THE BATTLE FOR A SAINTESS | PART TWELVE
The evening sun hung low over the presidential compound.
The last stretch of orange sunlight leaned against the cream-colored walls, casting long amber streaks across the polished stone-tiled courtyard.
The iron gate at the far end hummed softly as security officers changed shifts.
A faint breeze moved through the trimmed hedges, rustling the small white flags planted along the walkway.
Somewhere beyond the fence, distant traffic hummed low and steady.
In the open compound, beneath a tall almond tree whose leaves filtered the fading light, Orean stood with a Bible in his hand, gazing around the wide compound.
The fountain nearby trickled steadily, its water catching the last glow of sunset.
The glass door slid open behind him.
Excel stepped out, her sandals echoing softly against the tiles. She folded her arms loosely across her chest, avoiding his eyes.
The evening light brushed against her face, but there was a strange heaviness in her gaze, as though a silent struggle lived behind her calm expression.
Orean drew a slow breath as he turned. His fingers tightened slightly around the edge of his Bible before he lifted his eyes to her.
The breeze carried the faint scent of wet stone from the fountain as his voice gently broke the stillness of the compound.
Orean (gently):
"My sister… please… there’s something I don’t understand."
The words hung softly in the open air. The almond leaves stirred overhead, whispering against one another as if listening.
Excel’s shoulders stiffened slightly, though she kept her gaze away from him.
The fountain continued its quiet rhythm, and even the security officers near the gate seemed momentarily distant, as though the compound itself had leaned in to hear.
The breeze shifted between them. Orean stepped forward slowly, stopping at a respectful distance on the polished tiles. His voice rose again, steady but filled with quiet concern.
Orean (earnest):
"Why is it that you don't want us to pray and study the Bible together? Even morning and evening devotions—you show no interest."
The question settled heavily in the fading light. Excel’s fingers pressed into the sleeves of her blouse as though resisting something unseen.
Somewhere beyond the gate a car horn sounded faintly, but within the courtyard the moment felt strangely sealed, as though an invisible tension had gathered between them.
Orean’s brows drew together, not in accusation, but in genuine concern. The wind brushed lightly against his shirt as his tone softened.
Orean (softly):
"What actually happened to you? Please… talk to me."
The words drifted gently through the courtyard. Excel’s gaze slowly moved past him toward the fountain, staring into the rippling water as though searching for an answer buried within it.
The breeze cooled the space between them. For a moment the compound seemed suspended in silence, the atmosphere thick with both human emotion and an unseen spiritual weight.
Excel’s composure flickered. Her fingers tightened slightly against her sleeves as though wrestling with something inside her chest.
Then her lips parted, her voice emerging quietly into the evening air.
Excel (quietly):
"Well... I honestly don’t understand it myself."
The admission seemed to unsettle the air itself. Orean remained still, listening without interruption.
The almond leaves swayed gently above them, scattering thin shadows across the tiled ground. The fountain’s soft splashing continued like a quiet witness to the moment.
Excel swallowed, her tone thinning as the struggle inside her surfaced.
Excel (conflicted):
"Every time I am close to you… I start feeling somehow—emotions I can’t control. That’s why I want to avoid being with you daily."
The confession seemed to ripple outward. Orean’s grip on the Bible relaxed slightly as he absorbed her words. A faint wind crossed the courtyard, lifting the edge of his shirt.
Excel’s jaw tightened as though ashamed of the very feelings she had just spoken aloud, while the fading sun cast long shadows that stretched between them like silent boundaries.
Her jaw hardened, resolve returning to her voice.
Excel (firmly):
"I just want us to maintain purity."
The declaration rang through the open compound with quiet force. The almond tree rustled again, and a small bird shifted somewhere among its branches.
Orean nodded slowly, his expression calm and thoughtful, as though weighing every word she had spoken.
Orean listened without interrupting. The breeze brushed his shirt again as he gently opened the Bible.
The thin pages fluttered lightly in the wind before settling beneath his fingers. His voice rose again, steady and respectful.
Orean (calmly):
"You’re right. Maintaining purity is very important."
The statement rested firmly between them. Excel’s eyes flickered slightly toward him but quickly drifted away again.
The fading sunlight touched the edge of the Bible’s pages, and the quiet water of the fountain shimmered beside them.
Orean’s thumb rested between the pages as if he had been there before. His tone continued, thoughtful and clear.
Orean (thoughtfully):
"But praying and studying God’s Word together is part of that same purity."
The words moved through the compound like a calm explanation rather than an argument.
Excel shifted her weight slightly, her sandals scraping softly against the tile as she wrestled with his reasoning.
The breeze carried a gentle rustle through the hedges along the walkway. Orean’s tone deepened with quiet conviction.
Orean (steadily):
"Purity is not distance from prayer—it is part of prayer."
The courtyard seemed to grow still for a moment, the spiritual weight of the conversation quietly pressing against the evening atmosphere.
Orean planted his feet more firmly on the tiles, glancing briefly down at the open Bible before speaking again.
Orean (steadily):
"If we avoid the Word, we don’t protect ourselves—we expose ourselves. The Scripture says in Ecclesiastes four, verse nine…"
The breeze moved through the almond leaves as he gently turned the pages. The thin paper rustled softly, and the sound seemed to echo faintly in the open space of the compound.
Orean’s eyes traced the lines of the open page, his voice settling into a clear, measured rhythm as the words left him with quiet precision.
Orean (reciting):
"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour."
The ancient words drifted into the evening air like a quiet declaration. Excel’s posture stiffened slightly, her mind wrestling between reason and the strange resistance growing inside her.
His gaze lifted from the text, resting on her again, a faint shift in his expression as reflection replaced recitation.
His tone took on a thoughtful edge, gently pressing into the meaning behind the words.
Orean (explaining):
"It doesn’t say two are better for romance."
The fountain water splashed softly, the compound lights beginning to glow faintly along the edges of the courtyard.
His fingers brushed lightly against the page, as though anchoring the thought, his voice steadying into calm clarity.
Orean (clarifying):
"It says two are better for labour. Spiritual labour."
The explanation carried the tone of teaching rather than correction. Excel’s fingers tightened slightly against her palms as though something inside her resisted the logic.
Orean leaned slightly forward, eyes holding hers now, a quiet patience settling over his features as his voice softened—not weaker, but more deliberate, like something meant to be understood, not just heard.
Orean (patient):
"When two seek God together, they strengthen one another. If one grows weak, the other lifts him. When one grows cold, the other stirs the fire."
The breeze stirred again, brushing past both of them. The courtyard lights flickered faintly to life along the walls, blending gold with the last fading orange of sunset.
Orean turned the page gently, the faint rustle of paper threading through the quiet as his tone dipped, softer now, drawing the words inward.
Orean (gently):
"And verse ten says, 'For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.'"
The Scripture seemed to echo softly beneath the almond tree. Excel’s breathing shifted subtly as though the words had struck somewhere deep within her.
Orean’s fingers lifted slightly from the page, hovering in the air as if marking the weight of what had just been read. A quiet urgency edged into his tone, pressing the thought forward.
Orean (earnestly):
"Aloneness is where the enemy thrives. Not physical aloneness—spiritual isolation."
The atmosphere of the compound seemed to tighten quietly around that truth.
The breeze passed through the courtyard again, whispering through the leaves as if acknowledging the unseen battle beneath the conversation.
He shifted a step closer, careful to keep a respectful distance, his presence firming as his gaze locked with hers.
The steadiness in him sharpened, and his voice followed, gaining weight without rising.
Orean (seriously):
"The devil looks for isolation. He looks for silence. He looks for private weakness."
The words carried a quiet spiritual weight.
Excel’s eyes flickered sharply for a moment, and for a brief second a strange shadow seemed to pass through her expression before disappearing again.
His expression settled, controlled and deliberate, as his voice grew firmer, each word placed with precision.
Orean (firmly):
"When devotion becomes private to the point of secrecy, the devil can plant thoughts without challenge."
The compound seemed to grow strangely tense at that statement.
The evening wind paused for a moment as if the very air had sensed a spiritual confrontation taking place beneath the quiet conversation.
Orean closed the Bible softly, the pages settling with a gentle thud. His fingers lingered on the cover, his gaze steady, as though choosing his words with care.
His voice followed, measured and cautious, careful not to cross an unseen line.
Orean (carefully):
"I’m not suggesting anything inappropriate."
The reassurance moved gently through the air. Excel’s shoulders remained stiff, but the courtyard itself seemed to exhale slowly as the tension shifted.
His eyes held hers, unwavering. The firmness in him eased, and with it, his tone gentled, opening rather than pressing.
Orean (softening):
"We won’t pray in your room. If you prefer, we can pray right here—in this open compound. Under the sky. Where everyone can see. Let the breeze hear us. Let heaven witness."
The invitation drifted upward into the darkening sky. Above them the first star began to appear faintly. The almond leaves rustled softly as if stirred by unseen watchers.
Excel’s eyes flashed suddenly. She turned sharply, her sandals scraping against the tile. Her voice burst out with sudden frustration.
Excel (frustrated):
"Please... what’s your problem? Can’t you just leave me alone?"
The sharp tone startled the quiet courtyard. A bird fluttered abruptly from the almond tree, wings beating through the fading light.
The fountain continued its steady rhythm, but the atmosphere now carried the unmistakable weight of an invisible struggle.
Orean remained still, absorbing the sting without reacting in anger. His stance held, grounded and unshaken, despite the sharpness of her outburst.
His gaze remained steady, and when he answered, his tone stayed calm, firm beneath the tension.
Orean (measured):
"If I leave you alone, what's the purpose of my journey here?"
The question settled heavily in the space between them. The compound lights flickered brighter now, illuminating the stone tiles in pale gold.
Orean placed the Bible gently against his chest, fingers pressing lightly over it as though sealing something within himself.
His shoulders squared, resolve settling into his frame, his tone firm and unwavering.
Orean (firm):
"God sent me here for a reason. I told you before—my mission is to help you. To stand with you. To fight against every evil plan aimed at your life."
Excel’s breathing quickened slightly. For a split second, something dark flickered behind her eyes like a shadow crossing water—then it vanished.
She turned fully away from him, her back now facing the courtyard.
Her arms folded tightly across herself, and her shoulders rose slightly, as if holding back something heavier than words.
Her lips parted reluctantly, the strain in her voice surfacing as it slipped out, thin and tired.
Excel (strained):
"Please… I can’t serve God with you. Do your own thing."
The words struck the air like a door closing. Without waiting for a reply, she walked quickly across the compound.
Her sandals echoed sharply against the tiles as she passed the marble pillars and disappeared through the glass doors into the house.
The door slid shut behind her with a soft but final sound.
Silence fell across the courtyard.
The fountain continued its quiet rhythm. The almond tree swayed gently in the cooling breeze as the sky darkened.
Orean remained beneath the tree, eyes fixed on the closed door, his stillness deepening as the silence stretched around him.
His gaze lingered, then dimmed slightly, the weight of her words settling in.
His voice dropped under his breath, quiet and heavy, meant for no one else—only for himself.
Orean (sadly):
"No… it’s like the devil’s scheme has taken root in her life."
The words drifted into the quiet evening air. Slowly, he lifted his gaze toward the darkening sky where the first star shone clearly.
His posture straightened, something unyielding rising within him as he looked upward. Resolve returned to his voice—low, steady, and anchored deep.
Orean (resolved):
"But I won’t give up. I will do everything I can to help her find her freedom."
The wind moved gently through the courtyard as though acknowledging his resolve. The atmosphere seemed calmer now, though the unseen battle was far from finished.
Above him the star burned quietly against the deepening night, while the steady sound of the fountain carried on like a soft hymn of endurance.
The compound lights flickered on one by one, bathing the courtyard in pale gold.
Peace had not yet come—but the ground for the coming battle had been set.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Written by Agbemawle Atsu Norvishi
© All Rights Reserved. Shared freely to bless and inspire.
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