Echoes Of Power

The Shadows of Oniisa

Antonio and Michaela sat upon a growing pile of books and old documents. Their search had led them to a dusty corner the library, where they found an old, leather bound book titled "Yowahe Yuga," meaning "Spirit of the Dark" in the language of the Ocheole Tribe. The books cover was worn, its pages yellowed with age. " This might be what we need," Michaela said, carefully opening the book. As they flipped through the pages, they found detailed account of the Ocheole Tribe's history, their traditions, and most importantly, the legend of Oniisa, "This book... it holds the complete history the Ocheole Tribe," Antonio murmured, hoping it had all the answers.

"It recounts how they summoned Onissa to drive away the settlers from their land." Michaela nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration. " According to this Oniisa wasn't jus a legend. It was a force conjured by the tribes shaman, a manifestation of their desperation and rage against the invasive settlers." Antonio flipped through the pages, absorbing the accounts of battles and rituals, of how Oniisa wreaked havoc upon the settlers with its ability to manipulate shadows and induce terror. "It says here that Oniisa would take those it terrorized, drawing them into a n.m of darkeness and fear," he explained, his voice tinged with awe. Michaela's gaze saddened. "But why take them at all? What does Oniisa gain from it?"

Antonio hesitated, searching for answers within the ancient text. "It seems to feed on their fear," he said. "Those taken by Oniisa are trapped in this realm, haunted by their worst nightmares. It's like a cycle of torment and sustenance for the spirit." As they delved deeper into the lore, Antonio and Michaela uncovered passages describing ow the tribe's attempts to summoning of Oniisa had led to catastrophic consequences. They learned that the tribe was unable to keep control of Oniisa and instead of terrorized only the settlers, it terrorized them as well.

With the intention of riding the spirit, the settlers slaughtered the Ocheole people thinking the spirit would terrorize them no more. According to the book, the settlers settled on the Ocheole's Land changing it to Victory Ridge, capturing the settlers' perspective of overcoming the Native resistance and establishing presence in the area. Antonio's eyes widened as he made the connection. "Victory Ridge... Isn't that the name of Trey's hometown?" Michaela expression grew deathly serious. "You're right. Trey's friends disappeared in the same town Oniisa was summoned." As Antonio flipped through the pages, he found a section called " The Marking of Oniisa" detailing the distinctive mark that Oniisa bears. Antonio read aloud "According to the book, Oniisa has the ability to shape-shift and portray as a human to get close to potential targets." Michaela gasped "So Oniisa could be anyone? How are we suppose to defeat a spirit that can literally be anyone?"

Antonio continued "Wait. It says here that while in the form of a human, Oniisa carries the Mark of Darkness on its chest. It's described as a circle with spiky edges, with dark, twisty lines coming out of it. In the middle of it, there's an eye that looks half-closed and stares right at you. Surrounding the eye are strange, ancient symbols that seem to move if you stare at them too long." Michaela recalled, "Rachel mentioned her boyfriend had a tattoo like that. She thought it was just a weird design, but it might have been Oniisa all along." Antonio nodded. "This marks identifies Oniisa, no matter what form it takes. It's a sign that the entity is not human." They continued reading and found more crucial information. The book explained that Oniisa left only one survivor from each attack to spread its fear and chaos, ensuring its legend continued and that the fear it feeds on is unlimited. "There's a section in here about how to defeat Oniisa," Michael pointed out, her finger tracing the text. "It says the tribe failed because some of the shamans believed that Oniisa was a necessary evil to make ends meet, while others believed that the violence Oniisa was causing was far to great and out of control.

With the divided front, the shamans couldn't unite in there intent to rid the world of Oniisa and were inevitably consumed by Onissa." Antonio read the next passage carefully. "To defeat Onissa, one must confront it without fear and disrupt its connection to the realm of darkness. The symbols around the eye hold the key, but it's not clear how." Michaela leaned back, processing everything they had learned. " We need to warn Trey. If he's being targeted, he's in grave danger." Antonio nodded " We need to figure out how to use these symbols to breaks Oneida's hold on this realm. If the Ocheole Tribe failed, it means it wont be and easy task. We have to try though, its our only hope." With their new found knowledge., Antonio and Michaela felt the weight of their mission. They were one step closer to understanding the mysterious connection between Onissa and the disappearances.