Inside Chief Viren's tent.
"Father, are we going to keep the outsider here? Can we really trust him?" Vir worriedly questioned the old man sitting before him. "You know what happened when we last accepted an outsider… I lost my wife."
"It is not about trust, Vir. This is about the survival of our tribe." Chief Viren sighed. "It is not like I forgot that incident; you know better than anyone that I would never forget that, but young Alfred might be the answer to our problem."
"…That is what I'm confused about." Vir looked down at his crossed legs. "I am well aware of our dire situation. But I do not see the connection to it from that outsider."
Chief Viren lingered, staring solely at Vir's bewildered eyes. Soon, he released a mouthful of air and gazed at Vir full of determination.
"Vir, my son, I think it is time for you to know the secret of our tribe, or perhaps the secret of every tribe. In tradition, this knowledge should be known only to the Elders, as it is associated with the very safety of the tribe. So, before I tell you this forbidden truth, I want you to swear to the Guardian Tree that you will keep this secret and tell no one unless it is of the utmost necessity."
Vir lingered for a few seconds.
Taking an oath to the Guardian Tree was a promise that should never be broken. Once it had been broken, the Guardian Tree would take a life at the cost.
If his father was willing to go so far, it meant the topic was very much related to the tribe's survival.
His father never broke the tribe's rule, but his stubborn questioning forced the Chieftain to make a difficult choice. He wondered if he should push and discover the secret or stop there and trust his father's words.
However, he recalled the painful memories of his past, the disaster he never wanted to repeat. Vir fixed his sitting posture and looked Chief Viren straight into his eyes.
"I, the Head Hunter of the Phantom Tribe, swear to the Guardian Tree that I will never divulge the secret of the tribe unless it is of the utmost necessity. If ever I bend my words, the Guardian Tree may punish me."
Upon finishing his statement, a golden pillar of light engulfed Vir's entire being, symbolizing the eternal promise.
Chief Viren sighed.
"The oath has been finalized; there is no coming back." Chief Viren stood and sauntered towards the exit with his hands behind his back. "Follow me."
Vir did not hesitate and walked outside.
Chief Viren remained standing in front of the tent, mesmerized by the greatness of the Guardian Tree.
Soon after, the old man ambled towards the giant tree without uttering a word.
Vir did not ask anything and copied the Elder's footsteps.
The two had received countless greetings from the tribesmen, smiling and bowing as soon as they had seen them.
Even though Chief Viren's mind was focused on the serious matter he was about to share with his son, he did not forgo his duty and treated the people with a gentle smile and nod.
A moment later, the two of them halted before the magnificent tree. Ahead was a cave, leading deeper into the Guardian Tree.
"It is fascinating, is it not?" Chief Viren mumbled while looking up. "This tree has been protecting our tribe for hundreds of years, yet we still know almost nothing about it."
"It is not like we do not want to know more," Vir replied as he too glanced upward. "It is taboo to study the Guardian Tree. That is the teaching of our ancestors."
"It is…" After stopping for a few seconds, Chief Viren continued his way towards the cave. "Let us proceed."
However, this time, Vir did not move.
"Father, is it all right for me to enter the sacred altar?" Vir asked worriedly. "Is it not only the Elders who are allowed inside?"
"No need to worry, you will be the next Chieftain of this tribe." The old man answered without looking back. "Sooner or later, you will have the right to enter the sacred altar; we will just go ahead of time due to our dire circumstances."
Chief Viren's silhouette disappeared inside the cave, consumed by the darkness hiding within.
Vir hesitated for a while, but soon, he took a step as he had already decided, following his father without further thought.
The cave was tunnel-like, dark, and narrow. The air was moist, and the walls were covered in roots. At the other end of the tunnel was a light, green and almost magical.
Even though Vir was a strict man, his eyes couldn't help but wander around. Almost his entire life, he had always wanted to see what it was like inside the sacred altar. It was far from his expectations, but regardless, it was exhilarating.
Finally, Vir would know the secret of the tribe. He would be able to protect it much better and make a more appropriate decision in the future.
A moment later, Vir and Chief Viren entered a much larger room. The walls were covered in much thicker roots as they emitted a soft light.
However, what truly garnered Vir's attention was the boulder in the middle.
It was standing tall, half of his height. Like the wall, roots hugged its entire body; only a part of it could be seen, glimpsing in the gaps of the entangled roots. And in the upper part of the stone could be seen a hole large enough to place a human head inside.
"…What is that?" Vir asked in disbelief. "Why can I feel a strong energy coming from it?"
"We called that the Guardian's Heart," Chief Viren said. "Its existence is so important that it is better if it remains hidden."
"Why?" Vir curiously questioned.
"While the Guardian Tree is very tough and hard to damage, its heart, on the other hand, is a different case." The old man looked at Vir with seriousness. "If ever the Guardian's Heart is destroyed, the Guardian Tree will immediately wither, and our tribe's only protection will die together with it."
"I… see."
Vir instantly understood the importance of the heart. If ever they lost the protection of the tree, monsters and beasts would swarm their tribe in a matter of days.
However, while observing the mystical boulder, Vir noticed something concerning.
"Father, why do I feel like the Spirit Energy of the Guardian's Heart is diminishing?"
Chief Viren's demeanor became gloomy.
"It is because the need for a beast core offering is coming near." The old man's voice sounds depressed. "I am afraid we have to put the life of our tribesman in grave danger once again."
Vir's eyes widened to their maximum. "What will happen if we fail to offer a beast core?"
"The area of protection of the Guardian Tree will decrease, and the time of the offering will come faster." Chief Viren's eyes were filled with sadness. "In the past, the offering we had to do was once every 24 moons. But as time went on, as we lost members of our tribe on every mission, the hunt for a beast core became significantly harder. As a result, the offering grew closer, turning the 24 moons into 20 moons, 16 moons, and now 12 moons."
Gritting his teeth, Vir faced his father and bowed his head. "I… am sorry. In the past, I often doubted your decision and the need to hunt a beast for its beast core. I was ignorant and only thought of my hardship of watching our people die in the thing I thought was meaningless.
I have never realized that you Elders are the ones who truly have to carry the burden of sending our tribesmen to a hunt, knowing full well that some of them will never come back."
"Raise your head. You do not have to feel sorry for us." Chief Viren smiled and placed his hand on Vir's shoulder. "It is our duty to suffer for our people's happiness. I know it is premature, but you will have to help us carry the weight of this heavy reality."
Vir stood straight. "You do not have to worry, Father. I will do everything I can to make sure to guard this secret and to succeed in the next beast hunting."
The old man gazed at Vir with gentle eyes. "I know you will."
"But Father, I still am confused about how this is related to the outsider."
Chief Viren moved his head around. "Take a careful look at the rooted walls."
As per his father's words, Vir followed it without thinking and finally saw something very familiar. On the walls are writings of unreadable words and unfamiliar yet familiar symbols.
Then Vir's mouth dropped upon recognition. "Father, is that…"
Chief Viren nodded. "It is."