2025-01-25 12:48:13They traveled for hours to an unknown destination and soon reached the town center. But unlike the center of San Roque, the center of this town in Tribal was filled with darkness.
There were no vendors along the roadside, and there weren’t many people strolling around the various parts of the center. In short, it felt like a ghost town. "Where are the people?" he whispered to the wind. Ambong heard this and responded. "They're at the factory." He suddenly remembered the man’s offer earlier. He scanned the area and spotted a large building not far off. Faint sounds of machinery could be heard from there. His eyebrows raised. That seemed to be the only normal thing he had noticed about the town. Ambong was already heading toward the building. He had no choice but to follow. He intermittently looked around. The place really was different. The houses in the center were made of nipa palm, and only the large factory was made of concrete. The road was also bumpy, and it seemed as though it had just rained, as the path to the factory was muddy. It felt like going back to the time when San Roque wasn't as populated. Back when the streets weren’t paved, and the houses were made of palm and nipa. Suddenly, someone shouted ahead. "So, there are freeloaders!" He focused his attention ahead and saw a man wearing thin metal armor. Like the man earlier, he had a thick, long mustache and was holding a bolo. His eyes narrowed as he looked at him and Ambong. When he saw Ambong, the furrow on his brow disappeared. He stood upright and waited for them to approach. "Who are they?" the man asked calmly. Alkan was taken aback by the tone of the man’s voice. Just moments ago, he had almost been killed by the sharpness of the man’s gaze. Why was this man suddenly being kind? He couldn’t help but glance at Ambong, who was standing beside him. This must be the reason why these creatures were being nicer to him. "Is Tayon here?" Alkan asked. The man looked like he was about to shout at him, but when he glanced at Ambong and saw his creased brow, he suddenly smiled at Alkan. "Tayon, the leader, is inside. Why are you looking for him?" "I met a man on the road earlier. He told me to look for him if I ever came to the center," Alkan explained. The man looked him up and down, then gestured for him to enter the factory. "Look for Amores inside, and he will take you to the leader, Tayon." He then looked at Ambong. "Sir, would you like to come inside?" Ambong cupped his chin and glanced at Alkan. He smiled at him. "No, I'll just wait outside." Even though he was nervous, Alkan walked into the factory. Besides looking for work, he wanted to find out where he was. He didn’t know where the Black Wing Tribe's base was, and the only way to find out was to ask the leader. But he couldn’t ask directly because they would suspect him. He had to work in the factory to avoid raising suspicion. Especially now that Ambong wasn’t with him. He had no way to convince the so-called Tayon. He also didn’t want to owe Ambong anything, since his soul would be the price. "Where can I find Amores?" he asked the woman sitting behind the desk. She looked at him. "That's me. Who are you looking for?" "Tay-- Leader Tayon. I want to speak with him." She tilted her head to the left before standing and gesturing for him to follow. "Come with me." He nodded and secretly smiled. It seemed like women were harder to talk to than men. They passed through several dim hallways before reaching a large red door. The woman knocked and gestured for him to enter before walking back down the path they had taken earlier. He took a deep breath before pushing open the large door. A foul smell greeted him. He covered his nose and looked around inside. Unlike the dim hallway, the room was brightly lit. The light came from a round crystal in the middle of the room. A man sat behind the crystal. His eyes were closed. But when he took a step forward, the man opened his eyes. Without a word, he lunged toward him. If he hadn’t dodged the man’s sharp claws, he might have taken his last breath. He quickly stepped back, alert, and stared at the strange man. The man looked him up and down, and Alkan noticed that the creatures in this town seemed to always examine strangers from head to toe. "Who are you?" the man asked. He didn’t expect to hear the young voice of the one they called Tayon. The man looked to be around his age, though a few centimeters taller. What was unusual about him was his silver-colored eyes. "I’m Alkan," he replied, still on alert. "I want to work in the factory." Tayon raised an eyebrow. After a moment, he laughed. "Are you new to this town?" He nodded and stayed still. He didn’t think Tayon would suddenly attack him. "I met a man on the road earlier. He said if I came to the center, I should look for someone named Tayon to get a job in the factory." Tayon looked away and walked back to his seat. "What you want isn't easy. Who was this man you're talking about?" "He didn’t introduce himself, but he looked like the guards outside." He noticed that Tayon froze for a moment, but after a few seconds, he continued walking. "You didn’t recognize him?" "No," he replied firmly. Tayon nodded and sat back in his chair. "Do you know what kind of beings live in this town?" For a moment, he was speechless. He hadn’t asked Ambong what kind of beings lived in this town. He swallowed and shook his head. "No," he said. Tayon’s eyes narrowed again. "You have a strange scent. I can smell the scent of a witch on you, but you don’t have witch blood." His frown deepened. "In fact, you have the blood of a... sawikin." Alkan blinked in surprise and stared at Tayon. "What do you mean?" Tayon raised his hand, and in a moment, Alkan felt a cut appear on his finger. Blood dripped onto the white floor, and to his amazement, the wound quickly healed. His eyes widened, and he touched his finger while more blood dripped onto the floor. The blood trailed toward Tayon. And to his shock, it seemed to enter Tayon’s mouth. He froze in place. "My suspicion was correct. You have sawikin blood, but... it’s a strange blood. I can’t tell what kind of sawikin blood you have." Alkan swallowed and looked away. If he had sawikin blood, did that mean one of his parents was a sawikin? Was that why Gio had been following him—because he had sawikin blood? But he couldn’t say that the White Wing Tribe was protecting him. He was still in the Black Wing Tribe's territory, and it would be dangerous if they found out why he was there. "I didn’t know I had sawikin blood," he said, his brow furrowed. In that moment, he spoke the truth. When facing danger, it was only right that a bit of truth be mixed into each lie. Tayon lowered his gaze while continuing to look at him. "If that’s the case, work here in the factory. Don’t trust anyone, and don’t ask what kind of creatures live in this town." He stared at Tayon. There was something he was implying with his words, but Alkan couldn’t figure out what it was. Tayon raised his hand, and the large door that had been closed suddenly opened. "Go out and find Amores. Start working now while there’s still daylight outside."
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Ambong tightened his grip on Alkan, and in an instant, the shadow dropped from its position in the sky. Alkan gasped and clung tightly to Ambong's sleeve, cursing repeatedly in his mind. Tayon's eyes widened, and he quickly flew toward them. A mischievous grin formed on Ambong’s lips before he suddenly darted off in a different direction. Alkan heard Tayon curse before swiftly pursuing them. As Ambong laughed in the air, Alkan’s face turned as pale as paper. His heart had been pounding relentlessly, painfully even. He kept taking deep breaths, but before he could steady himself, they were once again surrounded by vampires. Unlike earlier, Tayon’s brows were now creased. His gaze toward Ambong was sharp, but it became even more piercing whenever it landed on Alkan. "Don't even think about escaping. No matter what you do, you won't get away. You're in vampire territory," Tayon smirked. "Haven't you noticed? No matter where you go in this place, there's always a vampire watching. Sto
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Surikong grinned widely. “That’s a good decision. Get ready, we’ll be leaving soon.” Celya happily turned around and stepped back toward the door. But she stopped in her tracks when she passed by Alkan. She looked at his face and smirked, as if challenging him. Then she rolled her eyes and continued walking. He ignored the princess’s actions and turned to Surikong, who was still smiling at him. His lips pressed into a thin line before he turned away and left the room. He could still hear Surikong’s voice behind him, saying, “You should get ready too, Alkan. We’re leaving soon.” Alkan clenched his fists. He really didn’t like being told what to do. However, he wanted to get out of that palace, so he decided to follow Surikong’s orders without arguing. As the sun neared the western horizon, Alkan found himself standing outside a factory. The king did not accompany them, but he had sent two large men to escort them to the entrance. “We can only go this far, king of witches,”
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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.
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The sun shone brightly, and its rays hit Alkan’s closed eyes. He frowned, slowly opening them as he sat up from the grass. He let out a deep breath. It had been seven years since his family died in an accident. All of his parents’ assets had been passed down to him, but he was too lazy to manage everything. So, he decided to buy several hectares of land in Alegria to turn into a farm. He entrusted his most reliable staff to handle the companies left behind in the city. Just the other day, while negotiating with a landowner, a man suddenly called out to him. The man claimed to be a priest whom Alkan had saved from the Black Palace. But Alkan denied it, thinking the stranger was mentally unstable. Because of that weird encounter, he decided to postpone his land purchase. His assistant came running toward him. "Good day, Sir!" "Did something happen?" he asked, standing up. "The office in the city called. They said your travel documents for your flight to Europe have been proces
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Her name was Matilda, one of the loyal followers of the ancient king. Since the first century, when the king fell into slumber, and up until Alkan’s time, the woman had remained faithfully by his side. She was also the one who set Alkan’s destiny in motion, leading him to this dimension. "Your ancestor was the descendant of the ancient king. He sent his own heir to another dimension to keep them safe from those who lusted after power." Matilda sighed. "At that time, not a day passed without blood spilling upon this land. When the ancient king learned that others sought to kill his only heir, he did not hesitate to use half of his power to open a portal to a world he believed would accept them." Alkan stared at the sleeping man. Time had not affected his appearance—in a single glance, one might mistake the ancient king for his older brother. "He tasked me with setting the fate of his descendant’s heir so they would one day return to this world—to save a land filled with conflic
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The rain fell gently that day. The entire land was silent after the third region was consumed by fire. The rain had not stopped since that day, filling the witnesses of the gods’ and goddesses’ wrath with unease. But what everyone anticipated was the next move of the one who had dared to challenge the strongest beings in that world. "Master, there is still no movement from the first region," Asha reported. Alkan swung his sword slowly. At that moment, he was studying a new form of combat. He had discovered this mysterious technique from books salvaged from Ashura’s palace. After the palace burned, Asha’s serpents had found a secret door that remained untouched by the flames. She informed him, so he went to investigate and found an ancient library. It contained many old tools and battle techniques. According to Drako, they were from the first century—the era of the ancient king. Without hesitation, Alkan took everything and began studying them. "But a strange creature has been
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Alkan nodded. "They never witnessed any movement in or out of the wasteland." He turned toward the third region. "And it seems there's an imposter among the ministers of Ashura’s palace." "What do you mean?" "No one should have known about the pit inside the wasteland unless they had planted a spy. But I rule the wasteland, and no one from the third region has infiltrated it. This can only mean… that minister is from the first region! We need to return—it’s a trap!" he declared, flying back to the third region. Just as Alkan suspected, the minister who first spoke at the meeting was an agent of the palace from the first region. Once he confirmed that Alkan was in the wasteland, he quickly signaled his allies stationed around the third region. A battalion stormed and took over Bendito, another army occupied Ashura, and the prince of the first region went to Celes to seize the queen. Whe
Chapter 115: A trap
Alkan’s appearance never returned to the way it once was. His hair and eyes remained split in two colors. But that didn’t stop the monsters from recognizing him as their new master. With the council—once the pillar of the third region—gone, the highest-ranking officials of Bendito and the remaining leaders of Ashura’s palace decided to appoint Alkan as the ruler of the third region. He had no choice but to accept the position laid before him. Now, three regions of the world followed him: the wasteland, the third region, and the second region. Yet, despite having the power to command these territories, his concerns in the past few days had not disappeared. There had been no movement from the first region, which puzzled him. Based on the information he had gathered, the first region would never retreat unless they were planning something ominous. "Master, my serpents cannot enter the first region. There is a barrier repelling all monsters at the entrance. They tried to circle around,
Chapter 114: Goddess of Death
"It has been millennia since I last saw you. You were just a small child then, but now, here you are, planning to slaughter the very beings who once nurtured you." Alkan clenched his fists at the words. "Nurtured?" He let out a dry laugh. "You stole my power and stripped me of my freedom in the name of the fairy kingdom. You murdered my parents. All you've ever done is ruin my life and the lives of the beings in Tribal!" A smile played on the anito’s lips. "Why wouldn’t we? The inhabitants of Tribal are nothing but weak creatures. A mere flick of our fingers, and your lives would vanish into the wind. Shouldn’t you be afraid of the council? And yet, what happened? You established three kingdoms and enslaved all the beings in Tribal. You made yourselves gods, but… before us, you are nothing more than an ant." "An ant?" Alkan laughed at the insult. "So that’s how you see Tribal?" His grin widened. "Why don’t you ask the gods and goddesses of the first region who the real ants are? Did
Chapter 113: Welcome to the Council of Anito
The blood had already poured from the top of his head, but the general still tried to stand and face him. "Do you even know what you're doing, fool?" "You wanted to fight, so I gave you a good one. What? Can you still go on?" The general gritted his teeth in frustration and immediately charged at him. Alkan just shook his head. Even though he was wounded, the general refused to back down. One of his subordinates finally spoke up with concern. "General, we still have a battle later tonight." "Silence!" the general shouted, continuing his attack. Alkan dodged repeatedly, occasionally slashing the general’s face. By now, the general’s entire body was covered in bruises and wounds, and his blood wouldn’t stop dripping. Alkan’s brows furrowed. He had no time for this fight, so he decided to end it. With one decisive strike, the general collapsed. He didn't kill him, but who knew if the man would still be able to f
Chapter 112: War in the first region
By the time they reached the entrance to Ashura, the sun was already high in the sky. The closer they got, the worse Alkan felt. He had a strong feeling that something terrible would happen the moment he stepped into the council’s territory. But they were already here—there was no turning back now. With firm resolve, he stepped into Ashura. What greeted him was a row of warriors. Alkan blinked in surprise. "I, the general of the First Region’s army, have been tasked with stopping the Third Region from invading the Second Region—the land of the monsters! Prepare yourselves! We will strike at nightfall!" a man on a shining white horse declared. It was no ordinary horse. Its radiant body glowed under the sunlight. "Master, it looks like a war is about to break out in Ashura," Asha murmured, glancing around. "I can't sense any snakes nearby, so I can't gather any information." Alkan’
Chapter 111: Fall of Arelano
Alkan conjured a whirlwind mixed with water. Arelano narrowed his eyes and released shadows that engulfed the entire palace. But shadow manipulation was also one of Alkan’s abilities, so the darkness had no effect on him. He spread the four-colored flames from his feet, sending them across the furniture, up to the ceiling, until the entire palace was engulfed in fire. With the darkness dispelled, he saw sweat forming on Arelano’s face due to the heat. The corner of his lips curled. "Is that all you’ve got?" "Don't get ahead of yourself, mortal!" Arelano shouted, summoning two massive black wings on his back. They spread wide, creating a powerful gust of wind that extinguished the flames and once again covered the surroundings in darkness. Drako transformed into a dragon, while Asha turned into a serpent. The two worked together to defeat Arelano, while Alkan focused on casting a curse.