As we pass through the door that marks the boundary between the clan and the gray men area, we can see the aftermath. One of the nearby villages is destroyed, but the absence of bodies makes me think that the residents managed to escape.

We reach the main chamber of the clan and encounter the sounds of battle. Warriors fight against the invasion of the betrayed. We make our way back to the top where the hot lake and the white tree stand.

The priestess is giving instructions to what seem to be the leaders of the fangs and other important figures of the clan. The priestess notices our presence and furrows her brow.

"What the hell does this mean? This is your doing!"

"Always jumping to conclusions in these situations, my dear Laliba," says Isabella, indicating for me to put her down.

"Mom? What are you doing here? Where have you been these days? My fangs have been searching for you like crazy."

"It's your father, Isabela. He caused this invasion; somehow, he managed to control the betrayed."

For a few seconds, the priestess's eyes resemble those of a lost puppy. 

"This young man agreed to help me in my cause to find him, and I think he might have come up with a  solution"

"A way to stop him?"

"I understand someone else came along with them. Isn't that right?"

"As informed as always, Mother. But knowing her, she won't want to help us."

The fangs bring Jasmine in. As soon as she sees Isabela, she sharpens her gaze.

"What's happening here?" Jasmine says, furrowing her brow.

"We need your help, Jasmine."

"Hah! I'd like to see that. Always thinking I owe you something."

"I told you, Mother."

"You're right, Jasmine. You don't have to help us. If that's what you want, I'll let you and the red wolves go. After all, thanks to you and your friends, we now know the origin of the attacks"

Laliba opens her eyes in surprise, and the fangs release Jasmine with a quick gesture from Isabella. Even though she's no longer the priestess, she seems to have more influence than Laliba.

"However, before you leave, you must know that your father is among the betrayed. He is the cause of all this. But I think with your healing heritage, you might be able to stop him without needing to kill him. Like your mother did back then."

Jasmine remains thoughtful for a few seconds, but in the end, she turns her back on Isabela.

"For all I care, let him destroy the entire clan."

"Damn you!" Laliba addresses Jasmine, but the fangs block her path on Isabela's orders.

"Have a safe journey, Jasmine."

Jasmine ignores her words, and the rest of the wolves and I follow her.

As we walked in silence through the tunnels, I wondered if this was the right thing to do. Maybe they deserved it, perhaps they did something unforgivable to Jasmine. Images of Aurora and my arm piercing through her chest returned to my mind.

I move next to Jasmine to discuss what to do next, but then growls assail us in front of us. We all go on alert, and from the tunnels emerge the same men with gray skin and red eyes.

"Damn it, are they also entrenched at the exit?"

The quantity is overwhelming, and I know that if we don't do anything, we will be easily defeated.

"Altair!" Jasmine yells.

Jasmine crawls through a narrow opening in the walls. Without thinking, I follow suit. I barely manage to avoid an attack from one of the grays. I crawl through the narrow opening until it opens up, leading into a small cave.

Jasmine and I catch our breath.

"What do we do now?" I ask Jasmine.

"We'll wait here until the grays head to the chamber to exit the tunnels."

"And what about Ragnar, Lilu, and Mukasa?"

"The mission was to retrieve you, and that's what I plan to do. I've risked enough just by agreeing to return to this place. I only did this because I owed Amator a favor."

Time passes as we wait. The growls don't quiet down. However, simultaneously, I begin to feel dizzy, and my body feels heavy.

"It seems we ended up in one of the tunnels with toxic gases," Jasmine says, sitting down and grabbing the bag she brought with her, taking out a flask.

Jasmine extends her arm to hand the flask to me.

"It's a potion with my Herencia, it will calm the effects for a while."

The substance is a bright green color. I thank her and take the flask.

After waiting more, my mind can't help but think about why nothing happened when I touched Etanor's mark. I was hoping to get a herencia that could help me defeat him, but  I only saw some memories of Etanor as if I were just a spectator. What could have been different from when I obtained Mukasa’s Herencia?

"Jasmine, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... is Etanor your father? Does that mean Isabela is your mother, and Laliba is your sister?"

Jasmine lets out a laugh. "That woman wished she was. She's just the woman who took advantage of my father after my mom passed away. I don't care what happens to them. I don't expect you to understand."

An uncomfortable silence envelops the tunnels.

"I'm sorry," Jasmine suddenly says. "It's just that I prefer not to talk about it."

"Don't worry; I understand," I say as I look at the scars on my arms. "Even if you have someone willing to understand you, in the end is your choice if you want to share or not." My heart hurts thinking of Lilah. 

I also remember Mukasa on top of me when she was strangling me. Just before gaining her memories and heritage, alongside the shadows on her face, tears gathered in her eyes as if she were asking for help. I open my eyes wide at the realization. 

"Jasmine, I have an idea. I might  know how to save your clan without you having to get involved."

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