The meeting startsIs it possible for a man to transcend the natural to become supernatural?

Is it possible for great warriors to win victory standing alone?

Is it possible for a peaceful man to cross over to the side of bloodshed?

Such is the true test of the warrior.

When a man is willing to sacrifice his own life to protect the innocent,

True strength does not come from selfish ambition,

True strength comes from selfless effort,

When a warrior decides to fight for the freedom of others,

When a warrior transcends the limitations of a normal man,

In his determination to vanquish the evil that wields the power of the gods,

Such is the true test of a warrior.

Arise, great warriors of Oduduwa

Your king beckons

Heed the summoning of your king

Those who thrive in darkness and desire to quench the light are not resting

Awaken the sleeping, giants of the empire

Awaken great warriors of Oduduwa

Bearers of the coronet, heed your king's voice

Ohun meji l'o yẹ Ẹṣọ

Ẹṣọ ja le ogun

Ẹṣọ ja o ku si ogun

One of two things benefits an Ẹṣọ

The Ẹṣọ must fight and conquer or

The Ẹṣọ must fight and perish

The Ẹṣọ is his gift to the empire

The Ẹṣọs are the bearers of the will of Oduduwa

And the upholders of the laws of Oluwa-orun

The Ẹṣọs are the bearers of the legacy of Oduduwa

His gift to the Yoruba people

A memory that will continue to endure,

Till the falling of existence.

Preface

The shadows of the night are on the move when every soul within the village slumbers. This is the best time for those with frozen hearts to execute their evil schemes, the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ stood in the centre of the market square awaiting his contact. He hates going out at night; ever since he had made a covenant with the exiled spirit of Baṣọrun Gaha (a tyrannical leader who once ruled over the empire), his instincts have given into the fear of the nocturnal. He dreads the days when he would be forced to venture to such an accursed place but it can't be helped. He had used his blood to make a deal with a demon. Now he has to see it through, but this is where the problem comes in: blood oaths are not that easy to break. He was once the most influential man in the empire but now he is nothing but a puppet helpless to Gaha's every whim. The night owl screeched defiantly into the night, the nocturnal creatures prowled within the darkness in search of a meal. The Baṣọrun had such a fright at the owl's screech that he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"I am here" the voice sounded raising the Baṣọrun's unsteady nerves to even greater heights,

"Do you need to sneak up on me like that?" he snapped ruefully,

"You were the one who set the place and time of the meeting" the stranger replied

"Still you could have respected that …"

"Enough with the side comments agba! Do you wish to know how it went with the Alaafin (Yoruba high king) or not? my time is limited" the stranger grouched.

"Tell me" the Baṣọrun demanded with a change in his tone, more interested in what the stranger had in his possession than his concern about the dangers of the night.

"The king is old, and with his age comes the senile nature. Convincing him to approve the festival was easy" the stranger chuckled, "One well-placed concubine and a truly potent calabash filled with Ogogoro and then he is clay in the hands of its moulder"

"Good" the Baṣọrun declared

"And your debt to me?" the stranger demanded

"I promise you that before the end of this season (Year), the Alaafin will be dead" the Baṣọrun declared, "Just make sure you do what you're told"

"As you wish" the stranger replied grudgingly "You take care of the dirty work and I will handle all the affairs relating to the king"

"very soon, our plan will come to fruition", the Baṣọrun laughed. He might be afraid of the dark, but when he feels close to achieving his goals, his greed gives him the strength to overcome his fear of death.

******

That same night, not too far away from Ilu-ina village, is another village, a district village under the authority of the Adegunju Province; the name of this village is Kutuje, an old rival of Ilu-ina village. The Adegunju had to choose between Ilu-ina and Kutuje, which of the two villages to use as their provincial capital; Ilu-ina won the bet while Kutuje was stuck as second best; the Balogun of Kutuje, known as Agba Ogunmola, hated Ilu-ina, because of this. Agba Ogunmola, the great warrior whose rivalry with the formal Balogun of Ilu-ina knows no limit, had many battles against Balogun Alao, his eternal rival until the day he established a covenant far more powerful than any other covenant in the world. 'The covenant of death' a covenant made at a great cost but resulted in great power, power enough to end the life of his eternal rival.

The power laid claim to his soul, but the power was never sufficient enough to put an end to the prosperity of Ilu-ina village. The village continued to flourish despite the death of its principal champion at first the crowning of a female as the Balogun of Ilu-ino seemed like a joke but now it's an irritating joke. A joke so annoying that he felt his skin crawl in disgust, the people of Ilu-ino accepted her without any complaint. This is an insult to tradition to name a fool of a girl the Balogun it irritated him to no ends.

"There must be a solution to this insult to culture" he growled

"Agba" the girl sitting next to him who happens to be his daughter called "Is something bothering you father"

"No" he replied, not intending to get his daughter involved in his private issues, "I was just Casting judgement of death on the events of the past"

"I know you, father," the Girl scolded, "You're still bitter with the situation of this village and the situation with Ilu-ina village"

"It is an insult, Alawo was a great man and a worthy rival but Lara, she's just a disgrace an insult to all of us Ẹṣọs" Then Ogunmola stood up with an evil smile on his face "Summon the Otun and Osi, it is time I officially challenge that excuse of a Balogun and put an end to her irritation once and for all, death calls upon her"

"Yes, father, the girl responded, and then she dashed out of the hut in an attempt to fulfil her father's bidding.

He smiled; soon, he was going to put an end to the triumph of Ilu-ina village, and it would begin with the death of Balogun Lara of Ilu-ina. The politics of that old man (Balogun Alawo) and his legacy will end with the death of his star Iwofia, now he must make the necessary sacrifice to appease the gods in preparation for the upcoming battle.