The True Enemy

Hard breathing is all that can be heard, as Kayin tries his hardest to stand. His body feels far too weak to comply, but his spirit demands him to do so. He spits blood out onto the floor, and plants his foot onto the ground once more. His face appears bruised, and his lips dry, but his eyes do not waver in the slightest.

“It’s been three days,”

Shango blows his fist directly into Kayin’s gut once more, causing him to spurt out more than just blood.

Shango then grabs Kayin’s neck with his left hand, and moves it directly towards his face, as he blows smoke through his nostrils.

“Yield, Kayin,”

Kayin, appearing completely dazed, stares towards Shango and begins to laugh.

“What was that?...Yield?!...When we first started….weren’t you the one…excited to beat me to a pulp?”

Shango rolls his eyes.

“You were the one…telling me to last as long as I can…right? This is just my way…of complying with your request,”

“Well now I am making a new one! Yield!”

“...doesn’t…work that way,”

Shango slaps Kayin’s face as hard as he can with his right hand, which sends Kayin flying towards the floor with great intensity.

Shango then kneels down over Kayin, and hurls a wave of punches and slaps, leaving Kayin even more dazed than before.

However, as soon as Shango pauses to check for Kayin’s physical state, Kayin immediately locks eyes with him once again, and grins.

Shango, enraged, holds his hand up in the air, and a vortex of fire and lightning begins to circulate within his palm.

“Are you sure…you want to do that?”

Shango pauses.

Kayin coughs out more blood, before returning his gaze towards Shango.

“You’re the god of justice…but what have I done…to demand your retribution?”

“If you believe me to be a fool swayed by pitiful words, then you truly know nothing about me,”

“...is that so?”

Shango strikes the magic down towards Kayin, but to his surprise, Kayin grits his teeth and moves his head directly towards it.

At the last second, Shango disperses the magic, and slams his fist into Kayin’s jaw instead.

Shango returns his feet, as Kayin lays flat on the ground for a brief moment, appearing unconscious.

However, he practically resurrects back to life as he inhales a deep load of air, and looks back up towards Shango.

“What will it take to convince you, Kayin?”

Kayin remains dazed, barely able to make out what he is hearing.

“It’s not my soul that is devouring yours, but yours that is devouring mine!”

Kayin’s senses slowly return, and he moves to stand up. He places his arms up in a fighting stance, trying his best to not admit defeat.

“Why do you refuse to concede?! I told you, it’s your soul that is-!”

“I know,”

Shango pauses.

“I know…trust me…I already know.”

“Then why?!”

Kayin remains silent.

“Tell me!” Shango roars.

“...have you seen the world for what it has become?”

“...what?!”

“In the times since my father was killed by my mother…the world had become swallowed by fear. War. Sacrifice.”

“It is no longer a world governed by man…it’s not even a world governed by the gods.”

“It’s a world governed by fate.”

“Are you even listening to yourself?”

“Are you even listening to me?”

The two of them become silent for a brief while, as Kayin remains in his fighting stance. His breathing becomes less erratic, which Shango realized to be the better option for finding common ground in the conversation.

“You speak of the world….but since when has it not been governed by fate?”

“Yeah, you’re right. The more I look around, the more I realize that it’s always been this way. It’s a selfish world, full of selfish individuals. But the reason for that is because no matter what fate has in store….we all have to face it individually, regardless.”

“So what?”

“What I’m getting at…is that everyone fights with fate for the sake of themselves. But they find it impossible to win. Even in seeing a difference from that which is fated, it will always circle back to the same outcome in the end.”

Kayin points his index fingers towards Shango.

“But I’ve seen a different answer. An answer that many others have seen themselves, but do not put enough emphasis towards its meaning.”

“I was fated to die in that dungeon. But what it took to defy it was unyielding faith.”

“I was fated to die many times during my journey here, but what it took to defy it was unyielding faith.”

Kayin then holds out his other index finger.

“But notice how I said that it wasn’t all it took. Because no matter how much faith I had, it was in being prepared at every turn that I was able to defy it.”

“With Oshé, with my companions, even with my grandmother’s help. I took the steps needed to defy fate, while also holding faith that it would surely succeed.”

Kayin slowly moves his index fingers together.

“If it is to be written by fate, it will surely be done. Eshu’s exact words, while I was still locked in that dungeon. I was destined to die. But yet, I still live.”

”In having my fate rewritten, the mark of death still follows me. Leading me to situations that would have otherwise killed me. But yet, I still live.”

“So basically, Eshu told you that you are fated to die, but you’ve managed to defy fate, and now that same fate is following you around trying to kill you, but you don’t want to listen. Next time, just summarize your kingly speech, abeg.”

Kayin pauses, and then scratches his head, while blushing in embarrassment.

Shango sighs, and sits down, before crossing his legs and resting his head on his knuckles.

“So what does that have to do with you refusing to return the balance of our souls?”

“...my father once told me that fate is a god beyond the gods.”

Kayin points towards Shango and grins.

“So how can I defy fate…if I cannot even defy you?”

Shango stares at Kayin, coming to terms with Kayin’s resolve. Not long after, a sharp grin escapes from Shango’s face.

“You really are a pathetic child, till the end.”

“Yet somehow…I can’t help wanting to see how badly you will fall.”

“Or even…how great you may rise.”

Kayin appears taken aback, “What? What was that?”

Shango stands up, and sighs, causing a soft air of smoke and ash to emit from his mouth.

“Fine then. It seems in order for me to see it, I must put my pride to the side.”

Shango holds Kayin’s shoulder tightly, and Kayin looks up to see an extremely irritated expression, accompanied by a forced smile, plastered across Shango's face.

“I’ll settle for being the one in service,”

Kayin smiles brightly.

“If you make me regret this, I will slaughter you and throw you to the netherbeasts…ok?”

Kayin’s smile is accompanied by beads of sweat raining down his face.

“Alright, then,” Taruk interrupts, “The order has been re-established, and the rift has been ceased.”

Taruk opens up his book, and hands Oshé back to Kayin, resulting in Shango kissing his teeth.

“If fate is what you wish to defeat, then I wish you-”

“You’ve got it wrong. I’m not trying to defeat fate. Even the gods aren’t capable of doing that.”

Taruk pauses, and stares at Kayin with a confused expression.

“Then what are you trying to do, exactly?”

Kayin twists Oshé around smoothly until fixing it behind him, causing Oshé to become his back tattoo once again.

“Simple…I’m just going to keep it in line,”

Taruk and Shango look at Kayin with blank expressions.