Whenever a child went to complete the rite, the whole tribe waited with baited breath for their return. It wasn’t that they were afraid that the child would never come back but, rather, in excitement of what was usually their first demonic kill.
The greeting given to Yllnor, Zanrel, Rainne, and Ely when they arrived with the demon’s corpse definitely wasn’t an exception.
A few of the elders came to take the corpse, since it needed to be prepared for the upcoming ritual. As the chief walked up to them and started bringing them to the center of the camp, he called over a healer, who checked to make sure that they were all okay.
As all of the tribe gathered to join them, Yllnor allowed Rainne to do most of the storytelling. They might have exaggerated it all a little, but everyone knew that they were; it was all a part of honest fun while they waited for the next step of the rite.
“Eventually, we cornered it inside of a deep, dark cave!” Rainne said, complete with a couple of theatrics to entertain the younger kids. “It practically towered over us with its long teeth and dangerous claws, but we weren’t afraid! We set up a trap for it and lured it in. Then, bam! Right when it thought it might’ve had a tasty snack, it was the one that was dying! One arrow was all it took to take that thing down!”
The younger ones cheered, the ones around their age clapped, and the older adults gave words of praise and encouragement. Yllnor relished the attention, too, even if she was far from the center of it. She found she will always have a purpose among the people of Talci—and that was something that everyone could strive for.
“Alright, everyone, listen up!” The chief walked into the center of where they’d all gathered, the whole crowd slowly silenced by his presence. “All the preparations have been completed and it is now time to bleed the demon. As we eat and celebrate around its spilt golden blood, let us remember those that have come before us, and the new warriors added to our ranks.”
This fact was treated by more solemn agreements, as per their traditions. This wasn’t something to take lightly; even a fighter’s fiery spirits should not mistake it for something that was.
But that wasn’t all of it. The chief then brought his attention to Yllnor and, in a kind voice, asked, “Yllnor, daughter of Torna, heir of the Tribe of Talci… would you join the elders in collecting the demon’s golden tears?”
She couldn’t stop herself before she blurted out, “Me?”
“Over the years, we’ve seen you grow, taking care to tend to the tribe and the lands we pass through. You will no doubt find yourself among the elders, if not lead the tribe directly, so it is only right that you should claim your spot among them. As long as you think you’re capable of carrying these burdens of leadership, of course.”
“I’d be honored to serve the Tribe of Talci, now and forever. I swear that I will do all I can to protect it and ensure better futures for the generations to come.”
Everyone clapped or cheered, leading her to let out a more nervous chuckle. She was used to some amount of attention, at least, but this was a lot more than she was used to bearing alone…
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She glanced at where Zanrel, Ely, and Rainne were. “Would you three mind if—“
Zanrel shook his head. “Of course not! You go do that.”
“We can have our private victory a little later,” Rainne agreed.
“We’ll see you when we hang our golden tears,” Ely said with a nod.
Yllnor smiled and went to join the elders.
They all gave her nods of acknowledgement as she sat down beside them. She didn’t know what to do, exactly; not in any kind of detailed way. All she’d ever done was watch from a distance. Luckily, they weren’t going to leave her to figure it out on her own.
“You’re not squeamish, are you, Child?” one of the elders asked.
Yllnor shook her head.
He handed her a knife. “Collect its golden tears—try your best to preserve the eyes. Morbus will gladly take them as an offering, but only if they’re left as pure as if they were still within the beast.”
Fighting back a fear of doing something wrong, Yllnor nodded and took the knife. Slowly, carefully, she carved out the lesser demon’s eyes. She made sure to avoid the ichor, too, and allow it to trickle into a bowl underneath the face. When she finished, she gently put the eyes in a different bowl, and waited for the next request.
The elders guided her through the next couple of steps, musing about their own first rituals as they did it. They weren’t too different from her, after all, when they were her age. Then, once she stopped worrying about failing, she found all of the actions and prayers came naturally; each of the elders praised her.
She barely noticed when one of the elders left with a bit of the ichor, or when a gentle hand touched her shoulder. Yllnor looked up to see her father’s kind smile.
“It’s time,” he said. “Come with me to the main tent. The four of you need to hang the golden tears.”
Yllnor nodded, got up, and followed him. The other three were already there, along with the elder that had left before.
The chief walked up to the elder, taking the four little gold-colored “teardrops” made from the demon’s ichor. The elder left, but the chief turned to the four of them, and allowed them each to pick one.
“This golden tear was shed because of your actions,” he said, solemn. “It was by your hand that the demon is dead. And once one is killed, two more replace it. This is not an action you can reverse. Will you accept your role in the formation of these tears, and are you willing to draw more in order to defend your home?”
They all nodded.
“Then go and add your tears to the collection. You are no longer children, or charges, of Talci—you are her defenders. I daresay you might even be her champions, in a few years time.”
All four of them placed their golden tears on the tapestry spanning the entire tent’s back wall. Somehow, even if there were hundreds, if not thousands, of other tears weaved into it… Yllnor would always know which one was hers, and which belonged to her friends.
Though the chief left, saying that that concluded the rite and they could all get some rest, the four of them stayed.
“Your first kill. That’s quite the achievement…”
Yllnor didn’t recognize the voice. She looked behind her, but no one had entered; they were still just alone here. A quick glance at the others, though, ensured that she wasn’t the only one hearing it.
“What if I told you that you could be champions? Not just of Talci, but of the world. Because, dear children, I have an offer for you. I’d like you to get rid of a pesky demon for me… you might call him the root of all demons, in fact.”
There was a chuckle.
“I want you four to help me destroy the Fallen One.”