BACK TO GOLGOTHA
Chapter Ten: The Net Widens
The darkness no longer waited for night.
Stephen Dagunduro noticed it first in the daylight—how shadows lingered longer than they should, how laughter on campus felt forced, hollow, as though something unseen walked among the students wearing borrowed faces. The siege had moved beyond his room, beyond whispered attacks in the night. KOA was widening the net.
And Stephen was at the center of it.
As he walked across campus that morning, the atmosphere felt thick, charged. Conversations died when he passed. Eyes followed him—some curious, others calculating. He could feel it in his spirit: unseen watchers marking his movements, measuring his resolve, reporting back to forces far older and darker than flesh.
The war had entered a new phase.
The Expansion of KOA
Far from the university, in a realm invisible to mortal eyes, KOA convened again.
The spiritual headquarters had grown—vast, layered, pulsating with dark authority. What had once been a small gathering of devoted worshippers had transformed into a structured dominion. Shrines multiplied in the spiritual realm, linked by channels of power that flowed like veins, feeding the core.
Baba Dagunduro stood at the center, his presence heavier now, more commanding. The alliance with the governor had strengthened KOA's reach, allowing their influence to stretch across cities, institutions, and pulpits.
"The boy still stands," Baba Dagunduro growled. "But no man stands forever."
One of the elders stepped forward. "We have seeded the land. Our agents walk freely. Pastors are weakened. Prayer altars are compromised. The foundations are cracking."
Baba Dagunduro's eyes burned. "Then tighten the net. No more isolated attacks. We drown him."
Spiritual Pollution
Stephen felt it during chapel service.
The worship was loud, but something was wrong. Songs were sung, hands were lifted, yet the presence of God felt distant. Instead, Stephen sensed interference—something polluting the atmosphere, dulling spiritual sensitivity.
He bowed his head and prayed silently.
"Lord, open my eyes. Let me see."
Suddenly, his spirit stirred. He saw—not with his physical eyes, but with discernment. Dark threads wound through the room, thin but numerous, attached to individuals, especially those leading. They didn't dominate—yet—but they weakened, distracted, diluted.
KOA had infiltrated worship spaces.
Stephen's heart sank. This was no longer just about him. The enemy was poisoning wells, corrupting streams meant to give life.
Favour's Warning
Later that day, Favour found him behind the chapel, her expression tense.
"They're expanding," she said without preamble. "KOA isn't just after you anymore. They're after territory—souls, systems, influence. They're targeting churches, leaders, campuses."
Stephen nodded. "I saw it. During worship."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Then your discernment is growing."
"But why me?" Stephen asked quietly. "Why center all this around one life?"
Favour's voice softened. "Because you are a junction. Your bloodline ties you to darkness, but your calling anchors you to light. If they break you, they send a message. If you stand, you disrupt everything."
The weight of that truth settled heavily on Stephen's shoulders.
The Return of Temptation
That evening, temptation came not as fear—but familiarity.
Stephen received a message from someone he once trusted, inviting him out "to relax." The words seemed harmless, but his spirit recoiled. KOA was shifting tactics. No more terror. Now, distraction. Comfort. Compromise.
He sat on his bed, phone in hand, torn.
"It's just one evening," a voice whispered in his mind. "You're tired. You've fought enough."
Stephen closed his eyes and prayed.
"Lord, give me strength to say no—even when yes feels easier."
The pressure lifted slightly. He deleted the message.
Moments later, the charm around his neck grew cold.
The Charm Fights Back
That night, the charm pulsed violently.
Stephen gasped as pain shot through his chest—not physical, but deeper, like something tugging at his identity. Memories surfaced unbidden: his father's voice, the shrine, chants spoken over him as a child, the name Ogundare echoing like a claim.
"You cannot erase what you are," a voice thundered in the spiritual realm.
Stephen fell to his knees.
"I am not my past," he whispered. "I am redeemed."
The charm resisted, vibrating with dark energy. This was no passive object—it was an anchor, fighting to reassert dominance.
Stephen raised his voice.
"In the name of Jesus Christ, every covenant made without my consent, be broken!"
A sharp crack echoed in the spirit. The charm went still.
Stephen collapsed forward, breathing hard, shaken but victorious.
KOA Strikes Back
The response was immediate.
Across the campus, chaos stirred. Arguments erupted. Accidents occurred. A pastor fell ill suddenly. Another was publicly disgraced. KOA retaliated by spreading confusion and division, testing Stephen's resolve.
Favour called him late that night.
"They're retaliating," she said. "You hit something important."
Stephen stared at the dark ceiling. "Then we can't stop."
"No," she agreed. "We press in."
The Call to the Frontline
That night, Stephen dreamed.
He stood on a vast plain, light behind him, darkness ahead. Countless figures stood in shadow—some human, some not. In his hand was no weapon, only light.
A voice spoke, calm and unwavering.
"You were not saved to hide. You were saved to stand."
Stephen awoke with tears in his eyes.
The fear was still there. The danger remained. But something had changed.
Resolve had replaced hesitation.
The New Phase Begins
The next morning, Stephen met with a small group—students drawn together by prayer, fasting, and hunger for truth. He didn't preach. He didn't boast. He simply shared.
About light. About vigilance. About standing firm.
And something ignited.
KOA felt it immediately.
Baba Dagunduro snarled in the spiritual realm. "He is gathering them."
"Yes," an elder replied. "And light spreads faster than darkness fears."
Baba Dagunduro clenched his fists. "Then we end this before it grows."
The End of Chapter Ten
Stephen stood at the threshold of something greater than himself. The war was no longer hidden. It had spilled into institutions, hearts, and altars.
KOA had widened the net.
But Stephen had stepped forward.
The battle was no longer about survival.
It was about territory.
And Golgotha—once a place of death—was becoming a place of resistance.
"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."
— John 1:5