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Episode 52

  The thousands of arms extend and attack us. They do it so fast that I can't react, and when I realize it, Astu stands in front of us and receives the claws piercing through her body.

  "No!" Amator screams with all his lungs.

  The arms detach from her body, and Amator barely manages to catch her before she falls to the ground, a mask of terror on his face.

  "No matter your path, I know you'll make me proud. Being an Adamantita isn't about being perfect or indestructible, but about keep trying," Astu says just before her eyes become blank.

  I have no time to process what happened as the creature begins to attack me. I manage to dodge the attacks, but having Mukasa on me makes it difficult to run or fight back. I activate Ragnar's mark to avoid getting tired.

  However, the attack patterns of multiple arms become more complicated, and I stumble with Mukasa. The claws go towards Mukasa, but then a loud explosion is heard as soon as Amator punches it, causing the giant centipede to fly away.

  Amator stands in front of me with his right fist raised. The red lines of his Herencia extend across his body as usual, but this time, a second set of blood-red lines emerges from his mark and surrounds his arms. He extends his arm towards me, showing me his Mark. And I understand what he wants me to do. I grab his wrist and touch his mark. A shock of electricity and images assault me.

  The warm hand of my Dad rests on my shoulder. We both sing as we walk through the forest of the Pu?o de Fuego clan, on our way to visit my aunt Emru. But she finds first with heavy breath and a face of worry on her face. I don’t understand, but she leaves my cousin Mukasa with us. My father decides to go back to the clan. I notice Mukasa's sad expression, so I start singing alongside my dad with all my heart in the hope that it makes her feel better. However just as we are reaching the limits of the Forest, screams are heard.

  Everything happens so fast. Red tentacles attack us, and Mukasa is now on the ground screaming. And blood. My father grabs my shoulders and shakes me for me to react.

  “Amator, I need you to carry your cousin and return to the clan!”

  I’m still in a bit of shock, but I nod and carry my cousin.

  “Well done son. I trust you can do it.” He says putting his hand on my shoulder and kissing me on the forehead.

  He stands up and then red lines envelop his arms.

  “Go!”

  With teary eyes, I run as fast as I can towards the clan. Maybe if I arrive in time, my mother can do something. However, my thoughts prevent me from seeing where I'm going, and when I pass by a ravine, I lose my balance. I barely manage to avoid falling, but not Mukasa who ends up falling into the rapids. My face tenses in terror and my chest fills heavy with guilt.

  How could I become the leader of the Adamantite clan if I couldn't even fulfill my father's last simple order? How could I be responsible for people's lives?

  When I regain consciousness, I see Amator in front of me; both of his arms start boiling more and more, emitting a screech and a bright glow so intense that I feel the heat on my face. His arms boil to the point that the rest of his body is engulfed in flames so intense that the lines of his mark seem to contain lava. However, Amator remains unfazed, and his body seems to withstand.

  Amator looks at Mukasa. "This time, I'll keep my promise. This time, I'll protect you." Amator closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and begins to sing with a solemn voice that echoes in the mountain walls.

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  When he stops singing, the sound of drums and flutes can be heard in the distance. I see that it's Amator's band. The rhythm and tempo of their tune ever ascending.

  The centipede manages to recover and lunges frantically at Amator with its thousands of arms. But he confronts it responding with a barrage of explosive blows. His blows make thunderous noises that resonate like powerful drums. With each strike, Amator envelops each of the creature's arms that touch him in flames, rendering them unable to continue fighting.

  In the blink of an eye, the battle is over. The creature lies on the ground engulfed in flames.

  Amator looks in my direction and smiles at me, but then he collapses. Despite his Herencia, the heat he emitted had been extreme, leaving burns on his arms and body.

  I rush in his direction, but I stop in horror as I see Izkuldar emerge from the smoke. It stands upright with its lance, aiming at Amator. However, just before he strikes, a red whip hits him and pushes it out of the way. The whip retracts several meters until it turns into a curved red sword.

  Aleifr looks in my direction and gives me a slight smile.

  "Altair, take Mukasa to Jasmine. I’ll take care of this."

  I smile

  "I'll come back as soon as I can."

  "No. Leave this to me. There's not much you can do in a battle between two heralds. Protect the Lobos."

  Alefir unwraps his bandages, revealing his bloody arm. Then the blood begins to move on its own and wrap around him.

  “Go!” he shouts.

  I immediately carry Mukasa and head off in search of Jasmine.

  "Alatir!" I hear Lord Eru's muffled voice in my way.

  My face tenses as I see Lord Eru's condition. Blood covers Lord Eru from the bites inflicted by the Penumbra that had torn pieces of his skin. Enlil is on his back.

  "Take Enlil."

  "I'm going with Jasmine; maybe if I tell them, they'll help you with your wounds."

  "Helping your enemy even in this situation? At this point, I don't know what to think of you. But that won't work, and you know it very well."

  I nod knowing he is telling the truth, and I activate Hoomul's mark to be able to carry Enlil. However, I stop before leaving.

  "About what you said. You may be right. It may come to the point where there's no other alternative. However, I won't stop fighting to find a solution. Even you care about people."

  Lord Eru chuckles and gestures for me to go.

  With Hoomul's mark, I manage to push the Penumbra creatures out of the way, and eventually, I catch sight of Jasmine and the Colmillos, who are barricaded.

  "Altair! What's happening? We were about to defeat the Cuervos when these creatures appeared."

  "We were also attacked. I don't know what's going on either."

  I say, placing Enlil and Mukasa on the ground. Jasmine uses her potions and begins to treat their wounds. I explain all that happened, including Amator’s fight.

  "I see," Jasmine says trying to hold tears.

  "Don't worry. Amator will be able to hold on."

  "Yeah, I know. He's a very resilient idiot."

  "None of that will matter if Aleifr dies!" another voice shouts.

  I open my eyes in surprise at Aurora. There's no sign of the boy with dark eyelids that took her.

  "What do you mean?"

  "If Aleifr continues using his Herald's mark, he'll end up dying! You know that, don't you? Haven't you seen what it does to his body?!"

  His decrepit right arm, covered in blood, comes to mind, followed by his last words before I left. Not only was he asking me to protect them now, he was passing the responsibility to me.

  "Tell me where he is!" Aurora says, approaching me.

  At that moment, a sound echoes throughout the cave. From the skies, both Izkuldar and Aleifr fall. A terrible pressure crushes us all.

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