*BOOOOM*

The deafening peal of thunder following the ninth bolt of lightning caught everyone's attention. They looked towards the direction of the cocoon which was the point of impact as it shattered into pieces by the lightning bolt's force.

A dust cloud was created by the excessive force that went down into the ground, spreading upwards and outwards.

A grumble of the unobservable thunderclouds filled the air, a deep rumble that touched the very depth of one's soul. Everyone could hear it clearly, almost as if it was made just for them.

No matter who it was or where, they could feel the change in the air. It felt heavier. Those that were closest to the area all took a step back.

The gazes of all the notable figures including the barbarian siblings and almost all the older men and women from the human tribes were transfixed on the dust cloud.

The demihuman Princesses were the only ones that had other priorities. They held hands while looking at the sky, mumbling something under their breath. To those unfamiliar with the demihuman tribes, it would probably sound something like a prayer.

A few seconds passed and the dust cloud reduced considerably in size. The random lightning strikes also ceased but the low rumble of thunder that still clearly echoed through the air acted as quite a deterrent.

Everyone was curious as to what had caused all this commotion but no one was willing to pass the boundary first and find out, especially with the threat of being struck by lightning still lingering in the air. There was a slight commotion from the side of the human tribes that caught the attention of the others. A moment later a small silhouette walked out...or rather, was sent out by force.

A young boy barely ten years of age, chained, barefooted, and dressed in rags was the first to walk into the charred land. On the verge of tears, he looked back helplessly at the people that had brought him to this place but as soon as his sights fell on the amicable old man at the front, he bit down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood with an expression of unconcealed hate.

On the sidelines, both the other tribes were watching the scene in silence. Princess Inara frowned looking at the child.

"Sister, what's going on?"

Princess Helena who always seemed cool and collected no matter the circumstances had quite a disgusted expression on her face, similar to many of the others around them.

She shook her head, dismayed at the dreadful situation.

"It's the viper's doing. He was pretty famous for it back in the day, poisoning the loved ones of anyone that crossed his path and then using them in various ways. He is probably holding someone very dear to the boy as a hostage so he doesn't disobey, forcing him to do his bidding."

*sigh*

"In the past the other human tribes acknowledged what the viper was doing was wrong and immoral and they chased him out, but it looks like that is not the case anymore. The humans have really fallen so low..."

She said the last sentence loud enough to be heard by everyone nearby, including Eurig who did not react in any obvious way.

"Shouldn't we help him then?" Princess Inara eagerly asked seeing the boy walk deeper in.

A sizzling sound followed by the smell of burnt flesh spread in the area, coming from the boy's feet that were coming into direct contact with the red embers left behind by the superheated rocks created due to the repeated lightning strikes. But he still did not make a sound and continued to walk further in.

Kart took a step forward and spoke in a low voice, "It's no use, my lady, the viper will only torture him more if we try to help him. Let the boy be for now and we can figure something out later."

Princess Inara tried to speak up again but was stopped by her sister, Princess Helena's sharp gaze.

Even though they were twins, Inara only trained in the way of the blade since she was young, delegating all other responsibilities to Princess Helena who was older of the two even if it was just by mere minutes.

Princess Helena had the same gift as her grandmother which meant she would one day be the leader of all the demihuman tribes. That role required a lot of intense training and education from an early age because of which she matured a lot faster than Inara.

As a result, Princess Helena could seem quite intimidating at times like these.

While they were busy talking, the boy had picked up his pace and was already just a few dozen meters away from the center where the cocoon initially was. He entered the charged dust cloud that made his hair stand straight up.

Because of the constant barrage of lightning striking the same spot, the ground had collapsed in on itself making a 10-meter wide crater in the middle.

Without any concern for his own safety, the boy walked up to the edge of the crater and peered down.

The others could vaguely see his silhouette so they knew he had reached the center.

"What do you see?" Eurig's voice came from behind.

The boy rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure if what he was seeing was right before answering.

"Nothing.....there is nothing here!"

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