CRACK!
The enormous tree shuddered under the relentless fury of the Boar King. Bark split. Branches groaned. With a deafening snap, the trunk began to tilt.
No way… Enzo's thoughts raced as the world tilted around him.
A tree over a meter thick—falling?
It was madness.
But there was no time for logic or disbelief. The tree lurched, the branches bucked, and one by one, they all fell.
"Scatter!" Enzo shouted instinctively. "Climb again if you can!"
But fate had more chaos in store.
The Boar King, blinded and frenzied, let out a thunderous roar. Its remaining eye locked onto Enzo.
It remembered the one who had caused it pain.
The beast charged, and in a heartbeat, it was upon them.
"Tia—!"
Enzo barely had time to react before she shoved him sideways.
WHAM!
The sound of her body hitting the tree rang through the air like a drumbeat of doom.
Enzo rolled across the ground, winded but alive. Tia wasn't so lucky. She'd taken the full brunt of the impact. Her body crumpled near the tree, blood pooling beneath her as her eyes lost focus.
"Tia!!" Enzo scrambled to her side, heart thundering.
The Boar King staggered behind them, foam flecking its lips. It swayed on unsteady legs, clearly drained—but still standing.
Fury surged through Enzo's veins.
He reached into his backpack, drew the modern survival knife, and dashed forward. Using the Boar King's tusk as a foothold, he climbed its thick hide and drove the blade deep into its shoulder.
The creature shrieked and thrashed—but its strength had already faded.
With another pained groan, the great beast collapsed.
The battle was over.
Rhode and the others regrouped swiftly, finishing off the remaining boars. One by one, arrows found their marks. The ground was littered with bodies. A bitter victory.
Enzo returned to Tia's side and gently lifted her head. Her breaths were shallow. Blood still trickled from her lips.
Despite her wild beginnings, she had been the first person to show him kindness in this world.
She'd saved his life—again.
Rhode knelt beside them. "Priest Enzo… there may still be a way."
Enzo looked up sharply.
"When I became a warrior," Rhode explained, "the Tribal Fire healed my wounds. It might do the same for her—if we act quickly."
Without a word, Enzo scooped Tia into his arms.
"Back to the village," he commanded.
Rhode followed immediately, while Anse and the others remained behind to secure the bounty of boar carcasses. Leaving them exposed would only feed the scavengers by morning.
Survival came first.
Back at the Crimson Star camp...
As Enzo burst into the clearing, people spilled out of their shelters. Gasps echoed across the square. Blood stained his arms. Tia hung limp in his grasp.
Sovita appeared, his expression stricken. "This... this wasn't the vision I saw."
"There's still time!" Enzo pleaded. "I can raise the Tribal Fire. Tia said that's what she needed to become a warrior!"
Sovita hesitated, then grimaced. "It's not the fire. Her body's too far gone. The fire can't save her now."
"Then tell me what can," Enzo snapped. "There has to be a way."
The old priest paused, weighing the risk. Then he nodded slowly. "There is. But it's a dangerous path. Come—we'll go to the ritual square."
At the ceremonial grounds…
Sovita stood beside the ancient stone platform, watching silently as Enzo gently laid Tia across the cold surface.
"Place your hand on the brazier," Sovita instructed.
Enzo obeyed.
As his fingers touched the edge, the Tribal Fire stirred. Sparks climbed into the sky.
Sovita spoke solemnly: "Some priests—those with great affinity—can enter the flame's essence and draw knowledge without guidance. These chosen few can awaken the power of totems."
Enzo said nothing. He already felt the pull.
His mind was whisked away.
Within the fire's core, strange lights floated in the dark. Threads of knowledge—abilities, histories, legacies.
Some glowed with a single hue.
Others shimmered in rainbows.
Enzo's thoughts focused: Healing... anything that can heal.
As if in answer, one of the rainbow lights floated toward him. It sank into his chest, and a rush of information overwhelmed his senses.
Outside, Sovita stared in awe.
The brazier's flames shot skyward—ten meters high.
Then the five ancient stone pillars ignited as well. From the top of each, blue-green fire spilled downward. Where they met, the flames curved and twisted into a shape:
A leaf.
Sovita's legs buckled.
"A… a totem. A true totem…" Tears streaked down his face. "The gods have returned to us."
Enzo stepped away from the brazier, his hand glowing with soft green light. He pressed it against Tia's chest.
Her bruises faded. The blood stopped.
But she did not stir.
Her skin began to cool.
"It's not working," he said, desperate.
"She's healed," Sovita murmured. "But her soul is dormant. You must leave the totem's mark."
Enzo understood. The knowledge was already there in his mind.
He took her arm and touched her skin.
A glowing leaf symbol appeared for a moment, then vanished into her body.
"She is now marked," Sovita explained. "A totem seed. If she consumes the essence of a powerful creature within one month, the mark will awaken. She will return—and she will be more than she was."
Enzo glanced at Sovita. "Does the Boar King count?"
Sovita's head snapped up. "You… you killed it?"
"She saved me. The beast took her down. But we took it down too."
For a long moment, the old priest didn't say anything.
Then he laughed—soft and full of disbelief. "You're rewriting fate itself, Enzo."