Crack!
The atmosphere grew awkward and fell into a quiet stillness. Muria looked at the broken longbow in his hands and then up at his father, Batu. Finally, he broke the silence, "Your bow broke, Dad!"
"..." Batu raised a trembling finger, pointing at Muria. His emotions were on the verge of collapse. His bow, his beloved weapon, had been snapped in two by his son. This meant two things: first, his son's strength had reached an overwhelming level, and second, his precious bow was gone.
"I didn't mean to do it. I wasn't even using much strength. Your bow was already about to break," Muria added, feeling genuinely apologetic. He didn't think his strength was excessive—at least, it wasn't anywhere near the strength of his true form right after birth.
"Ull, you…" Batu's finger continued to tremble as he pointed at his son.
"How about I make you a new one?" Muria suggested cautiously, sensing his father's anger and the urge to lash out. Muria was well aware of how much his father loved this bow—every time he visited their treehouse, nine out of ten times he would see Batu carefully maintaining it.
It was obvious how much this bow meant to Batu, and now it was broken. But Muria genuinely hadn't expected the bow to be so fragile. After all, he was accustomed to his own weapon, Starfall, which could easily handle any amount of force he applied.
Although Muria had never made a bow before, he had watched the elves of Synapse crafting bows from wood. He figured with a bit of trial and error, he could probably make a sturdy one.
"No need!" Batu finally lowered his hand, his face dark, as he responded. He vowed that if anyone other than his wife or son had broken his beloved bow, they would've been met with his fists by now.
"Tsk, impressive! No wonder he says he wants to conquer the Misha and become king!"
"Absolutely! At such a young age, he's already stronger than his father, and he snapped his father's bow clean in two!"
"I'm telling you, even if Ull doesn't manage to conquer the Misha, he's got a shot at becoming the next Bagdar of our Tunan tribe! Glory will return to us!"
"Not just a shot, it's certain! With strength like this, there's no doubt. Even the last Bagdar from our tribe didn't have this kind of strength when he was Ull's age!"
The Ikon spectators murmured among themselves. What had started as a crowd gathering for entertainment quickly turned into awe when they witnessed Muria's brute strength.
Everyone in the tribe knew Batu's strength and the toughness of his bow. In a small tribe like Tunan, everyone was familiar with each other's abilities and possessions. For Muria to break Batu's bow meant he could break any of theirs too. In such a case, no one would mock Batu, as it would be the same as mocking themselves.
"Ahem, Dad, can you take me hunting now?" Muria cleared his throat and asked, even though he knew the chances of going hunting today had already gone out the window. But there was always a sliver of hope.
"Once I've made a new bow, we'll talk about it," Batu replied with some irritation, giving Muria an annoyed look before picking up the broken bow and storming off to find new materials for a replacement.
However, as soon as Batu left the crowd, a wide, exaggerated smile broke across his face. Losing a bow? So what? He could always make a new one. What mattered most was the pride he felt in showing off his son's talent to the tribe.
"Can't laugh, can't laugh, I must hold it in!" Batu resisted the urge to laugh out loud, his pace quickening as he left. From this day forward, he would be the most envied father in the tribe, with a son destined to become a Bagdar.
"So, what exactly is a Bagdar?" Muria thought to himself, puzzled as he overheard the Ikon people's discussions. Based on their reactions, Bagdar seemed to refer to a special kind of Ikon, most likely one who could absorb the energy from the crystal stones.
"I still lack common knowledge. It seems I'll have to spend more time with the elder," Muria sighed inwardly. After briefly chatting with the Ikon people who approached him, he excused himself, saying he needed to visit the elder to read more books.
…
Three days later.
"Ull, come hunting with me!" Batu approached Muria, carrying two longbows. He tossed one to Muria.
"This bow?" As soon as the bow was in his hand, Muria felt its weight and examined it closely. It was a pitch-black bow with a metallic sheen, but clear wood grain was visible along its surface, and it had a thick patina from long years of use.
"This is a bow once used by a Bagdar! I requested it from the elder. No one in the tribe can use it now, so for the time being, it's yours. When you become a true Bagdar, this bow will belong to you," Batu explained.
"Uh… what exactly is a Bagdar?" Muria asked, scratching his nose awkwardly.
"A Bagdar is a warrior blessed by the Sacred Tree! Ull, if you want to conquer the Misha, you must first become a Bagdar!" Batu explained.
"Oh, I see," Muria nodded thoughtfully, stroking the nearly metal-like surface of the bow.
"Now, come hunting with me, and I'll teach you all the skills I've learned!" Batu said coolly as he turned and walked off.
Without hesitation, Muria slung the large black bow, almost as tall as he was, over his back and followed his father out of the tribe to a grassy field.
Muria's eyes widened in surprise when he saw that, aside from his father, there were more than thirty fully armed Ikon warriors waiting on the field.
It became clear that Batu had spent the past three days doing more than just crafting a new bow. He had gone around requesting help from others. He had asked the elder for the Bagdar's bow and rallied the warriors of the tribe to come along, ensuring that his son would be well protected during the hunt.
"I'll remember this!" Muria glanced at his father, biting his lip. Silently, he made a vow to himself. In the future, he would repay this favor tenfold.
"They'll be joining us on the hunt," Batu said, turning to Ull.
"Little Ull, you'll be coming with us today. Don't worry, we'll keep you safe in the center. If you see any scary monsters, don't be afraid," one of the warriors teased.
"What's there to fear? We'll be protecting him, after all."
"Remember all the effort your father put in, Ull. These past few days, he's been…"
"Hmmph!" Batu cut off the talkative warrior with a heavy grunt, shooting him a glare before turning to Muria and giving him a list of instructions.
"Ull, before the hunt, there's something very important we need to do first!" Batu said mysteriously.
"What is it?" Muria asked curiously.
"You need to tame your first companion!" Batu replied with excitement, blowing a sharp whistle. The other Ikon warriors followed suit, whistling in a similar fashion.
Suddenly, Muria felt the ground tremble as a group of large creatures rushed toward them.
In moments, a herd of massive beasts appeared before Muria's eyes. Each one stood four meters tall and nearly five meters long, resembling horses, but unlike the four-legged horses Muria was familiar with, these creatures had six legs, with two pairs of forelimbs.
Their bodies were adorned with striking patterns, and they had hard, armor-like shells covering their shoulders and the back of their necks. Two long, flowing tendrils extended from the sides of their heads, giving them an exotic appearance.
The herd spread out, each creature approaching one of the Ikon warriors. A blue-black beast ran up to Batu, affectionately nuzzling his hand.
"Get on!" Batu said, mounting the six-legged beast and extending his hand to Muria.
With a wry smile, Muria took his father's hand and climbed onto the beast's back.
Once Muria was settled in front of him, Batu let out a soft whistle and squeezed the beast's sides with his legs. The six-legged creature took off, leading the charge, while the other Ikon warriors mounted their steeds and followed.
As they rode, the warriors gradually formed a protective circle around Batu and Muria, shielding Muria from any potential danger. This was their responsibility as adult Ikons.
"I'm stronger than any of you!" Muria thought with a sigh, feeling a bit exasperated at being treated like a fragile object in need of protection.
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