The crack did not stop.
At first, it was small, almost hidden beneath the glow of the purification and the feet of the gathered villagers. But slowly, the fresh earth covering Baffour and Queen Owusu's graves began to split wider.
A strange sound followed.
Soft.
Dry.
Like something shifting underneath the ground.
The chief priest stopped speaking immediately. His staff lowered halfway as his eyes fixed sharply on the graves.The faint light surrounding King Owusu, Akosua, her twin brother, and Adjoa flickered unevenly before dimming completely.
One by one, the villagers noticed it too.
Murmurs spread quickly through the shrine.
"The ground…" "It's opening…"
"What is happening?"
Akosua felt cold fear tighten inside her chest as she stared at the growing crack. Beside her, Adjoa's fingers slowly wrapped around her hand.
The earth trembled again. Harder this time.
A loud gasp broke from the crowd as part of the soil suddenly collapsed inward.
Dust rose heavily into the air.
"Step back!" the chief priest shouted immediately.
The villagers stumbled backward in panic while guards rushed forward, forming a barrier around the shrine. Silence followed again.Heavy.Wrong.
King Owusu stared at the graves, confusion and fear sitting openly on his face. "What does this mean?" he asked quietly.
But the chief priest did not answer.
Because he did not know.
And that frightened him more than anything.
Then—A sound rose from beneath the ground.Low.Deep. Not human.
Adjoa pressed closer to Akosua instantly. "I'm scared," she whispered weakly.
Akosua pulled her protectively beside her without taking her eyes off the graves.
The chief priest stepped closer carefully and raised his staff again.
"We buried them according to the laws of the land," he declared firmly. "What more is required?"
For a moment—Nothing answered.
Then suddenly—The earth split wider.
The crowd screamed and scattered backward as the ground near Queen Owusu's grave sank sharply.Dust exploded upward.
Akosua immediately shielded Adjoa while Kofi stepped protectively in front of them both.The priest struck his staff hard against the ground.
"Show yourself!" he commanded.
The dust swirled violently for a few seconds.
Then stopped.And from the broken earth—
A hand appeared.The shrine froze instantly.
A woman screamed from the crowd.
The hand moved slowly upward, covered in dirt, trembling weakly.
Alive.
King Owusu staggered back in shock.
"No…"
Panic spread immediately among the villagers.
"The dead cannot rise!""This is evil!"
"Oh gods protect us!"Akosua's breathing became uneven as another hand pushed upward from the second grave.The chief priest's eyes widened.Both graves.
Something was rising from both graves.
The earth shifted again until slowly—
Two figures pulled halfway upward.
A loud gasp tore through the shrine.
Queen Owusu's body emerged first, her burial cloth hanging loosely around her. Dirt covered her face and arms, her eyes still closed as though death itself had not fully released her.
"Mother!" Adjoa screamed.
She tried rushing forward immediately, but Akosua grabbed her tightly.
"No!" At the second grave, Baffour's body dragged itself upward too.
The villagers broke completely. Some ran backward.
Others dropped to their knees praying loudly.
The chief priest lifted his staff higher, though even his hands shook now."This is forbidden!" he shouted. The moment the words left his mouth—Both bodies stopped moving.Completely still. Silence crashed down again.
Then slowly—Queen Owusu's eyes opened.Adjoa broke into tears instantly.
But this time—There was no coldness in Queen Owusu's eyes. No evil.No emptiness.Only sorrow.Deep sorrow.
Tears slowly gathered at the corners of her eyes before rolling down her dirt-covered face.The villagers froze again.
Even the chief priest lowered his staff slightly.
Queen Owusu's trembling gaze moved slowly through the crowd until it stopped on Akosua.Then beside her—Adjoa.
Her lips trembled faintly.No words came out.
Only tears.
At the second grave, Baffour's eyes opened too.His face looked weak. Tired. Broken.
Slowly—Very slowly—
Both of them lifted their hands.
Not toward the priest.Not toward the kings.
Toward Akosua.
The movement was weak, painful, almost final. A wave.
Akosua's breath caught sharply.
Adjoa burst into tears again. "Mother…" she cried helplessly.
Queen Owusu's eyes remained fixed on them for one last moment.Then slowly—
Her hand dropped.Her eyes closed again.
This time permanently.
Beside her, Baffour's body twitched weakly before collapsing backward into the grave too.
Still.
Silent.
Gone.
The earth trembled softly one final time.
Then the graves slowly closed by themselves.
The villagers stood frozen.No one moved.
No one spoke. Because what they had just witnessed was beyond understanding.
Akosua wiped her tears quickly, but they kept falling.
Even Kofi stood speechless beside her.
King Owusu lowered his head heavily, his chest rising unevenly as grief and shame mixed together inside him.
The chief priest stared at the graves for a long moment before finally speaking.
"The land has accepted them now."
His voice sounded tired.Drained.
Then suddenly—A loud horn blasted from the edge of the village.
Once.Twice.Three times.
The sound echoed through the entire land.
Every villager turned sharply.
Supreme King Aldean stepped forward immediately, his expression hardening.
"The town cry," one elder whispered fearfully. The horn sounded again.
Longer this time.
Then a voice rose loudly from beyond the shrine. 'All villagers must gather!"
The announcement echoed repeatedly across the land.
"Everyone to the palace grounds!"
Fear spread quickly again.
The chief priest tightened his grip around his staff.King Aldean turned toward him. "What now?"
The priest lifted his gaze slowly toward the distant palace. "The cleansing." The words landed heavily. "The palace must be purified before nightfall."
A cold wind swept through the shrine immediately after he spoke.
ches around them flickered violently.
Then suddenly—One burst apart.
The villagers jumped back in fear.
Another torch exploded moments later.
Then another.
The chief priest's expression darkened instantly.
"This is bad," he muttered.
Akosua frowned. "What is it?"
Before he could answer—
A loud cracking sound echoed from the direction of the palace.
Everyone turned sharply.
Far in the distance—
Dark smoke began rising into the sky.
The villagers gasped loudly.
"The palace!"
"It's burning!"