Matumwe looked down on the corpse of his dead nephew. So many emotions ran through his body and mind, all of them masked behind a face of disgust as he lightly kicked Mikumbi's dead body, just to make sure he was dead. At last, the irritating thorn in his arse was gone. Never again shall his nephew ruin his plans. Matumwe contemplated turning Mikumbi into a ghoul. A wizard warrior with such skills and experience would be a great asset to him and the 'Twisted Ones'.

  Matumwe rocked back and forth, chanting in a strange language. He held up his hand, blazing in a spiral of dark energy. Then he stopped. He dissipated the energy from his gnarled hand.

  “You're not worth it, nephew,” he said looking down at Mikumbi's corpse. “This place has once again become your tomb. It's time for me to leave.”

  He spat on his nephew for his final gesture then turned away to exit the tomb.

  The entrance to the cave tomb violently shook. Rocks around the entrance collapsed and blocked the way out, just as Matumwe was about to leave.

  Matumwe snorted. A minor annoyance. He summoned his twisted energy into his hand then splayed it towards the rocks.

  His left eye widened with shock. His body seized like he was frozen. A powerful mystical force filled the tomb. A sensation that was familiar to the dark sorcerer. That rising power swept through Matumwe's whole being.

  “No. This is not possible. You're dead,” thought Matumwe.

  He dared not turn around to witness what was happening. Instead, with the dark, twisted energy that he'd gathered in his hand, he shot a powerful energy bolt at the pile of rocks. The rubble blew apart into tiny pieces. Dust filled the air and covered the exit. However, before the twisted sorcerer could leave the tomb, the dust and debris glowed with a yellowy-green shimmer then reformed into the previous rubble blockage piece by piece. With that exit closed off, Matumwe had to find a different way. He tried to lock on to his fortress mystically but something was blocking his connection. The same 'something' that reformed debris.

  “If I can't connect to my home. I'll just teleport to a random place.”

  His twisted aura swirled and enveloped his whole body. With a click of his fingers, Matumwe disappeared from the tomb... then reappeared in the tomb. He snapped his fingers and tried again... The same result. He repeated it. Over and over. Still stuck in the tomb.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  While Matumwe was trying to escape, Mikumbi's corpse started to stir. The wizard warrior floated and dangled in the air like a puppet on strings. His heart started to beat. The neurons and cells in his brain tingled with energy. His aura outlined his whole body. The gaping stab wound stitched itself up, same with the damaged internal organs. His lungs took their first new breath of stale air. Mikumbi's eyes opened as he floated back to the ground.

  Matumwe finally gave up his futile attempts to escape. He now had to acknowledge and confront the intense power that was blocking his escape, his nephew. Back from the dead.

  Both sorcerers locked eyes on each other. Mikumbi's signature boyish smile lined his face. Matumwe always hated that smile.

  “Leaving so soon, Uncle!?” Said Mikumbi. “Stay. I have so much to tell you. I insist.”

  “YOU! YOU!” roared Matumwe. “I saw you die.”

  “I did die and now your favourite lovable nephew is alive again,” Mikumbi looked at his shuka and felt the disgusting wet patch of his uncle's spit. “Spitting, uncle. Really? I thought such a habit was beneath a juyanwansi sorcerer.”

  Matumwe watched Mikumbi stretch and warm up. The twisted sorcerer still couldn't believe that his nephew was back from the dead.

  “This day has been full of irony for both of us. Wouldn't you agree?” Asked Mikumbi.

  “I swear the gods have cursed me with you,” Matumwe replied. His dark aura swirled around him.

  “The same gods you rejected. Not even the power of the 'Twisted Ones' can break this cute little curse. And I thought the 'Twisted Ones' were the ultimate power.”

  With a flash of yellowy-green energy from his hand, he called out to his weapon. His halberd glowed, disappeared from the rocky floor then reappeared in Mikumbi's hand. He pointed his weapon at his uncle. There was no way around it. Matumwe knew that he had to get his hands dirty. The dark sorcerer hated dealing with 'petty' matters and affairs. He'd let his ghouls or other fools sort that out. However, a small part of him relished the opportunity. The thought of extinguishing his nephew's life personally, with his own two hands would bring so much joy to his corrupted heart. Matumwe thought about all the times Mikumbi thwarted him. All the missed opportunities to kill him when Mikumbi first arrived in the Ituri rainforest. The pain of losing his right eye.

  This fight had to happen sooner or later. So be it. Most of Matumwe's plans for Mikumbi fail. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

  “You should've let me leave, nephew,” warned Matumwe while taking off his big cat pelts and his long black grand boubou. He revealed his naked upper half. A lean and cut torso with no ounce of fat. His long arms were the same as his torso. “I'm not in here with you...”

  “You're in here with me,” said Mikumbi, finishing the sentence.