NOVEL WEB Chapter 2: THE SPIRITS' TEST
EXT. FOREST CLEARING – DAWN
Akin stares, his body rigid.
The mist-shrouded figure stands just a few feet away, its presence unearthly, powerful, ancient.
The warrior's horned helmet gleams in the morning light, his armor dark and battle-worn. Strapped to his back is a massive sword, the hilt wrapped in what looks like old, tattered leather.
But what unsettles Akin the most is the warrior's silence.
No movement. No sound. Just watching.
Akin's throat goes dry.
"Is he real? Or am I dreaming?"
Slowly, he pushes himself up, his muscles aching from the previous night.
The warrior tilts his head slightly, as if observing Akin closely.
Then—
A voice. Deep, powerful, yet distant, like an echo of something old.
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"Why do you tremble, boy?"
Akin's heart hammers.
He opens his mouth, but no words come.
The warrior takes a slow step forward.
Akin instinctively stumbles back, his hands clenched into fists.
AKIN
"Who… Who are you?"
The warrior does not answer immediately.
Instead, he looks past Akin, toward the direction of Ajilomi village—as if he can see beyond the trees, beyond the horizon itself.
Then he speaks again.
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"The people of your village call you weak. They have cast you aside."
Akin's jaw tightens.
He knows this already, but hearing it from this being makes the words sting even more.
The warrior takes another step forward, his armor creaking slightly.
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"Tell me, boy… do you accept their judgment?"
The question hits Akin like a strike to the chest.
He wants to say no.
He wants to scream that he is strong, that the gods made a mistake.
But he hesitates.
Because deep down, a part of him is unsure.
He lowers his gaze, fists trembling.
The warrior scoffs, his tone suddenly sharp.
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"A warrior who doubts himself is already dead."
Akin's head snaps up.
The warrior turns slightly, the mist around him shifting like restless spirits.
Then, without warning—
He draws his sword.
The sound of metal slicing through air sends a shiver down Akin's spine.
The blade is massive, far larger than anything Akin has seen before, its surface engraved with mystical symbols.
The warrior plants the sword into the ground, the impact sending a small tremor through the earth.
Then, he looks at Akin directly.
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"Prove to me that you are not weak."
---
EXT. FOREST CLEARING – MOMENTS LATER
Akin stares at the sword, his breathing uneven.
"Prove myself?"
His hands tighten into fists.
He has nothing—no weapon, no strength, no blessing.
How can he fight this warrior, a man who radiates power beyond comprehension?
The warrior does not move, waiting.
Then—
Akin lunges forward.
His body reacts before his mind can doubt itself.
He swings a punch—aimed directly at the warrior's chest.
But the moment his fist makes contact—
BOOM.
Akin is sent flying backward, as if he just struck a mountain.
His body slams against the dirt, pain exploding through his ribs.
A groan escapes his lips as he struggles to get up.
The warrior does not laugh. He does not mock.
He simply watches.
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"Again."
Akin grits his teeth.
He will not be humiliated again.
This time, he rushes in faster, feinting left before swinging his right fist toward the warrior's side.
But before his strike can land—
The warrior moves.
Too fast.
Akin doesn't even see it happen—only feels the warrior's open palm strike his chest.
The force is overwhelming.
Akin collapses again, gasping for air.
"I can't… breathe—"
His lungs burn, his arms shake.
The warrior looms over him, the sword still planted firmly in the ground.
A heavy silence lingers.
Then—
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"A warrior must know when he is outmatched."
Akin trembles, his hands digging into the dirt.
He has never felt so powerless.
His breath is shaky. His vision blurs.
But in the depths of his exhaustion and pain, something burns inside him.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Something deeper.
The warrior turns, as if to leave.
That's when Akin speaks.
His voice low, but filled with a new fire.
AKIN
"I am not done."
The warrior stops.
Slowly, he looks back.
Akin, barely able to stand, forces himself to his feet.
His body screams in pain, but he refuses to fall.
The warrior watches for a long moment.
Then, for the first time, his expression changes.
A small, approving smirk.
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"Hmph. Perhaps there is something in you after all."
Akin breathes heavily, his vision swimming.
The warrior steps forward, stopping just in front of him.
MYSTERIOUS WARRIOR
"Rest now. Your real test begins soon."
Before Akin can respond, the warrior fades into mist, vanishing like a spirit returning to the void.
Akin stands there, alone.
His legs finally give out, and he collapses once more.
But this time—
He does not feel defeated.
He feels something awakening inside him.
Something far greater than the blessing he was denied.
EXT. FOREST CLEARING – NIGHT
Akin jerks awake.
The world around him is different.
The moon above is red, casting an eerie glow on the twisted trees surrounding him. Shadows shift unnaturally, stretching and twisting as if alive.
The air is thick, suffocating.
Akin slowly rises to his feet, his body aching from the earlier fight.
"Where am I?"
He looks around—the warrior is gone.
The forest feels… wrong.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Then—
A whisper.
SPIRIT VOICE (WHISPERING)
"Akin… Akin…"
Akin spins around, fists clenched.
But no one is there.
Then suddenly—
The trees start to move.
Their roots slither like serpents, their branches bend unnaturally, reaching toward him.
Then comes the laughter.
Not human.
Something else.
It echoes all around him, deep and haunting, like the voice of a thousand unseen beings.
SPIRIT VOICES
"You are nothing, boy…"
"A warrior without a blessing…"
"Abandoned. Weak. Forgotten."
Akin's chest tightens.
"This isn't real… This is a test."
He forces himself to move, stepping forward despite the weight pressing on his body.
Then—
A figure emerges from the mist.
Akin freezes.
His father.
Oba Ogunlaja, standing tall in full battle regalia, his spear resting in his hand. His face is cold, unreadable.
But his eyes… disappointed.
OBA OGUNLAJA
"Akin…"
Akin swallows hard.
AKIN
"Father…?"
Oba Ogunlaja steps forward.
The shadows swirl around him like living smoke.
OBA OGUNLAJA
"A son who cannot stand among warriors… is no son of mine."
The words hit like a dagger to the chest.
Akin's hands tremble, his nails digging into his palms.
SPIRIT VOICES (ECHOING)
"You are nothing."
"You were never meant to be a warrior."
"Run. Hide. That is all you can do."
The shadows begin to consume him, wrapping around his arms and legs like chains.
Akin's breath quickens.
His father's face twists, his features warping into something inhuman, monstrous.
His eyes turn black as the void.
Then—
He lunges.
Akin reacts on instinct.
He throws a punch—
But his fist passes through empty air.
The figure vanishes like smoke.
Then comes the silence.
The air is still again.
Akin pants, his body drenched in sweat.
He clenches his fists.
"No. I will not break."
Then—
A second figure emerges from the mist.
Akin freezes.
His mother.
Her gentle face is filled with sorrow, her eyes red from crying.
MOTHER
"My son… Why did you fail?"
Akin's heart twists painfully.
She steps closer, reaching out a trembling hand.
MOTHER
"Why couldn't you be strong? Why couldn't you make your father proud?"
Akin backs away.
His throat is tight.
His mind screams "This is not real!" but his heart aches.
His mother fades into mist, her voice lingering like a ghost.
Akin clenches his teeth.
"No more."
His body is shaking. His emotions are raw.
But then—
A third figure appears.
Not a loved one.
Not a warrior.
A mirror image of himself.
A darker Akin.
This Akin stares at him with cold, calculating eyes, his body wrapped in black mist.
DARK AKIN
"Look at you. Pathetic. Weak. Begging for power that will never come."
Akin steps forward, furious.
AKIN
"I am not weak!"
Dark Akin smirks.
DARK AKIN
"Then prove it."
He attacks.
---
EXT. SPIRIT REALM – THE BATTLE BEGINS
Akin barely dodges as his darker self lunges, fists glowing with dark energy.
The force of the punch cracks the ground beneath them.
Akin counters, swinging wildly—
But Dark Akin is faster, stronger.
He dodges easily, then lands a devastating kick to Akin's chest.
Akin skids backward, gasping for breath.
His double laughs.
DARK AKIN
"You are not worthy of power."
Akin grits his teeth.
Then—
He charges again.
He swings his hardest punch yet—
And this time—
His fist connects.
Dark Akin staggers backward, stunned.
Akin's eyes widen.
"I can fight back."
His chest heaves, his muscles burn, but he refuses to stop.
He attacks again.
Each strike stronger.
Faster.
Dark Akin laughs less and less.
Then—
Akin slams a final punch into his double's chest.
Dark Akin stumbles.
His body flickers, the mist around him dissipating.
Akin watches as his darker self begins to vanish.
But before he disappears, he smirks one last time.
DARK AKIN
"The real test… is yet to come."
Then—
He is gone.
The forest shifts.
The red moon fades.
And suddenly—
Akin is back.
Back in the normal world.
The morning sun rises through the trees.
He staggers, exhausted.
But something is different.
Something inside him has changed.
He survived the trial.
And for the first time in his life—
He feels like he is meant for something greater.