In the clear sky of the village, the giant eagle Sora appeared, returning from his patrol, but the scene was rather strange. Someone was dangling from the eagle's talons in the air, screaming; it was Volak, exactly as the Ice Lord had predicted! But what was even stranger was that two unfamiliar people were riding on the eagle's back with Iris.
Sora finally landed, and everyone dismounted, while Volak fell onto the snow, panting.
The Ice Lord welcomed them with a faint smile, "Welcome back. So, any news?"
Iris answered as she brushed the snow off her clothes, "No, there was no sign of demons in the neighboring villages."
Hyuga said, "Good. Then... who are these two?"
The first boy stepped forward confidently and said, "Hello, my name is Julian. I heard that the demons are planning to attack the villages, so I decided to come and help."
The second boy stepped forward enthusiastically and said, "And my name is Harold. I also heard about the frequent attacks, so I want to join and help in the fight."
Hyuga said welcomingly, "I am pleased to hear that."
Rose shouted in objection as she marched toward them, "You accept them immediately and you reject me? They are young too!"
Hyuga said calmly, "They are older than you, Rose."
Rose turned to them and asked suspiciously, "Really? How old are you?"
Julian answered, "I am fourteen years old."
Harold said, "And I am thirteen years old."
Rose furrowed her brows and said angrily, "Wait! Are you saying Harold was accepted into the team even though he is only a couple of years older than me?"
Hyuga answered, "Yes, and I intend to include you too."
Rose grumbled, "It is not fair! Wait... are you saying you will include me?"
Hyuga said, "Yes."
Rose's eyes widened and she asked eagerly, "Really? Are you serious?"
Hyuga answered with a faint smile, "Of course. You will be a medical assistant in emergencies and work from the backlines, until you grow up and get promoted to a combat member."
Rose smiled broadly and said, "Alright, that is enough for me for now! Good!"
Meanwhile, in the dark demon camp.
An assistant said worriedly, "Sir, the army is fully ready, but I have some concerns."
The masked demon asked him coldly, "And what are they?"
"We are soldiers of the first rank, meaning we are at the bottom of the demon military pyramid. And we are going to face a Knight of the Seven Knights! Your plan is to have an Ancient Covenant monster attack the knight to distract him. But... what if the monster attacks us too during the chaos?"
The masked man laughed mockingly. "You think too much, assistant. There is a saying: defeat the king, and the rest of the pieces fall. This is the goal of the Ancient Covenant monsters; their instinct drives them to eliminate the strongest entity on the battlefield first, causing the weaker ones to scatter and flee."
The assistant asked, "So, the monster won't attack us?"
The masked man answered confidently, "No, because the Ice Lord will be busy fighting it, leaving a perfect opening for us. Do you understand? We must complete our mission and steal the target."
"But sir... what if the Ice Lord defeats the Covenant monster?"
The masked man said with a terrifying tone, "Do not worry. The Covenant monsters that absorbed the blood of the Warrior of Light and the Warrior of Darkness centuries ago do not die. So prepare yourself, for we will not fail no matter what. Start activating the portal immediately."
"Sir, after the death of the sorcerer who opens the portals, forming a magical portal takes a long time."
The masked man said firmly, "It does not matter. I will wait, get yourselves ready."
Back with the Ice Lord, he stood before Julian and Harold in the training ground.
Hyuga said seriously, "Alright, since you both want to join the team, I must measure your combat strength first. So, launch your attack whenever you wish. Both of you together."
Without any hesitation, Harold clenched his fist and fired a blazing fireball at the Ice Lord! Hyuga dodged it gracefully, and at the exact same moment, Julian attacked from the side with a solid sword made entirely of blood!
The Ice Lord stepped back, and Harold seized the opportunity, striking the icy ground with immense thermal power until the ice layer softened and melted slightly. Then he grabbed a chunk of ice and hurled it at Hyuga.
Hyuga dodged it again, but he felt something was wrong, and he was right! Julian had used his magical power to make his blood flow under the melted ice, and suddenly, sharp blood spears erupted from beneath Hyuga's feet!
Hyuga smiled and said to himself, "Now I understand why Harold melted the ice. They are excellent collaborators."
The Ice Lord used his power and created a large mound of ice to lift himself off the ground and evade the spears, but he found the two attacking him together in mid-air.
Hyuga said with a calm voice, "Well done. But, it is time to end the fight."
Julian tried to land a strike with his blood sword, but he found the ground beneath him had completely frozen both his feet, pinning him in place. A moment later, Harold found a shadow made of ice standing behind him, placing the cold blade of an ice sword against his neck!
Harold whispered in shock, "When did he do that?"
Hyuga dispelled the ice from them and smiled, saying, "So, let me officially welcome you to the Ice Eagles Squad."
The two offered a military salute with respect and admiration.
Hyuga asked them, "Now... aren't you hungry after this fight?"
They answered in unison, "Yes, we are starving!"
Rose said as she stepped forward enthusiastically, "Then leave the food to me!"
The Ice Lord looked at her with hidden terror, then quickly said, "Anyone but you!"
Rose frowned, "Didn't you like my morning food?"
Hyuga answered firmly, "No! Well, anyway, we will not prepare food ourselves, because today we have a huge festival in the village."
Julian asked curiously, "A festival?"
Volak answered, "Yes, it is a holiday where we celebrate the first leader of the Spear Tribe, who incidentally is my great-great-grandfather."
Harold said as he rubbed his stomach, "That is a lot of history, but anything with food, I am all for it!"
Hyuga said, "Good, then let's go."
We walked and headed to the decorated festival square. Everyone was happy, but suddenly, a woman came running, carrying her pale son in her arms.
The woman cried with tears, "Rose! Aunt Lian is begging you! What is wrong? Please heal my son, he has a heart disease!"
Rose asked in shock, "What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Aunt Lian wept, "Unfortunately, I found out too late when I was washing him, for he didn't want to bathe so I wouldn't notice the symptoms of the disease on his chest!"
Rose said with serious confidence, "It is okay, he will be fine."
Rose placed her small, glowing hand over the boy's heart and began healing him. Rose sweated and said with effort, "His condition is very bad, he is in the early stages of the final phase."
The mother screamed, "My son!"
Rose increased her healing power, and the light of healing glowed brightly. The illness and fatigue gradually began to disappear from the boy's face, until it vanished completely.
Rose dropped to her knees, panting heavily and wiping her sweat. "Phew... I am done."
The boy woke up amidst his mother's overwhelming joy. The mother hugged Rose while crying, "Thank you, Rose! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"
Rose smiled tiredly, "There is no need, I only did what I had to do."
The son spoke with a faint voice, "Mother..."
The mother hugged him. "Thank God you are okay! I was so worried. Why didn't you tell me about your illness, my son?"
The boy answered as he looked at Rose shyly, "I didn't want to exhaust Rose even more. She heals many patients at the expense of her own health and energy. And also, I thought it was just an ache and would go away like every time."
The mother cried and hit him lightly, "Idiot! My idiot son! We could have taken care of it if you had told me from the beginning."
The boy said, "I am sorry."
The boy looked at Rose and said gratefully, "Thank you, Rose."
Rose said, smiling weakly, "No, do not thank me, as I said, I only did my duty. And now go and enjoy the festival."
"I will!"
Rose watched the mother hugging her son, a look of sadness and longing filling her eyes, as if she were envious of the maternal warmth she missed.
Her brother Volak interrupted her thoughts, "Rose, are you okay?"
She answered as she wiped her eyes, "Yes. I just need some food and I will be fine."
Volak grabbed his sister and carried her affectionately on his back.
Rose said in surprise, "Brother, what are you doing?"
Volak answered with a smile, "You said you were hungry, so let's go get food."
"I can walk on my own feet!"
"But your feet are small, while I am bigger and taller, so we will get to the food faster."
Rose hit him lightly on the head and laughed, "Do not treat the great healer of the village like this! It is truly insulting!"
Volak said as he ran with her, "I do not see it that way! Thanks to you, all the villages do not suffer from diseases. So, appreciate my value as a brother and give me your share of the delicious food."
Rose said stubbornly, "I agree, do you want me to gain weight? Impossible! I will stick to my share only, as you wish."
Hyuga asked Volak as they walked, "Is your sister the only healer here?"
Volak answered proudly, "Yes. Healers are very scarce in this harsh region. My sister is the only one, she inherited it from my mother, and my mother inherited it from her grandmother."
Hyuga said respectfully, "Then your sister is truly a hero."
Rose said from her brother's back, "Of course! And by the acknowledgment of the village people too! So you must officially declare me a combat member of the team, and not just an emergency assistant, when I turn thirteen."
Hyuga laughed, "That is a lot of demands for one person!"
The festival was held, grand and majestic, with all the leaders of the neighboring villages invited. The celebration continued until it was time for Chief Zephyr's speech.
The Chief stood on the podium and said with a booming voice, "First, I am pleased you all came today to attend this great celebration. Since the founding of this tribe, everyone was united by the hands of my first grandfather. Years and generations passed until I took the leadership. So I hope to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors, and be a leader who does good for his people, serves their interests, and protects them."
He paused for a moment and looked toward Volak and Rose with a proud smile. "And also, I would like to mention my pride and joy... my son Volak, who stood bravely. And also, the light of my eyes and my beating heart, my daughter Rose... the great healer of the villages. On my behalf, and on behalf of everyone... we thank you, Rose."
Suddenly, the Chief bowed to her, and with him, everyone in the square bowed; the old before the young, their warriors and their leaders, in a majestic and goosebump-inducing scene.
Rose's cheeks flushed red, and she said with a flustered voice, "What is this? Stop please, you are embarrassing me! I only healed you, it is my duty!"
One of the villagers said while still bowing, "No! If it weren't for you, my son wouldn't have survived after his fight with the savage bears. He was on the brink of death, and the storm was too severe for someone to come and heal him from another village. But you came despite that danger and saved him. You saved my soul by saving him, so this bow is the least we owe you."
Another said, "And me too! You saved the children of my village from the plague, even though this drain weakens you a lot... but you endure the pain in silence. So on behalf of them all, I thank you."
Rose wiped tears of emotion and said, "Guys... this is just me. It is okay."
Volak said as he gently patted her head, "Sister, today is your day. For you are the true hero of the village."
Rose smiled a bright smile like the sun and said from the bottom of her heart, "I hope God grants me the strength, to heal you and protect you every single day."
And everyone replied in one voice that shook the mountains, "And us too!"