In the tent, Kha'Ruun was surprised. The last time Saghor's eyes had shone like this, he was in very bad shape afterward.

  He stood up and went toward him, worried he might lose his footing like last time.

  "Saghor, you should stop using this mysterious power. It hurts you gravely. I can't bear to see you like that again." Kha'Ruun knew that only Saghor could guide them through what was coming — which is why nothing could happen to him.

  He knew it was selfish reasoning, but so what — only Saghor could do the impossible and lead them forward. But he was also genuinely worried about him.

  He looked back because Saheera hadn't spoken for some time. He saw that her eyes were glowing too.

  "This... Saheera, why are your eyes shining?" His worry only grew. He looked at Saghor, then back at Saheera, who was still sitting on the ground.

  He returned and sat beside her.

  "Saheera, what's happening?"

  Then the light began to fade from her eyes. It seemed she had heard him and woke from the mysterious state.

  "Sigh. It seems the totem spirit has already chosen a shaman. I had hoped to have the complete power of a shaman again, but it's also good that it chose someone close to the anchor." Saghor's words brought clarity back to Saheera's mind and woke her completely.

  "Do you mean I'm destined to be Uhn'Zaka's first shaman?"

  While on the way here, all she had been thinking about was how to help her son. She hadn't expected things to go this way.

  Her family seemed more connected to Uhn'Zaka than she had imagined — maybe because of Ankai, or maybe their bloodline carried something special.

  "That's right. You were perhaps the most suitable person to become Uhn'Zaka's shaman the moment the totem spirit was born." That was the most obvious reason Saghor could think of.

  "I see. Maybe it's a good thing for you, my love," Kha'Ruun said.

  "Exactly. This is something that has never happened before — at least not to my knowledge."

  "Really?" Kha'Ruun never imagined it was this significant — something that had never happened before.

  "It will give you power to protect those you love," Saghor added with a smile.

  "Master Saghor, your assistant Jaknu is looking for you."

  The guard outside called for Saghor. It seemed something was urgent.

  He stood up.

  "It seems there's an emergency, so I must go. But hear my words — tomorrow, all the groups will take different routes. I know people will want to know which group I will follow. The answer is that I will follow no one. But when you need me, I will be there."

  Kha'Ruun looked at Saghor, surprised, but he only nodded and said nothing.

  He moved to Saheera's side and took her hand.

  "My love, I think we should return. The children are waiting for us, and it seems some things can't be answered tonight. Let's leave Saghor to his tasks."

  "Saghor, Sage of the Wasteland, thank you for your time. Tonight's phenomenon will mark this wasteland and leave a legendary tale for generations." Saheera gave a light bow alongside Kha'Ruun, and they left.

  Saghor went to another section of the tent to speak with Jaknu.

  "Jaknu, prepare everything for tomorrow. We will follow Kha'Ruun's group — he doesn't need to know." Saghor seemed to have a plan. Perhaps this would help some of them escape their predicament.

  "I understand, master. I will prepare our things right away." Jaknu left.

  "Sigh. I have sacrificed so much. I hope it will be worth it." Saghor returned to his room to rest before attending to the urgent matters.

  On the way, he thought about everything that had happened and looked up at the sky. So much had occurred in one night. He would have loved to take a break.

  "Saheera, I need to check that everything is settled for tomorrow. We move at first light." Kha'Ruun said.

  "Don't worry. We don't have much to prepare." Saheera could feel Kha'Ruun's burden — she felt the same weight herself. With tension building for so long, surviving the wasteland while being hunted wasn't easy.

  But now she had a new hope — with the totem born, things would get better. She was certain of it.

  Ankai lay on his mattress, thinking about everything that had happened and the sensation of new strength in his body.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Is this the feeling of totem power? It's quite strong." He turned and pointed his little fist toward the sky.

  "I feel like I could lift more than fifty kilos. Maybe tomorrow I should try it."

  He looked around the tent — some bags that seemed to contain food, others made of beast skin, soft-looking, maybe filled with water.

  Ankai looked over at Rokan, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, as though meditating but it seem he had a bag on his hands.

  "Not again! My dried meat is missing." Rokan muttered, checking his bag with a frown. "I keep losing it."

  Rokan looked in his direction.

  "Seems like you can't sleep either. Same here." Rokan stood up and came to sit near Ankai.

  "How are you feeling, little bro? Still hurting?"

  "No, I'm alright. It's just that with everything that happened today, I can't sleep," Ankai said.

  "I think I would have panicked more if I were in your place," Rokan said, remembering how his little brother had cried out. "Also, it seems Mother said you got some kind of legendary power. Can you feel it?"

  Rokan was quite curious. He had heard of totem warriors from his mother — they supposedly had the strength of more than ten men. Others were even stronger. He also felt stronger than he had yesterday. That sensation was pleasing, but he was more curious about how it had changed Ankai, since he was the one from whom all that power and light had come.

  "I feel stronger than before. There's also a mysterious energy circulating through my body." Ankai answered, observing the energy moving through him.

  He could also feel a faint presence of the totem spirit Uhn'Zaka had left — and it seemed to be drawn toward his brother.

  "Can't you feel it too?" Ankai asked.

  Rokan shook his head slowly.

  "I would have been happy to have it — that way I could protect you all better." Rokan looked at Ankai. He felt his strength had increased, but as for the mysterious energy, he couldn't sense it yet. Maybe later.

  "Brother, how is the situation in the wasteland right now?" Ankai wanted to understand how things stood.

  With the memories of this life returning slowly, he knew things were bad — right now, they were fleeing from someone.

  "Sigh. Things are difficult." Rokan looked up.

  "With those slave traders working for the Shakra tribe not leaving us in peace, it's been hard for a long time."

  "Have they attacked us recently?" Ankai asked.

  "Yes. And they are ruthless with their methods — even though we aren't from the innerlands."

  "Brother, what are the innerlands?" Ankai was curious to know more about this world.

  "From what Father said, the innerlands are a vast expanse of land — mountains, fertile plains, rivers. Father said it's one of the most suitable and safe places for humans to live."

  "But why would the Shakra tribe leave the innerlands and build a base in the wasteland?" Ankai didn't know the reason and wanted to understand how the world worked.

  "From what the other hunters have heard, it seems they lost a war and fled near the wasteland to protect their tribe from extinction."

  "Are the tribes in the innerlands that strong?"

  "From the legends told in the wasteland, there are warriors who wield the power of the totem. They can destroy wanderers' settlements with ease. And recently, the Shakra have been actively hunting in this area, looking for slaves to rebuild their tribe's power." Rokan paused.

  "They consider our worth less than animal feed. But don't worry — Father and the others are working on a solution. Everything will be alright."

  Ankai could feel the rage hidden in Rokan's heart.

  Being wanderers without a tribe to stand for them meant their lives depended entirely on those with power.

  "You should rest. Tomorrow will be a tiring day." Rokan stood up and returned to where he had been sitting before.

  "This world seems worse than Earth," Ankai thought to himself. "I hope I can help them through this."

  He thought of the beautiful blue planet — such a beautiful world, sadly being destroyed by the very people living on it. At least in this world, nature still seemed untouched.

  "Okay, brother. Good night." Ankai settled onto his mattress.

  "Let me rest for today. Tomorrow will be a busy day." Soon, silence filled the tent.

  Saheera returned and saw Rokan sitting outside beside a bonfire that was already dying down.

  "You seem lost in thought. Tell me how you feel." Saheera approached and sat beside him.

  "Oh — it's you, Mother. Well, it's nothing. I was just wondering if this new power Ankai awakened will be enough to help us through this trouble." Rokan's worry was only growing.

  "Rokan, have faith in our totem spirit. With it beside us, we don't have to worry. In a few years, things will change." Saheera was deeply optimistic about the future.

  "I hope so, Mother. Many people have already been caught by the slave traders. I've been having nightmares lately. Sometimes it's of you, Meysha, and Tari getting caught and taken away." Rokan looked tired. He was afraid the worst could still happen.

  "Come here. Let me hug you. From now on, things will be different — so don't be afraid." She could see the worry in her older son's eyes. He was just a young man starting his life.

  She was afraid too, even though she tried her best to hide it from her children. But with the birth of the totem spirit, a new hope had bloomed in her heart. She was certain they could escape.

  "Go and rest. You need to be in good form for tomorrow. I'll stay here and wait for your father."

  Rokan went inside to rest with the family.

  That same night, the Shakra scouts arrived in the zone where some wanderers had made camp.

  "We are in the wasteland now, so stay alert. We never know which tribe or warriors we might encounter here," the leader of the group said.

  "Don't worry, boss. There are no major tribes near the wasteland, and it's rare for totem warriors to be found out here," said a man of short stature. He looked quite arrogant, clearly trying to impress the leader, who was none other than Raskel, the third son of Gorvakh Shakra, sent on this mission by his father.

  "Just listen to the leader. You never know — we might be unlucky enough to run into that bastard from the Varkuun Bear tribe and their black bear totem," a slim, tall man with long hair replied.

  "So what about their black bear totem? Sure, they're worse than the brown and white bear tribes, but I don't fear them. Let them come — I'll give them a painful memory with my chain." The short man showcased his weapon — a long chain with many spikes along its length, designed to tear deep, bloody wounds.

  "Both of you, stop. Don't test my patience," Raskel cut their argument short.

  "Mordrak, can you feel anything?" Raskel asked, turning to a man dressed entirely in dark attire.

  "Young lord, I don't feel any powerful presence nearby. But I found a camp not far from here — I believe they are slave traders. We can ask them about what the tribe chief sensed in this direction." Mordrak was tall compared to the others and gave off an eerie, suffocating pressure that set him apart from everyone in the group except Raskel, who seemed to be at a similar level.

  "Okay. Everyone move." Raskel sprinted and vanished from where he stood — a speed no ordinary human could replicate.

  "The young lord, always so demanding," the short man muttered, before following the rest.

  Their group had seven in total — two Adept Totem Warriors, two Initiate Totem Warriors, and three Junior Warriors. Against any wanderers without mystic power, they were an invincible force. Even a warrior below Advanced Adept level would hesitate before provoking them.