Whispers Of The Savannah

Amina stumbled backward, her mind reeling from the encounter with the shadow. Her entire body was shaking, and the artifact in her grasp felt like a weight heavy enough to crush her. Every breath she took was ragged, and the world around her seemed distant, unreal. The power of the Amani was both a blessing and a curse. She had seen the darkness that came with it, and now she feared what it might cost her.

Kwame stepped forward, his hand outstretched, his voice low but urgent. "Amina, we need to leave. We don't know what that… thing is. You've done enough. Let's go before it comes back."

The concern in his voice made something twist inside her, but she couldn't move. She was frozen, trapped between the weight of the artifact and the terrifying realization taking root in her mind.

The artifact had been hidden for a reason. It was never meant to be found. Not by her. Not by anyone.

If it was unleashed again, if she couldn't control it… what would happen to her people? To Ndomo?

She tightened her grip, feeling the pulse of energy beneath her fingers. It was like holding a living thing, something ancient and bound to her in ways she couldn't yet understand.

"I can't leave," she said finally, her voice distant. "Not yet. The artifact—it's not just a thing. It's part of me now. And I have to make sure I'm strong enough to protect it."

Kwame's jaw tensed as he stepped closer. His voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed the storm of emotions inside him. "You're not just protecting it, Amina. You're becoming it. Don't let it define you. The more you hold onto it, the more you risk losing yourself."

Her heart clenched at his words. He wasn't wrong. She could feel it already—the slow, insidious pull of the artifact's energy, the way it whispered to her in a voice only she could hear. But she couldn't turn away now. Not when so much was at stake.

"I'm not letting it control me," Amina whispered fiercely. "I'm controlling it."

But even as she spoke the words, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered: Are you sure?

The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken fears.

Kwame exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. "Amina, please. You don't have to do this alone."

She wished she could believe that. But deep down, she knew—this burden was hers alone to bear.

The wind stirred around them, sending dry leaves skittering across the stone floor of the ruins. The air had changed, thick with something unseen. Amina could feel it pressing in on her, wrapping around her like invisible chains.

The artifact pulsed again, and this time, a vision flickered through her mind.

A flash of gold. A pair of piercing eyes. A voice—whispering, taunting.

You were chosen. You cannot run from what you are.

Amina gasped, the world snapping back into focus. Her knees nearly buckled, but she forced herself to stand tall.

Kwame caught her arm, his grip firm. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "I saw something. Someone. I don't know what it means."

Kwame's face darkened. "The artifact is doing something to you. We need to get rid of it."

Amina pulled away sharply. "No."

He recoiled, stunned by the force of her refusal.

Her voice softened, but the determination in it remained. "I have to understand it first. If I destroy it without knowing what it truly is, I might be dooming us all."

Kwame shook his head, frustration clear in every line of his face. "Or maybe you're dooming yourself by holding onto it."

Amina didn't answer. She couldn't.

Because even as she stood there, facing him, she could feel something inside her shifting. Changing.

The artifact wasn't just a tool. It was a presence. A force.

And it was waiting.

Somewhere in the distance, the shadows stirred.

They were running out of time.