The Tribe's Secret

"The truth is, I've always wanted to go on adventures! To be a warrior just like my dad. I want to be a hero!" Tinka said with a bright smile.

Minos couldn't help but laugh as he replied. "That's what you were so shy about? Just about every cultivator I've met has had similar dreams."

"Really? Then I want to be a cultivator too!" Tinka said with fascination.

"Good, then I'll teach you."

"For real?"

"100%" Minos smiled.

"Awesome!" Tinka said as she danced around with excitement.

Minos couldn't help but laugh as he watched Tinka move around in joy. The other workers also looked towards Tinka as they scratched their heads, no idea what was going on.

Minos laughed lightly, "Alright alright, stop with the dancing. You're embarrassing us."

It was only now that Tinka suddenly realized where she was and what she was doing. Her face couldn't help but go beet-red in embarrassment.

Minos laughed loudly as he clutched at his stomach. Tinka couldn't help but get irritated, lightly punching him in jest.

The two continued talking and laughing as they worked. Minos would tell Tinka stories about his adventures and the things he had seen.

Tinka couldn't help but get pulled into the tales as Minos told them, feeling envious of his grand adventures.

"Don't feel envious, soon you'll have your own adventures to brag about." Minos said, as he noticed Tinka's aura changing.

"Right! We can have adventures together, we can even have a cool title to go with it. The people will call us the 'Dangerous Duo'!" Tinka said with excitement.

"Dangerous? I thought we were meant to be heroes?"

"Oh yeah, you're right! Then instead, we'll be called the "Heroic Duo'!"

Minos smiled as he watched Tinka constantly come up with different titles and ideas. The two laughed as they constantly swapped ideas and thoughts.

…

Time passes quickly when you're having fun, and soon enough the day had come to an end. As much as Minos and Tinka wanted to keep talking, it was time to go back home.

The two quickly packed up the tools and wood, and headed back to Tinka's house. Tinka suddenly reached down, grabbing Minos by his hand.

The two looked at each other and smiled. Walking into the house, they reluctantly let go of each other, but Ronkus and Meninka seemed to notice, the two couldn't help but slightly smirk as they looked at each other.

"About time you two got home. Common, let's eat quickly, tonight's celebrations are about to begin." Ronkus said.

"Patriarch, I want to ask you about something before we eat." Minos suddenly said.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Ronkus said with slight curiosity.

"I want to teach Tinka how to cultivate and I want to make sure it's okay with you first."

Ronkus's smile couldn't help but slightly stiffen as he heard Minos's request. He suddenly turned towards Meninka, who similarly had an awkward look in her face, but eventually the two seemed to come to the same conclusion, and Ronkus turned back before speaking.

"Minos boy, it's not that we don't want Tinka to cultivate, it's just that she can't even if she tried…"

"Why not, why can't I cultivate!" Tinka couldn't help but quickly butt in as her father said this, feeling her heart suddenly tighten.

"Ugh, I would have preferred if we never had this conversation, but I suppose the second you and Minos connected, it was inevitable…"

Minos and Tinka suddenly looked at each other. Minos could feel the fear and anxiety coming off Tinka's body. He reached out and grabbed her hand tightly, before whispering in her ear.

"It's okay, no matter what happens, I'm here."

Tinka's heart calmed down as she felt the warmth of Minos's palm. She felt at least a little relieved knowing Minos was here.

"What I'm about to say is considered a secret of the tribe, but I can tell how genuine your feelings are for Tinka, so I'll tell you."

"You may have been curious about how our tribe seemed to have such an advanced language and intelligence, yet simultaneously lived such a primitive lifestyle."

Minos had in fact wondered about this. Language was usually a reflection of a species intelligence, oftentimes a more primitive language would denote a more primitive species, and the same would be true in reverse.

However the Salt Breathing Tribes language was incredibly diverse and profound, having plenty of words that didn't have an equivalent in Alora, of course the opposite was also true.

But in all regards, the language was just as complex as Alora, and even more complex in certain regards.

It made no sense that such a small tribe that had less than a thousand members could have such a nuanced language on the level of Alora, that was spoken by billions of people across the Alephora continent alone.

"The reason is that our language didn't originate here, nor did our tribe." Ronkus said, shocking not only Minos, but more so Tinka.

"What do you mean father? Are you saying this isn't our original homeland?" Tinka questioned.

"Yes, in fact, we've only been on this land for a couple hundred years, at most a thousand." Ronkus replied before continuing.

"Our ancestors were originally part of a large clan known as the Shadiven, however the Shadiven at that time had two incredibly talented descendants, both sons of the main line. When it came time to choose the patriarch, both sides exploded into a massive conflict that ended with hundreds of incredibly powerful figures dead."

"As you may have guessed by now, our ancestor is that genius who lost the battle, and all the other tribe members are similarly descendants of those who supported our ancestor in his battle for the patriarch position."

"Normally, losing the position of patriarch wouldn't get one expelled from the clan, but the battle at that time was an incredibly cruel one, not like any in the past."

"The Shadiven clan didn't feel safe having such a volatile group among them, so they expelled all those who rebelled onto this land."

"They also cursed us with a seal, making it not only impossible to cultivate, but also impossible to leave this land. So it isn't only you Tinka, in fact it's all of us who are being punished for our ancestor's failure."

"We are forever punished to live on this land, never being allowed to aspire for power or affluence. This secret is normally only known to the patriarch and a few of his confidants. After all, ignorance is bliss…"

Ronkus finally finished his long story, reclining back into his chair with a bit of desolation and sadness on his face. Meninka couldn't help but come over and pat him on his back, attempting to make him feel better.

Tinka and Minos looked at each other, shock still filling their faces. Tinka couldn't help but start weeping as Minos hugged her firmly, reassuring her.

"So what happens if one tries to leave the tribe's land?" Minos couldn't help but ask Ronkus.

"Within a hundred kilometers, we'll be fine, but the moment we try to go beyond, we'll be struck with a sudden illness that will take our lives after a few days at most."

Minos couldn't help but feel slightly shocked at the Shadiven clan's cruelty, to treat their own people in such a way, one could only imagine how horrific that war over the patriarch's position was.

"Patriarch, I want to talk to Tinka alone. You guys can go to the celebration without us." Minos said as he consoled the still crying Tinka.

Ronkus and Meninka nodded as they left. Despite his depression, as the patriarch, he still had to maintain and watch over the tribe's activities, so he could only suck up his sadness as he headed towards the large bonfire.

As Ronkus and Meninka left, Minos turned back to Tinka. He didn't say anything, he just sat there, giving her a shoulder to cry on.

"Minos, I don't want to die, and I don't want to be stuck here forever." Tinka said between weeps.

"Do you trust me?" Minos asked again, grabbing Tinka by the shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Yes, I trust you." Tinka forced out between cries.

"Good, then trust that I'll find an answer. I'll never leave you locked up in this place. I'll find the Shadiven clan, I'll get the cure to your curse, and I'll let you go on all the adventures you want."

"B-but, the Shadiven clan must be powerful, I don't know how strong cultivators are, but it must be hard to curse an entire bloodline…" Tinka said, feeling hopeless.

"You're right, they are strong, but I'll become stronger. All I need is a promise from you, a promise that you'll believe in me, no matter what happens."

"I believe in you." Tinka said, still crying.

"Then don't ever cry again. If you really believe, then you have no need to feel sad. Now let me see that beautiful smile." Minos replied as he wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

Tinka was still sad, a few words weren't enough to dispel such despair, but she did feel better, knowing that Minos would always fight for her.