Awa
It was now Awa's turn to enter the arena. She descended, focused on a single goal: living up to expectations. Her opponent's name was Lesedi Seko.
At the signal of the drums, she charged forward, mace raised high. In a sweeping arc, she struck with force. Lesedi dodged easily. The weight of the mace pulled her off balance for a split second, leaving her exposed. A lightning-fast punch slammed into her face, throwing her to the ground. Lesedi gave her no time to recover. As she tried to push herself up, a violent kick smashed her head against the floor. He wanted to finish her quickly.
Awa pushed herself up with difficulty, bracing on her arms. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Lesedi stepped back, a mocking smile stretching across his lips.
— Pick up your mace. It's your only weapon, after all. I wouldn't want you saying that's the reason you lost.
— What game are you playing at? Awa asked, wary.
— You're the daughter of a governor. You can't imagine how exciting that is for me. Once I beat you, my whole family will bask in the glory. So go on, pick up your weapon. Makes it more honorable.
Humiliation bit at her, but she picked up the mace. She rushed at him with all the strength she could summon.
I got him, she thought.
But her eyes widened. A hand had closed around her throat. Yet she had hit him head-on…
No. The mace had passed right through him. His power. That was it.
In a flash, Lesedi slammed her to the ground, crushing her head against the tiled floor. She groaned, coughed, blood spilling from her mouth. Her hands clawed desperately at his firm fingers.
— Give up, princess!
She was slipping into unconsciousness when her hands brushed over something unexpected: a rigid texture. Bracelets. With a final burst of strength, she drove both feet into Lesedi's abdomen. He fell. Awa hauled herself up and towered over him, a bloody smile twisting her lips.
Lesedi grimaced. He couldn't move his arms anymore. A strange heaviness paralyzed his limbs.
Awa jogged toward her mace, pointed it at him.
— Surrender, she ordered.
— What did you do to my arms?
At his words, his arms grew even heavier. Then his legs.
— Surrender, she repeated, coughing.
She was weakening rapidly.
— Yeah, keep counting on that…
She increased the weight of his clothes. Lesedi's entire body began sinking into the ground, as if swallowed by a growing gravity. His eyes bulged in panic.
— I give up! he shouted.
Like a released spring, he pushed himself upright, body aching, and hurried out of the arena.
— I only increased the weight of your bracelets and your clothes. Anything that isn't part of your body, Awa explained.
Lesedi stopped in his tracks, looked at her.
— Well played, princess.
Awa blushed. A roar rose from the stands as she returned to her friend.
Wura
Wura's heart skipped a beat when Awa left the arena. It was her turn. And standing opposite her… Nissi.
Nissi was the first to descend. Wura saw her scan the crowd. Her hands tightened on the railing as she swallowed hard. A hand rested on her shoulder.
— Be strong, Wura, Nath said. If it becomes unmanageable, you might consider forfeiting. Well… I say that, but I know you won't. Be careful.
Despite his encouraging words, Wura felt the worry in his gaze. He trembled more than she did. He had been the first to taste Nissi's crushing power.
—Thank you, Nath, she replied with a faint smile.
She turned away. A firm hand stopped her. Ru.
— Dodge as much as you can. Buy time, until the end of the countdown. And above all… forget that she's your friend. She will kill you without hesitation.
Wura's eyes widened. If Ru was warning her, then her life truly was in danger.
— Ru…,Nath began.
But Wura didn't wait any longer. She ran toward the arena.
At the rumble of the drums, Nissi charged.
This wasn't their first fight. As children, they used to play at battling, riding pretend horses, casting imaginary spells, pretending to be little warriors. They imitated earth magic with handfuls of sand and pebbles, stopping whenever one of them surrendered.
Wura had been the fearless one, often making Nissi cry. And Nissi would be scolded when she got home:
"Girls don't fight! They stay clean and smell nice!"
Wura had thought that, with time, Nissi would eventually obey…
A harsh crack answered her. Nissi's fist had just slammed into her forearm.
…But she had not. Nissi had only become wilder.
Wura stepped back. In Nissi's eyes, there was no mercy.
— Stop daydreaming and fight, she said, her gaze hard.
— I can't defeat the monster you've become.
Nissi bent her knees. The ground cracked beneath her feet. A terrifying power surged from her. How could Wura stand against such strength?
Nissi leapt. She brought her fists together for a devastating strike. Wura dodged at the last second. The ground exploded at impact. Her heart pounded violently. One mistake, and she'd die.
— That's enough, Nissi! a voice shouted.
A large man was coming down from the stands, followed by priests. He addressed the referee, who hesitated, then ordered armed guards to step forward.
But Nissi paid no attention. She attacked again, even more ferociously.
A blow struck Wura full in the face, throwing her out of the fighting zone. When she came to, she was lying on the ground.
The muffled sound of the drums echoed. The referee raised his hand. It was over.
She had lost.
Wura had only recently begun to care about this exam. But the defeat was bitter. And she understood the full weight of her failure:
She would never be able to summon her Loa.
And her life would never be normal.