The eagle, Sura, returned to the Ice Lord, but someone was clinging to his leg: Volak. Even stranger, two other people were with them. Sura landed, and everyone dismounted. The Ice Lord greeted them, "Welcome back. Any news?" "No, there was no trace of demons." "Good, then. Who are these two?" "Hello, I am Julian. I heard that the demons are planning to attack the villages, so I decided to help." "And I am Harold. I also heard about the attack, so I want to help." "I'm pleased to hear that."
"You accept them, but not me? They're older than you, Rose!" "Really? How old are you?" "I'm thirteen, and you're eleven." "Wait, are you saying Harold was accepted even though he's only a year older than me?" "Yes, and I intend to include you too." "That's not fair!" "Wait, are you saying you'll include me?" "Yes, really, are you serious?" "Of course. You'll be an emergency assistant until you're old enough to be promoted." "Alright, that's good enough for me!"
At the demon's lair: "My lord, the army is ready, but I have some concerns." "What are they?" "We are of the first rank, meaning we are at the bottom of the pyramid, and we will face a knight from the Seven Knights. Your plan is to have one of the Pact Beasts attack the knight, but what if they attack us too?" "You think too much, assistant. There's a saying: defeat the king, and the other pieces fall. That's the goal of the Pact Beasts: to eliminate the strongest, so the weaker ones scatter."
"So, they won't attack us?" "No, because the Ice Lord will be fighting it, leaving his young ones to us. Do you understand? We must complete our mission." "But my lord, what if the Ice Lord defeats the Pact Beast?" "Don't worry, the Pact Beasts that have absorbed the blood of the Light Warrior and the Dark Warrior don't die. So, be ready, for we will not fail no matter what. Begin activating the gate." "My lord, since the death of the wizard who performed that, forming the gate takes time." "No matter, I await your command, my lord."
At the Ice Lord's: "Alright, since you want to join, I must gauge your strength. So, begin your attack whenever you wish, both of you together."
Without hesitation, Harold clenched his hand and fired at the Ice Lord, who dodged. At the same moment, Julian attacked with a sword made of blood, forcing the Ice Lord back. Harold then struck the ground with thermal force until it loosened, then grabbed a piece of ice and threw it at the Ice Lord.
He dodged, but felt something was wrong. And he was right. Julian used his power and made blood flow under the ice, and suddenly, blood spears emerged. "I understand now why Harold melted the ice." The Ice Lord used his power and created a large hill of ice, but found both of them attacking him. "Well done, both of you, but it's time to end the fight." Julian tried to land a blow, but found the ground had frozen both his feet. Then, Harold saw an ice shadow placing a sword at the back of his neck. "When did he do that?" "Then allow me to welcome you both to the team." He removed the ice, and the two saluted. "Now, aren't you hungry?" "Yes, we are." "Then leave the food to..." The Ice Lord looked at her, "Anyone but you." "Don't you like my cooking?" "No." "Alright, anyway, I won't cook today, because we have a celebration! We have a celebration?" "Yes, it's a festival where we celebrate the first tribal leader, and by the way, he's my great-great-grandfather." "That's a lot, but anything with food, I'm in favor of." "Good, then let's go." We walked and headed to the celebration.
Suddenly, someone arrived, carrying his daughter, Rose. "Aunt Lian, what's wrong? Please, you must treat my son. He has a heart condition." "What? Unfortunately, I found out too late. When I was cleaning him, he didn't want to bathe so I wouldn't notice the symptoms of the disease, but... it's alright, he'll be fine." Rose placed her hand on
the boy's heart and began to heal him. "His condition is very bad, he's in the early stages of the final stage, my son." Rose increased her power, and the disease began to gradually disappear until it vanished. "Whew, I'm done!" The boy woke up amidst his mother's joy. The mother hugged Rose. "Thank you, Rose, thank you!" "No need, I only did what I had to." "Mom," the son spoke, "Thank God you're okay." "I was worried. Why didn't you tell me?" "I didn't want to burden Rose further, as she heals many patients at the expense of her health. Also, I thought it was just a pain that would go away like every other time." "Foolish son, foolish! We could have handled it if you had told me from the beginning." "I'm sorry." "It's alright." The boy looked at Rose. "Thank you." "No, no, as I said, I did my duty. Now go and enjoy the festival." "I will!"
Rose was looking at the mother and her son as if she were jealous. Her brother Volak interrupted her. "Rose, are you alright?" "Yes, I just need some food and I'll be fine." Volak grabbed his sister and carried her on his back. "Brother, what are you doing?" "You said you were hungry, so let's go." "I can walk!" "But your feet are small, and I'm bigger, so we'll go faster." Rose hit him on the head. "Don't treat the village healer like that! That's truly insulting!" "I don't see that, for thanks to you, all the villages don't suffer from diseases. So, appreciate my worth and give me your share of the food." "I agree. You want me to gain weight? Impossible! I'll stick to my share." "As you wish."
"Is your sister the only healer?" "Yes, healers are few in this area. My sister is the only one; she inherited that from my mother, and my mother inherited it from her grandmother." "So your sister is a hero?" "Of course, and recognized by the villagers. So you must officially declare me a member of the team, not an assistant, when you turn thirteen." "That's a lot!"
The celebration was held and it was huge. All the leaders of the neighboring villages were invited, and the party continued until it was time for Chief Zephyr's speech. "Firstly, I am pleased that you have come today to attend this celebration. Since the founding of this tribe, everyone has been united under my first grandfather, and years have passed until I took over. I hope to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors and be a leader who treats his people well and serves their interests. And also, my pride and the apple of my eye, Volak, and also the light of my eyes and heart, Rose, the healer of the villages. So in my name and in the name of everyone, we thank you!" Suddenly, everyone bowed to her, young and old alike.
"What is this? Stop, you're embarrassing me! I only healed you!" "No, if it weren't for you, my son wouldn't have survived after his fight with the bears. He was on the verge of death, and the storm was severe, for someone to come and heal him, but you came despite that and saved him! You saved my life, so this is the least we can do! And I too, you saved the children of my village, even though it weakens you, but you endure. So on their behalf, I thank you, guys!" "This is just me..." "It's alright, my sister, for today is your day. You are the true hero of the village." Rose smiled. "I hope God grants me the strength to heal you every day." "And us too!"