One Way Witch

After the events of Who Fears Death, the world has forgotten Onyesonwu. History is divided into the Before, in which Onyesonwu existed, and the Now, a reality in which Nuru and Okeke people live in relative harmony. Only Najeeba and Aro remember Onyesonwu's existence.

On the day when Onyesonwu leaves Jwahir, Najeeba journeys into the desert and becomes a kponyungo for the first time in decades. She participates in the events of Onyesonwu's journey, preparing the way for her daughter. On the night of Onyesonwu's death, she experiences the world shifting around her, dividing the Before from the Now.

In her kponyungo form, Najeeba visits her childhood village of Adoro 5. She sees the Cleanser, a creature in service to the goddess Adoro. The Cleanser once took Najeeba's aunt, who was forever “different” after returning. This has happened to many Osunu girls over the past decades. Najeeba vows to destroy the Cleanser.

Najeeba recounts her past to Aro, narrating her life story up to that point.^[a] He agrees to train her in sorcery. Najeeba goes through initiation, where she sees her own death at the hands of a powerful eldritch creature known as a masquerade.

Najeeba meets Dedan, a glassblower who has moved to Jwahir from the Seven Rivers Kingdom. They become lovers. Meanwhile, she continues her training with Aro and Aro's mentor Sola, growing substantially in her magical abilities. She learns to raise animals from the dead, travel through space and time, and see both the future and the past.^[b] Najeeba tells Dedan all about the Before and Onyesonwu. Dedan becomes increasingly paranoid and violent after learning about the Before. He becomes enraged and destroys his glass house, a beautiful moment that he had built with Najeeba's assistance. This event is witnessed by Daib, who also remembers the Before and has come to Jwahir to speak to Najeeba.

Daib asks for forgiveness. He can also remember the Before. He states that he no longer feels hatred towards the Okeke people, but is haunted by memories of the previous version of himself. In her form as the kponyungo, Najeeba pulls a dark creature from his skull. This removes his hatred, but he can still remember the past. She considers this to be a fair atonement and lets him go. Najeeba accidentally summons a rainstorm which floods Jwahir. The storm damages the village, but it also heralds the arrival of more regular rainstorms and a change in the harsh desert climate. Aro considers Najeeba's training complete. She and Dedan leave Jwahir on a quest to kill the Cleanser.