CHAPTER 15 - FEAR
They tried to trail the princess but it was hard to pinpoint the direction the perpetrator took. For someone who uses the false reality technique, it would be hard to trail them. No one knew how far or how long the perpetrator had gone. Nobody was sure, but Ebun had a plan—a trick for a moment like this.
"Who would have thought that I'd use this technique again? It has been such a long time," She mused. "I have a way to find them. I was born for search and capture," she told Tobi and Andrew.
She drew a cross on the ground and placed her palm at the centre of the cross. "North-South-East-West, Connect!," she declared. This technique is used by people skilled in the art of search and capture. The technique was originally developed by a clan specialized in covert operations. North-South-East-West generates the visions of all points from the position of contact. Connect will bring the visions generated and combine them to one point—the position of contact. These visions can be streamlined by the thoughts of the user. This means that the user's thoughts can exactly connect only the generated visions related to it. In this case, Ebun's thought was fixed on the image of the princess.
"Hmm…I think I know where she is. Follow me," Ebun instructed. Ebun was not sure of the exact location. Two visions that contained the same kind of people but different locations were generated at the same time. The issue with the technique is that it is susceptible to mind manipulations. This will cause the technique to generate and connect more than one visions, in which only one would be exact and the rest, a false vision.
"This person we are tailing can place you under a false reality. I have two leads on where they could be. Dembo Bar or Eda Carts," Ebun explained.
Dembo bar and Eda Carts are located in the same town, Dembo Village, but far away from each other—1km apart. The team divided and went to either of the locations. Ebun, Dembo Bar, Tobi and Andrew, Eda Carts
Ebun arrived at the bar and scanned the environment. The bar was small and economical. Only a few of the popular beers and drinks were available. The bar could only contain 30 people at once. She went straight to the counter. She had zero plans to drink.
"Young lady, Orio or Noma?," the bartender asked.
"A fugitive. Did you by any chance see any suspicious person enter here?," Ebun responded.
The bartender chuckled. "This is a bar. Anybody enters here. Now, Orio or Noma?,"
"Noma, a shot," Ebun answered.
"Coming right up," the bartender said as he turned back to get the bottle of Noma.
Noma and Orio are top-class beers. The type of quality beer that was made affordable for the working class. It is nowhere near the tastes of the Royals or Nobles. Whilst the bartender did his thing, Ebun took a full wide sensory view of the bar. She matched it with the two visions. It matched none. The princess was not here.
"What if this is another false reality? What if they were here?," Ebun said in deep thought. She was in this thought before she felt a cold sting on her nape. It was the bartender. He had met her nape with the cold shot.
"Here's your drink, my lady," the bartender said pushing the shot towards her.
"Seriously, my lady?," Ebun retorted with her brows extended upwards.
"Anything wrong with that?," the bartender replied with a flirty look.
Is he trying to flirt? He's bad at it. Ebun thought to herself. "Here's the bill. You can have the shot," Ebun said and walked out of the bar.
She concluded that they were not at the bar. One thing about the North-South-East-West (Compass) technique is that thought focus must be matched. Even when if the mind or reality is altered, the thought focus must match. In the case of a false reality, only the thought focus would match, the other may not. This had informed her decision.
At about the same time Ebun arrived at Dembo Bar, Tobi and Andrew arrived at Eda Carts. Eda Carts was a private company that dealt with the production of carts and carriages. It was located at the West of Dembo Village, just 500m away from the next village.
"Why would anyone hide at a place like this?," Andrew asked as they approached the company's first gate. As they were about to enter, they heard a voice.
"Are you looking for me?,"
The boys turned around to search for the direction of the voice.
"Where are you? Who are you? Show yourself. Coward!," Tobi shouted at the voice.
"Coward? Hahaha," the voice laughed. "Let me advise you boys. Do not waste your time. You can never find the princess. As long as I am still alive," the voice explained.
"Then, you have said it. You are going to die. This is your bus stop," Tobi shouted in response.
The man laughed at Tobi. Tobi was annoyed and frowned. Almost immediately, he noticed that Andrew had not said anything since they had the voice. He looked beside him.
"Ehh, where is he?," Tobi asked himself with a confused look. Andrew was no longer with him. He turned around again but the situation did not change.
"Looking for your friend?," the voice said and laughed. "This is my reality. I am the god here, and you, a mere ant,"
Tobi was scared and angry at the same time. He wanted to pound the voice so hard but he could not. Not when the body of the voice is hidden. Tobi ran around as he tried to find a way out and the voice.
"You can't escape this reality. I control everything here. Now, let me show a little of my powers, just a little," the voice said and laughed before it vanished.
After a momentary silence, the environment grew dark and became filled with fog. Through the fog, a figure appeared running towards him. The closer the figure appeared, the more familiar it looked.
"Big Brother, Big Brother, Big Brother, Help me," the figure screamed as it appeared out of the fog.
"Impossible. This is not real. It can not," Tobi mumbled as he saw the figure. The figure was his nightmare, his reason, his cause, his fuel.
"Big Brother, help me," the figure screamed as it closed the distance.
Tobi could not believe his eyes. Tears started to flow down his cheeks as he began to relive the memories of the worst day of his life. The memory replayed and replayed. Tobi had broken down. His senses have been disrupted. His mental wall has been breached. He could not hold up anymore.
"Overdri-,"
"Wake up!," Ebun shouted as she pricked Tobi with the bottom of her arrow. Tobi rose to try to catch his breath.
"Where am I? Where is this?," Tobi said as he held Ebun tightly. He was scared. His body was trembling.
"I see. This technique shows you your worst nightmare," Ebun said. Then, I will finish this before he shows me mine.
She lifted her hands into the air and closed her eyes. Almost immediately, the environment became silent. Not a thing could be heard. Even the sounds of the wind stopped. The fog that covered the environment dissipated.
"I found the princess. Andrew is just 5 metres to the right. Find him, I'll be back," Ebun said and left.
Tobi walked up in fear to find Andrew. On finding him, he fell to the ground. The fear of his nightmare had taken over him. On the previous occasion, he would have been enraged, but now, he was troubled and tormented. He shivered under the chills of his nightmare.
"Hey, you! Come out! How long do you think you can keep hiding?," Ebun shouted.
"Oh my, I did not think there was one who could get past my technique. You must be something," a young, slender man answered. He was dressed in a grey cloak that emphasized his slim stature.
"Release the princess," Ebun requested as she stood akimbo.
"I bet I would," he replied. "Or are you going to kill me or send me to jail?," he said and laughed with his hands on his forehead. "Come on,"
"I do not do this often. I don't. Why did you kidnap the princess? What's your goal?," Ebun asked still in the same position. Her eyes, this time, fixed on a particular spot.
"My goal? Hmm. Fun? Torment? Disruption? I do not care about it. They are all shams," he responded with a smirk.
"I see," Ebun noted. "How about I show you something funny?," Ebun continued.
"What could that be?," he replied. Suddenly, his eyes shot open in bewilderment. "What! How! When?," He was shocked to see the princess in Ebun's hands. "Were we not just talking with each other? How did you do it?,"
"I guess you are also a sham. Consider yourself lucky you're not dead. See you next time, maybe not," Ebun said and disappeared. She retreated because she had sensed another presence around, not because she did not or could not finish off the fight.
"I will find you. I will find you," he shouted. He had been embarrassed and played—at his own game. He stomped his feet, gnashed his teeth, and let out a loud shout.
"Green, come to the meeting place. No more games. We have work," a sudden voice called out.
"Yes, Master," he bowed and replied. Then, he vanished.
After the rescue, Ebun alongside some of the royal guards escorted the princess to the royal palace at Kirara. Ebun had requested for some of the guards to take Tobi and Andrew back to the district, which they agreed to.
After three days, Ebun returned to the district and reported the mission to the district commander, Jumoke.