The next morning, Akeh was jolted awake by the violent ringing of bells. Groggy but instinctively alert, he shot up from his bed, rubbing his eyes. His body still ached from the events of the previous day.
He pulled on a set of black sleeveless and white trouser, a simple leather belt and worn leather shoes. It wasn't his usual style, but with his previous outfit covered in blood, he had little choice.
Outside, the narrow walkways of the slum bustled with students heading towards the courtyard. As akeh walked through the winding wooden corridors, he saw him, a guy, probably a fellow student, with bells wrapped around his joints.
The boy's movements were erratic yet controlled, moving from one narrow walkway to another with a fluid grace. His entire body jingled which each step the Violent ringing almost mesmerizing.
Their eyes locked briefly as akeh moved closer, but when akeh greeted him warmly, the boy responded with the cold stare before turning away, ignoring him entirely.
Akeh felt a familiar surge of anger rising in his chest. He clenched his fists but forced himself to push the irritation aside. He had bigger things to worry about.
Following the flow of students, he made his way to the courtyard, where a large assembly was gathering, all waiting in anticipation. Confused, akeh stood at the back of the crowd, scanning the faces around him, trying to figure out what was happening. Beside him stood a battered and bruised boy, his face swollen with signs of recent conflict. The boy noticed akeh's confusion and leaned in.
"You must be new here." His voice hoarse. "Are you ready for the spirit energy test?"
Akeh raised an eyebrow. "Spirit energy test?"
The boy nodded.
"Once a month, the purists conduct this test. It measures how much spiritual energy you can resist, which determines your level of soul mastery. It's... intense."
He shifted awkwardly, wincing from his injuries.
"There are 5 basic levels to begin soul mastery: soulless, Third-rate soul, second-rate soul, first-rate soul, and soul expert. The higher your mastery, the more respect you gain around here."
Akeh listened intently, eyeing the bruises on the boy. "What happened to you?"
The boy hesitated, trying to laugh it off.
"It's harsh training routine." He mumbled, but akeh could see through the lie. The bruises were too specific, too calculated. The boy was being bullied.
"I'm akeh akomaye." Akeh introduced himself, sensing the boy's discomfort.
"Juwon Adeola." The boy replied, offering a weak smile.
Just then, purist altine and Trinity emerged from the chief's house, and the crowd fell silent. Trinity addressed the students, her voice commanding.
"I hope you all are ready for the test. We've not had a soul expert emerge in months. I'm hoping this will change today, altine will conduct the energy test this time."
She said, gesturing to her sister. Altine stepped forward, her gaze briefly resting on akeh before she looked to the rest of the students.
"Good luck, everyone."
A calm, invisible wave of spiritual energy began to emanate from altine. It felt like a gentle breeze, but as it spread, akeh felt his skin begin to burn. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his body suddenly gripped by fever. He fell to his knees, his body trembling uncontrollably. Beside him, juwon was also down, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.
"What... what is happening?" Akeh whispered, his mind racing. He tried to fight it, but the energy was overwhelming.
Around him, students whispered, their words cutting through the haze.
"Isn't that the new guy?"
"He can't resist this level of spirit energy, does he really have the gift?"
"I thought he was special since purist altine personally escorted him to the dormitory."
"Guess he's nothing after all."
"Juwon failed again. No surprise."
Their mocking voices grated on akeh's ears, fueling his anger. He wanted to get up, to prove them wrong, but his body refused to cooperate.
Altine, watching from a distance, frowned in disappointment. She increased the pressure, and more students crumpled to the ground. Out of 50 students in the courtyard, only 3 remained standing, 2 boys and 1 girl.
The first was lekan Ige, a boy from a prestigious holy family, though he was considered the black sheep. His father had sent him to the purists to learn discipline, hoping to rid him of his rebellious streak.
The second was Taiwo Obanla, an orphan raised In the slum of makoko, who pursued spiritual mastery to get closer to the chief's daughters.
And the last was Adunni ibironke, a talented and ambitious girl, the pride of her family in makoko, who sought power and recognition.
Altine congratulated the three who remained standing, and Trinity smirked, eyeing them.
"Let's see if we get a soul expert this month."
She said, turning her head to the bell-covered boy, the only soul expert, who had just arrived at the courtyard to observe the test. Adunni's eyes flicked toward him briefly before she refocused.
The next wave of spirit energy was far more intense, engulfing the entire courtyard. Akeh and the rest of the students had already collapsed, unconscious from the sheer weight of it.
Lekan and Taiwo struggled, their faces contoured with effort, but they eventually fell to their knees. Only adunni remained standing, her legs shaking as she fought to resist. But in the end, even she gave in, her eyes at hing a glimpse of the bell-covered so expert as she fell to the ground in frustrating.
Altine suppressed the energy, her expression neutral, while Trinity sighed.
"No new soul expert this month." She said with disappointment.
"We'll start the day's training once they wake up from their nap."
As the students lay scattered and unconscious across the courtyard, Altine's gaze returned to akeh, her face etched with concern.