There was a before. Some Mwotaji were powerful enough to look back and see.

  They all say they can see until the white light. In the before when the material realm was firm and there were no cracks.

  Before the nightmare realm descended and transformed the prosperous world into a shadow of itself. They talked of the dark times when the mysterious Mashines of the past stopped working and people died by the millions. They spoke of humanity's desperate fights against the encroaching Jinamizi, nightmarish monsters crawling from the fears of the people.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  They feasted on the flesh of people, each of the old world's countries facing demons and monsters of their devising. Then they would grow excited as they regaled people with tales of the first Mwotaji, the first to be chosen to walk the paths of dreams. How the great Ndovu Kuu befriended the spirit of a Shango Lizard and brought back the power of electricity to the land. He walked the dream paths and the in-between spaces and hunted Jinamizi and for once humanity had hope.

  Other heroes joined him and each blazed a path into the dark unknown and opened up more space for humanity to exist. Now people live free of fear from the Jinamizi and use dream beasts for entertainment because of the sacrifice of these great heros.