Overlord of the Four Powers

Chapter 11: Priest tribe

Before he could process what was happening, several women ran in his direction. He was rooted to the spot, startled when one of them grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the scene.

"Move! The Black Wing Tribe is coming!" she gasped. Her face was pale, her breathing ragged. He could feel the cold tremble in her hands. "They’re all dead! There's nothing left for you there!"

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her words. He hadn’t come to that settlement looking for family. Still, he let her pull him along. So that she wouldn’t fall behind, he took hold of her arm instead and ran at the front of the group. He heard her sharp intake of breath but noticed she didn’t complain—she simply ran, trying to keep up with him.

Alkan's ears had perked up at what the woman had said. The Black Wing Tribe is coming? Did that mean they were the ones responsible for the burning village?

He glanced at the woman beside him. He couldn't tell which tribe she belonged to, but she didn’t seem like a vampire from the Black Wing Tribe. If they had destroyed her home, then she was either from the White Wing Tribe or a tribe that refused to ally with either side.

He took a deep breath. He needed to find out why the Black Wing Tribe had attacked the settlement and why this woman had pulled him away. Did she not realize he was human?

Before long, the group reached a cave several kilometers from the village. It was well-hidden behind wild, waist-high foliage, making the entrance hard to spot at first glance. The opening was about the height of a woman, forcing Alkan to duck slightly to enter.

Among the group, only he and a few young boys were the last to enter. He let the boys go first and carefully repositioned the wild grass to conceal the entrance. Quickly, he ducked inside.

He hadn’t expected the cave to be so spacious. He no longer had to crouch, and the space was roughly the size of three basketball courts.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crying. He stiffened and glanced around. Moments ago, the women had been running, but now that they had reached safety, they could no longer hold back their grief. The entire group mourned the loss of their tribe and their loved ones.

Only the woman who had pulled him along wasn’t crying. Instead, she caught her breath in a corner before walking toward the entrance. She stared outside, where only wild plants were visible, then pushed a large, round boulder toward the opening. Alkan immediately understood her intention.

He stepped forward to help her push. But before they could fully block the entrance, the sound of footsteps echoed outside.

The women fell silent, hastily quieting the babies in their arms.

The woman and Alkan both stopped pushing the boulder, waiting to see who the footsteps belonged to.

Moments later, three men suddenly entered through the half-covered opening. The women gasped.

"Yuan! Ping! Restor!" one of them cried out. She ran toward them. "What happened? Has the tribe been completely wiped out?" Her voice trembled, and a bead of sweat trailed down her forehead.

The three men exchanged glances before nodding, their expressions grim. The man on the left answered, "The Black Wing Tribe killed almost half of the men. A few managed to survive. We are among the lucky ones. The others are hiding however they can. We ran here to ensure you all made it safely to the cave."

The women gasped again.

Alkan frowned and couldn’t help but ask, "Were you followed?"

The three men turned to him, surprise flashing across their faces. But in the next instant, they lunged at him.

He couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying several meters back.

Blood dripped from his lips as he coughed. He wiped it away and looked up at the three men standing in front of him.

"Who are you? You’re not one of us! What do you want?" the man in the middle shouted. His face was red with anger, but he clenched his fists, restraining himself from attacking again until they got an answer.

From the corner of his eye, Alkan saw the woman who had pulled him earlier. Her eyes widened slightly in shock as she looked at him, a question lingering in them.

He swallowed and steadied himself. Looking down at the three men—since he was a head taller than them—he spoke.

"I'm Alkan. I mean no harm to the women of your tribe. I was merely passing through when I saw the village burning. When the women ran in my direction, I had no choice but to follow. I saw one of them falling behind, so I grabbed her and made sure she caught up with the group." He glanced at the woman who had pulled him. "Isn’t that right?"

A flicker of emotion passed through her eyes before she quickly averted her gaze. She nodded without saying a word.

Alkan let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He didn’t want to get her involved. The moment he saw her surprised expression upon learning he wasn’t one of them, he knew she had assumed he was part of her tribe. That was why she had pulled him along into safety without hesitation.

That thought warmed Alkan’s heart a little.

She had a kind soul. And if the others found out she was the one who brought him to the cave, they would see her as a traitor. It was better if he took all the blame.

Besides, he was grateful for what she had done. If she hadn’t pulled him away, he didn’t know what would have happened. If the Black Wing Tribe had found him there, they likely would have killed him on sight.

"We can't say whether you're an enemy or not. But now that we're here, you can leave this cave," said the man.

Silence reigned for a few minutes before Alkan glanced around. In the corner, he saw a woman holding a baby in her arms. But what made him stop in his tracks was the light surrounding the infant. His eyes widened slightly, and he quickly looked away to avoid letting the three men notice his shock.

A light surrounded the baby. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he had seen that light before.

When he remembered it, he froze.

Alkan recalled the glow that once surrounded Daniella, the woman he had courted before. She had a light in her that kept the shadows at bay.

But after a few weeks of staying by Daniella’s side, her light gradually dimmed. That was when he realized she was being influenced by his bad habits—lying, cursing, and drinking alcohol. She also developed a liking for parties. Before he could stop her, the light surrounding her had completely faded.

He himself had witnessed how the shadows drew closer to Daniella back then. Ever since she left him, he had never seen that kind of light again—until now. That was why he was unsure of what to do.

Should he take the baby so the shadows wouldn’t come near him?

"Hey! I'm asking you a question!" the man on the left shouted.