Zina adjusted her glowing backpack as she was led into SS2A. The class fell silent — except for Timi, who loudly whispered, "Make she no go burn our exercise books with her eye, o."
Their form teacher, Mr. Balogun, cleared his throat. "Everyone, this is Zina Olawunmi. She's from Ilé Ifẹ́ School of Wizardry. She's here on... special scholarship."
A snort escaped from the back of the class. It came from Bello, the school's self-proclaimed richest student. His shoes always shined like he had house elves working on them. He muttered to his clique, "Scholarship ko, broomstick ni."
Zina raised a brow but said nothing. She had sensed it already. Not everyone in this school was normal. In fact, she could smell the hidden powers. Some faint. Some disturbingly strong.
That night, as the students slept, something strange happened.
A boy in SS1, skinny and always silent, stood up from his bed in the dormitory. His name was Yusuf Bello. He walked to the window and whispered a chant under his breath.
The entire dormitory froze.
Literally.
Every clock stopped ticking. Every student froze in place. Time itself had paused.
Yusuf opened his hand, revealing a silver pendant glowing with red mist. He whispered, "Soon... the power of the Amulet will be mine. And not even that shiny-eyed girl can stop me."
Back in her room, Zina suddenly woke up, shivering. "Something's wrong... Someone just bent time."
Unbeknownst to most students, Elikem wasn't just a high school. It was a hidden battlefield.
Some students had powers. Some knew. Some didn't. And some would do anything — anything — to become the most powerful being in the school.
The true game had just begun.