Ishtala

The two men were named Lhaendra and Khaovren.

It all started with a competition about who could catch the most fish, as part of a series of collective contests between them.

Although it was called a competition, only Khaovren, the older one, truly saw it that way.

Actually, Ishtala had shown more favor toward Lhaendra.

Lhaendra was also more skilled and clever in what he did.

However, Khaovren, being older, felt he had more authority and the right to marry Ishtala. Especially since, through subjective judgment and favoritism from some siblings, Khaovren believed himself to be more handsome.

They had been in several 'battle' before, most of which were even supervised directly by their parents, but Khaovren had only won once—and that was when Lhaendra was unwell.

Lhaendra no longer wanted to participate in his brother's nonsense. However, because Khaovren promised to stop bothering him if Lhaendra won, he finally agreed.

The competition itself arose from a spontaneous idea after they were assigned to gather food together that day.

Lhaendra skillfully caught fish, clams, and even some crab, impressively applying the knowledge passed down from his father.

On the other hand, Khaovren, cunningly keeping the competition's rules simple, exploited a loophole to use magic.

He applied an advanced technique of taming magic, releasing a scent that attracted sea creatures. When they gathered near him, Khaovren unleashed his other spell—lightning magic.

It worked spectacularly. He caught 30 creatures in the blink of an eye, even eliminating more than he had anticipated.

The lightning surged more powerfully through the water, amplifying the effect. Besides winning the competition, Khaovren hoped to gain recognition by sharing this discovery with his parents.

What he never expected, however, was that the lightning had struck something—or someone—else.

Magic, at its core, is part of a person's life energy. Because of this, the user typically develops immunity to the effects of their own magic.

However, that immunity did not apply to other peole, even if the target shared the same bloodline.

Khaovren could only watch as his brother and rival fell stiffly into the water, drifting away.

He tried to save Lhaendra, pulling him back to the shore.

But Lhaendra never moved again. His eyes and mouth were open—but he was dead.

It was a horrifying fact for Khaovren. Not wanting to be blamed, he discarded Lhaendra's body and fled—leaving the village and his family behind.

It took three days for Thauren to find Lhaendra's body. It was already rotting and emitting a foul stench.

Thauren assumed Lhaendra had been attacked by a wild beast—or perhaps even a tyrannosaurus. He thought the same fate might have befallen Khaovren.

To avoid provoking the creatures, instead of the usual practice of burning the body, Thauren dug a pit and buried his son's corpse under the soil.

The incident made Thauren more cautious, even paranoid. He ordered his children not to hunt or travel too far, reinforced the village's defenses, and pursued advancements in weaponry.

At that time, Veera had already passed away and been buried. Their children had grown into adults and had children of their own. Eventually, Thauren crafted the first metal weapon.

He first discovered a strange chunk of ore in a swamp. It didn't break when dropped and had a hard texture.

The knowledge of weapon crafting was already ingrained in him, and Thauren eventually forged a spear—his personal masterpiece—stronger and deadlier than anything he had made before.

However, Thauren never had the chance to wield it. Death take him away before he could, and his position as leader was passed down to his eldest son, Nhuvek.

Nhuvek continued his father's legacy, further developing various weapons. He even created a weapon called the sword, improved arrow materials, and replaced some kitchen tools like knives with copper ones.

The replacement of kitchen tools, which were considered less effective for cutting meat, was further refined. Copper ores were sought after and even duplicated using magical knowledge.

Through years of trial and error, the alhamera finally discovered the most perfect breakthrough yet: a superior and tougher metal called iron.

Iron was soon applied not only to kitchen tools but also to weaponry. However, its complex forging process, even with magic, made production limited, and only the descendants of Nhuvek could possess or inherit them.

One of Nhuvek's greatest achievements was finding a way to domesticate wild animals.

The taming magic, which became a mandatory part of the alhamera magical curriculum, was used to "persuade" wild beasts such as wolves not only to track prey but also for tasks like night guarding and even construction work that could be handled by bears.

This domestication sparked another idea—not to immediately slaughter prey but instead to capture and breed them.

Sheep, once a favorite prey among the alhamera, had become rare. However, since the alhamera themselves had faced near extinction recently and predators had become less active due to the presence of the tyrannosaurus, the sheep population began to recover.

Sheep meat was tender, and their wool could be used to make fabric.

Of course, animal farming didn't progress as smoothly as agriculture. With plants, you only needed a seed and water, whereas a sheep couldn't split like a microbe.

Unfortunately, Nhuvek held onto that last belief. He kept the sheep, fed them, and cared for them—yet their numbers never increased.

The need for reproduction among sheep only dawned on Nhuvek after the birth of his fifth child.

While offering prayers of gratitude and counting his growing children, he suddenly remembered the sheep.

The next day, Nhuvek personally led an expedition to find a ram.

The journey took three days, and even after introducing the ram to the previously captured ewe, results were not immediate.

It wasn't until after Nhuvek's death, when his eldest son took over, that the sheep finally produced offspring.

That son was a young man named Rhaomak, named after an ancestor commemorated as a warrior from past generations. Rhaomak inherited his grandparents' determination.

He acknowledged his father's progressive changes but realized Nhuvek had forgotten one thing—entertainment.

His father had created countless weapons, but with domestication and the rise of livestock farming, they had begun to rust from disuse.

Upon reading old manuscripts left by his grandmother, Rhaomak discovered that their ancestors once determined the heir through deadly combat.

Of course, he was not foolish enough to reinstate such a practice that could endanger his lineage.

And speaking of lineage, while reading the manuscripts, he happened to meet his aunt, Ishtala, whose beauty had remained untouched by age.

Without hesitation, Rhaomak decided to take her as his wife, ignoring the advice of some village elders who disapproved of their significant age difference.

Regarding succession battles, Rhaomak chose to reintroduce it as a tournament—where the victor would be allowed to choose their reward.