After Shaman Catori left Alfred's tent, she went directly to Chief Viren's abode and ordered one of the hunters to call Elder Ahote.
Soon, the trio sat around the bonfire in the middle of their usual meeting place.
"What is this about?" Elder Ahote inquired, eyebrows furrowed. "I have something important to finish, so can we hurry this?"
"The kid succeeds," Shaman Catori uttered, her eyes shaking.
Chief Viren narrowed his eyes. "Can you elaborate on your words, Catori?"
"Young Alfred has created a Rune Formation!" She exclaimed. "I witnessed it with my own eyes. The book is indeed a book of sorcery!"
Elder Ahote raised his furrowed eyebrows and curiously asked. "You mean the thing that can manifest a fire out of thin air?"
Chief Viren almost stood in surprise. "Is that true?!"
"It is; we tried it just a few minutes ago. A floating ball of fire appeared on top of the Rune Formation, as the book said. Of course, to ensure it was real, we experimented: feeling its heat and how it interacts with different objects."
"This is good news!" Chief Viren repeatedly nodded while caressing his white beard. "Do you think we can call young Alfred to witness it ourselves?"
The Shaman shook her head. "I do not recommend it. Today has been a crazy day for the kid. He was lucky I visited to check on his progress; if not, his body might have exploded from Spirit Overload. Not to mention our own tests, it is good for his mind and body to have some rest."
"Wait, why would he suffer from Spirit Overload? Do not tell us you taught the kid how to store Spirit Energy without supervision?" Elder Ahote accused.
Shaman Catori removed her attention from Chief Viren and glowered at the bald Elder. "Do you think I am stupid? Why would I teach that to the lad? You should think for a second before using your muscle head, you brute."
"Now, now, this is not the time to derail the conversation," Chief Viren interjected. "We have to discuss how we should deal with young Alfred. We need his ability no matter what."
The two halted their staring contest and snorted at the same time.
"How about we ask the young man to teach us how to make the Rune Formation ourselves?" The skinny Chieftain continued.
"That is not going to work," the old Shaman countered. "The book has a protection, preventing the owner from sharing the knowledge with other people. So even if we threaten to kill the young lad, it is useless."
"That is indeed problematic," Chief Viren mumbled and then lingered for a while. "…Then the only thing we can do to secure such mysterious power is to invite young Alfred to join our tribe."
"What? Do you hear yourself, Viren?" Elder Ahote questioned in bewilderment. "You know that is taboo; do you want the young man to suffer his whole life? We do not even have to talk about his tribe, but what about our tribesmen? They are already cautious around young Alfred. If they find out he joins another tribe while his own is still standing, they will see him as a traitor and cannot be trusted for the rest of his life!"
"That is true if the lad's tribe is still standing." Shaman Catori smiled. "The lad lost his memory. All we have to do is convince him and our people that young Alfred's tribe has fallen. And he is the only survivor. We will have the reason to invite the lad to our side, and there is also a possibility our tribesmen find his situation pitiable."
"A bright plan." Chief Viren nodded in agreement.
Elder Ahote's eyebrows furrowed more deeply than before; it was clear he wasn't comfortable with the suggestion. "And if the young man did not believe our words and rejected us?"
"Then, we will have to do what is necessary," Chief Viren said, his usual kind tone a bit malicious. "We will have to make sure young Alfred stays here, even if it means we lock him up."
"Lock him up? LOCK HIM UP?!" The bald Elder shouted while slamming his right fist on his leg. "Are we that kind of people? How are we different from those hateful Blood Tribe if we do exactly what they are doing?"
"Your words are too much, Ahote," the skinny Chieftain said with gritted teeth. "You think I like doing it like the Blood Tribe? Comparing me to those hateful people, knowing full well what they took from me. From us. Is an insult. But to answer your question, yes, I will lock him up if it is for the tribe. I am the Chieftain of this tribe, and my job is to make sure it survives to see another day, and no one will stop me, even you."
"Would you two please act according to your age?" The old Shaman sighed. "Why argue about something that might or might not happen? Focus on the solution, not on the possibility. We just have to make sure the lad is enticed enough to say yes. And in the first place, I do not think my plan is all false."
Chief Viren exhaled to cool his heated head and inquired. "What do you mean by false?"
"Yes, we are lying to the lad, but if we consider all the facts, the possibility that his tribe is already gone is perhaps not entirely a lie," Shaman Catori explained. "Our hunter found young Alfred alone and injured. They searched the vicinity of the incident, and yet they found no one, not even a corpse.
"We have already scouted the area around our tribe thoroughly and can confidently say that there is no other tribe within 3 days of us. So, this is a question. Why is the young lad out there all alone and with an important artifact in his possession? There are two possibilities I can think of.
"First, young Alfred's tribe has been attacked, and the leaders chose the young lad to carry their legacy and escape with it, knowing he has the ability to inherit the ancient book. Second, young Alfred is a criminal who stole the book from someone powerful and is currently on the run.
"Both choices are not good for the lad. In other words, we are helping him if what I theorize is true. Of course, all I said may be far from the truth, but we have no way of finding that as the lad has no memory of his past; thus, it is wise if we assume the worst."
Elder Ahote's frowning face relaxed upon hearing the Shaman's extensive explanation. "Fine, I agree. I guess it is better to lie to the kid than to lock him up forcefully. Still, even if we succeed in inviting young Alfred, our people will treat him differently, as the kid has no blood ties with our tribe."
"Perhaps, but with the young man's ability, it will only be a matter of time before the tribe considers him necessary," Chief Viren stated.
"That may be true, but even if that happens, our tribesmen will still have a sliver of mistrust for the kid. That infection will be a dangerous thing to be left untreated," the bald Elder concerningly said.
Shaman Catori nodded. "Indeed. Then, we have no choice. If we truly want young Alfred to join us, how about marrying him to Aponi? The two seem to get along pretty well. Not only will we solve the blood ties problem, but we will also gain another guarantee if ever young Alfred's tribe shows themselves in the future. We will have the right to keep Alfred if he is married, especially to the Chieftain's daughter."
Elder Ahote and Shaman Catori lingered, focusing their sight on the scarred old man. They knew they didn't have the right to give their opinion on this decision. Only the Chieftain could decide if they wanted to take this path.
After a few seconds of silence, Chief Viren inhaled a mouthful of air and exhaled it slowly.
"Before being a father, I am first a Chieftain of this tribe. If this is what we have to do, then so be it."