Chapter 12

  Brewing Storm

  When Sam and Fang reached the shelter, the members inside immediately gathered.

  The moment they saw only Sam and Fang — and Fang covered in blood — silence fell.

  The tension thickened.

  Uncle Wang stepped forward.

  “What happened? Where are the others?”

  They had heard Fang’s howl earlier, but assumed it was normal.

  Sam did not answer.

  He walked past them without a word, supporting Fang carefully.

  That silence hurt more than any explanation.

  Aunt Luo’s voice trembled slightly.

  “Sam…?”

  He didn’t stop.

  He went straight toward his building.

  The door closed.

  The tension inside the shelter only grew heavier.

  After some time, Lie, Xian, and Yuner returned.

  A visible wave of relief spread across the group.

  Aunt Luo rushed forward.

  “Xian! Yuner! You’re hurt!”

  Their injuries were visible — cuts and bruises — but nothing compared to Fang’s condition.

  Uncle Wang held Yuner’s shoulders.

  “Who did this?”

  Lie spoke calmly.

  “Uncle Mu’s elite squad.”

  Shock spread across every face.

  Lie continued, explaining everything.

  The ambush.

  The hesitation.

  Fang taking the blow.

  Silence followed.

  Uncle Wang’s jaw tightened.

  Xian suddenly asked quietly,

  “Did Sam reach the shelter?”

  “Yes,” Uncle Wang replied. “He and Fang came before you.”

  She hesitated.

  “…Was he still angry?”

  Everyone looked at her.

  “Angry? Why would he be angry?” Aunt Luo asked.

  Lie answered instead.

  “They held back.”

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  His tone was neutral, but firm.

  “They didn’t fight with full strength.”

  Uncle Trio exchanged glances.

  They were warriors.

  They understood.

  Hesitation on a battlefield was not kindness.

  It was danger.

  But no one said it aloud.

  That night, Aunt Luo prepared a meal.

  Sam did not come.

  Inside his building—

  Fang lay unconscious.

  Sam worked silently, cleaning wounds, applying herbs, tightening bandages.

  Inside his mind—

  —AIRS:

  Vital signs stabilizing.

  Blood loss controlled.

  Estimated recovery time: extended but positive.

  Sam’s hands trembled slightly.

  “I missed.”

  —AIRS:

  Arrow trajectory deviation: 3.2 centimeters from heart.

  Cause: emotional spike.

  Sam closed his eyes.

  “Excuses.”

  He stayed awake the entire night.

  Lie wanted to check on him.

  Uncle Wang stopped him.

  “Don’t go. He needs time.”

  The next morning—

  Lie quietly entered Sam’s building.

  He froze.

  Sam was asleep on the ground.

  Fang lay beside him.

  Sam’s arm rested over Fang’s neck.

  As if guarding him even in sleep.

  Lie stepped out silently.

  Later—

  Sam woke and took Fang to the river.

  Cold water flowed.

  He gently washed the blood from Fang’s fur.

  Fang growled weakly.

  “Stay still,” Sam said softly.

  Inside his mind—

  —AIRS:

  Emotional state: suppressed guilt.

  Recommendation: verbal communication.

  Sam ignored it.

  After finishing, he went to the dining area.

  Aunt Luo placed food before him without speaking.

  Xian looked at him.

  “Sam… we—”

  He ate silently.

  Did not look at her.

  Yuner lowered her head.

  The silence was heavier than anger.

  Meanwhile—

  Back at the tribe—

  The defeated squad returned.

  Heads lowered.

  Empty-handed.

  Uncle Mu’s face darkened.

  “How?”

  The squad leader, heavily bandaged, knelt.

  “We were defeated.”

  “By whom?”

  “…Four youths. And a beast.”

  The elders murmured in disbelief.

  Uncle Mu stepped forward.

  “You expect me to believe my elite squad lost to children?”

  The squad leader clenched his fists.

  “They are not ordinary.”

  He described Lie’s precision.

  Xian’s wind blades.

  Yuner’s control.

  Fang’s ferocity.

  Sam’s arrow.

  Silence followed.

  An elder whispered,

  “If the children are this strong… what about their elders?”

  A realization dawned.

  They had provoked the wrong enemy.

  After a long discussion, Uncle Mu spoke.

  “There is another way.”

  He mentioned the nearby bandit group.

  Pure criminals.

  Exiles.

  But powerful.

  “We will let them clash,” Uncle Mu said coldly.

  “When both sides bleed… we strike the survivor.”

  One elder nodded slowly.

  “Hunt two birds with one arrow.”

  Their decision was made.

  Back at the shelter—

  Sam trained harder.

  Not only because of Xian and Yuner.

  But because he had missed.

  “If an arrow can kill and doesn’t… it is wasted,” he muttered.

  —AIRS:

  Emotional detachment improving.

  Reaction speed training recommended.

  He trained his breathing.

  His mind.

  His aim.

  Lie trained alongside him.

  Uncle Trio joined.

  Sam built bows for everyone.

  Stronger traps.

  Hidden spikes.

  Alarm systems.

  Watchtowers along the wall.

  He even constructed massive crossbows for the towers.

  Too large to carry.

  But devastating.

  —AIRS:

  Structural stability confirmed.

  Projectile penetration capacity: extreme.

  Sam was not someone who waited for war.

  He prepared before the enemy decided.

  Meanwhile—

  Uncle Trio completed irrigation.

  Water from the river flowed through narrow channels.

  The crops began growing steadily.

  Life and war preparation progressed together.

  Lie trained with every weapon.

  Sword. Spear. Axe. Dagger.

  He was becoming a weapon master.

  Xian and Yuner trained under Aunt Luo.

  Wind control improved.

  They began sensing finer currents.

  Under Uncle Trio, they learned battlefield discipline.

  “Magic is not for showing beauty,” Uncle Wang told them.

  “It is for survival.”

  During this time—

  AIRS analyzed Fang’s strange aura.

  —AIRS:

  Mana manipulation capability detected.

  Elemental alignment: Ice affinity.

  Secondary compatibility: Wind.

  Sam’s eyes narrowed.

  “Explain.”

  —AIRS:

  Subject Fang capable of converting liquid into solid via mana compression.

  Current limitation: requires physical medium.

  Cannot yet extract moisture from atmosphere efficiently.

  Weeks of intense training followed.

  Fang learned basic ice spikes.

  Freezing puddles instantly.

  Combining wind to increase speed.

  He was evolving.

  And then—

  A thought struck Sam.

  “If Fang can use wind and ice…”

  He looked at Xian.

  “She should be able to as well.”

  —AIRS:

  Genetic and mana pattern similarity between Xian and Fang: notable.

  Sam did not share this yet.

  But something else happened.

  During one training session—

  Fang launched an ice shard at Sam.

  Sam deflected it with mana flow.

  —AIRS paused.

  Anomaly detected.

  Mana response inside host body inconsistent with baseline human parameters.

  Sam frowned.

  “What does that mean?”

  Further analysis required.

  Possibility: dormant secondary affinity.

  Warning: unstable.

  Sam ignored it.

  “Continue.”

  He trained harder.

  Unaware.

  That something inside him—

  Was awakening.

  And danger—

  Was already moving toward them.

  End of Chapter 12

  To Be Continued…