The memory always came back the same way.
Laughter.
Young Chima ran barefoot across the dusty compound, his feet slapping the earth as he chased nothing but joy. The sun was high, the sky clear, and the air heavy with heat.
"Chima!" his father shouted.
Ifeanyi, tall and stern, stood at the doorway with worry carved into his face.
"Stop running around like that," he warned. "Amadioha will strike you with lightning. We did not worship him yesterday."
Chima slowed down, turned, and laughed.
"Papa, that's nonsense," he said boldly. "All the gods are dead. Samuel killed them centuries ago. Everyone knows that."
Ifeanyi's expression darkened.
"That is just a myth," he said sharply. "You do not joke with the gods."
But Chima had already turned away, running again, careless and fearless.
Then—
⚡ BOOOOM!
The sky split open.
Lightning crashed down from nowhere and slammed into Chima's small body.
The world went white.
Chima lay on the ground, bloody and unmoving, smoke rising faintly from his skin.
"CHIMA!" Ifeanyi screamed.
He carried his son through the village, tears mixing with sweat, until they reached the hut of the Dibia.
Inside, incense burned and symbols covered the walls.
"Please," Ifeanyi begged, kneeling. "My son was struck by Amadioha."
The Dibia closed his eyes and began to chant, his voice low and ancient.
Minutes passed.
Then he stopped.
"Do not worry," the Dibia said.
Ifeanyi exhaled in relief—until the next words came.
"Your child is in a coma."
Ifeanyi froze.
"How long?" he whispered.
"Ten months."
Ifeanyi's voice broke."Please… that's too long. I lost my wife three years ago—she went into a coma and never woke up. My son cannot—"
The Dibia's eyes snapped open.
"Do not question the gods."
Silence filled the hut.
"…Okay," Ifeanyi said quietly.
Ten months later, Chima woke up.
But he was no longer the same.
⚡ Amụnanya Ike had awakened within him.
21 Years Later
The rain fell softly on the graves.
Chima stood at the front, dressed in black, his braided hair pulled back, his beard untrimmed. His fists trembled.
"Today," he said, voice shaking, "we lost a beloved hero."
He looked down at the grave.
IFEANYI EZE1955 – 2022
"Thank you for everything, Papa."
Chima turned away, tears falling freely.
As he stepped from the graveyard, a voice stopped him.
"Chima."
He looked up.
A man stood there—older, sharp-eyed.
"Ifechukwu."His father's friend.
"You are the man I've been looking for," Ifechukwu said.
"What happened?" Chima asked.
Without warning—
👞 WHOOSH!
Ifechukwu hurled his shoe straight at Chima's face.
⚡ FLASH.
Chima vanished.
The shoe hit nothing but air.
Chima reappeared behind him, lightning crackling faintly around his feet.
Ifechukwu smiled.
"Good," he said."You're ready."