The call they buried
Introduction (Prologue: The Oath That Chained Us): The rain had no mercy that night. Thunder cracked the skies as if the heavens themselves warned against what was about to happen. In the heart of Umudike village, a man knelt before a shrine older than memory itself. His name was Ozoemena—Let Evil Not Happen Again—yet he was about to tie his bloodline to something darker than evil. Before him, a fire blazed. Behind him, eight calabashes, each marked with a child’s name. A goat bleated in protest, unaware it was the final witness. “Great one,” Ozoemena whispered, holding the bloodied feathers of the sacrifice. “I give what is mine. In return, let my children not taste death before their time. Let the land be mine. Let my name echo after death.” The wind screamed as if in warning. But it was too late. The vow was sealed.