Season 1: The Fall Episode 1: A Life Before Ashes My name is Chika. I live in a small village with my parents. My father, Chijioke, is a carpenter. He makes beautiful things from wood. My mother, Nnena, is soft and kind. Every evening, she tells me stories about heroes and stars. I always loved those stories. They made me feel strong, like one day I could be a hero too. That evening, everything was perfect. The sky was turning orange, and I was running in the field near our house. My mother was calling me to come back inside, but I didn’t want to. I loved the freedom of the open space, the breeze in my hair. It was a good day. Then I heard it. A loud noise. At first, it was like thunder, far away. But the sound grew closer and closer, until the ground itself seemed to shake. I stopped running. My heart started to race. My mother’s voice was suddenly filled with fear. “Chijioke,” she said. “Something is wrong.” The sound wasn’t thunder. It was the sound of horses many horses galloping toward our village. I could hear the sharp clink of metal against metal. I didn’t know it then, but that was the sound of death. I ran back to our house, but the moment I stepped inside, I saw it. Men in black armor. Their faces were covered, but I could see the coldness in their eyes. Nwabueze. The name haunted the village, whispered only in fear. He was a warlord. And he was here. My father rushed to the door. “Chika, stay inside,” he said. But it was too late. The men were already in our yard, shouting orders. My mother grabbed me, pulling me away from the window. “Stay hidden,” she whispered. But I could already hear the screams. The villagers were fighting, but the mercenaries were too strong. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. But my feet were frozen to the floor. Then, I saw something I will never forget. My father was standing in the doorway, trying to protect us. But one of the soldiers grabbed him. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. I watched as the soldier raised his sword, and in one clean strike, my father fell to the ground. “No! No, please!” I screamed, but no one heard me. My mother held me tight, her face pale with terror. “Chika, we have to run. We have to—” But it was too late. Another soldier grabbed my mother. She fought back, but she was no match for them. I tried to fight too, but they were too strong. They grabbed me by the arms, dragging me away. I kicked and screamed, but it was like I didn’t even matter. Nwabueze, the man who had just killed my father, looked at me. His eyes were cold, empty. He didn’t say anything. He just pointed at me, and his men pulled me closer to him. I wanted to run, but they tied me up. They threw me into a cage, like I was nothing but an animal. The last thing I saw before they closed the cage door was the burning of our home, the smoke rising into the sky. I could still hear the screams, but they were fading. Everything was fading. The world I knew, the life I had, was gone. Now, I was just another slave. Another soul taken. To be continued… *FOLLOW OUR CHANNEL FOR THE CONTINUATION* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaog51mHbFVF2i4IJX3S