The last song of the ancestors

Science and monotheistic religions have gradually supplanted magic in our world. It's gotten to the point where both have become fetishes, in other words, a type of magic. But it is in the corners where tradition still rules everyday life that it remains active.

In the province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, specifically on the Mueda Plateau, live part of the Makonde people. Belonging to the Bantu groups, they extend into southeastern Tanzania and have a small presence in Kenya. It was in the rural area of the capital Pemba that a young man with unparalleled supernatural talent was born.

From an early age, he listened to and talked to the Shetani. He became so close to the spirits that he spoke of them as if they were his friends. He protested against the orders and commands of the sorcerers. The more experienced ones treated him as arrogant and envied his gifts.

They saw him as a threat to their power. They understood that he was challenging their authority in witchcraft. He received a punishment: his tongue was cut out. But he didn't mute. Through the drums, he continued to emit his voice to the Shetani. They answered him. It was the Shetani who killed the older sorcerers in the most cruel and diabolical ways possible.

After this terrible experiment, the boy was given the name Mwita, which can be translated as 'summoner' or 'He summons the people'. He became the favorite sorcerer of Mozambican politicians and the local bourgeoisie.

Everything always starts with the rumble of the drums. They begin with a light percussion. Little by little, the vibration of the air shapes the sound energy. What was once just noise takes shape and is then filled with content, dimensions and mass. What was once a vague idea becomes a being that feels and thinks, albeit instinctively.

These beings cannot be seen by laypeople. To see the shetani, you have to see them with the eyes of spirituality. Their anatomy is confused and not at all comparable to any species in the animal kingdom. They are vaguely reminiscent of a human being, as long as you imagine a human being in an erratic way.

With the beat of the drums, they move swiftly against the enemy, like a swarm of imps. They scratch, bite and beat the victim. The witnesses to the massacre see nothing but a guy flailing in the air. Kicking and punching wildly. Fighting an invisible threat.

Eniac II felt this way as he watched Mwita's spell in practice. His bionic eye targeted the drums.

"Traditional Makonde music. An attempt at hypnosis through percussion? No. Weapons hidden in the percussive instruments? No. Threat level: harmless."

The machine part analyzed the threats coming from the opponent, without finding any. However, its human part sensed the danger coming from Mwita. Without seeing anything, its body was assaulted by a series of bites and scratches. It felt like being eaten alive in a piranha tank.

The Shetani didn't use weapons, they cannibalized their victims. Not even muscles lined with microfilaments and a metallic endoskeleton were any match for the Shetani. Their animalistic fury knew no bounds.

The sound of the drums increased. The music became like a hot knife piercing the ears. The Shetani became even more ferocious. Blood and synthetic fluids escaped from the holes in the cyborg's body. The soldier managed to walk with some effort. His body was incomprehensibly overweight.

He felt that an unknown force was tormenting him, but he couldn't see it. He punched the air, kicked in all directions, but he didn't feel like he was hitting anything. At least, it wasn't working. In tatters, with his systems suppressing the pain, he walked unsteadily towards Mwita. He raised both arms like a sledgehammer and came down furiously on the drums. The structure shattered.

The Shetani were gone. Mwita stayed where he was. Eniac II looked at the masked man. It was as if he could see behind the mapiko mask. His opponent raised his hands in the air, it was his way of surrendering.

Victory was declared for the cyborg. He walked in the opposite direction. Chunks of flesh and pieces of cyberware fell to the ground. Its stateliness had diminished after the Shetani attack. It looked like a badly digested and regurgitated corpse.

"Activate self-repair systems. Activate additional cooling measures for the semiconductors in the affected areas. Neutralize the acidity of the wounds."

Between electrical chips coming out of bare wires and creaking joints, he returned to Arcenoux LeBlanc. The English witch had not yet returned from the infirmary.

"you're a mess, grand bougre. Was the sonner interfering with your circuits?"

"No, Mr. LeBlanc. The sound of the drums was controlling some kind of unknown and hostile force. The most efficient thing would be to shut down the emission of the sound waves."

"We should amener vous to a garage, change some parts, how about that?"

"My systems can operate in continuous self-repair mode, even without spare parts..."

"Okay, assez with the technical language!"

A holoprojection of General Luena was presented to the audience. The last fight of the first day was over. The military officer was satisfied with the spectacle.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the first day of the Grand Arena tournament. Our fighters put on a real martial arts show. Tomorrow we'll start the third and fourth rounds of fights for the remaining groups."

According to the hostess, the fighters would be taken to their lodgings. For the sake of protection, guards would be kept between the corridors of the facility. It was a way of preventing fighters from meeting and fighting prematurely.

It was not clear what would happen to the fighters from the losing teams. They were taken out of the rings and sent to the infirmaries for assessment, never to return.

Akachi, Nyatui and Fadala followed the corridor indicated by the guards, to the left of the screen. The trio followed it until it turned right. There was a series of corridors, each with three rooms. Each was given a magnetic key. Before entering their rooms, a guard fixed his sunglasses and said to the three of them:

"Better lock the doors tight tonight."

Akachi and Nyatui raised their eyebrows and asked at the same time:

"Yeah, why?"

The guard said nothing and turned away. Fadala was the one who gave the answer.

"The fighters from the other teams might try to kill us before the next rounds. Better take the advice."