Chapter Thirty-Six: The Net Around Favour
Rain fell steadily over Ondo town, turning dusty streets into rivers of mud. The sky remained dark long after sunrise, thick clouds swallowing any hint of warmth from the sun. To Stephen Dagunduro, the weather felt like a reflection of the spiritual tension growing around him.
He stood near the church entrance, watching believers hurry inside for morning prayers. His spirit felt uneasy. For days, he had sensed something shifting — not another random attack, but something coordinated. Something carefully planned.
Favour approached from behind him, holding a small Bible against her chest. Her usual calm strength remained, but Stephen could sense a faint tremor in her spirit.
"You haven't slept again," she said quietly.
Stephen gave a small smile. "Neither have you."
She sighed. "The atmosphere feels wrong. Like something is waiting."
Stephen nodded slowly. "KOA has changed its strategy. They are no longer striking leaders one by one. They are building traps… spiritual nets."
Favour frowned. "For who?"
Stephen didn't answer immediately. His silence said enough.
KOA's New Assignment
Far away in the unseen realm, Baba Dagunduro sat surrounded by the elders of KOA. The air around them shimmered with dark spiritual symbols carved into the ground. Their chants vibrated softly, filling the chamber with oppressive power.
"She is his strength," one elder whispered.
"She is his shield," another said.
Baba Dagunduro's eyes glowed faintly as he spoke.
"Then she becomes his weakness."
The elders nodded in agreement.
A young female initiate stepped forward. Her name was Aduke. Unlike others, she had been trained in patience and deception rather than aggression.
"You will not attack Stephen directly," Baba Dagunduro said. "You will draw near to Favour. You will weaken her spiritually, slowly. When her strength fades, Stephen will lose his balance."
Aduke bowed her head. "It shall be done."
The New Visitor
Two days later, Aduke arrived at the church.
She introduced herself as a new believer searching for spiritual guidance. She spoke softly, respectfully, with humility that appeared genuine. Favour welcomed her warmly, as she often did with newcomers.
Stephen watched from a distance, his spirit uneasy. There was nothing visibly wrong about Aduke, yet something in his chest tightened each time she smiled.
"You sense something?" Miriam asked him quietly.
Stephen nodded. "I don't know what… but the Spirit inside me is alert."
Miriam whispered, "Should we warn Favour?"
Stephen shook his head slowly. "Not yet. Darkness thrives when it is accused without proof. We watch. We pray."
The Slow Drain
Over the following weeks, Aduke became close to Favour. She attended every meeting, volunteered for every assignment, and remained constantly around her.
Favour, unaware of the spiritual manipulation, began feeling strangely exhausted. Prayer sessions that once energized her now left her drained. She began forgetting small things — scriptures she knew by heart, meeting schedules, names of new believers.
Stephen noticed immediately.
"Are you alright?" he asked one evening as they sat inside the prayer room.
Favour forced a smile. "Just tired. Ministry has been intense lately."
Stephen nodded, but his spirit remained troubled. He placed his hand over hers and whispered a short prayer, asking God to reveal anything hidden.
For a brief moment, he felt resistance — like touching a wall covered in invisible thorns.
His heart tightened.
The First Manifestation
That night, Favour experienced a disturbing dream.
She stood inside an empty church hall. Candles flickered weakly along the altar. As she approached the pulpit, she heard faint laughter echoing behind her.
When she turned, she saw dozens of shadowed figures sitting in the pews, whispering her name repeatedly.
"Favour… Favour… Favour…"
She tried to speak, to pray, but her voice refused to come out. A heavy chain appeared around her feet, dragging her backward toward the church doors. Just before she was pulled into darkness, she heard Stephen's voice calling her name.
She woke up gasping, sweat covering her face.
Stephen's Alarm
Favour told Stephen about the dream the next morning.
Stephen listened silently, his face tightening with concern.
"That wasn't just a dream," he said quietly. "It was a spiritual attack… a warning."
Favour's hands trembled slightly. "You think KOA is targeting me?"
Stephen nodded slowly. "Yes. And they are being careful. They are trying to weaken you slowly so you won't notice."
Favour's eyes darkened with determination. "Then we must fight it directly."
Stephen shook his head. "Not recklessly. KOA wants emotional reactions. We fight with discernment."
The Trap Tightens
Meanwhile, Aduke continued her subtle work. She would often pray beside Favour, whispering faint chants disguised as prayer language. Each time she did, a small spiritual weight pressed onto Favour's spirit.
One evening during group prayer, Favour suddenly collapsed. The room fell silent as believers rushed toward her.
Stephen immediately knelt beside her, placing his hand over her forehead. He began praying intensely, calling upon the blood of Jesus and commanding every hidden spiritual influence to leave.
For a moment, Favour's body shook violently, then she gasped and opened her eyes.
Stephen's spirit burned with anger. This was no longer subtle. KOA had begun direct interference.
Revelation in Prayer
That night, Stephen locked himself inside the prayer room.
He fasted and prayed until exhaustion blurred his vision. Hours passed, but he refused to stop. His spirit cried out for divine revelation.
Finally, in the deep stillness of midnight, a vision formed in his mind.
He saw Favour surrounded by thin dark threads stretching from multiple directions. At the center of those threads stood Aduke, smiling calmly while tightening the net slowly.
Stephen's eyes snapped open.
"A spy," he whispered.
Confrontation
The next day, Stephen called Favour and Miriam for a private meeting.
"There is someone close to you," he said gently to Favour. "Someone sent to weaken you spiritually."
Favour froze. "Who?"
Stephen hesitated, then spoke carefully. "Aduke."
Favour's eyes widened. "That's impossible… she has been helping the ministry… she prays with me…"
Stephen nodded. "That is exactly how KOA operates. Darkness rarely arrives wearing darkness. It often wears trust."
Tears filled Favour's eyes, but her voice remained steady. "What do we do?"
"We confront her spiritually," Stephen said. "Not with anger. With authority."
The Breaking of the Net
That evening, during prayer service, Stephen called Aduke forward calmly.
The congregation watched in confusion.
Stephen raised his hands and began praying loudly, declaring the authority of Christ over every hidden spirit within the church. The atmosphere shifted immediately. The air grew heavy, and the lights flickered.
Aduke's calm expression cracked.
Her body trembled slightly as Stephen continued praying.
"In the name of Jesus Christ," he declared, "every spirit operating through deception in this place must leave now!"
Aduke suddenly screamed and fell to her knees. Her voice changed, becoming harsh and unfamiliar.
"You cannot stop us!" she hissed. "KOA has already planted seeds everywhere!"
Believers gasped in fear.
Stephen stepped closer, unwavering. "The power of God is greater than every dark covenant. Leave her!"
Favour joined him, her voice shaking but strong as she prayed beside him.
For several intense moments, Aduke's body convulsed violently. Then suddenly, she collapsed, unconscious.
The oppressive atmosphere lifted instantly.
Aftermath
When Aduke regained consciousness later, she wept uncontrollably. The spiritual control over her had broken, revealing a frightened young girl manipulated into darkness.
Stephen looked at her gently. "You are free now. Darkness does not own you anymore."
Favour stood beside him, tears streaming down her face — not from fear, but from relief.
The Warning
That night, Stephen stood outside the church, staring into the stormy sky.
Favour joined him quietly.
"They will retaliate," she said softly.
Stephen nodded. "Yes. KOA will not accept this loss quietly. But now we know their strategy. They attack through trust, through closeness."
Favour looked at him with renewed strength. "Then we guard our hearts. And we guard each other."
Stephen smiled faintly. "Exactly."
Thunder rolled across the sky, and Stephen felt a deep certainty rise within him.
The war had entered a new stage.
KOA was no longer testing them.
KOA was preparing for full confrontation.
And Stephen Dagunduro was ready.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
— Ephesians 6:12