It was in the desert, far from the city.  At night you could see the distant glimmering lights, but this was a smaller, more humble town that I walked through. The type of town that takes one back to the simpler days of the early 2000s. Now a few centuries later I strolled through the swap meet admiring the various items with no intention to participate in the affairs of these simpler merchants, but unbeknownst to me, I was being followed. 

My parents raised me well. They were smart, but they told me I was even smarter. Sometimes when I watched tv, I’d marvel at the stupid protagonist being outsmarted in some crime drama.  I’d scoff when he, on occasion, fell into the simplest of traps. I always said, “That would never be me. I am not that stupid.” That was when I was a child. As an adult, it would seem that I kept the arrogance and pride but not the intelligence.

A shiny necklace caught my eye. For a moment I thought about how nice it would be if I had someone to buy it for. A wonderful wife to spoil. Blinded by this fantasy I reached for it but I touched the flesh of another. My eyes sailed from her fingers on the necklace up her arm and finally came to rest on such a remarkably pretty face. 

“Oh! Sorry…” she said. 

“No, I am sorry. Please, go ahead.”

“It’s a nice piece. For your girlfriend?”

“My mother. Her birthday is this weekend.”

“How thoughtful. What’s your name?”

I don’t often do it, but I wanted to see if she would be impressed so I gave her my full name, “John Okaigo.” I felt like royalty. I have never met a person not impressed by my last name. She smiled but the name seemed lost on her. I added, “Pretender to the throne. The High King.” She batted her eyelashes.

We talked for a while. She was shy and every time someone looked at us I silently thanked them for not shouting reverence to me. But now I wonder if shyness was merely a plot to entice me to the point I would hardly notice when she led me down an alleyway. She turned around smiling while still walking away. I smiled back just as two men grabbed me and a third put a bag over my head.

They removed the mask. I was on my knees surrounded by this band of criminals, one with a gun pointed at my head. Behind them were the ruins of a city destroyed a hundred years ago. In front of them, carved into a rock was a mausoleum. it had been damaged and at parts where the rock was blasted off I could see bits a hard steel wall.

“Do you know what this is?” A man in glasses spoke.  “Of course you do. Who around here doesn’t? It used to be a civic center. But it was turned into a grand tomb. Your forefather went mad in his final years. The great High King Sani Okaigo. He reshaped this land back in the 21st century. But he wanted to be here even after his death. Securing his legacy. But he took everything with him when he died. The wealth of a nation. And then that nation died.” 

I knew this story along with everyone I had ever met. I made sure of it. “You are mad at me for him?” I spat back. 

The bastard struck me across the face. “We’ve been watching you for some time. This family. You are his heir, you know. A direct line. Now we need you.”

I can’t truly say if my eyes welled from the strike or the threat of death. “Are you going to sacrifice me?”

He scoffed. “Show him.”

Another stepped forward and wiped away dust and sand from a metal panel. Suddenly, he was targeted by a dozen lasers. 

Then an old and electronic voice spoke, “No biological match detected, only the true living heir to Okaigo will enter.”

“You are going to open that for us. Get up.” He pulled me to my feet. “Don’t worry. We won’t kill you. Can’t take any chances with this bullshit.” He shoved me forward.

I took my first few steps fine. But as soon as I was in the shadow of this complex megalith carved into hundreds of years ago and infused with high technology, my body began to tremble. 

I quickly forgot the grave robbers existed and for a time it was only me approaching my forefather. This grand untouchable being that I had only heard stories of. A near deified icon that I had a personal connection to. A school boy with stage fright, I struggled taking another step towards the stage.

My heart beat harder than when I followed that girl or when I thought I was going to die a mere minute ago. I was approaching the father that I had always wanted to meet and was torn between intimidation and that longing for approval. It was finally here. My moment of recognition was finally here. I could leave this place and take my seat among the proper aristocracy and nobles. I would mingle with my Romanov and Selassie brothers waiting to be invited back to reclaim our thrones.

I made it to the panel. Butterflies fluttered. My throat tightened.  I could not speak. My eyes filled with water. 

I put my hand on the panel and used the tiny bit of air in my mouth to whisper, “Okaigo.”

The sudden sound of metal moving startled me and I remembered the men with guns. The lasers scanned me. It was him. It was King Sani. 

My mouth formed a smile unlike any I had ever experienced in his life. My facial muscles pulled hard but the smile forming in my soul was greater than anything I had ever experienced. 

The old electronic voice spoke again, “No biological match detected, only the true living heir to Okaigo will enter.”

It must have taken nearly a minute for what it said to dawn on me. A mistake. I touched the panel again. Nothing. I banged on it. Nothing. I stepped away then stepped back to retrigger it.

The old electronic voice spoke again, “No biological match detected, only the true living heir to Okaigo will enter.”

The grave robber asked, “Did you bring the wrong one?”

I recognized the voice of the girl and she said, “No, this was him. We made sure of it.”

“Damn bastard!” he exclaimed. 

I turned and shouted, Shut your fucking mouth, you pathetic trash!” I turned back to the panel “Read me again. Read me again!!!” I punched the panel and it came out again and read him.

The old electronic voice spoke again, “No biological match detected, only the true living heir to Okaigo will enter.”

“Liar!!! I am your heir!”

The grave robber said to the others, “Pathetic. Let’s go.”

The grave robbers left. But I did not notice. I argued with this machine for hours. I got tired after a while. In me, grew that heartbreak of betrayal. An emptiness that cannot even produce tears. I sat there with my eyes half opened until night came and still until the sunrise. 

A zombie I walked down the street of that same marketplace. One even older than the High King Sani. One, stories say, existed during the time of the Wise Kings of Okaigo, ancient to even Sani. 

I muttered to myself over and over, “Okaigo… Okaigo… Okaigo…”

I eventually made it home. A humble house, where my mom was on the living room couch. 

She got up and said, “John, where have you- John, child, are you okay?”

Hearing her voice reminded me of what the grave robber said. I slowly turned to her. “…bastard…”

She was offended. “Excuse me?!”

I looked down and knew that it would be a sin but this insult was not directed at her. This one.

“Not you… Me… I am a bastard. An actual bastard.”

She replied, “No, you are not. Your father and I were married.”

“Is he my father?” My anger grew. I thought about striking her. Is she lying about who my father is? I was raised an Okaigo by my dear father. But what did I owe her? It is clear. If she claims me as a son then she lied about who my father is. And how could this woman betray such a noble and virtuous man as the descendant of the High King Sani. “Did you not have an affair?”

She slapped me, hard.

I was taken aback by this. She had never hit me before. This woman who thinks she can humiliate such a holy line of men. Rage fueled my tired body and I could see the eyes of that great warrior from whom my father told me I was descended. Through his righteous anger he made right this land and I grabbed my mother by the throat. I pressed her against the wall and spat at her, “Adulterer!!! I am not an Okaigo.”

My mother squeaked out, “I swear to you. You are mine and your father’s.”

I couldn’t do this to my mother. Despite the fact how much I hated her in that moment. Although, walking away from her still breathing took a strength I didn’t know I had. Over the next week I took a hair from her and I visited my departed father’s mother, nne nne Ruth, and paid to have the DNA tested. I was my parent’s son.  The anger against my mother diminished only slightly. 

She would not see me anyway and I was forced to stay with my nne nne. I asked her about the Okaigo and she went on long stories about the deeds of our supposed ancestors and I would not break this woman’s heart. Instead I wrote down everything she said as gospel truth until I felt I had enough. Then it was time to find where it became corrupted. 

I looked at a family tree I had created. I looked across everything. Then I started doing individual research on specific people. 

At first I Googled Okaigo and the first news that popped up. It read “Head of the Okaigo family, dead at age 47. Ayuba Okaigo, is survived by his wife and step-daughter.” 

The grave robbers did their research as well. I wonder if they were the ones who killed them then had to go to me. 

Next I read about Kabir Okaigo, a war hero. Halfway between me and the High King. He had a memorial. A statue. A body buried underneath. 

I want to do things properly this time. I made a request to the city of Okaigo to have his body exhumed for scientific research. I was denied. Then I wrote a personal email pleading as his descendant to have it done. It was still denied. My ancestor’s body did not belong to his family anymore, it belonged to the state. This angered me. I took a pickaxe and a shovel. 

I arrived at the war memorial during the day to see if I had what I needed. I looked up at the depiction of Kabir on a horse reared on its hind legs as done when they die in battle. An inscription reads: I came from my father’s sword to tear the steel forged. 

I waited until Remembrance Day. Everyone would be in for the night. I was bold enough to start at dusk and tore into the ground with the pickaxe. Then when I passed the concrete and marble I went in with the shovel. I struck his coffin on the top making a dent. I tore it open with a ferocity they said he had in battle. I knew I would be related to this one. I must be. I stepped into the coffin and saw a corpse in full military garb. He wore the patch of our family on his chest. 

I stepped between his legs and knelt on his chest. I pulled some decrepit remains of flesh from his finger and arose. I nodded to him and stepped out. I covered the rest of the coffin. 

The next morning I visited a lab that I had spoken to before asking about a paternity test. I handed off the vial of remains I pulled from Kabir to an emotionless worker. I pulled out my phone and started reading through emails. I saw one from the library titled: WAS THIS YOU???

I clicked on it and saw an image of the opened coffin. I scrolled down more and saw a previous message: “I found some documents that you might be interested in since you are doing research on your ancestor.

“A letter from when he was captured believed to contain some code, Kabir to his father, Innocent. ‘Father, they know who I am and expect a ransom. These are not the devils of the enemy but senseless raiders taking advantage of the opportunity. I promise you that when you release me, we will continue our crusade against the true enemy. Though I have their blood, you are my father and you rescued me from their abuses. I will return home and do unto them what they have done to you and our people (for Okaigo are my people now) and we will have victory in the name of peace.’”

Their blood? 

I opened up another document. “Innocent Okaigo, wounded in action. An IED explosion leaves shrapnel all over the lower body. Sister Charity leaves the peace conference in India early to see her brother.” 

I found myself in India, two weeks later. I was a descendant of Kabir but Kabir was adopted. An orphaned war baby which Innocent had taken in after the IED left him unable to reproduce. I was still so disappointed by Innocent. I was so hurt. Kabir chose to take his name. I even had the document of adoption and no original name was listed. He wanted so badly to be an Okaigo that he fooled his descendants for generations. 

And now here I stand in front of the modest house of Mohan Das with that adoption document I printed out still in my hand. I put it in my back pocket. 

I had followed Charity, the only other line. The second to last truly famous generation. And it brought me here. A distant cousin of mine and the most direct line, the most direct descendant of High King Sani Okaigo. 

I waited for Mohan to get home and I snuck up behind him and put a bag over his head. I injected him with a sedative and took him on a private jet rented with nearlyI nearly the last of my money. He came to a few times and I re-injected him. That is until we were on the road to old Okaigo. We passed  through the desert that separated the modern city from the ancient one.

He, at first, instinctually thrashed about. I didn’t. I was calm. 

“It’s alright, cousin. Do you speak… No of course you don’t. You are trash. A forgotten line faded into obscurity. Do you know any languages? English?”

Mohan replied, “Yes, yes. I speak English…”

“Good, good. Don’t worry. You aren’t in any danger. We are family, and you don’t hurt family.”

“We are family?”

“Yes, Albeit distant family.  But family. Your mom’s grandma’s mom’s side. Traces back to here. Back to Okaigo. I don’t know if you know too much about the Okaigo Royal family. During the era of Reorganization, I believe to you it would be called the age of African Revolutions or New Revolutions, there were a number of kingdoms arising. There was a great visionary who became High King. And he is responsible for the stability of modern day Okaigo. And you see that over there? That large rock? That is the entrance to his tomb, it used to be a civic center until he went senile. We are going in.”

“Why are we going in?”

“Why not? You… you are his heir.” The pain in those words. Having to say them to someone else.

We arrived at the entrance and I dragged Mohan out of the car. I took the mask off his head and unbound him.

“Go towards that panel and it will let you in.”

Mohan looked at me afraid. In his fear, his self preservation kicked in and he thought to bargain. “No. I don’t know what will happen.”

“It’s harmless. Trust me. I had been up to it before.”

Mohan remained in place.

“Fine. Don’t try anything though because I have the keys.”

I walked up to the panel and touched it. The scanners came down and did their thing.

The old electronic voice spoke again, “No biological match detected, only the true living heir to Okaigo will enter.”

I walked back over to Mohan, “See. Nothing. Open it… Now.”

Mohan stood up, afraid and unsure. He shuffled through the sand. 

“What are you doing, brother? This is a great moment for you. I know you are afraid but this is a glorious thing. How long has the High King Sani Okaigo been waiting for his heir to return?”

Mohan shuffled up to the panel and said, “I don’t want this… I don’t want this! I am Indian. I don’t care about Okaigo, or an ancient king or Africa!”

I ran up to him fast and shoved him against the wall. He tried struggling and fighting back but one good punch put him into submission. During this his hand accidentally triggered the panel and the sensors came out. I stepped back and they scanned him up and down. 

The old electronic voice spoke again, “Biological match detected, the heir to Okaigo has returned.”

The doors rumbled and opened. I looked at them and saw how thick and full of devilish wires aimed at taking down grave robbers. I am not a grave robber though. 

I exclaimed, “It worked! It’s opening! We are the first to see beyond those doors since the death of King Sani.”

Mohan asked, “It is done? Can I go now?”

I looked at him with disgust, “Heir. Haven’t you heard the tales of what’s inside? All for you, heir!”

Mohan, “Like I said I don’t care about that. You should have done it yourself…”

This hit me hard. I felt the emotions coming up again.

Mohan, “Why didn’t you though?”

I tried to cover my embarrassment towards the man I had been calling family. I knew it was a deceptive lie but I felt more comfortable in that lie. 

I replied, “It needed the heir.”

Mohan, “You said we were family. But when it scanned you it said no biological match detected.”

I felt the world, I felt the pain of gravity keeping us to this disgusting amount of chaos. I felt the embarrassment of every time I said my name. I felt the betrayal of my family. I felt a good life that was promised was completely empty. I should have been that man in obscurity with a basic last name that belonged to thousands of others. He should have been everything I was. But…

“You don’t even care do you?” I stepped towards him. “I lived my life on the stories I was descended from the great High King, the uniter of our nation. I was one descended from legendary kings in ancient Africa! One whose family others told stories of as they were the great heroes who defend us! And you are nothing. I am a child of Okaigo, not you, Indian!”

I grabbed him with both hands by the throat and I fell on him. He struggled greatly as I strangled him but this was not the true line! This was not a child of Kabir who tore down the weapon factories of the enemies single handedly. Look at this, High King!

Mohan stopped moving sometime before I let go. I turned and saw the scanners were pointed at us. When I looked at them they moved. Suddenly the doors slammed shut. 

The old electronic voice spoke again, “The heir to Okaigo is dead. This is unforgivable and will be punished.”

I shouted at it, “No! NO!!!! You asshole! Sani, you prickly crazy old fuck! Why am I not your heir? I was there! I was raised believing it. Kabir was as great as Innocent! My father was greater than you!”

I started pulling out those folded up papers in my back pocket. I threw the letter between Kabir and Innocent at it. I threw the adoption papers at it. I threw the paper showing I was Kabir’s descendant at it. I finally took out the keys to the car and cut open my hand and I threw my blood at the panel. 

I broke down in tears. I looked down at Mohan, the man who wasted one of the greatest gifts in the world. He could have been a king.

The old electronic voice spoke again, “Records confirmed. Lineage accepted. Current heir shifted, John Okaigo.”

The doors started whirring. Then they stopped.

“Access denied. John Okaigo, kinslayer.”

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