Aura's Proof and the Key to Power
"Crazy... He used aura?"
"That's not all. Did you see? Anok's head exploded in one shot. That's impossible with just aura's destructive power alone."
"You need precise archery skills too."
"At that level... Isn't he the best hunter among Hien's children?"
"Watch your mouth. That's dangerous talk!!"
"But it's true, right? Among the successors, is there anyone who can use aura?"
Murmurs buzzed endlessly.
The match was over, but the trainees gathered in the nest showed no sign of stopping their chatter.
"...What a uproar."
"They know too. They're only talking about how he caught Anok because of the optics, but the real shock is that the upperclassmen knelt to Adel."
The trainees' stunned reactions sent chills down Harun and Kasla's spines, unbidden.
'Until now, it was a fight between the two brothers, Merka and Syrin.'
'But after seeing today's match, the landscape is about to change.'
'I wonder... what will happen now.'
The trainees gazed at Adel with eyes full of awe and reverence.
He had shown the might of a true predator overwhelming his prey, and unlike Yoran—who treated fellow tribesmen like mere tools despite being one of them—Adel had saved them all with unerring arrows, proving his camaraderie.
Thump.
Their hearts pounded.
No one said it aloud, but no one doubted that Adel would throw his hat in the ring for the tribe's leadership.
"He really proved himself. Perfectly, excessively so."
"Now it's our turn to respond."
Kasla and Harun murmured softly as Adel emerged from the ritual circle's fading glow.
Adel Temir.
In that instant, his name was etched into the minds of everyone in the Great Bow's nest.
* * *
"We pay respects to the master of the desert."
News of the Tomb Tournament spread through the tribe swiftly, carrying a different weight than in his previous life.
Murmurs buzzed.
Crowds gathered around Hien's tent.
All eyes were on the 13-year-old hunter who could wield aura.
"I've heard from Myurn."
Adel looked up.
Hien sat upon his jade throne, flanked by the Ten Captains who eyed him intently.
Their gazes varied.
Some bristled, having heard their sons suffered humiliation in the training grounds; others felt gratitude for lives saved on the hills.
'Their feelings differ, but they're all curious about the same thing.'
Adel knew what their eyes demanded.
Shing.
He slowly drew his sword.
"No."
Hien raised a hand.
Then he picked up a bow from the table beside the throne and tossed it to Adel.
Thud.
The bow's limbs clashed with a heavy thud.
"That thing..."
"Is he serious?"
Adel stared at the bow on the ground.
Its dark limbs bore intricate golden runes.
Grrrrr...
The bow rumbled as if wary of him.
'The mark of Kilderen, the high god of the hunt.'
Adel recognized its meaning instantly, as if familiar.
The fierce aura emanating from it pierced him sharply, like facing the god itself.
'Definitely different.'
Nazan's Yoyeon bow, marked by the low god of the hunt Kindel, had slain the Gokokgwi in one strike. This bow's power was harder to gauge.
'Shh. Father's right here.'
Though Hien contracted with Kilderen—one of the highest existing gods—it paled against an ancient god.
'Maybe not. There might be shamans here. They sense divine presences keenly.'
Even so, Adel stayed vigilant.
Where mages dominated the center, shamans ruled the desert.
They wielded shamanistic powers, sometimes unpredictable.
Adel smirked but schooled his face, remembering the tent.
"It's called Geum-a. One of Ulan's fifteen treasures. Marked by Kilderen."
"What must I do?"
"Infuse an arrow with aura."
Adel gripped the bow without hesitation.
Creak...
As he drew the string, gasps echoed: "Ooh..."
"...Impressive. Geum-a's string is several times tougher than ordinary bows."
"And look at that."
No arrow, yet drawing the string sparked blue lightning along Geum-a's limb, forming a translucent arrow.
"Geum-a generated an arrow. Definitely aura," Nazan confirmed.
One of Geum-a's rune effects, Namsi, only created arrows with aura.
'Unbelievable... He really wields aura.'
'A true genius.'
'Where did this kid come from?'
The Ten Captains' faces hardened.
Nazan and Muel stayed neutral, but the other eight backed Merka or Syrin.
This new star was welcome for the tribe's revival—but a threat to the succession.
"Enough."
Hien signaled Adel.
"Your aura foundation is solid. Excellent. Few in continental history achieve aura at your age."
"You overpraise me. I heard you awakened aura at 13 too, Father."
"True, same age. But I trained under the previous chief. You did not."
Hien took Geum-a from Adel.
Hummm...
Unlike with Adel, the golden runes blazed fiercely.
'Indeed...'
Adel gauged Hien's divine power from the glow.
Though he held an ancient god contract, Hien's honed bloodline was far denser in his seasoned body.
Kalderet marveled.
"Did anyone teach you?"
"No. Hunting the Gokokgwi, I felt divine grace gripping the bow and used the mark. Then I sensed the alien energy within me."
Adel answered smoothly.
True, just from a past life.
"Breaking my record and forging your own aura foundation... What a delightful child."
Hien's gaze pierced him.
"Many envy you. Now with aura, more enemies. Can you bear it?"
"If I couldn't, I wouldn't have started. Enemies are inevitable. But allies will outnumber them."
Hien chuckled.
"Heh, your will to unite all endures. Imagining how you'll challenge me grows more entertaining."
They smiled at each other.
But the sharp edge between felt like dozens of clashes, swords undrawn.
"Tomb Tournament prize is a treasure from the nest vault. Yet you refused, telling Myurn something amusing?"
"I've treasures enough from you, Father."
"The one on Kargon?"
Hien sneered.
The captains tensed, fearing the hunt day's events swayed him.
"Thanks to you, that rampaging beast is causing handlers endless grief."
Adel gave a wry smile.
"Return to the nest and raise it yourself."
"I will."
"Good. Name your desire instead of nest treasure."
Gulp.
Even adaptable Adel tensed now.
This nailed the captains' fears as reality.
"I want to form a hunting party."
Murmurs erupted, as Adel predicted.
Nazan and Muel watched intrigued; Myurn, who reported, expectant.
"What say you all?"
"Not excessive. Reserve successors can form parties."
Nazan spoke first.
Adel nodded gratitude.
"Five of eight successors, including Adel, already have theirs."
Muel backed him.
"But they were over 15. Nazan, Muel—forgot the rules? Parties at 15."
"Adel's nearly 14. No real difference."
"Rules exist to be followed."
Captains held firm.
Delaying Adel's party gave others recruitment edge.
"Myurn, your thoughts?"
"Age matters not for hunters. Young can shoot true; age doesn't guarantee excellence."
Captains scowled.
"His Tomb showing proved him hunter and commander."
Myurn endorsed Adel's party—backing him.
"But."
All eyes turned.
"Two years ahead of others. Gap's huge; too much for tournament prize."
"Y-yes."
"We agree with Myurn."
Captains seized his shift.
"But as victor, he deserves reward. Give him chance for more merit, enough for a party."
"Hmm..."
Hien nodded.
Myurn's words, though not a captain's, carried weight.
'Adel, lucky. Father favors you.'
Muel smirked at Myurn.
Merit chance meant more than honor—seize further gains.
"Myurn's right. Adel, return to nest, focus training. Hone yourself yet."
"Understood."
No immediate gain as victor, yet Adel replied without regret.
'So composed...'
'Really 13?'
Captains felt unease.
Amid Merka's skill-without-ambition and Syrin's bold-but-narrow vessel, a new option emerged, stirring doubt.
Clang.
Hien tossed something before Adel: a small key.
"That... no way?"
The tent buzzed.
"Denying victor all would disrespect him."
"What is it?"
"Key to Taeo Cave. Where myriad energies converge, earth's ley lines flow. Where I trained aura."
"Mm... Like mages' sanctum?"
Adel feigned ignorance.
His grip tightened unwittingly—he knew it well.
"Heh, incomparable to those self-styled sages' dens. For you who awakened aura alone, special entry granted."
Hien said.
"None of your siblings entered. Meaningless without aura."
He eyed Adel.
"But for your foundation, ideal training ground. Neglect nest drills at peril. Use after for self-cultivation."
"I'll remember."
Adel barely contained joy.
'Taeo Cave... Unexpected harvest.'
Aura was inner force, but control and amplification needed external—nature's vital energy.
Stimulus awakened inner power, amplifying aura.
Taeo Cave's energy convergence was perfect.
'Vital spots amplify divine power too.'
Hien knew nothing of Adel's god contract.
Chance to surge both aura and divine power.
"One year granted. Hone well. At 14, chance for merit."
"Yes, Father."
Adel took the key.
'Truly exciting.'
For the first time, the future thrilled him genuinely.
A shiver down his spine—not fear, but anticipation.
'Now, surpass the past life.'
His eyes gleamed.