The priestesses gather at the tree with their white wooden masks. The sound of the drum resonates in my chest. Laliba wears her white wooden mask and approaches the tree, embedding some kind of tap into it. Immediately after, she turns the knob, and white tree sap oozes out.

Laliba uses a white wooden cup to contain the sap, then she approaches me and offers the cup. The cup is full, on the verge of spilling over.

"With the sap of the tree, it will determine if you are worthy of being considered one of us. Now, drink from the sap, and let Altum decide your fate."

I hold my breath and let the sap pass through my mouth. Immediately, I begin to feel warmth spreading throughout my body. A sharp pain shakes my entire body. It makes me kneel, and then I realize that Jasmine's heritage is deactivating.

The drums resonate louder and at a much faster tempo.

I feel as if the air is being sucked out of me, and I tremble on the ground. Maybe I had been too arrogant. But then, I feel as if everything stops. I am submerged in a vast ocean. Whispers envelop the environment like a song. I feel a presence behind me, wrapping its arms around me, and suddenly, I feel as if this person kisses me.

The presence fades, and time resumes its course. The pain in my body dissolves, and I can breathe properly again. I regain control of my body until I can stand on my own.

The clan members murmur in surprise. Laliba regains her composure and approaches me slowly. Then, she kisses me.

I shiver in fear, I know her heritage turns her fluids into acid but all I feel is tingling. 

"With this, I declare the ritual over. The tree has decided to accept Altair as part of our clan. As faithful followers and debtors of the tree, we accept its decision without objections. Anyone who opposes, speak now."

I expect to see protests, but I see no sign. 

Lalilba approaches and gives me a white wooden mask.

"As long as you have it in your possession, the fangs will be at your disposal," 

I take the mask, and when I turn it over, I immediately recognize that its design is identical to the wolf mask Aleifr used when he was the red wolf.

"The fangs I assigned to support you in battle are ready. After that, depending on the information, I'll make sure to send provisions," says Laliba with a gentle smile.

"Thank you very much," I say, smiling.

"I leave them in your hands. However, remember that this deal is with you. Not with Aleifr or the red wolves."

I nod, understanding what she means.

 I see Jasmine and approach her. "Sorry for all the trouble."

She shakes her head.

"I also thank you. I was going to let my pride and fear control me. Now, thanks to you, I could recover someone very precious to me."

"What will you do now?"

"I'll stay here to take care of my father until he recovers. But I still plan to return to my healing business in the city helping the wolves and whoever needs me. After all, that's where I feel most at home. I want to help as many people as I can."

With everything settled, a considerable number of fangs escort us through the tunnels. The red light welcomes us. I can see the gray lake and the city in the distance.

"What will be your orders?" one of the fang captains says.

"Lilu, could you tell me exactly what happened after the fight started?" I ask. 

"M-me?"

"Well, you were the only one here who was there."

"A-after you started the fight and disappeared other groups from the city joined the fight, mostly supporting the Doradas. Because of this, we were forced to escape to the howling forest."

"After that, the chief ordered us to go for you. In exchange, he would name us red Wolves," says Ragnar.

Mukasa remains with his arms crossed, giving us her back.

"I see," I think a little about what to do. I try to remember everything I had learned on my way to becoming a Krystallo knight. The countless simulations of strategies and tactics that Amadeus always helped me learn.

 "I need you to send some scouts ahead to give us information about the fight before we arrive. Depending on the situation, we'll see how to react. They might be fighting inside the forest right now."

The fang captain sends two scouts ahead.

"What would be the best way to get there?" I ask the captain.

"I recommend going through the swamp of the gray lake. That way, we'll go unnoticed. The only one who lives there is an old man. But I don't think we should worry about him."

The old man with the beard who helped me comes to mind. Is it the same one?  I accept the suggestion, and we head to the swamp. 

The trees and plants look faded and withered, possibly because the water of the swamp comes from the contaminated gray lake. When we reach an incline, the scouts return.

As I thought, the Dorados and Lobos were fighting in the forest. Their objective is likely to take over part of the forest, or at least the entrance. I order to continue, and we climb the slope.  I surprise myself with how well I am approaching this, but it should be expected from someone who wanted to become a Krystallo Knight. The skills that I worked so hard to obtain are finally paying off in a real scenario. 

As we advance, we hear the sound of the fight. We enter the wolves' forest and soon encounter Hoomul and other red wolves with a large number of golds and their allies from the city.

I immediately ordered the other squads to disperse them to attack the other fronts that the scouts identified. The squad that stays with me rushes to help Hoomul, successfully flanking them.  The fight ends in no time.

I sigh in relief, but then I feel a force pushing me and making me fall to the ground. Above me is a boy with a navy blue hood. I try to attack, but this person restrains my arms with what seems like robotic legs with claws like a crow and embeds them into my skin.

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