndikum quickly released his shield and dove beneath the creature, driving the head of his spear into the weak spot. It sank deep into its throat, causing the beast to convulse in pain, yet it refused to succumb easily. In a final act of defiance, it lashed out with its claws, ripping open Ndikum’s chest and inflicting severe wounds before collapsing onto his brother, gasping for breath.
