“It seems to be true. But I would like to test it for myself," Astu says, rising from her throne and standing in front of me. "Give me your best shot. If you truly are Emru's son, your punch must surpass even those of the warriors of the Fist of Fire clan back then."

  Astu extends her arms, ready to receive my blow. The Adamantite Warriors seem to want to dissuade her from doing so, but a single look from Astu silences them.

  Amator nods, and then I prepare to strike her. As she says, Emru must have been one of the best warriors of the clan if not the best alongside Aleifr, so I can't settle for a simple blow.

  I concentrate and begin to channel the rage into my right hand, just as I had learned in my knight training. The marks on my left arm retract, while the marks on my right arm expand and glow a vivid red like a sword in a forge.

  "It seems you know the technique of the Fist of Fire. Hit me with everything you've got!"

  The heat is almost unbearable, and I feel like my arm is about to melt. But I continue until I feel the heat reach its maximum, emitting a scream. Then I lunge towards her and strike with all my might, letting out a cry.

  I feel the contact with her abdomen, and Astu goes flying until she crashes into the rock stairs. The onlookers exclaim in surprise. For a moment, Astu seems not to get up, but then she does.

  "How I missed that sensation! If I hadn't activated my heritage, you might have seriously hurt me," she says, laughing, as the lines of her heritage activation disappear. "Maybe you really are Emru's son."

  Astu stands up in one motion. I can see that I managed to leave a slight bruise on her abdomen.

  "So, will you accept to ally with us?"

  "You may have demonstrated that the blood of our brothers flows in your veins, but that doesn't indicate that you have inherited the same values as them. You've earned my vote of confidence, but you still need to earn the clan's trust."

  "And how can I do that exactly?"

  "It's very simple. For that, I propose that you participate in the Dunnunu race, and your opponent will be..." Astu smiles. "Ragnar Adamantita."

  "Great Shield, with all due respect, I must protest!" one of the warriors interrupts. "I cannot allow that... exile to represent us. Because of him, many young people, including my son died."

  "Warrior Kirrun, I must remind you that Ragnar Adamantite's exile was given without any evidence. I accepted it only to protect the stability of the clan and Ragnar's safety. I see this as the perfect opportunity to show everyone what he can do."

  "But-"

  "I understand your concern. But as you should know, there is no better way to test one's spirit than with the Dunnunu race, and nothing less than against a descendant of our ancient rivals. Or do you consider that the Dunnunu race, which granted you the title of Adamantita warrior, can't do that?" Astu's face fills with shadows.

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  "N-no, Great Shield, of course not."

  Astu's face relaxes with a warm smile, and she puts her hands on her hips.

  "So, what do you say, Ragnar? Are you in?"

  Ragnar's face seems shrouded in shadows as he looks at the ground, but then he clenches his fists and directs his determined eyes toward Astu.

  "Of course!"

  "I suppose the same goes for you, Altair,"

  I nod my head.

  "So It's time for action! What do you think, my familia Adamantita?"

  The onlookers shout in fervor and start following Astu.

  We are guided deeper into the mountains, beyond the part inhabited by the Adamantita.

  Ahead of us is the ascent of a mountain. Soon the drums begin to sound, and the gathered people wait in anticipation as they talk among themselves.

  "Very well. I will explain the rules," Astu says. "This race will consist of the confrontation against Ragnar Adamantita and Altair Pu?o de Fuego."

  The clamor of the people and their stares make me uncomfortable. I can't help but look down as usual.

  "Ragnar will run with the chance to reintegrate into the clan, while Altai will run to achieve an alliance with us. As is tradition, both will follow the path illuminated by Sinabarita, traced by our ancestors. The winner will be the one who reaches the end of the path first; if they survive, of course."

  Astu stops speaking, and only the drums remain. The tempo increases little by little. Suddenly, I feel cold hands. I must win this; the fate of several people depends on it. I look towards Ragnar, and instead of seeing his permanent smile, I can see that his face has become tense.

  The drums stop.

  Ragnar lunges at great speed onto the path. Surprise causes me to react a little later, and now I find myself behind him.

  As we climb the mountain, the path becomes steeper and narrower. We run alongside the mountain. Soon, I feel the sharp rocks of the path embedding in my feet. The pain makes me want to stop, but I grit my teeth and keep going.

  The path becomes so narrow that I see it impossible to overtake Ragnar. I can see how high we are. I hear a rumble, and a rock avalanche falls on us. Ragnar manages to dissuade them, but one of them heads towards me, and I activate Mukasa's mark to shatter the rock.

  I scream in pain as I receive the force back. The pieces hit the fragile path and break it. I lose my balance and fall, only managing to save myself by grabbing onto the edge of the path.

  Ragnar continues as if nothing, and I lose sight of him. My right hand still hurts, but I use the Mukasa’s Herencia to propel myself back onto the path and resume the race.

  I follow the red minerals until the path comes to an end, and I can't see where to go.

  "Where's the path?!"

  Then I can spot a large Sinabarita vein in the distance just below me, heading towards a lake at the bottom of the mountain.

  "You must be kidding."

  Part of me wants to run away, but the other knows I have no choice. I take one deep breath and then I stand on the edge and try to visualize Avnir jumping, and then I do it.

  The wind envelops me as I fall, and I do my best to fall vertically. In a few seconds, the water surrounds me, and I find myself at the bottom. My body burns from the impact.

  I swim and return to the surface taking a breath of air. I hurry and swim to the end of the lake where I can see the Sinabarite path.

  As I approach the end, I hear sounds of fighting and curses. I see Ragnar surrounded by other clan members with bone weapons in their hands. Ragnar covered in cuts on his body.