Three centuries… 327 years, to be exact. That's how long Senegal had been surrounded by the Gouy-gui barrier.
Nothing could enter, and nothing could leave; they were completely cut off from the outside world. Within Gouy-gui itself, 12 danger zones, called garabu-djinns (djinn trees), kept threatening the people. These zones were special because their spread was blocked by the Gouy-gui barrier. Inside them, an unbreakable barrier was said to seal the 12 great djinns, the generals of the king. If even one escaped, the whole country could burn, so the barrier focused all its power on keeping them locked away. The problem was, this made it weaker against the other djinns. The Thiongane army corps has been tasked with stopping these monsters for three centuries. But the number of deaths and sacrifices has stained their honor, and the Yeumbeul disaster was the final straw in a cup already overflowing with disgust and scorn.
A djinn invasion was exactly what the Thionganes were supposed to prevent. No matter how unpredictable the situation was, the result was the same: the warriors took all the blame, drawing the hatred of a population that increasingly despised their fight. The rising death toll looked more like incompetence than noble sacrifice over time.
This unpopularity made it harder to recruit new Thionganes. Some elects chose to hide their awakening rather than risk dying for nothing, causing staffing issues. Because of this, the elect exam, which had been mandatory for a couple of decades, became a way to forcibly recruit Thionganes.
If I were a Thiongane, I wouldn't want to fight for people like that.
Fuming with anger, Daniel poured all his stormy feelings into a fast, aggressive walk, as if the sand of Keur Massar had personally insulted him. Each step kicked up a cloud of dirt behind him, spraying it to those trailing him.
"Hey, slow down, you're covering us in dust!"
"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" Daniel yelled, spinning around to face Pape Moussa. Their friends—Abdou, Ousmane, Saliou, and Jérôme—caught up.
They'd left Unit 15, which made up half of MTOA, and were now near Unit 12. The houses here looked similar, but the ground was wetter, with patches covered in weeds. Some walls had greenish mold. It was an odd scene, but not unfamiliar, especially at the start of the rainy season.
Daniel stormed toward Pape Moussa, fists clenched, trying to hold onto what little calm he had left.
"I swear, if I don't find Jojo…"
"Stop being dramatic, man," Pape Moussa mocked. "He's not some kid who…"
"I DON'T CARE, DAMMIT!" Daniel shouted. "He's hiding somewhere because of what you said!"
A brief look of regret crossed Pape Moussa's face before it vanished behind a neutral mask.
"Look, I'm really sorry," he said, trying to sound calm. "I spoke without thinking…"
"Oh, so you are capable of thinking?" Daniel snapped bitterly.
Pape Moussa flinched, a spark of anger in his eyes. Jérôme, true to form, started complaining as he caught up.
"Please tell me you're not gonna fight again?"
"Nope, no plans to," Pape Moussa said, raising both hands in surrender. "But Mr. Daniel Carvalho's over there…"
"Don't act like I'm the problem, motherfucker!"
"This arguing's pointless…"
Saliou's soft voice came from the left. Daniel whipped around, a sharp comeback ready, but his friend's shy, gentle gaze made him swallow it. He couldn't stay mad with Saliou nearby; he almost felt ashamed, as he'd never seen the guy angry.
Maybe reassured by Daniel's silence, Saliou continued gently.
"The important thing is finding Jojo, right?"
"…Yeah, that's it," Daniel mumbled.
"Then let's head to the Thiongane ceremony," Saliou said calmly. "He was so eager to go, it makes sense he'd be there."
"And if he's not?" Daniel challenged.
"Then he's probably back home," Saliou cut in. "Jojo's not the type to run off over something small. He's too scared of Inès for that."
Daniel couldn't argue with that.
"Fine… sorry…"
"And you," Saliou said, turning to Pape Moussa with a firmer tone, "you'd better apologize to Jojo when you see him."
Pape Moussa looked away, annoyed. Daniel might've flared up if he hadn't heard his grumbled reply.
"I was already planning to…"
"Then it's settled!" Saliou said cheerfully, clapping his hands. "Let's not waste time. The ceremony's about to start."
With his usual quiet steps, he led the group. The others froze for a moment, struck by the slightly absurd scene. Then Jérôme burst out laughing, followed by Abdou. Ousmane looked confused but joined his brother's laughter without questioning. Daniel and Pape Moussa exchanged a quick glance, baffled, as their friends laughed hysterically.
"…What's so funny?" Daniel asked, genuinely lost.
"It's just…" Jérôme gasped between laughs, "he shut you both up so easily, it's like he's your dad…"
Daniel looked away, rubbing his neck in irritation to hide his embarrassment.
"Yeah, whatever," he muttered.
Pape Moussa stayed quiet, but a faint, amused smile crossed his lips. Much of the tension in the air vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Hey," Saliou called from a few meters ahead, near a rickety building that looked ready to collapse, a hint of reproach in his voice. "I'm waiting."
"Sorry, coming!" Jérôme said with a grin, rushing to catch up. Abdou and Ousmane followed, leaving Daniel and Pape Moussa behind. The two boys shared one last glance before joining the others.