2025-02-14 05:52:14Before 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 like a vampire from the Black Wing Tribe. If they had destroyed her home, then she was either from the White Wing Tribe or a tribe that refused to ally with either side. He took a deep breath. He needed to find out why the Black Wing Tribe had attacked the settlement and why this woman had pulled him away. Did she not realize he was human? Before long, the group reached a cave several kilometers from the village. It was well-hidden behind wild, waist-high foliage, making the entrance hard to spot at first glance. The opening was about the height of a woman, forcing Alkan to duck slightly to enter. Among the group, only he and a few young boys were the last to enter. He let the boys go first and carefully repositioned the wild grass to conceal the entrance. Quickly, he ducked inside. He hadn’t expected the cave to be so spacious. He no longer had to crouch, and the space was roughly the size of three basketball courts. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crying. He stiffened and glanced around. Moments ago, the women had been running, but now that they had reached safety, they could no longer hold back their grief. The entire group mourned the loss of their tribe and their loved ones. Only the woman who had pulled him along wasn’t crying. Instead, she caught her breath in a corner before walking toward the entrance. She stared outside, where only wild plants were visible, then pushed a large, round boulder toward the opening. Alkan immediately understood her intention. He stepped forward to help her push. But before they could fully block the entrance, the sound of footsteps echoed outside. The women fell silent, hastily quieting the babies in their arms. The woman and Alkan both stopped pushing the boulder, waiting to see who the footsteps belonged to. Moments later, three men suddenly entered through the half-covered opening. The women gasped. "Yuan! Ping! Restor!" one of them cried out. She ran toward them. "What happened? Has the tribe been completely wiped out?" Her voice trembled, and a bead of sweat trailed down her forehead. The three men exchanged glances before nodding, their expressions grim. The man on the left answered, "The Black Wing Tribe killed almost half of the men. A few managed to survive. We are among the lucky ones. The others are hiding however they can. We ran here to ensure you all made it safely to the cave." The women gasped again. Alkan frowned and couldn’t help but ask, "Were you followed?" The three men turned to him, surprise flashing across their faces. But in the next instant, they lunged at him. He couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying several meters back. Blood dripped from his lips as he coughed. He wiped it away and looked up at the three men standing in front of him. "Who are you? You’re not one of us! What do you want?" the man in the middle shouted. His face was red with anger, but he clenched his fists, restraining himself from attacking again until they got an answer. From the corner of his eye, Alkan saw the woman who had pulled him earlier. Her eyes widened slightly in shock as she looked at him, a question lingering in them. He swallowed and steadied himself. Looking down at the three men—since he was a head taller than them—he spoke. "I'm Alkan. I mean no harm to the women of your tribe. I was merely passing through when I saw the village burning. When the women ran in my direction, I had no choice but to follow. I saw one of them falling behind, so I grabbed her and made sure she caught up with the group." He glanced at the woman who had pulled him. "Isn’t that right?" A flicker of emotion passed through her eyes before she quickly averted her gaze. She nodded without saying a word. Alkan let out a quiet sigh of relief. He didn’t want to get her involved. The moment he saw her surprised expression upon learning he wasn’t one of them, he knew she had assumed he was part of her tribe. That was why she had pulled him along into safety without hesitation. That thought warmed Alkan’s heart a little. She had a kind soul. And if the others found out she was the one who brought him to the cave, they would see her as a traitor. It was better if he took all the blame. Besides, he was grateful for what she had done. If she hadn’t pulled him away, he didn’t know what would have happened. If the Black Wing Tribe had found him there, they likely would have killed him on sight. "We can't say whether you're an enemy or not. But now that we're here, you can leave this cave," said the man. Silence reigned for a few minutes before Alkan glanced around. In the corner, he saw a woman holding a baby in her arms. But what made him stop in his tracks was the light surrounding the infant. His eyes widened slightly, and he quickly looked away to avoid letting the three men notice his shock. A light surrounded the baby. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he had seen that light before. When he remembered it, he froze. Alkan recalled the glow that once surrounded Daniella, the woman he had courted before. She had a light in her that kept the shadows at bay. But after a few weeks of staying by Daniella’s side, her light gradually dimmed. That was when he realized she was being influenced by his bad habits—lying, cursing, and drinking alcohol. She also developed a liking for parties. Before he could stop her, the light surrounding her had completely faded. He himself had witnessed how the shadows drew closer to Daniella back then. Ever since she left him, he had never seen that kind of light again—until now. That was why he was unsure of what to do. Should he take the baby so the shadows wouldn’t come near him? "Hey! I'm asking you a question!" the man on the left shouted.
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Alkan flinched and quickly looked ahead. The three men were already frowning at him. But because of the light he had seen, his earlier plan to leave now seemed unlikely. He needed to find out which tribe the child belonged to and why it was surrounded by light. He cleared his throat. "What tribe are you from?" The three men narrowed their eyes at him and slightly lowered their heads into a stance ready to attack. A chill ran down his spine, and he quickly raised his hands. "I mean no harm. I just want to know if you're allied with the White Wing Tribe and if that’s the reason the Black Wing Tribe attacked you." At the mention of the White Wing Tribe, the tension in the air slightly eased. He couldn’t quite read the three men’s expressions, but he noticed the women averting their gazes. Soon, the man in the middle straightened his stance. He looked Alkan over from head to toe. "We are not allies of the White Wing Tribe, but neither are we enemies of the white sawikin. We have li
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Because of what he had heard, the elder decided to keep the truth about their leader's condition a secret from the tribe, telling only Yuli. They spread the lie that the prophesied mortal was about to arrive, which caused the leader’s condition to worsen. What they never expected was that their fabricated prophecy would actually come true. Now, the elder feared that if the sorcerer learned that the leader had recovered, the black army might attack before they were ready. To prevent this, he created a liquid that would make it appear as if the leader was still weak, ensuring that the traitor within the tribe remained unaware. Alkan frowned at what he had seen in the memories and waved his hand. The shadow in front of him was swept away by the wind and returned to his body. He glanced at the leader, who was still fast asleep. Tch. He raised his hand and placed a protective barrier around the bed before stepping out of the hut and wandering outside.
Chapter 83: The traitor (1)
He found the leader awake, his eyes open. Alkan froze for a moment before stepping closer to the bed, smiling. The leader, however, glared at him. “Who are you?” the leader asked in a hoarse voice. Though his voice was weak, his gaze remained fierce. It was no surprise that he was the leader of the tribe. “I am Alkan Buena,” he said, standing at the side of the bed. “I am a mortal, and Yuli believes that I am the one foretold in the prophecy passed down by your ancestors.” The leader’s eyes widened slightly, and he parted his lips, but no words came out. Alkan looked away and glanced up at the small statue of a winged figure hanging from the ceiling. “Sense your body. What has changed?” he said. A moment later, he heard the leader gasp, so he lowered his gaze back to him. “You no longer feel the monster inside you, do you? Don’t worry. I burned it away before you regained your senses.” The leader blinked whil
Chapter 82: The stream
He secretly placed the leader in his room while Yuli fetched something to drink. Alkan looked around the room and noticed that there was nothing inside except for a large bed in the center and a small table beside it. What also caught his attention was a small statue of a man with two open wings on his back, hanging in the center of the ceiling. “Mortal, has the leader not woken up yet?” Yuli asked as he stepped inside, placing a glass of water on the small table. Behind him was Matilda, who looked worriedly at the leader lying on the bed. Alkan shook his head. “The leader won’t wake up until later.” He glanced at Yuli. “Have you found out who the traitor in the tribe is?” Yuli furrowed his brows, pressing his lips into a thin line, while Matilda let out a sigh. “No. No one can say who in the tribe has been in contact with outsiders. For the past few months, everyone has stayed within the tribe, and only the hunters have go
Chapter 81: Cursed tribe leader
The arms and legs were chained to the floor, and the body was covered in lash marks. The long hair obscured the face. The skin was as pale as paper, and the figure was emaciated. This was the state in which Alkan found the tribe’s leader. He swallowed hard. “At first, the leader was not in this condition,” Yuli said with a sigh. “But ever since the dragon appeared in the East, the monster within him has become more aggressive. Even during the day, he can no longer recognize the people around him. He only wants to consume flesh and bones, so we decided to restrain him. He is no longer in his right mind.” Alkan frowned. “Why does he have lash marks on his skin?” Yuli looked at where he was pointing and dropped his shoulders. “That’s what we don’t know. Every morning, his skin just ends up like that, but no one has been seen entering this place. The guards say they haven’t seen anyone come inside—except for a stray cat.” “A st
Chapter 80: Curse and feast
When Alkan woke up, the sun had already set in the west. Darkness had consumed the entire surroundings, and fireflies sparkled in the night, serving as the tribe’s source of light. He saw the diamond sitting at the edge of the bed, with two beings standing near the door. “Master!” the woman greeted. Because it was dark and he had just woken up, he couldn’t clearly make out the two figures, but when he heard the woman’s voice, he recognized Pilak. He quickly sat up on the bed, glanced at the two beings, then turned to the diamond woman. “When did you restore their human forms?” he asked. “While you were asleep, Master.” He got up completely and stepped out of the room. Kulitaptap greeted him. Aside from that, Alkan could feel a pure force emanating from the center of the tribe. There was a small cave there, and when he extended his consciousness earlier, he sensed a pure power coming from within
Chapter 79: Pilak and Anino return
The Diamond Woman brought him to a secluded tribe in the southernmost part of the land, far from the Black Palace. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a forest beneath the scorching midday sun. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes again. "Master?" the Diamond Woman called when she saw that he remained lying on the grass. "Later," he muttered in a low voice. "I just want to rest." The Diamond Woman created a barrier to shield him from the sun. Then, she sat beside him, watching the peaceful dance of the leaves as the wind passed through them. They remained in silence for several minutes before Alkan suddenly opened his eyes, recalling something. "When will you restore Pilak and Anino to their human forms?" he asked. The Diamond Woman turned to him, lost in thought for a few seconds. "I could restore them now, Master, but some beings are approaching. It wouldn’t be safe for the two flames to tran
