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Yet now, as he stood there before them, his expression cold and unwavering, his words pierced through the silence like a blade.

"Yes," Lyerin said flatly, his voice cutting through their confusion, "I\'ve changed my mind." He paused, letting the gravity of his decision sink in. "Fortunately for you all, right now, I have a plan. These people you brought might be useful to us."

A collective exhale escaped the gathered tribe members, relief mingling with fear. They hadn\'t expected him to relent so easily, yet the glint in his eyes warned them that this was no act of kindness.

"But let me be clear," Lyerin continued, his tone darkening once more, "this will not happen again. If any of you dare disobey me like this next time, I won\'t be merciful. You\'ll be thrown outside, stripped of your powers, and left to fend for yourselves. Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded quickly, too afraid to speak. His words were like a blade hanging over their heads, the promise of punishment far worse than any physical pain.

"Good." Lyerin turned on his heel, dismissing them with the sharpness of his movement. "Don\'t follow me," he commanded, his back to them now. "I\'m going to check these people out for myself. I\'ll decide what they\'re worth."

The moment Lyerin left, a tense silence fell over the group.

Eyes quickly turned toward Sophia, accusations simmering just beneath the surface.

Corora\'s expression was a mixture of anger and jealousy, her eyes blazing as she stepped forward.

"What happened between you and Lyerin?"

Corora demanded, her voice trembling with a mix of frustration and something more primal.

"Why are you acting so close to him? Why did you stay?"

Sophia swallowed hard, one could see her face was flushing with severe embarrassment.

She opened her mouth, struggling to find the words. "I can explain," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "That\'s why I stayed behind. I told you all—this was a bad idea. I tried to warn you not to disobey him."

"That\'s not what I asked," Corora snapped, her jealousy flaring. "I\'m asking what happened between you two."

Sophia\'s face reddened further, her mind racing.

She could feel the weight of their stares, but there was no time to explain what even she didn\'t fully understand. "It\'s… complicated," she finally managed, her voice shaky. "But it\'s not what you think."

…

Meanwhile, outside the sanctuary, Lyerin was walking away from the tension, his posture exuding confidence and control.

His steps were measured, steady, but his thoughts drifted back to the scene he\'d left behind.

Sophia, with her flushed face and hesitant words, would surely face their accusations, but Lyerin wasn\'t concerned.

Women and their matters—so long as they didn\'t cross the line, it was of little importance to him.

As he moved farther from the sanctuary, the air around him seemed to lighten.

He stretched his arms overhead, his muscles tightening and then loosening in a ripple of tension release.

He rolled his shoulders back, feeling the knots that had formed from the earlier confrontation slowly unwind.

A long sigh escaped his lips, and he continued to stretch, his arms, legs, neck—every part of his body slowly unwinding. check-out-NovelFire

He bent forward, touching his toes, the stretch tugging at his hamstrings.

The movement felt good, each pull of muscle and sinew reminding him of his own strength, his own control over his body. He twisted his torso, feeling a satisfying crack along his spine, and smiled faintly.

There was something refreshing about this small, physical ritual. Each stretch, each moment of tension and release, seemed to wash away the lingering stress from the tribe.

As Lyerin continued to stretch, he glanced at the horizon.

The city loomed in the distance, a shadowy silhouette against the fading light of the sky. He muttered to himself, "The eldritch beasts in the tribe are probably nearing level thirty or peak twenty by now. The monsters outside are still early in their second cycle as Eldritch beings…"

He trailed off, considering the balance of power. "Maybe I shouldn\'t rush too much," he concluded.

Lyerin let out another deep breath and stretched his arms one last time, savoring the feeling of his muscles loosening.

Not long, his body felt refreshed, reinvigorated, as if the simple act of stretching had released not only physical tension but mental fog as well.

By the time he reached the outer edge of the tribe\'s territory—the sanctuary that marked the entrance to their domain—he could see the figures in the distance.

There were dozens of them, huddled together in ragged groups, their clothes torn and dirty, their faces gaunt and hollow. Men, women, and children, all ages.

Some stood tall despite their exhaustion, while others clung to one another, too weak to stand on their own.

Lyerin\'s gaze swept over them, taking in every detail.

Their pitiful appearance did nothing to stir his empathy. He had long since learned to distance himself from the suffering of others.

There were too many of them, far too many for his tribe to take in. He would need to assess their usefulness, weed out the weak from the strong.

As he approached, his steps slow and deliberate, some of the people turned toward him, their eyes wide with a mixture of hope and fear.

They could sense his authority, his power, but they didn\'t yet know what he would decide.

Lyerin\'s eyes narrowed as he studied them, calculating.

The group was large, but the resources of the tribe were limited. If they weren\'t worth the risk, they would have to be turned away—or worse.

Suddenly, as he moved closer, his gaze landed on a figure at the edge of the group.

A woman, hunched over with her back to him, her hair matted and tangled, her clothes filthy. Yet something about her posture, the way she held herself, felt… familiar.

Lyerin\'s brow furrowed, a deep frown forming on his face. He stopped in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat as a name surfaced in his mind, unbidden.

Could it be her?

The thought sent a jolt through him, though he quickly pushed it aside. It was impossible. She couldn\'t be here. Not after all this time.

But the nagging sense of recognition persisted, gnawing at the back of his mind. He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought. It had to be a coincidence. It had to be.

Yet, as he continued to watch her, his doubt grew.

The way she moved, the way she shifted slightly to the side, it all felt too familiar.

A cold dread began to settle in his chest, and without realizing it, his aura darkened, the air around him growing thick with an oppressive weight.

His eyes, once indifferent, now burned with a cold, murderous intent.

Whoever this woman was—whether she was who he thought or not—he would find out. And if it was her… if she had somehow found her way back into this life… then there would be consequences.

Lyerin\'s face twisted into a grim expression, his body tensing as his bloodlust surged.

He could feel it now, the old anger rising within him like a storm, threatening to consume him whole.

Without warning, his aura flared, and his footsteps quickened as he made his way toward the woman.