The Isle de Bakasi was a small island off the Rinji River near Port Nexus, a popular city under the Southern Protectorate. This island was a little detached from the Ngamé territory as a whole, bordering on the outskirts of the entire geographical area. This island was inhabited mostly by Scavengers but they didn't own the island. The island belonged to the Enforcers as the Lord of the island was the God of War. The two tribes coexisted peacefully on the island seldom having to settle any dispute with fists. Their cordial relationship was well mirrored by their respective Watchers who enjoyed a stellar relationship based on their values and beliefs. The Isle de Bakasi was where Dioha's sanctuary was situated, where he always retired to when he needed to stay away from council politics and his peers.
His sanctuary was a magnificent mansion built in the heart of the island. There weren't many buildings on the island as Scavengers were naturally averse to living in buildings, and since they made up majority of the population here, the island retained most of its natural habitat. There was respect among folks and everyone deeply cared for one another regardless of the tribe one was from. The economy of this island thrived on crop and livestock farming, which encouraged one of the oldest forms of commerce, barter-trade. People owned plots of lands and other valuables in this community through this trade method. Dioha didn't impose any form of taxation on his subjects. He didn't care for such things. Watchers never cared for administrative duties or economy building. Dioha's younger brother, Nonso, was tasked with overseeing the day to day running of the territory. His two sisters assisted in some administrative duties also but it was solely Nonso's responsibility to grow the community.
After news of Dioha's death had reached the island 18 years ago, the economy had nearly crumbled. The populace had reacted to that shocking news by refusing to conduct any form of business for weeks. Large scale farmers sent their employees home and shut down their farms. People survived on whatever crops their backyard gardens could produce. Eventually, Nonso was able to revive the economy after addressing the people and inspiring them to honor the memory of their Lord by not allowing the kingdom fall into hard times. The populace had responded by returning almost immediately to their businesses. Since then it had been smooth sailing until the morning Dioha set foot again on the island.
After leaving the Council's headquarters Dioha had gotten aboard a small ship that merchants used in transporting goods to and around Port Nexus. His island was along that sea route, obscured from others view. Little happened on his voyage back home as he mostly stayed below deck. The ring had lost its enchantment hours ago, returning him to his otherwise weakened state. Two days into the journey Lanre finally resurfaced. At first Dioha didn't know how to react. He was pissed at first and said nothing as Lanre began rambling.
"I NEVER TRAVELLED ON A SHIP BEFORE. ACTUALLY HAVEN'T EVER LEFT THE CAPITAL EXCEPT OF COURSE WITH YOU WHEN WE VISITED ALL THOSE PLACES AND WENT TO SEE THE HUMANS"
Silence followed as Dioha held himself back from responding. This was a cargo ship which meant less people were on board, and even lesser still milling about. Dioha had found a secluded spot close to the engine room. The ship's engineers seldom came out of the engine room except a few times when one would venture up for some salty sea air. Otherwise they pretty much did everything in there. Whenever it was time to eat, the ship's stewards usually served them their meals in there. So long as Dioha stayed out of their way and they out of his, all was well.
"YOUR TEST BACK AT THE HEADQUARTERS WAS PRETTY INTENSE. WOOH! I ACTUALLY BELIEVED WE'D BEEN INVADED BY HUMANS"
Silence. Dioha remembered how the entire test had gone. He remembered thinking the five cadets reminded him of the Watchers. Why hadn't he known then that he was already in the test? The suddenness and story had made it seem improbable at the time. He wondered how Eshu had come up with such a story. The test wasn't just designed to test his abilities, it was created to subtly draw out information from him. Dioha was certain they got very little information from him but what worried him was how and why the test began with an attack by humans. It could have been a whole lot of other things, even the Watchers themselves. Never before had humans been used in any projection or even brought up in discussions. The attack by humans drew the Council's attention to the fact that he'd tried entering their territory. That loose information alone was a great concern for him. He needed to keep her safe, hidden from their eyes, for as long as he possibly could.
"I DON'T THINK THEY KNOW ABOUT HER. THE DANDY OLD MAN ASKED WHY YOU WENT TO THE HUMANS. WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO PROTECT THIS GIRL? AND WHO'S SHE ANYWAY?"
"DUDE, YOU'RE IN MY HEAD. YOU SHOULD KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS YOU'RE ASKING" Dioha replied slowly.
"WELL, I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE CONVERSATION HERE SEEING AS WE STILL HAVE ABOUT TWO DAYS BEFORE WE ARRIVE AT OUR DESTINATION" Lanre said.
"YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE CONVERSATION? YOU ABANDONED ME A WHILE AGO NOW YOU WANNA TALK?!" Dioha fumed.
"I HAD NO CHOICE. I COULDN'T COME OUT."
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSE TO EVEN MEAN? YOU COULDN'T COME OUT?" Dioha asked.
"I DON'T GO AWAY INTENTIONALLY WHENEVER I DO. IT'S LIKE A VEIL SUDDENLY COMES OVER ME, I CAN'T SEE THE WORLD, OR YOU. BUT THIS LAST TIME WAS DIFFERENT, I COULD SEE EVERYTHING, FEEL IT, BUT I COULDN'T GET THROUGH TO YOU." Lanre explained.
"WELL, THAT'S PASSED. WHY DID YOU COME OUT NOW? BORED?" Dioha asked.
"I AM ALWAYS TALKING TO YOU. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU'D HEAR ME COS I GOT USED TO TALKING TO MYSELF WITH NO RESPONSE."
Dioha sat there alone talking to Lanre as the two made up.
Two days passed quickly as the vessel drew closer to its destination. Dioha spent most of that morning above deck, staring into the horizon. He was about to return to his kingdom, his hidden sanctuary. He wondered how the people had fared on hearing of his demise. He wondered if Nonso had been able to keep things under control. He trusted his brother and overseer was more than capable of ruling the kingdom. That's why he had picked him in the first place.
A dense white fog suddenly appeared from nowhere enveloping the entire ship in a matter of seconds. Visibility was completely nonexistent at this point as one could hardly make out the outline of one's hands even if they were held up very close to one's eyes. Dioha could hear someone complaining nearby about the fog. The first mate also had a few words of his.
"NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE TRAVEL THIS ROUTE WE CAN NEVER GET USE TO THE SUDDENNESS OF THIS GODFORSAKEN FOG." He stated to his companions.
"WHERE'S THIS?" Lanre asked Dioha. If ghosts could be scared he was definitely proving it. Dioha suppressed a laugh and simply answered, "HOME". Lightning streaked across the sky suddenly, silently.
"HOME?" Lanre asked even as Dioha climbed over the stern of the ship.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Lanre asked with a shaky voice. Dioha ignored the question and simply dove into the sea. No one saw Dioha go overboard as he allowed himself drift with current. After drifting for close to five minutes the fog gradually cleared as the sun dispersed it with strong rays. Dioha looked ahead and his gaze fell on shore not too faraway. He swam towards it and began walking out of the water as his feet hit sand.
There were a few fishermen tending to their boats and nets. On seeing someone saunter out of the ocean, drenched, this early in the morning caused quite a few of them to stare at him curiously. When they recognized him as their lord who was supposed to be dead, pandemonium ensued...