Inside the massive leather pavilion, a heavy, restless clamor filled the air. The gathered warriors and elders were shouting over one another with mounting dread, debating a matter that would decide the survival of their entire community.
"The Sharu can't hold on much longer! Life is slipping away from him with every breath - he has a few days left at most! We have to find a new Sharu immediately!"
"Every single child across the entire Tribe has already been tested! None of them - not a single soul - has the talent to become Sharu!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?! If we lose our Sharu, our Tribe is doomed beyond salvation, and I'd rather die than end up a helpless Wanderer roaming the wastelands!"
"Wait… isn't there still one person left in camp that no one has checked yet?"
"Do you mean that foreign Wanderer our scouts dragged in half-dead from the forest outskirts three days ago?"
"Yes, exactly her! Let her try! She's the only one left who hasn't been tested for a bond with the totem."
"Sharu, what do you think?" a voice asked respectfully toward the deepest corner of the pavilion.
"Bring him in," came the brief, raspy response of an aging man.
"…"
Tap, tap, tap…
Standing outside amid the thickening crowd, Elizabeth heard the chaotic shouting inside abruptly die down into absolute silence. The thick entrance flap was pulled aside, and out stepped a tall, imposing woman.
A deep scar cut across her left cheek, and her colossal chest threatened to burst from the tightly laced leather straps binding it. A pair of massive, thirty-centimeter bull horns curved upward from the crown of her head, giving her a fierce, intimidating aura.
"Sulikani…" the horned woman beckoned with a wave of her hand, calling out in a guttural tone while giving a clear, unmistakable nod.
You want me to go inside? Elizabeth deduced immediately from the universal gesture.
Taking a deep, steadying breath to calm her frayed nerves, she stepped across the threshold into the enormous tent. The moment she entered, a rank, sour stench of sweat and uncured hides slammed into her senses. Mingled with the sharp, metallic tang of blood radiating from several heavily muscled, scar-covered men and women standing in a ring, the foul odor nearly made her gag on the spot.
There were six people inside in total, including the horned woman who had escorted her in. Yet across the entire stifling room, only one figure commanded absolute presence.
It was an ancient elder, seated upon an elevated dais of furs at the far end of the tent.
Without a doubt, he's the one calling the shots around here, Elizabeth thought, her eyes narrowing as she coolly assessed the Elder for any sign of threat.
The Elder had long white hair cascading loosely over his shoulders, exceptionally thick white brows, and a flowing beard that reached his chest. Despite his visibly advanced age, his deep black eyes burned with an astonishing, vibrant inner fire - bearing none of the cloudy dimness typical of an ailing man standing with one foot in the grave.
"Pelikura…" the horned warrior muttered, giving Elizabeth a gentle shove forward and escorting her directly before the old man.
On edge, Elizabeth furrowed her brow, locking a vigilant gaze onto the Elder while rapidly calculating every possible escape route in a split second.
If there's even the slightest hint of danger or if they try to attack me, I'll instantly lunge forward and take this old man hostage…
There is no way in hell I'm letting these savages use me as food or a sacrifice.
"Hmmm?" the old man hummed softly.
The moment Elizabeth's eyes met his, her entire body locked up, completely refusing to obey her. Her mind was helplessly pulled into the depth of his dark gaze, and in the very next second, it felt as though she had been physically cast into the cosmic expanse, drifting amid boundless darkness and deafening silence.
Suddenly, a brilliant flame ignited in the void - a tiny droplet of crimson light that slowly unfurled in every direction until a searing heat engulfed her entire field of view.
There's something inside those flames… she thought in shock. Her eyes widened as a towering figure manifested through the undulating tongues of fire.
It was a woman - or so it appeared at first glance, judging by her feminine curves. She possessed an exceptionally slender, statuesque silhouette, yet flanking her sides below her primary shoulders were two additional, flawlessly sculpted arms.
All four arms moved slowly with inhuman grace through the sea of fire, as if the flame itself were merely an obedient extension of her divine will. Long, radiant locks danced around her like living fire, while a luminous corona resembling a crown of pure embers blazed above her head.
"Hm!" A muffled grunt of exertion shattered the trance.
A torrent of foreign knowledge suddenly crashed into Elizabeth's mind with sheer force, tearing down the language barrier and hammering the meanings of words and concepts directly into her memory.
She snapped awake with a violent gasp, panting for air as if the cosmic vision had merely been a fleeting hallucination; everything that had unfolded in the dark void vanished without a trace.
She was back in the physical tent, standing before the seated elder. Only now, his face was deathly pale and drenched in cold sweat. His extraordinary eyes had lost their vibrant spark, looking utterly drained, as if that brief trial had burned through the last remnants of his mental and vital energy.
"Sharu, does she have the talent to become a Sharu?!" the horned woman asked eagerly, leaning closer to the elder.
Cough, cough, cough… The old man hacked heavily into his palm, panting with effort before giving a slow, relieved nod.
"Incredible! It's a miracle! We will still have a Sharu, and the tribe will survive!"
"The Totem and the sacred Ancestors have truly blessed us in our darkest hour!"
"…"
Huh???
Elizabeth froze, her eyes wide. By some unknown magical means, she could now effortlessly understand every single word spoken around her. And with the sudden comprehension of their language came the realization of why they had brought her here in the first place.
So they want me to become their new Sharu?!
How on earth is that possible?!
"Child, what is your name?" the elderly Sharu asked softly, looking at her with warmth and a fading smile upon his wrinkled lips.
"My name is Elizabeth," she answered honestly without hesitation, fully aware that the old man before her was far from an ordinary person to be trifled with.
The Sharu of this world clearly possessed terrifying, miraculous powers; in the span of a single heartbeat, he had imprinted an entire complex language directly into her mind.
"Where do you hail from? What was the name of your original tribe?" the old man asked in a calm, expectant tone.
"I…" Elizabeth choked on her words, her mind racing at full throttle to weigh the consequences.
Should I just tell him I'm from a world called Earth, from a country in Europe?
No, that's just asking to be branded a demon or a lunatic.
"It is fine. You need not speak if the painful memories burden you so," the Sharu said understandingly, misinterpreting her silence as trauma from past slaughter. He offered a comforting smile and added with deep gravity.
"Since your former tribe has been reduced to ash and no longer exists, our Blood Fire Tribe shall be your new home and your new blood from this day forth."
During their earlier mental connection, the elder had sensed no lingering spiritual link to any known divine totem within Elizabeth.
In the logic of this world, that meant her original totem had been destroyed, leaving her a solitary, tribeless Wanderer doomed to roam the wilds. After all, no one of sound mind in this primitive realm could ever fathom that someone could cross over from an entirely different dimension or distant planet.
"Uh…" Elizabeth stood stunned by his interpretation for a brief moment, but she quickly composed her face and nodded in agreement.
In her past life on Earth, she had been an orphan with no family, scraping by through the grueling work of writing web novels within the four walls of a cramped apartment. Remaining with the Blood Fire Tribe carried no moral conflict or homesickness for loved ones.
On the contrary, securing a safe place to settle down and gain protection in this savage, uncharted land wasn't a bad starting point at all.
The Sharu turned slowly toward the crimson-horned warrior woman and issued his command:
"Neria, take someone with you and show Elizabeth around our tribe so she may familiarize herself with her new home."
"Yes, Sharu," Neria answered instantly with profound respect, striking her fist over her ample bosom.
"The rest of you, leave and begin the necessary preparations. The Sharu Succession Ceremony will commence tomorrow evening without delay," the old Sharu solemnly declared, signaling the end of the council.
"Yes, great Sharu!" the assembly echoed in unison with absolute reverence.
"…"
As everyone descended from the dais, Elizabeth caught a deep shadow of grief and sorrow lingering in their eyes. She easily deduced that this entire inheritance of title and power likely required a painful, ultimate sacrifice - one where the old man surrendered his very soul to the totem.
"Go now…" the Sharu waved his hand feebly, closing his weary eyes as he sank back exhaustedly into his furs.