Before he could process what was happening, several women ran in his direction. He was rooted to the spot, startled when one of them grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the scene. "Move! The Black Wing Tribe is coming!" she gasped. Her face was pale, her breathing ragged. He could feel the cold tremble in her hands. "They’re all dead! There's nothing left for you there!" He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her words. He hadn’t come to that settlement looking for family. Still, he let her pull him along. So that she wouldn’t fall behind, he took hold of her arm instead and ran at the front of the group. He heard her sharp intake of breath but noticed she didn’t complain—she simply ran, trying to keep up with him. Alkan's ears had perked up at what the woman had said. The Black Wing Tribe is coming? Did that mean they were the ones responsible for the burning village? He glanced at the woman beside him. He couldn't tell which tribe she belonged to, but she didn’t seem

Yes, there were times when he could control the shadow without knowing that it had a mind of its own because of Ambong. But now, Ambong was no longer inside his body, so he didn’t know how to summon the shadow. "I am not part of the witch's lineage. There was someone who taught me how to manipulate it..." His lips pressed into a thin line. "Besides, if the black sawikin had sent me here, the women would have already been lying lifeless on the ground." "Then show me your ability!" the man demanded. With no other choice, Alkan closed his eyes. He focused on himself until he felt the creeping cold from his soles, rising up his legs, arms, neck, and finally to his face. His muscles shivered with dread. This was the familiar sensation whenever the shadow touched his body. And it seemed his suspicion was right when he heard a woman scream. Footsteps followed, scurrying away from him. He knew the women had taken refuge in a corner. When he opened his eyes, even he was taken aback.

The women roared in unison. Even the exorcists were taken aback. They were no longer the weak, weeping women from before. They were resolute, determined to fight. Seizing the opportunity, Alkan grabbed the baby and fled through a hole in the cave wall, running without looking back. He didn’t know how long he had been running. He only knew that the sun was setting when he left the cave with the baby. Darkness had swallowed the surroundings, and the wind had turned cold. The only sounds he could hear were the chirping of crickets. Panting, he stopped running. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so he knew he was standing under the shade of a large tree. He lowered his gaze to the baby, still surrounded by a white glow. He smiled. He hadn’t seen any shadows earlier, so he knew he had made the right decision. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound not far away. Alkan became alert. Holding his breath, he turned toward the source of the noise, but he saw no movement in that

If it weren’t for the group of black sawikin heading toward the river, she would never have given Alkan to the siren. Even though she could have taken Alkan away at that moment, she worried that the black sawikin would realize that three exorcists had come to the river. They might also catch the scent of the infant Irwin had been holding earlier. If that happened, the Black Palace would immediately know that the rumor about the child of prophecy being from the priestly tribe was a lie. She hadn’t gone far from the river when she heard the faint whistling of wings. Looking up at the sky, she saw a group of black sawikin passing through. Her jaw tightened, and she raised her hand. Dark light shone from her palms as she ran faster. The rustling of leaves and the crunch of her footsteps against the dry foliage echoed in the air. She sensed the sawikin hesitate before turning their attention toward her. The exorcist grinned widely and sped up. In no time, she felt the black sawikin p

She stood frozen as countless skeletal figures dragged themselves toward her. What kind of creatures were these? There's no records in history that mentioned skeletons rising from the ground. "My lady, this is not the time to be surprised," the black sawikin said, sounding mildly disgusted as it eyed the approaching skeletons. "If you don’t move, you’ll be their dinner." Snapping back to reality, she took a deep breath and raised her hand. Wind gathered in her palm, forming a small whirlwind. She unleashed it at the cluster of skeletons nearer to her. The force shattered them, but they kept crawling toward her, undeterred. Her lips pressed into a thin line. She summoned another whirlwind, but it still wasn’t enough to diminish their numbers. The black sawikin frowned. "You might need fire to get rid of them completely." She turned to him with a glare. "If you're not going to help, just shut up!" she snapped, focusing on summoning another whirlwind. Relief washed over h