Chapter 111: The Holy Flame

Sora naturally followed everyone else’s lead.

Since she was already living in the Beast World, it was only sensible to respect its customs and beliefs. If she alone remained standing while everyone else bowed to the Sky God, she would only draw unnecessary attention to herself. In a world where faith ran deep, standing out for the wrong reasons could easily invite suspicion—or worse, hostility.

When the prayers ended, the High Priest turned and slowly walked into the temple.

The crowd followed in orderly silence.

Curious, Sora observed everything around her as she entered.

The interior of the temple was even more magnificent than its exterior.

Like the outside, it was built entirely from polished granite. Every wall had been carefully smoothed, and even the floor beneath their feet was paved with pale marble that reflected the morning light streaming through narrow stone windows.

Compared to the crude, semi-buried houses of the tribes, this place looked incredibly advanced.

Still...

After examining the walls closely, Sora realized it wasn’t impossible to build.

The stone blocks hadn’t been cut with precise machinery. Their edges still retained traces of natural shaping before being polished smooth. If enough beastmen worked together, especially those possessing earth-related abilities or overwhelming strength, constructing such a temple wasn’t beyond imagination.

The style itself, however, differed greatly from ordinary tribal architecture.

Instead of practical living spaces, the hall resembled a museum dedicated to nature.

Gigantic antlers decorated the pillars.

Rare flowers hung dried from the ceiling.

Animal skulls of every imaginable size rested upon carved stone shelves.

There were fish skeletons from enormous river beasts, brightly colored feathers from giant birds, and even preserved plants Sora had never seen before.

Everything seemed to symbolize the bounty bestowed by nature.

Following the crowd deeper inside, they eventually arrived at the temple’s central sanctuary.

Beyond the open stone walls lay the endless snow-covered mountains stretching beneath the blue sky.

The High Priest stepped onto the circular altar.

He slowly turned around before raising the tiger-skull scepter high above his head.

His solemn voice echoed throughout the temple.

"Today..."

"We gather before the great Sky God."

"We offer our gifts in gratitude for the endless food, fertile forests, and abundant prey bestowed upon our people."

He paused briefly.

"May the Sky God continue protecting us from drought and flood."

"May He bless every tribe with wisdom..."

"...and strength."

The moment his words ended, everyone present dropped to one knee.

Thousands of voices spoke together.

"Thank you for the Sky God’s blessings."

"May the Sky God watch over us forever."

The sound reverberated through the enormous temple.

Sora quietly knelt alongside Lukan.

Unlike everyone else, she wasn’t praying with deep religious conviction.

She respected their beliefs, but she couldn’t suddenly develop faith overnight.

Even so, seeing every beastman around her praying with complete sincerity made her realize just how powerful belief truly was.

Even Lukan...

The calm, expressionless werewolf who rarely displayed emotion...

Looked unusually solemn.

Not far away, even Tisha had closed her eyes tightly with genuine devotion.

Sora lowered her head once more.

Perhaps...

Faith itself was the greatest source of strength for this world.

Several moments later, the High Priest slowly stood.

He struck the stone floor once with his scepter.

"Present the offerings."

Immediately, representatives from every tribe stepped forward carrying carefully prepared gifts.

Sora looked around curiously.

Every tribe had brought something valuable.

Freshly hunted giant beasts.

Rare furs.

Beautiful antlers.

Huge fish from distant rivers.

Even medicinal herbs.

Each offering had obviously been selected with great care.

Their own tribe was naturally no exception.

Before leaving, Martin had personally entrusted the offering to Lukan.

Without hesitation, Lukan respectfully stepped forward carrying the enormous snow-white fox pelt.

The luxurious fur shimmered under the sunlight.

It was almost as long as Lukan himself.

Just one glance revealed how precious it was.

Clearly...

Martin had invested considerable effort preparing it for the ceremony.

As the magnificent fox pelt was placed before the altar, many people couldn’t help glancing toward it.

Several even whispered quietly.

"What an incredible hide..."

"That fox must have been difficult to hunt."

"The Mountain Wolf Tribe truly prepared well this year."

Lukan simply returned to Sora’s side without saying a word.

Once every offering had been placed before the altar, the High Priest raised his hand again.

"The Holy Child..."

"...will now bestow blessings."

A small figure slowly emerged from behind the temple.

The child wore immaculate white fox fur that matched the sacred atmosphere perfectly.

After respectfully bowing toward the altar, he nodded to the High Priest before walking toward the assembled crowd.

Sora recognized him immediately.

It was the adorable little fox-eared boy she had shared milk tea and candied fruit with yesterday.

She smiled instinctively.

Before she could step forward, however, Lukan gently tugged at her sleeve.

Understanding his meaning, Sora followed everyone’s example and knelt on one knee.

The Holy Child approached each person one after another.

Whenever he stopped before someone, he gently placed his tiny hand upon their forehead.

"The Sky God blesses you."

Each blessing was spoken with remarkable seriousness despite his young age.

Eventually...

He arrived before Sora.

The solemn expression on his little face instantly disappeared.

His bright fox eyes curved happily.

"Sister."

He smiled sweetly.

"Don’t worry."

"You’ll definitely have a little cub very soon."

Sora froze.

"..."

Then she almost laughed.

This little rascal...

He was surprisingly clever for someone so young.

She hadn’t expected him to tease her in front of everyone.

Before she could respond, however, the High Priest suddenly stepped forward once more.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Then...

Without warning...

He raised his scepter and pointed directly toward Sora.

"Today..."

"This female..."

"...shall receive the Holy Fire."

The entire temple fell silent.

Sora blinked.

Then looked around.

Only when everyone began staring directly at her did she finally realize...

The High Priest had chosen her.

Before leaving for the Divine Mountain, Martin had carefully explained the Fire Receiving Ceremony to her.

Every tribe would carry home a sacred flame lit from the Sky God’s eternal fire.

The fire symbolized divine blessing.

Once taken back to the tribe, it absolutely could not be extinguished.

If the sacred flame died before reaching home...

It would be interpreted as losing the Sky God’s protection.

Originally, Sora assumed all she needed to do was light an ordinary torch.

She never imagined...

She would personally be selected to receive the first flame.

Now...

Every pair of eyes in the temple rested upon her.

There was no room for refusal.

Taking a slow breath, Sora stepped toward the center of the sanctuary.

The torch prepared for the ceremony had been crafted from resin-rich pinewood wrapped with carefully dried moss.

It would burn steadily once ignited.

Standing before the sacred flame, Sora silently steadied herself.

Then...

She extended the torch toward the eternal fire.

Whoosh.

The dry moss ignited almost immediately.

A warm golden flame danced atop the torch.

Sora quietly released the breath she had been holding.

Success.

But...

The moment she lifted the torch—

A powerful mountain wind swept through the temple.

Whoooo—

The bright flame suddenly shrank.

It flickered violently.

For one terrifying second...

It nearly went out.

Gasps spread through the crowd.