CHAPTER 1 - NEW COMMANDER

Ten years later

THE Halan tribe celebrated the appointment of the new Warrior Commander. Alleki Certus deserved the position because he trained hard to be the best. He aims to be the next Chieftain when the time comes. He was very vocal about his dream to lead the Halan people when the present tribe leader retired, and being the youngest commander made him closer to his goal. Because in Hala, the strongest warrior leads.

Malaika stood at a safe distance behind Alleki. He looked gorgeous in his black uniform embroidered with gold. Although she was happy for her childhood friend, she could not stop feeling irrelevant because Alleki finally got the spot she had dreamed of when they were both kids. Back then, Alleki was just a lad with ordinary shapeshifting ability. Even he was royalty. Unlike her, at a young age, she displayed a tremendous amount of power. Anyway, those were the thing in the past. Because at this moment, she was nothing but a daughter of the Chieftain—a royalty without ability.

The accident ten years ago was the culprit. She could use none of her attributes now. Nobody knew why she became like this. All of them concluded she suffered trauma during the sacred rite. Countless healers tried to cure her, but all led to futility. Until now, she could vividly see her father’s dismay, knowing that his only offspring was no longer a prodigy.

Malaika remained enthusiastic even though she lost her ability to transform. At least she was still alive. She trained hard, mentally, and physically. So that she would not be completely useless in the battle, she mastered the use of a sword, arrow, and knives that made her excellent in archery and marksmanship. She never missed her morning run going up in the mountain to maintain her stamina and constant sparring with her friends to improve her combat skills.

“Hey, Mala! Are you alright?” Alleki noticed her presence. His voice, warm and intensely masculine, full of concern. His tanned skin seemed glowing from the light of the balmy afternoon sun. Alleki perfectly tied his black shoulder-length hair.

The man excused himself with two squad captains and walked nearer. At twenty, his lean and tall built made her look like a child.

“Congratulations on your appointment, Alleki—I mean, Commander.” Malaika smiled. She honestly felt proud of him. Come to think of it. She considered him as her rival a long time ago. But she was ill-fated enough to be this low.

 Virina practiced a caste system where an ordinary human with no ability was considered lower than a Cultivator. A kind of untouchable. At least, the cultivators farm the land to provide food for the magic wielders and shapeshifters. But being a mere human, deemed as the weakest of them all.

“Why do you look unhappy?” His golden eyes gleamed as he teased her.

“Well, it didn’t seem wise to be ecstatic since we both know that I want that position for myself. You know what I mean, despite everything that happened to me,” her one brow raised. She tried to look serious just to make fun of him.

“Aw, that again? Come on, let’s celebrate away from the crowd. I told Valin to bring some wine,” he held her hand and guided her out of the gathering. They started the formal announcement earlier, now was the perfect time for enjoyment.

Malaika saw the elders and some royals laughing while drinking the special Halan coconut wine, and as usual, they were busy discussing politics. Some warriors played card games, and ladies danced on the ground when the musicians played drums and guitar. There were kids playing tag, completely having fun. Great, hopefully, nobody noticed their absence.

They swiftly hiked, going to the hill a few meters away from a temple where they paid tribute to the water goddess. It was the perfect spot for the panoramic view of the sunset. The lush pine trees were perfectly in line with the horizon. The massive plantation of fruits and vegetables lies ahead. A large population of cultivators lived there.

“At last, you guys are here,” Valin greeted them along with his mischievous smirk. He wore his black warrior’s uniform, just like Alleki.

“Yeah, we raced together, and I won.” Malaika grinned.

Alleki shook his shoulder without a hint of exhaustion. He gently tapped his friend’s back when he glanced at his hand.

“Look what I brought,” Valin raised two bottles of rice wine, “I got these from the elders without them knowing,” he proudly said and winked.

Valin, one of the strongest warriors their tribe produced, was a half noble from the clan of Struss. Although he had a slender built, he still looked athletic. His ability to shapeshift as a falcon was incredible. He was appointed as the Captain of the Aerial Navigator Squad and a diplomat who maintained good relations with Axum. Ladies from a distinct race swooned on him, mainly because of his extraordinary intelligence.

“Congratulations, Commander!” a sweet female voice came from behind, trying to gasp some air. She held fresh gerbera daisies and gave them to Alleki.

Alleki nodded and smiled as he received the flowers. “Thank you, Attisha.”

Attisha Falke looked cute and petite. Her long curly auburn hair was disheveled because she was in a hurry to be here. She wore her signature moss long green skirt with two slits up to her hips on both sides, paired with a tight off-shoulder shirt of the same color, which perfectly complements her tanned skin.

“Yulli is on his way, too. He’s just trying to sneak out from the elders.” Attisha said in between her shortness of breath. Among them, she was less athletic. But she performed well to gather secret information around Virina.

Malaika’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the name of her fellow warrior. Nobody knew that she liked Yulli. Well, except Alleki. She just could not lie to him, maybe because she owed her life to the new commander. She was fortunate enough that Alleki followed her tracks accidentally and found her when she was drowning in the river near the Great Lake ten years ago.

“Thank the goddess. I made it in time!” Yulli arrived. He made a gesture of scratching his gray wavy hair. “By the way, congratulations Commander Alleki.” he made a Halan salute by putting his fist to his chest.

“Thanks, everyone ready? What happened to Pierre and Seti?” Alleki asked.

“I guess they’re on a date. What else new?” Attisha rolled her eyes.

“All right, let’s go.” Alleki twitched his lips to smile.

The three shapeshifted in their respective form, and they knew exactly where to go. They had been going in and out on their secret hideout for the past few years. Discussing relevant information, they could not share with the council without consulting each other.

Malaika sat comfortably on Alleki’s massive jaguar form. And Attisha did the same. She rode with Yulli’s enormous white wolf form. Most of them were almost the same age, except Alleki and Valin, who were three years older. They were on the same batch who took part in the Santiguar a few years ago. Fortunately, all of them survived except Malaika, who nearly died.