"A hundred years ago, two clans lived on this island. The first clan is our ancestors' clan. And the other clan is the Bloodsucker clan. We lived in a symbiotic way; your life, my life. No disputes, no nothing."
"Until one day, one of our kind messed up with the Bloodsucker. He was a well-known figure on the island; a rich Alpha who had all the greed in the world. He wanted the land from the other side of the island—the one where the Bloodsucker resided. So, he used the most pathetic way to own the title. He lured one of the bloodsuckers into a relationship."
"The innocent Bloodsucker female ended up pregnant from this bizarre relationship. She was elated to tell the Alpha. But when she came to his house, she found out that the Alpha was getting married to another Omega. She went rampaging, killing almost everyone at the wedding. The ABO clan managed to catch her with the help of a special breed shaman; our great-grandmother. She's the first Enigma ever recorded in history of this place."
"But, to catch the female bloodsucker, it wasn't easy. She had to sacrifice her Alpha cub—a young male who possessed a sealing technique—to keep the bloodsucker in bay. He ordained himself, living alone in the forest just to keep everyone alive. Then Elder Abbot became his apprentice and took over the job until he passed away recently."
"The transition between these two abbots was when the tragedy happened to us ten years ago. The seal master was getting older and ill, thus the seal cracked a bit. It was exactly before the visitation of the Sarin to this island. Enigma Young tried to gather all the villagers to fight the bloodsucker but they refused. One of them even dared to drug Enigma Young, weaken his state until he got caught by the bloodsucker."
"The tragedy costs us lives; Sora and Nara's Omega father died to save ThongFa's mother, Enigma Young lost his Golden Omega husband—my only cub. Bua also lost his sibling, because her Omega mother was having a miscarriage. We almost lost Enigma Young, too. Luckily, we managed to get him before it was too late."
"And now that the Elder Abbot is gone, the seal is cracking again. And the first convoy has been missing. I am afraid history will repeat itself. But, I can't just let all of them die in misery. We need to put off this dispute, once and for all!"
The convoy exchanges looks with each other. The silence of the night surrounds the house. After the early encounter with Young and Elder Talay, everyone moved to their accommodation before gathering again during dinner. That's when Elder Talay took a chance to tell them the history of the dispute between the villagers on the island and the Bloodsucker.
"When I saw these Sarin's Omegas today, I feel like the future is definitely uncertain. We might have planned our lives in the most meticulous way possible. But, destiny will always find a way," says Elder Talay, smiling at Ezra.
"Well, believe it or not, I never knew anything about myself until today..." Ezra replies politely but in a goofy tone so everyone will be less tense.
"To save the convoy, I need each and every one—Alpha and Omega—to join forces. We will conduct a ritual at midnight. And from there each of you will have your role in this mission..." says Young. "This is crucial, especially for you, my cub..."
His finger points at Ezra. The burden is surreal for the young Omega who has just come of age a few days ago. The first task as a legal Young Adult is to save his mates and his family. This battle is no longer between two nemesis.
It's all about survival and loyalty.
***
Ezra, Tul, Caspian, and Sora sit on every edge of the square mark on the ground behind the house. They are in the inner circle, while Renyu, Cabot, Bua, and Gun form another layer of a square at the outside. Young is sitting in the middle with Elder Talay, their back facing each other.
Ezra's cheeks was smeared with a mix of mud and camphor; just as same as Tul. However, for Caspian, they decided to wrap him in a white, thick robe with yellow strings tie up around his body. Because he is carrying a cub inside him, he needs a different kind of protection.
The ritual begins with Elder Talay prays for the soul of the ancestor and asking the deity for a permission to carry on the ritual. Then, he starts chanting some prayers, together with Young. The rest of the convoy stay still.
Talay stands up from the his seat, handing over the chanting to Young. He needs to control the circle, just in case if someone breaks it.
"Focus on your mind and soul and open your heart," he reminds them. The chant continues in the calmness, with wind blows from the sea nearby, adding chilling feeling in everyone's body.
"Ezra..."
The Omega almost open his eyes when he hears someone is calling his name. But, he keeps reminding himself to stay put and focus.
"Ezra Han..."
That name... it's been a long time since he heard someone called him with that name.
"Ezra Han..."
Ezra huffs in a heavy breath. Sweats are brimming on his forehead. His chest goes up and down rapidly. He keeps his posture tight, focusing on the chant. The wind gradually goes from calm to wild.
"Ezra Han!!!"
The Omega is hyperventilating on his praying cushion, fighting with this unknown emotion. An image of fire; something is burning in front of him projecting like a flash movie. He feels burning from inside, fingers entwined with each other.
A horrified scream coming through the air into his ear canal almost makes him passed out, right here, right there. A loud wail is calling for him, though his name is no longer mentioned, but he feels like the wail is for him. Begging to be save, begging to be found.
Begging for his attention.
"Ezra Sarin... My Omega..." a tap on his shoulder startled Ezra until he leaps on his seat. His eyes quickly wide open, checking the surrounding. Old Granpa Sarin is still praying in thr middle of the circle, but he already awaken from the meditation, shocking by a sudden wave.
"My cub, are you alright?" Talay walks passes Young, all the way to Ezra. Everyone is awaking, one by one they look at him.
"I... I sense something. Or someone... but they were calling my name. My real name before I joined the Sarin. I don't know them," Ezra replies.
"Anything else?" Young asks.
"Fire... darkness... wailing... crying... ThongFa..." Ezra's eyes grow larger when he mentioned ThongFa.
"We need to be hurry. I think... something is happening to Fa. Something bad..."