Amidst the aging trees of memory

Nyumba keeps moving forward, slow and relentless. The rhythmic hum of the floor beneath my feet—or rather, the dull thud of its steps—pulls me into a strange torpor. It feels like it’s been walking for an eternity.

«Akanke, can I ask you something?» I finally break the silence, too heavy to endure any longer.

The woman, seated by the window, turns toward me with a faint smile. «Tell me, what troubles you?» Her voice is soft, like the rustle of autumn leaves.

Laila shoots me a look, clearly waiting for something she can laugh at. Nadia, on the other hand, lifts her head from Laila’s shoulder, her big frowning eyes staring at me with an adorably serious expression. Scratching the back of my neck, a little embarrassed by all their eyes on me, I mumble, «Well… I’ve been thinking about what we saw in the dreamworld. Especially in mine… I remembered how Wilkotak, when he invoked the god’s name, Rugiewit, was surrounded by a red aura. And then I noticed the symbols of other gods carved into the houses… What do they mean? Is there a connection?» From the way the two of them are looking at me, I can’t help but feel like I just asked something stupid.

Akanke chuckles, though not unkindly. «Yes, there is a connection. Those who hold strong faith in a deity, who have dedicated themselves to it with a sincere vow, can channel its power through a talisman engraved with its symbol.» She glances back out the window. «But to draw on this power, three things are required: strong faith, great spiritual strength, and unyielding will. The more you lack in one of these, the weaker and more unstable the resulting power will be.»

My mind spins, processing the information. “Good thing I’ve read manga and played RPGs, otherwise my head would explode trying to follow all this.” «So I guess it works the other way around too. The more faith, spiritual strength, and will you’ve got, the stronger you become.»

Akanke nods. «Yes, but all three must be present. They’re bound together, like the brain, the heart, and the lungs. If one fails, the body won’t function.» She pauses, her gaze turning thoughtful. «But… this power has a limit. It can never surpass the strength of the god from whom you borrow it.»

«I see… Can I ask which god you believe in?»

«And why this question?»

«Because after you threw that powder on us, we fell asleep and you connected us with those vine-like threads. Which god is a god of nature and dreams?»

«None, as far as I know.» She touches her chin, staring upward.

«Eh?» I blink in confusion.

«The powers you saw came from a wish I made to the house.»

«What kind of wish?» Nadia asks, curious, leaning closer.

«To become the strongest shaman in the world!» she declares with a bright smile to the little one.

While I’m busy processing this new info—more anxiety-inducing than reassuring—Laila suddenly yells. «Hey! What’s this supposed to mean?» I whip around. Laila is standing in front of a cabinet, holding a kind of picture frame. Nadia and I hurry over to peek. Inside are portraits of two kids pulling at each other’s hair and cheeks, their parents smiling beside them. At the bottom, among the names, one jumps out at me: ‘Dakarai’.

Akanke steps between us, smiling—a smile both sweet and steeped in sorrow. «That’s my brother.»

«What?! Edgy-boy is your brother?!» Laila blurts out, shocked.

«Indeed,» she answers, her smile tinged with confusion. «And we were very close… After our parents died, when we were just kids, we inherited the house. We decided not to stay in our homeland—we wanted to travel, to see the world and learn everything we could. We were inseparable. But then, when he turned eighteen, he got to make his wish to Nyumba. He wished to become the greatest merchant in the world…» She stops, her eyes lingering on the portrait.

«So what? What’s the problem?» Laila presses.

Akanke shakes her head. «At first, everything was fine. We went from city to city, bartering, selling, enjoying life. Of course, competition was fierce. It didn’t take long before Goran conquered the land we were in. While others perished, my brother thrived. He convinced himself it was his fault the world had become this way, his fault it expanded so much, so fast, in the two years after his wish. He believed he had to use his skills to save others on his own. Foolish boy. It’s been nine years since I last saw him. I wander this vast kingdom hoping to find him again.»

After a long silence, a gentle tremor runs beneath our feet. The house, Nyumba, has landed. «We’ve reached the border,» Akanke announces. We step out the door. The sea stretches before us, strange and divided: near the shore, it’s pitch black, but farther out it turns into a clear, shimmering blue. The sky mirrors the same split—half red, half bright azure, with white clouds drifting lazily across.

«Your journey on Nyumba was only meant to connect you,» Akanke says, resting a hand on my shoulder. A strange warmth spreads through me, like a shiver rushing across my body. «Now it’s up to you—to be ready to face your problems, or to leave everything as it is…» Her words cut straight to my core. My problems… there are so many, I don’t even know where to start.

«Thank you, Akanke,» I murmur, feeling like an idiot for not finding anything better to say. Nadia and Laila thank her with a hug.

«One more thing,» she adds. «Don’t go by sea. The way lies in the sky. The nearest kingdom rests upon floating islands.» Then, before we can speak again, she presses a small seed into my hand. «This will allow you to communicate at a distance—with anyone you choose… so long as they, too, wish to speak with you.»

I thank her again. Her kindness feels almost like a burden, not knowing how I could ever repay it. Nadia raises her hands, summoning an enormous gwiber owl that lands before us. We climb onto its back. Before we take flight, Akanke gives us one last look, her gaze lingering on each of us. «If you happen to meet my brother again… tell him to come home.»

I don’t reply aloud. Instead, I just give her a thumbs-up. And as the owl spreads its wings and lifts us high into a new sky, carrying us away from the kingdom toward a place of safety—at least, I hope so—I feel the weight of her request settle deep in my chest.