The night was cold and brutal. This, coupled with his fresh wounds, made it nearly impossible to sleep. Uche spent the entire night groaning due to his piercing headache. It took hours to piece together General Dike's memories and vision of the future.
General Obinna Dike was a mountain of a man, standing over 6' 7ft with thick muscles and bulging veins. Bald and thick bearded, his dark skin was riddled with scars of battle. However, the most eye-catching was the knife wound that stretched his left cheek down to the jaw.
This body felt thick, like an impregnable wall, yet nimble. This man was powerful!
{Name: Obinna Dike}
{Ancestry: Igbo}
{Spirit level: 1}
{Strength: 9} {Agility: 8}
{Health: 3/10} {Spirit Power: 10}
{Fatigue: 95%}
{Ability}
{War Cry: Boosts morale and overall capabilities of troops under your command.}
He was the greatest of all Nri-Oba Kingdom warlords; an impulsive, passionate, brutally honest man and extremely trusting of people to the point of naivety; that explained why he was easily framed by Azubike, his second-in-command.
According to the kingdom's future revealed to him, General Dike dies a week from now due to depression. He cursed the kingdom with his dying breath and many would say it worked since the kingdom was burnt to the ground in just two months.
A week after his death, the second prince, Obiora Anozie, falls ill alongside a few of his supporting chiefs and dies two days later.
Rumors of Dike's curse begin to spread, and fear grips the kingdom. After some consideration, the crown prince decides to take a trip to Ikenga's temple to offer prayers for the kingdom's prosperity. But he is ambushed and killed on the way.
Finally, on the night of the funeral of the two princes, Nri-Oba is invaded by the neighboring kingdom of Alaoza. The last image that stuck to Uche's mind was that of the entire kingdom set ablaze.
All these were destined to take place within the next two months. So he had to survive for two months in this trial and also save an entire kingdom while at it.
A month in the world tree was the equivalent of a day in the real world. First trials generally took 2-5 months which was 2-5 days, after which the person is assumed dead in the real world.
The only positive side to this trial was Dike. Uche has never been in a body this sturdy and powerful. He felt more monster than human, to the point he suspected he could snap the chains binding him to the wall.
With his memories came his skills and knowledge. Uche was always curious why Hunters were extremely skilled in combat and he realized why. With this man's weapon mastery alone, he would be a terror on Earth even without superpowers.
He understood why the man was brutally beaten before being thrown into this cell. It wasn't to intimidate him, but because they were afraid of him.
An injured lion was still a lion. That was why he was chained and those sharing the cell with him weren't.
Uche wasn't sure if it was because of his high fatigue, but the discomforts he suffered would not overwhelm the drowsiness he felt. Slowly, his vision faded, and he fell into deep slumber.
By the time Uche opened his eyes it was daytime. Sunlight penetrated through a tiny window, illuminating the room. At first, his vision was blurred, but it soon cleared up to reveal a shocking sight; all the other inmates were clustered at one corner of the room and watched him with terrified gazes.
He could tell they had been here for much longer from their emaciated physique. It made sense they would be afraid of a man built like a mountain and covered in bloody wounds.
Most of these people were petty criminals who had never seen blood before. They were like cats locked in a cage with a lion.
The sound of clattering steel caught Uche's attention and he shifted his attention to the rusted metal bars of the cell. Standing there was the warden, a face that seemed to recognize Dike more than Uche recognized him.
He was a man in his early fifties, dressed in animal skin skirt while his vital points and joints were fastened with leather armor. Strapped to his waist was a sheathed sword that probably hadn't seen the light of day in years.
"Dike, I came as fast as I heard what happened!" The man said as he hurriedly unlocked the gate.
Observing his frantic movements and genuine concern, Uche was struck with another pang of stabbing pain to the skull as more memories flowed in.
This man was Ikemba, he was Dike's commanding officer during his early military career. Ikemba wasn't talented or skilled, but the man was diligent and hardworking. He rose through the ranks slowly compared to his peers but was respected by everyone who served under him.
However, tragedy struck at the battle of Ozu-Ani, a blood-soaked valley that served as a natural choke point between Nri-Oba and Alaoza. Their forces were ambushed, outnumbered 3 to 1, and forced into a desperate fight.
As if the situation wasn't bad enough, the terrain was treacherous, filled with jagged rocks and deep, muddy pits, making it a dangerous battlefield where mobility was limited.
Ikemba was the commanding officer and led the charge but was gravely wounded in the first clash when an enemy spear pierced his side.
With no leader, the morale of the Nri-Oba warriors faltered, and the battlefield turned into a slaughterhouse. It was in that battle Dike displayed his talent and his career took off while Ikemba was sidelined.
For the past decade, Ikemba had worked as a prison warden.
"Dike who did this to you?!" The elderly warden ignored other inmates and ran over to Uche's side, inspecting his wounds.
"Stay strong, my friend; Okafor and his men are working to clear your name… I'm sure they will find something—"
"They won't find anything." Uche cut him off in Dike's deep voice.
He looked into Ikemba's eyes before he leaned in and whispered;
"The people that framed me will kill Prince Obiora in two weeks." He whispered before retracting his head.
He could see the shock in Ikemba's eyes and there was no trace of doubt. Uche was banking on Dike's integrity and reputation.
"How do you know this?" Ikemba asked with a steely voice but Uche didn't respond immediately.
He leaned back on the cold wall and shut his eyes. Uche was certain of two things: Okafor and this soldier wouldn't find a thing, and Ikemba wouldn't betray the kingdom to help him.
If the efforts of these two people were fruitful, Dike wouldn't have died. He didn't blame the two. Instead, he blamed Dike.
Physical prowess was one of the many forms of strength and Dike relied on it too much. Fortunately, Uche was the complete opposite. When it came to mind games, manipulation, and deception, Uche stood unmatched. He often claimed that if he had played the devil's
role in the war of the heavens, the outcome would have been very different.