Fifteen-year-old Jaden Carter has never felt wanted. Born to teenage parents who see him as a mistake, he spends most of his days alone in their North Carolina home, abandoned and forgotten. But when he stumbles upon a hidden door in his basement, his world is forever changed. The door pulls him into Aje'ra, an ancient, hidden village deep in the heart of Nigeria-a place untouched by time, where the people bow before him in worship. They call him their lost god, the reincarnation of a powerful deity who once ruled over them. At first, Jaden is skeptical, but the village priestess sees the truth in his soul. Under her guidance, he learns the forgotten arts of black magic-powerful, dark sorcery that allows him to reshape reality itself. With every lesson, he feels himself growing stronger, more in control. For the first time in his life, he is more than just an unwanted boy. He is a god. But power comes with a price. As Jaden uncovers the secrets of his past life, he realizes that his return was foretold not as a blessing-but as a warning. Something dark stirs beneath Aje'ra, a force that only he can face. Torn between the family that never wanted him and a destiny that could consume him, Jaden must decide: Will he embrace the darkness within, or will he fight to rewrite his fate?
Chapter 1 The Door Beneath the House
Chapter One:
Jaden had always known he was unwanted. His parents, barely out of high school when he was born, treated him more like a burden than a son. They left him alone in their crumbling North Carolina home for hours, sometimes days, without a second thought. He learned to cook for himself at eight, to lock the doors at night at ten, and to stop expecting love long before that.
It was on one of those lonely nights-when the house felt too empty, and the wind whispered things he didn't want to hear-that he discovered the basement door.
He had never noticed it before.
The old house had its fair share of creaky floors and hidden spaces, but this door was different. It was small, nearly blending into the shadows at the bottom of the basement stairs. The handle was rusted, the wood old yet strangely sturdy. Something about it called to him, sent a shiver down his spine that was equal parts fear and curiosity.
Jaden hesitated only for a moment before twisting the knob.
The door swung open without a sound, revealing a narrow tunnel carved from red earth. A heavy scent of damp soil and something older-something ancient-filled the air. He stepped forward, drawn in as if the tunnel itself was waiting for him.
And then, he fell.
Not in a clumsy, accidental way, but as if something had grabbed him, pulling him downward through darkness that had no end. His stomach lurched. His scream was swallowed by the void.
Then, light.
Blinding, golden sunlight burned into his eyes as he landed, not on a basement floor, but in the middle of a vast, open village.
Dozens of people in flowing, traditional robes surrounded him. Their dark eyes widened in awe, and within seconds, they dropped to their knees.
"He has returned!" one of them cried, voice trembling with devotion.
A woman stepped forward, draped in intricate beads and a headdress that shimmered under the sun. Her skin was deep brown, her gaze sharp yet filled with reverence.
"You are the one we have waited for," she whispered.
Jaden swallowed hard, his pulse pounding in his ears.
"What...what is this place?" he managed to ask.
The woman smiled, placing a hand over her heart.
"This is Aje'ra, the sacred village of the Forgotten Ones."
She knelt before him, bowing her head low.
"And you, my lord, are our lost god."