Published: February 7, 2025
Bander woke up again from a nightmare, his body drenched in cold sweat, soaking the soft fur of the blanket covering him.
The woman sleeping beside him was also stirred awake. Rubbing her drowsy eyes, she mumbled a few words but didn't go get him water as usual. Instead, she turned over and went back to sleep.
Bander opened his mouth, wanting to scold her, but in the end, no sound came out. He got off the Beast Bone Bed, picked up the bone cup from the wooden stool, and tilted his head to pour the water into his body.
The icy water flowed down his esophagus into his stomach, bringing some stability to his emotions. Ever since the brutal massacre seven days of falling sand ago, Bander had been in a daze, unable to sleep through the night.
When he closed his eyes, all he could see was blood; even when he fell asleep, he was awakened by the recurring bloody scenes. As the son of Dabu, he was destined to be the heir of the entire tribe, the future patriarch. He was proud, he was confident.
But even now, thinking of his father’s body, discarded like a worn-out beast skin, Bander still felt a chill all over. Everything changed since that day.
He had brought the survivors back, and even on that day, to escape the chase, he changed into someone else's clothes, discarding the pride and dignity of the Dabu Tribe.
Once, this tribe would eventually be renamed the Bander Tribe, but given the current situation...
Bander couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He glanced at the half-naked woman on the Beast Bone Bed. Even such a lowly woman, who used to kneel before him and flatter him, no longer cared about him. How could the surviving clan uncles allow him to take over smoothly?
The posthumous child was indeed a race that respected strength. His power was still insufficient to win the allegiance of the few hundred surviving members of the Dabu Tribe.
It was all because of that conflict. How could that weak, obscure Afo Tribe become so powerful? How could that younger person kill his strong father!
Bander couldn’t understand why two tribes that were previously on good terms, and could even have become relatives, suddenly turned against each other! Thinking of the alluring Miya, Bander knew he would never have the chance to obtain her in this lifetime. Ever since that old and unyielding Afo chose their own tribe’s male shaman, the decision was made, and the only opportunity to get Miya vanished with the shaman's blade.
The former prince of the tribe didn’t know what to do now; he was only afraid.
Suddenly, there was some commotion outside. Bander didn’t want to bother; after all, those clan uncles had been jumping around these days, wanting to meddle in everything. Let them be busy.
But just as he lay back down on the bed, the noise outside grew louder, and he could vaguely hear something intense. Bander suddenly sat up, paused for a moment, then threw on his leather armor and stepped outside.
In the vast mountains, two groups of people were in a standoff. Bander took a few steps forward but immediately stopped and turned around, hiding in the shadow of a tent. Then he quickly ran towards his father’s tent, where there was a secret path leading outside. This could allow him to evade these persistent demons.
The demons had arrived. Ye Zhongming had already been given this title before. He brought the anxious and confused Afo and his tribespeople to the stronghold of the Dabu Tribe.
He proposed a plan for annexation to Afo, a path that the elder had never considered. His ideas were mainly focused on preserving the tribe, breeding and hunting, while Ye Zhongming presented a bloody road that would carry infamy, opening a completely new door for him.
Of course, even now, Afo felt that this door led to the abyss of demons.
But for some reason, this door, which shattered Afo’s beliefs and convictions built over decades, was filled with an indescribable temptation. Afo felt that this temptation was a hundred times stronger than the first time he entered a woman’s body.