The sun dipped toward the horizon, painting the sky in vibrant hues of orange and red, as Silak curiously walked toward the noise he heard. His tribesmen moved peacefully through their daily lives, seemingly oblivious. Some chatted and laughed cheerfully; kids played, running around, yet they couldn't hear the same strange sound that drew him forward. He even tried asking one of the children who ran past him, mimicking the sound, but it only confirmed his assumption: he was the only one who could hear it.
'Now that makes it weird and mysterious,' he mused, a shiver running down his spine. 'What could it be? Should I really follow and find the source of this noise?' Silak hesitated, weighing the safety of pursuing an unknown sound audible only to him.
"I can at least check it out," Silak muttered, a newfound confidence bolstering him. "If it's anything dangerous, I'll retreat right away." Being in the bronze stage of the corporeal refinement realm boosted his courage.
The tribe's rules stipulated that one must be at least in the bronze stage to be allowed outside the wooden fence and barricades. Warriors needed to reach the silver stage, while leaders and elders were all at the gold stage or at least half-step gold stage of the corporeal refinement realm.
Silak continued his search leisurely, without any rush. The noise led him toward the tribe's ancestral grounds, closer to the forest edge. 'If it's anything deeper within the woods, I'll have to force myself to stop,' Silak decided, 'especially since it's about to go dark.'
Fortunately, his search didn't end in disappointment. Silak now stood before a cave entrance leading underground. He'd lived in the tribe for six years and explored all areas within the fence and barricades—except this cave. His mother had once scolded him for playing near it, telling him it was the dwelling of their tribe's guardian beast.
"How come the noise I hear is leading me inside the guardian's cave?" Silak murmured, stopping and hesitating at the entrance. "Could something has happened to it?" He deliberated whether to enter or simply go home.
["Why not enter, young prince Silak? Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you, you know."]
Silak gasped, startled by the sudden voice. He spun around, searching, but saw no one, not a single soul.
"Who are you? Where are you?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice.
["I'm your tribe's guardian beast, and I am speaking directly to you through your consciousness. Why not enter the cave? Are you not curious why I led you here?"] the guardian beast replied.
After thinking for a moment, Silak's curiosity won over his caution and fear. He convinced himself that if the guardian beast wanted to harm him, it could have done so as soon as he arrived.
"Alright, I apologize for intruding, Senior Guardian Beast," Silak said respectfully, raising his voice so it could hear him. He didn't yet know how to speak directly to someone else's consciousness. "I will now enter your cave dwelling as you requested." He slowly made his way inside.
It didn't take long for Silak to reach the end of the cave. This part was fascinatingly bright, unlike the dark entrance. It was a huge dome with glowing stone crystals embedded in the ceiling, while the ground was covered in dried soft wood and leaves, likely serving as the guardian beast's bed.
Silak cautiously moved closer, sensing no danger from the massive creature. "Silak greets Senior Guardian Beast," he said, bowing. "Thank you for driving away the uninvited guests six years ago during the ceremony." He sincerely expressed his gratitude.
The guardian beast slowly uncoiled, raising its head. Its enormous vertical pupils focused on him as it slowly lowered its head and moved closer to Silak.
["You are indeed outstanding compared to others of your age. My name is Gahumdagat."] Gahumdagat carefully observed Silak as it introduced itself.
"It is my honor to know your name, Senior Gahumdagat. May I know for what reason you called on me today?"
["I need your help, young prince Silak,"] Gahumdagat said. ["I don't have enough strength and time to be your tribe's guardian. Fortunately, you were born and are greatly favored by the Goddess Mayari."]
"I indeed heard from my parents about your condition, Senior Gahumdagat," Silak replied. "I am more than happy to assist you in any way that I can. Let me repay you for what you did to protect me in the past."
["I will let you know once the time is right. For now, I just wanted to meet you and personally ask for your assistance."]
["Shardani will be the one to communicate with the tribe's elders and your parents on what you need to do. It should be within the next few months."]
"I understand, Senior Gahumdagat. I will wait for Elder Shardani's instructions," Silak said, bowing in respect.
However, before he left, the guardian beast Gahumdagat moved its tail, digging and searching for something.
["Before you go, why don't you take this with you? Consider it my gift for our first official meeting, young prince."] Gahumdagat's tail slowly extended from behind it, carefully handing Silak a small stone container. It appeared to be a stone boulder carved into a pot.
Silak reached out to receive the stone pot. 'Ugh. This thing is heavy. What could it be?' he mused.
["Carefully take it home with you and ask Iskra to use it as a base for your bath. This should be used after every cultivation session to help your body quickly recover and assist you in breaking through the silver stage,"] Gahumdagat explained the purpose of its gift.
Silak was ecstatic upon hearing the value of this gift, despite not knowing what was inside the stone pot. 'Well, Mother will definitely know, so I should just bring this over to her,' he thought excitedly.
"I accept your generous gift, Senior Gahumdagat. Thank you!" Silak sincerely expressed his gratitude and appreciation.
["Alright. That should be all for today. You can go back now, and I will see you again soon,"] Gahumdagat said as it coiled back to rest.
Silak slowly retreated to the cave entrance. Once outside, he excitedly rushed back home to share his conversation with the tribe's guardian beast and its incredible gift!