"Good. I will prepare the ritual for testing purity as soon as possible. In the meantime, all of you should remain in the town."
These words were spoken firmly to the soldier who had guided them, more like an order than a suggestion. The man nodded and led the children back along the same path they had come. This time, Shengan took a clearer look at the layout of the canyon city as he walked.
The town was densely populated by humans and filled with all kinds of buildings, just as he had seen upon entering. Beyond that, there were areas clearly designated to prevent ordinary people from entering—one such path led to the academy. A few individuals stood at the entrance to stop intruders. According to the Heavenly Demon, these men were also early-stage daemon.
When they returned, the tribesmen curiously asked what had happened, and the children recounted everything they had experienced. When the tribal leader learned that more than one person among them possessed the potential to become a daemon, his eyes gleamed like stars in the night sky.
That day, a sudden meeting of the tribe was held, attended only by the most important members—hunters, the tribal leader, and elders who had lived long within the tribe.
For tribesmen the canyon Town had given them one of the larger halls, located back to the town's main streets. Although it seemed somewhat abandoned, the tribesmen had managed to make the place appear livable.
With a piece of meat in his hand, Shengan climbed onto the wall of the hall. From there, he could hear the voices of the children.
"Whoa, I can't believe someone among us could actually become a daemon! Did you see how they looked at the gates? Just thinking about being someone like that makes me excited!"
"I really hope I'll be one of the pure ones."
The voices were full of excitement, brimming with hope for the future.
Shengan stood up and began to walk back to get some water for himself, but suddenly he was stopped by a physically larger youth.
"Hehe, where do you think you're going?"
Shengan met the youth's gaze. He had seen this boy occasionally sitting close to the tribal leader, and he was infamous among the children for always picking on them and bullying anyone weaker. Yet none dared to fight back, for the youth was, after all, the grandson of the tribal leader. The children endured whatever the bulky boy threw at them with patience.
And now, it seemed, the boy's sharp eyes had fallen on Shengan.
"Look at this guy, acting all calm and peaceful like he's sure he'll be a daemon in the future. I came to deal with that Malvin bastard, but now I see someone more important to handle. Malvin will have to wait until I finish with you," the boy muttered. The two others standing beside him added a few mocking words, making the boy's threat sound even more threatening.
"Let's see how calm you stay after this!" they shouted, and suddenly one of them slapped Shengan's hand, sending the piece of meat flying from his grasp. The boy then lunged at Shengan with a fist raised, ready to strike.
The two of his followers cheered as the boy threw a punch at Shengan.
. . . . . . .
"Tribe leader, we hope you have a safe night," a group of elders and hunters bid farewell to Tao Tai before retiring. After watching them leave, Tao Tai returned to his own hut. As the tribal leader, he had his own personal space, even in a completely new settlement. Entering the hut, hastily constructed, he lay down on a bed made of leaves—a simple thing he had carried with him whenever the tribe moved from one place to another. Yet now, after seeing the structures in the canyon town, he began considering replacing the bed with something new and more comfortable.
"Haha, if more than one child in the group manages to become a daemon, it wouldn't be a bad idea to stay in this place permanently," the old man thought to himself. He had originally worried that if he remained in the canyon town, he might lose the authority he held and be forced to obey someone else's orders. As the leader of the Wind Eater Tribe, he was accustomed to commanding others and having them serve his purposes, enjoying the finest comforts the tribe could provide. But if he became attached to the canyon Town, he would have to work for those who controlled it. And as a man used to being a leader, Tao Tai disliked the idea greatly.
"But if there truly are a group of children in my tribe who can become daemon, I might be able to stay close to those figures, since the children come from my tribe and are closer and more loyal to me than to them," Tao Tai thought, already planning to discuss this idea with those who led the town, preparing to address it first thing in the morning.
"But I must make sure every chosen child in the group is truly loyal to the tribe. Most have their own roots within the tribe, so they would not forget it. But if those rough children who joined us from outside become one of them, I cannot be sure they would hold any kindness in their hearts," the old man reflected.
Suddenly, Tao Tai heard a voice from outside, sharp and pained, as if someone were in distress. Recognizing it, he hurried to the door, opened the wooden hut, and saw his grandson outside.
"For the sake of the desert wind, where have you gotten yourself into?" the old man exclaimed, grabbing his grandson and pulling him inside the hut. The two others who always stayed close to his grandson were also allowed to enter.
"It wasn't that he fell, tribe leader. It was that stray dog from outside. We were just trying to discuss how we should stick together, even after becoming daemon, but that blasted dog ruined it, saying he'll slap all our asses when he becomes a daemon."
"Yes, that bastard has already gotten into his head that he'll be a daemon. He's acting all high and mighty,"
The two lackeys of the boy exclaimed back to back, offering a brief explanation of what had happened. As the old man listened, a flicker of anger ignited within him.
"That bastard dares…"
A vein pulsed on the old man's face, but he forced himself to calm down, restraining his anger to tend to his grandson's injuries.