When a Curse Breaks: The Shocking Truth Behind Utakka’s Rage | Mgbọrọgwụ (Root) Chapter 5
Why Some Men Destroy Themselves Over Envy
Sometimes the truth waits patiently… until the day it can no longer be hidden. Mgborogwu (Root) – Chapter Five: The Breaking reveals the moment a long-buried secret begins to shake an entire village.
In the village of Amaike, good news should bring joy. But for Utakka, the pregnancy announcement of his rival Ihemjika shatters everything he believed he had secured through darkness.
What happens when a curse you cast years ago suddenly fails? What does a man do when the spiritual violence he committed comes back to haunt him? In this gripping chapter from Mgbọrọgwụ (Root), we explore the devastating consequences of unchecked envy and the supernatural forces that bind us to our past sins.
This is a story about obsession, spiritual warfare, and the moment when a man realizes that his victory was built on lies that could never stand. If you’ve been following Ihemjika’s journey, this chapter will reshape everything you thought you knew about his struggle and reveal the dark lengths his enemy went to destroy him.
Good news can be a curse to the wrong man. And when Utakka discovers that his darkest spell has somehow broken, he realizes that the past he buried is clawing its way back to the surface.
Miss Chapter Four? Click here to read
Up next: Mgbọrọgwụ (Root) – Chapter Six: Shadows That Refuse to Fade
Mgborogwu (Root) – Chapter Five: The Breaking
The news of Nkemdilim’s pregnancy spread across the village like wildfire.
It did not take long before every compound, every marketplace corner, and every gathering place heard the good news. The joy it carried was undeniable. For many, it felt personal. It felt like an answered prayer in their own homes.
So many people were genuinely happy.
They had prayed for Ihemjika and Nkemdilim. They had watched their pain silently. And they had seen the mockery, the whispers, the humiliation. And because Ihemjika was a good man-calm, generous, and well-loved-his long wait for a child had troubled even those who were not close to him.
There had been a time when his name was nearly tarnished.
A time when Utakka, out of jealousy, spread a rumor so poisonous that it almost destroyed him. Some villagers had believed the lie. When year after year passed without a child, Utakka’s story began to look real. It gained weight. It gained supporters.
And that was what had pushed Nwamaka, Ihemjika’s mother, into desperation. It was what pushed her into actions she now deeply regretted, because she desperately wanted her son’s name restored.
But now?
Now that Nkemdilim was finally pregnant, it was like thunder in the dry season. A shock. A revelation. A divine vindication.
Those who had believed the rumor were stunned.
Those who had doubted were silenced.
And those who had prayed rejoiced openly.
Gifts began to pour in.
Yams. Goats. Fowls. Palm oil. Fruits. Cloth wrappers. Even money.
It was then that Ihemjika and Nkemdilim truly realized how deeply they were loved. Though Ihemjika was wealthy and lacked nothing, the villagers did not consider that. To them, it was not about whether he needed anything.
It was about participating in the joy.
“Whether they use it or not,” some said, “we must present something.”
The love shown to them was overwhelming.
The news traveled everywhere.
Yet, even in the midst of celebration, not everyone was happy.
One person in particular burned with quiet rage.
Utakka.
No one could truly explain why Utakka hated Ihemjika so much. From childhood, the rivalry had existed. They were age mates. The only difference was that Ihemjika had been born a few hours before him.
That alone had never sat well with Utakka.
From the moment he realized they were born on the same day-but Ihemjika came first-something dark had grown inside him.
Over the years, he had tried repeatedly to tarnish Ihemjika’s image.
None of it worked.
Except one thing.
When Ihemjika and Nkemdilim struggled with childlessness, Utakka’s rumor gained ground. He convinced people that Ihemjika had used his manhood for rituals; exchanging fertility for wealth and power.
Some believed him.
Some supported him.
And some even mocked Ihemjika openly.
That was the only time his lie seemed to thrive.
But now?
Now that Nkemdilim was pregnant, the news brought Utakka no joy.
That afternoon, Utakka sat at a local beer parlor, drinking palm wine with some friends-Ikechi, Iheanyi, and Ifebuche among them.
As they drank, Nwamaka passed by on her way to the market. She was going to buy ingredients to prepare food for Nkemdilim.
Ever since the pregnancy was confirmed, she had taken it upon herself to cook for her daughter-in-law to ensure she ate healthy meals. Though they had herbs and traditional supplements at home, Nwamaka refused to take chances.
Nothing must happen to this baby.
God had answered them.
And she would guard that answer fiercely.
As she walked past the beer parlor, many villagers greeted her warmly.
“Congratulations!”
“God has done it!”
“May He preserve the baby!”
She smiled humbly, responding with gratitude.
Utakka frowned.
He turned to the men beside him.
“What is going on? Why is everybody greeting her like this? Why is she so happy?”
Ikechi looked at him in surprise.
“Don’t you know? Are you the only one who hasn’t heard the good news?”
Utakka narrowed his eyes.
“What good news? Can anything good come out of that useless woman who just passed?”
Ikechi’s expression hardened slightly.
“I know you don’t like Ihemjika,” he said calmly. “Because of your hatred for him, you have extended it to his mother. But that is not enough reason to call her useless.”
He paused before adding,
“And both of us know Ihemjika is doing very well. In fact, better than you.”
Utakka shot up angrily.
“What do you mean by that?” he shouted, beating his chest. “You mean that useless impotent man is better than me? I am a father! I have male and female children! And you are telling me he is better than me?”
He pointed aggressively.
“That man used his manhood for wealth and power! That is why you all respect him! If not that you are my friend, I would have sliced your throat this minute!”
The other men shifted uneasily.
Iheanyi spoke gently.
“Ihemjika is a good man. Calm. Peaceful. We all know this. We don’t understand why you hate him so much.”
Utakka turned sharply.
“So now all of you have ganged up against me?”
Ikechi exhaled slowly.
“Maybe we used to see reasons with you before. Maybe we believed you when he had no child. But God has proven otherwise.”
Utakka froze.
Ikechi continued.
“In case you truly haven’t heard, Ihemjika and Nkemdilim are expecting a child. Nkemdilim is pregnant. That is why everyone is congratulating his mother.”
Silence fell.
Utakka stared at him.
“What?”
“It has been confirmed by the midwife,” Ifebuche added. “It is real.”
Utakka staggered slightly.
“It cannot be,” he muttered. “It cannot be. Nkemdilim can never get pregnant. Ihemjika can never impregnate his wife. This is wrong. Something is wrong.”
Iheanyi frowned.
“Are you God? Are you the one who gives children? Everyone is happy for them. Why can’t you be happy?”
“Shut up!” Utakka roared. “You don’t understand!”
Ikechi’s voice grew firm.
“What don’t we understand? You told the entire village he was impotent. You convinced us he used his manhood for rituals. Some of us even supported you. Now God has vindicated him, and you are saying it is impossible?”
He stepped closer.
“Is there something you are not telling us, Utakka?”
Utakka’s breathing became heavy.
“Over my dead body, this cannot happen! The news is fake!”
“It is not fake,” Ifebuche replied steadily. “It has been confirmed.”
Then he looked directly at Utakka.
“So tell us… what do you know that we don’t?”
“What are you hiding from us?”
“What did you do?”
The question struck Utakka like lightning.
He froze instantly.
His expression changed completely like a man suddenly dragged back into a memory he had tried to bury for years.
Utakka remembered.
It had happened years earlier, shortly after Ihemjika and Nkemdilim got married.
The very moment he heard about their marriage, he had run straight to a native doctor known as Uzize.
The memory returned vividly.
He remembered the anger burning in his chest.
He remembered storming into the shrine.
And the desperation in his voice.
“Uzize, I need you to do something,” he had said. “It is as if you do not understand how I feel. Uzize, I want Ihemjika out of the way. I want him eliminated. I want him removed from the surface of this earth.”
His voice shook with rage.
“That man is a thorn in my flesh. He has vowed to disgrace me in this village.”
Uzize had replied calmly.
“Utakka, how many times must I tell you this is not possible? His chi is very strong. Not everybody can be killed spiritually.”
He leaned forward.
“Ihemjika is not that kind of person. If it were possible, I would have done it long ago, unless you want us to risk our own lives.”
But Utakka refused to stop.
“Uzize, you must help me! I cannot take this anymore! It is as if Ihemjika was born to destroy everything I am trying to build!”
His bitterness deepened.
“My father told me my mother went into labor before Ihemjika’s mother. Yet he was born a few hours before me. Because of that, he became my elder.”
His jaw tightened.
“He collects first share in everything in our age group.”
He continued bitterly.
“My dream of becoming the chief warrior of this village was cut short because of him. I trained day and night. I even came here for fortification. You gave me charms to defeat him in the wrestling contest.”
His voice cracked.
“But after everything, he still defeated me.”
Anger surged again.
“Are you even real, Uzize? Do you truly have power?”
Uzize exploded in fury.
“Shut up, Utakka! Do you want me to turn you into stone right now?”
Utakka quickly apologized.
“I am sorry. I am just not happy.”
His humiliation resurfaced.
“I even ran away from this village after he defeated me. Because, I could not serve under him. I refused to follow him to war.”
He swallowed.
“Igwe and his cabinet almost banished me and my father.”
Then came the deepest wound.
“Out of all the maidens in this land, he chose to marry Nkemdilim-the very woman I had my eyes on.”
His voice trembled.
“The most beautiful girl in this village.”
He looked at Uzize desperately.
“Tell me, if you were in my position, would you be happy?”
Uzize sighed.
“I understand your pain. But Ihemjika’s chi is strong. His hands are clean. I have been watching him spiritually, waiting for him to make a mistake so we can strike; but he lives a clean life.” “Let’s continue keeping a close watch on him to misstep. Let’s wait for an opportunity to strike”
Utakka shook his head in frustration.
“When will that opportunity come?
You just said he is clean. Even when he was single, he never misstepped. Now that he is married, I do not think it will ever happen.”
Uzize was silent for a while. Then he said slowly, “There is another way.”
Utakka looked up.
“You are focused on removing him from the earth. But have you considered this-what if we stop his lineage?”
Utakka’s eyes widened.
“What if he never has a child?”
The idea sank deep.
“Make them childless…” Utakka whispered.
Uzize nodded.
“That is possible.”
Utakka smiled slowly.
“Yes. Let him live, but let him become a laughing stock. Let him try to have children and fail.”
He turned toward the shrine.
“Uzenzere, I, Utakka son of Ndukuba, have been humiliated by Ihemjika son of Emeh. He took the woman I loved and married her.”
His voice hardened.
“Render him useless. No matter how he tries, let Nkemdilim never conceive.”
Uzize performed incantations.
After a while he said,
“It is done. Go home in peace. As long as Ihemjika lives, he will never father a child.”
Utakka had smiled wickedly.
The memory vanished.
Utakka returned to reality.
His heart pounded violently.
If Nkemdilim was pregnant…
then something had gone terribly wrong.
“Shut up!” he suddenly shouted at the men. “All of you shut up! You do not understand!”
He stormed out of the palm wine joint, running down the path like a man chased by his own shadow.
“This cannot happen!” he kept shouting. “It cannot happen!”
The men left behind stared at one another.
“What just happened?” Ifebuche whispered.
Iheanyi shook his head slowly.
“I thought we knew him.”
Ikechi sighed.
“Honestly, only God knows what is happening. But his reaction is not normal.”
He took a deep breath.
“As for me, I will go and apologize to Ihemjika. I don’t want God to punish me for hating an innocent man.”
He looked at the others.
“We mocked him. We believed a lie. Yet he never stopped helping us.”
He lifted his cup.
“I am happy for him. Truly.”
Iheanyi nodded.
“I will apologize too.”
“Ifebuche agreed. “All of us should.”
They lifted their cups again-this time not in mockery, but in quiet acknowledgment.
And somewhere down the dusty path, Utakka kept running, shouting into the wind.
While the truth he had tried so desperately to bury now stood tall before the entire village.
What Happens Next?
Utakka’s panic reveals the unthinkable: years ago, he sought a curse to render Ihemjika childless. But the pregnancy proves his dark magic has somehow failed. As he flees into the night, driven by terror and desperation, one question burns: Why did the curse break? And what lengths will Utakka go to discover the answer or silence it forever?
In Chapter Six, Utakka’s desperation leads him back to Uzize’s shrine, but the answers he finds will shake the very foundations of the spiritual world he thought he controlled. And Ihemjika, still unaware of the curse that once bound him, faces a danger far greater than he imagines.
Don’t miss the next chapter. Follow along as the mystery deepens and the true cost of Utakka’s hatred is finally revealed.
About Mgbọrọgwụ (Root)
Mgbọrọgwụ is a novel rooted in Igbo tradition and culture, exploring themes of family, faith, destiny, and the unseen forces that shape our lives. Through the interconnected stories of Ihemjika, Nkemdilim, and the forces arrayed against them, this book examines what it means to build a life of meaning in a world where the spiritual and physical realms are deeply entwined.
Continue reading the next chapter →
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