Sunhearts hung on the streets of Palm Haven, glowing with a pale light that was just enough to reveal the pathways at night. There were also many candles and glass lanterns glowing in many houses and shops, lighting up the streets.
Since it was only evening, the city still had a bustling atmosphere, through which Xichen returned to her home.
This was the southeastern end of the Oasis, home to Sunwardens like her. Nearly half of the people that walked around were members of her tribe, and as the chief’s daughter, many stopped to greet her.
She wondered sometimes, though, if the reason they showed so much deference toward her was because she was to be the next chief. Since she was her father’s only offspring, and tradition stated that the chief’s authority could only be passed down through blood, she was the only one who could be the next chief.
She felt her forehead, feeling the budding horns. When it fully appeared, no one else would doubt her authority, tradition or not.
She arrived at her house, a large stone mansion with thick walls, with many workers and servants. It was right next to the oasis, which allowed for fertile land around her house, with a garden full of flowers and plants.
The servants greeted her, and she greeted them back, making her way to where her father was.
Alex’s words had gotten to her deeply.
She stopped by the door to her father’s workroom, watching him go through some paperwork, most likely in regards to her Ceremony. Because her Ceremony demanded that they find a proper beast that she could win, they had to divert much of the tribe’s manpower for that.
They would also have to take a significant portion of the tribe to the ceremony, partly for the protection, and partly to witness the completion.
There needed to be people who could verify that she had successfully become an Extolite.
She felt a little guilty at having such a large amount of resources being paid for her. It would’ve been okay had it been just once, but since she had failed to become an Extolite last time, the wastage had doubled again.
She walked in once the chief was close to being done with the paperwork. “Are we still low on food?” she asked.
The chief looked up in surprise. “I didn’t notice you come in,” he said, stacking up the papers. “It’s fine. The warriors have killed enough beasts now. We’re not low on food anymore.”
Xichen still felt guilty. There was so much burden on her father.
The chief placed the papers to the side. “I was told that you went to visit the prisoners. You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I was preparing for tomorrow,” Xichen said. “I wanted to learn who it was that tried to sabotage my previous ceremony.”
The chief looked at her. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I can delay the ceremony until you think you’re ready,” he said.
“No, I’m ready. There’s no need to waste any more time. So long as I become an Extolite soon, I will have nothing to worry about. I’ll finally be free of that monster.”
The chief stared at his daughter for a long time before slowly nodding. “You should get to sleep soon tonight. Go have your dinner and get to bed. A long night of sleep should be the best preparation you can make.”
Xichen nodded and stood up to leave. Before she could leave, however, she asked a question that had been roaming in her mind for a while now.
“Do you think I can win against this beast, Father?”
The chief paused. “What do you mean? Of course, you can win. Did that prisoner say something to you? Has he brought on any doubts in your mind? Throw them away.”
Xichen heard the commanding tone in her father’s voice, as well as his attempt at dissuading all her doubts. However, perhaps because she had been searching for it, she was certain she heard hesitation in her father’s voice.
He wasn’t so certain that she could win.
“There won’t be any saboteurs in tomorrow’s ceremony, right?” she asked.
“Of course not. We’ll defend against any that will try to,” the chief said, clearly not worried about any sabotages.
He was certain that he could save her from any of that. Although, Xichen did realize that it could also be certain that her father never actually expected a saboteur to be there.
Now that she was beginning to think about it, her father hadn’t truly tried to find out who the saboteur was. Someone had to have let the prisoner know where they were going, and there were only so many that knew the location from the start.
Xichen’s heart beat faster and faster as her thoughts became disarrayed.
“What would my chances at victory be if we had the elixir, Father?” she asked.
The chief didn’t even think before answering. “It would be astronomically higher,” he said. “Just a jar full of elixir and you could easily become as strong as any Extolite.”
“Are Elixirs really that good?” she asked. She had heard a few things about them, but not a whole lot.
“Of course. With a single jar of elixir, even an infant could contend with us and not lose. You’ve heard about your Great-grandfather being from the inner regions initially, haven’t you? He only ever got to consume a few jars of elixir, and people still praise him for his strength long after his death.”
“All of our troubles would end all at once if we just got our hands on a single jar.”
Xichen stood there, looking at her father. She could see it now. The prisoner had been right. Her father had changed.
However, he was wrong about one thing.
He had said that the greed for Elixir had been what had changed her father. But that was wrong. She understood her father’s current mindset better than anyone else in the entire tribe.
This wasn’t greed.
This was desperation.