The group was a motley crew of all the kids from Unit 15, the sector of Keur Massar where Daniel and Jojo lived. There were mainly Ousmane and Abdou, the two brothers with the same shaved heads covered in grime. Jérôme, with his small stature and perpetually oversized shorts. Saliou, trying to calm things down with a voice too soft to be heard. And finally, Fallou, who didn't care and sat off to the side.
The rest were a mix of younger kids, too small to be taken too seriously. The bottom of the hierarchy.
They were all arguing with Pape Moussa, who led the debate with fervor, his voice carrying louder than the others.
"We don't have time to waste; we have to be back by 2 p.m., or my mom will kill me!" Jérôme complained.
"You're not the only one in that situation," Abdou muttered, shooting Pape Moussa a dirty look.
"I don't know what you guys want to do, but do it quick," Serigne Fallou grumbled. "It's already hot enough, so let's get this over with."
"We're not going to that damn ceremony, I don't give a damn!" Pape Moussa bellowed.
"Whoa," Daniel interjected as he arrived, hands in his pockets. "Since when do you get to decide what we gonna do?"
Pape Moussa turned around with a scowl. His sunken eyes were narrowed, and his square jaw was clenched in a characteristic way.
"Got something to say, Daniel?"
"Me? Depends," Daniel replied, stepping closer to Pape Moussa—he was shorter but didn't seem fazed by it. "I just think you've been acting a bit too full of yourself lately."
Pape Moussa took a step toward Daniel, and the two locked eyes. A long silence followed as everyone watched the scene, holding their breath.
To set the scene, Daniel was a few centimeters shorter than Pape Moussa, so to look him in the eye at such close range, he had to tilt his head at a certain angle. And behind them was Jojo, towering over everyone in height and build, naturally stocky. However, the scene immediately cast a heavy tension over the group.
Because Daniel and Pape Moussa weren't like the others.
They were special.
They were chosen ones of the sembou, marked with runes.
They were beings with powers no kid could imagine, potential future diambars. Even though the two of them had not yet learned to control their powers, their confrontation sparked a mix of fear and curiosity among the onlookers.
"Whoa, now you dare talk to me like that?" Moussa sneered, baring his teeth in a grimace. "You think things have changed because of your rune?"
"Nothing's changed," Daniel shot back, his tone sharp. "I was never scared of you, and you're still the same jerk you've always been."
"I'm getting really tired of talking," Pape Moussa huffed, raising his fist.
"STOP!"
Someone suddenly intervened, forcefully stepping between the two boys, pushing them apart. The only one brave—or foolish—enough to attempt such a thing was none other than Jojo, standing between them.
"Calm down, guys, this isn't the time for this."
The two glared at Jojo with a mix of shock and anger, but Jojo stood his ground, his eyes avoiding theirs with a small, embarrassed smile.
"Jojo, are you kidding me?" Pape Moussa demanded, grabbing his shoulder roughly.
"Let him go right now, you bastard," Daniel growled, trying to pull his friend back.
"And if I don't? What are you gonna do about it?"
"Jojo, get out of there and let me beat his ass!"
"No, damn it!" Jojo shouted, exasperated. "You're ruining the vibe!"
"He's right," Jérôme finally chimed in, stepping closer. "If you two want to settle this, then do it…"
He brandished a soccer ball that seemed to have come out of nowhere.
"With a soccer match!"
Daniel and Pape Moussa stared at him.
"We won't have time for a match. The ceremony starts at noon, and it's almost 11," Daniel replied.
"A 30-minute match, tops," Jojo countered, happy to see a solution emerging. "One round? Daniel and Pape Moussa will be the captains."
"Now that's a good idea!" Abdou exclaimed, standing up.
Everyone voiced their agreement with various expressions of excitement. Pape Moussa gave in with a sigh.
"Fine, I'll just have to settle for beating you at soccer," he said to Daniel with a mocking smile.
"You're dreaming if you think that's reality," Daniel shot back, returning the same smile.
And so began an intense soccer match. The two teams, each with six players, were randomly assembled, and the cul-de-sac served as the playing field. Jérôme, as usual, acted as the referee. Everyone gave their all. Jojo was even convinced that, aside from Daniel and Pape Moussa, everyone else had forgotten the reason for the match and was just focused on giving their best. He didn't mind; it made the whole thing less stressful and more fun.
After over 20 minutes of play, the score was tied at two goals apiece.
Daniel and Pape Moussa had each scored a goal for their team, perfectly fulfilling their roles as captains. Abdou had scored with a monstrous header for Daniel's team, but Serigne Fallou had equalized by dribbling past the entire defense—made up of the least talented players on the team.
It was the final counterattack, and Jojo had the ball.
The boy took a deep breath, sweat pouring down his face. The players, both opponents and teammates, were packed tightly due to the limited space of their makeshift field, making it nearly impossible to break through.
He glanced quickly to the right, then the left. Daniel was locked in an intense one-on-one with Pape Moussa, who was marking him tightly. Abdou was completely covered by players.
Pass to the others? Might as well kick the ball out of bounds.
Jojo took a deep breath, filling himself with new determination.
Alright. Let's go all out.
He charged forward with all his strength, foot on the ball.
And at that moment, something strange happened.
Everyone's movements seemed to slow down around him, like a slow-motion scene.
Or rather, everything felt… too slow for him.
His vision covered the entire field, even what was behind him. It wasn't exactly an overhead view or a wide shot.
He could just see everything, from every angle, as a wave of heat surged through him like a flame.
Jojo veered to the right to dodge a defender and rolled to avoid another. He pushed lightly and jumped to evade a tackle from Serigne Fallou coming from behind.
Georges could almost feel the shock of his friends watching him play like this. From the far left, he heard Pape Moussa yell:
"Stop him, damn it!"
But it was already too late. All that remained was the goalkeeper—Saliou, to be precise. Still in slow motion, he prepared his shot… then hesitated.
Someone was charging at him with a ferocious tackle. Pape Moussa had abandoned Daniel to make a last-ditch defensive effort.
But Jojo saw him coming and lifted the ball into the air. Moments later, he jumped, dodging the tackle.
For a moment, he hung in the air, his leg already cocked back to shoot. Then…
'BAM!'
The shot rang out with force, and the ball flew with such power that Saliou didn't even have time to react in goal. The ball's trajectory ended against the wall behind with a dull thud and rolled back toward them, stopping at Jojo's feet as he landed.