They traveled for hours to an unknown destination and soon reached the town center. But unlike the center of San Roque, the center of this town in Tribal was filled with darkness.

  There were no vendors along the roadside, and there weren’t many people strolling around the various parts of the center. In short, it felt like a ghost town.

  "Where are the people?" he whispered to the wind.

  Ambong heard this and responded. "They're at the factory."

  He suddenly remembered the man’s offer earlier. He scanned the area and spotted a large building not far off. Faint sounds of machinery could be heard from there. His eyebrows raised. That seemed to be the only normal thing he had noticed about the town.

  Ambong was already heading toward the building. He had no choice but to follow. He intermittently looked around. The place really was different. The houses in the center were made of nipa palm, and only the large factory was made of concrete. The road was also bumpy, and it seemed as though it had just rained, as the path to the factory was muddy.

  It felt like going back to the time when San Roque wasn't as populated. Back when the streets weren’t paved, and the houses were made of palm and nipa.

  Suddenly, someone shouted ahead. "So, there are freeloaders!"

  He focused his attention ahead and saw a man wearing thin metal armor. Like the man earlier, he had a thick, long mustache and was holding a bolo.

  His eyes narrowed as he looked at him and Ambong. When he saw Ambong, the furrow on his brow disappeared. He stood upright and waited for them to approach.

  "Who are they?" the man asked calmly.

  Alkan was taken aback by the tone of the man’s voice. Just moments ago, he had almost been killed by the sharpness of the man’s gaze. Why was this man suddenly being kind?

  He couldn’t help but glance at Ambong, who was standing beside him. This must be the reason why these creatures were being nicer to him.

  "Is Tayon here?" Alkan asked.

  The man looked like he was about to shout at him, but when he glanced at Ambong and saw his creased brow, he suddenly smiled at Alkan.

  "Tayon, the leader, is inside. Why are you looking for him?"

  "I met a man on the road earlier. He told me to look for him if I ever came to the center," Alkan explained.

  The man looked him up and down, then gestured for him to enter the factory. "Look for Amores inside, and he will take you to the leader, Tayon." He then looked at Ambong. "Sir, would you like to come inside?"

  Ambong cupped his chin and glanced at Alkan. He smiled at him. "No, I'll just wait outside."

  Even though he was nervous, Alkan walked into the factory. Besides looking for work, he wanted to find out where he was. He didn’t know where the Black Wing Tribe's base was, and the only way to find out was to ask the leader.

  But he couldn’t ask directly because they would suspect him. He had to work in the factory to avoid raising suspicion. Especially now that Ambong wasn’t with him. He had no way to convince the so-called Tayon. He also didn’t want to owe Ambong anything, since his soul would be the price.

  "Where can I find Amores?" he asked the woman sitting behind the desk.

  She looked at him. "That's me. Who are you looking for?"

  "Tay-- Leader Tayon. I want to speak with him."

  She tilted her head to the left before standing and gesturing for him to follow. "Come with me."

  He nodded and secretly smiled. It seemed like women were harder to talk to than men.

  They passed through several dim hallways before reaching a large red door. The woman knocked and gestured for him to enter before walking back down the path they had taken earlier.

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  He took a deep breath before pushing open the large door. A foul smell greeted him. He covered his nose and looked around inside.

  Unlike the dim hallway, the room was brightly lit. The light came from a round crystal in the middle of the room.

  A man sat behind the crystal. His eyes were closed. But when he took a step forward, the man opened his eyes. Without a word, he lunged toward him. If he hadn’t dodged the man’s sharp claws, he might have taken his last breath.

  He quickly stepped back, alert, and stared at the strange man. The man looked him up and down, and Alkan noticed that the creatures in this town seemed to always examine strangers from head to toe.

  "Who are you?" the man asked.

  He didn’t expect to hear the young voice of the one they called Tayon. The man looked to be around his age, though a few centimeters taller. What was unusual about him was his silver-colored eyes.

  "I’m Alkan," he replied, still on alert. "I want to work in the factory."

  Tayon raised an eyebrow. After a moment, he laughed. "Are you new to this town?"

  He nodded and stayed still. He didn’t think Tayon would suddenly attack him.

  "I met a man on the road earlier. He said if I came to the center, I should look for someone named Tayon to get a job in the factory."

  Tayon looked away and walked back to his seat. "What you want isn't easy. Who was this man you're talking about?"

  "He didn’t introduce himself, but he looked like the guards outside."

  He noticed that Tayon froze for a moment, but after a few seconds, he continued walking. "You didn’t recognize him?"

  "No," he replied firmly.

  Tayon nodded and sat back in his chair. "Do you know what kind of beings live in this town?"

  For a moment, he was speechless. He hadn’t asked Ambong what kind of beings lived in this town. He swallowed and shook his head. "No," he said.

  Tayon’s eyes narrowed again. "You have a strange scent. I can smell the scent of a witch on you, but you don’t have witch blood." His frown deepened. "In fact, you have the blood of a... sawikin."

  Alkan blinked in surprise and stared at Tayon. "What do you mean?"

  Tayon raised his hand, and in a moment, Alkan felt a cut appear on his finger. Blood dripped onto the white floor, and to his amazement, the wound quickly healed.

  His eyes widened, and he touched his finger while more blood dripped onto the floor. The blood trailed toward Tayon. And to his shock, it seemed to enter Tayon’s mouth.

  He froze in place.

  "My suspicion was correct. You have sawikin blood, but... it’s a strange blood. I can’t tell what kind of sawikin blood you have."

  Alkan swallowed and looked away. If he had sawikin blood, did that mean one of his parents was a sawikin? Was that why Gio had been following him—because he had sawikin blood?

  But he couldn’t say that the White Wing Tribe was protecting him. He was still in the Black Wing Tribe's territory, and it would be dangerous if they found out why he was there.

  "I didn’t know I had sawikin blood," he said, his brow furrowed. In that moment, he spoke the truth. When facing danger, it was only right that a bit of truth be mixed into each lie.

  Tayon lowered his gaze while continuing to look at him. "If that’s the case, work here in the factory. Don’t trust anyone, and don’t ask what kind of creatures live in this town."

  He stared at Tayon. There was something he was implying with his words, but Alkan couldn’t figure out what it was.

  Tayon raised his hand, and the large door that had been closed suddenly opened. "Go out and find Amores. Start working now while there’s still daylight outside."