"John," Albert whispered urgently, his hand still firmly clamped over John's mouth, "let me warn you now."
His voice was sharp and tense, his eyes wide with something close to fear.
"Never say anything about the King. The entire tribe runs because of his decisions. He's not the problem—it's his two sons."
His voice lowered even more, now barely audible beneath the growing sounds of the bustling village.
"They're extremely dangerous. They'll kill anyone without thinking. So stay away from them."
Albert's words settled heavily in John's mind, and slowly, the old man removed his hand. The weight of that warning hung between them like fog.
Then, Albert's gaze shifted, softening slightly as his eyes drifted to John's appearance.
"And by the way," he said with a small smile, "your outfit looks really good. You'll easily grab attention. Girls might go crazy for you…"
John raised a brow, only for Albert to add, "But from the back, it looks like you've been assaulted."
Albert pointed, and John instinctively reached behind him, brushing his hand across the torn fabric of his shirt. His fingers came away damp with blood. A slight sting followed, reminding him of the Velociraptor's earlier attack.
"That dinosaur scratched your back, right?"
John nodded slowly. "Oh."
"Don't worry," Albert reassured him with a dismissive wave. "Velociraptors have small hands, so you weren't hurt badly. It'll heal soon."
He looked at John with something like respect now.
"It's surprising though," he continued. "That mutant dinosaur attacked you, and still, you didn't scream once. That impressed me. Your generation might surpass us elders."
John gave a small nod, grateful for the compliment, but didn't say anything. His thoughts were still half on the wound and half on the strange dynamics of this tribe.
But just then, a loud commotion erupted nearby.
Shouts rose from the marketplace. People moved hurriedly, scattering in all directions and clearing a wide path in the middle of the road. The air shifted. Tension rippled like a wave.
"We're doomed!" Albert shouted, his voice sharp with panic as the scene around them descended into chaos. "The Princes are coming!"
John's eyes widened at the sheer panic overtaking the crowd. He glanced at Albert, confused.
"They'll kill everyone?" he asked, barely believing what he was hearing.
"If you get in their way, yes," Albert replied grimly, already pulling his grandchildren closer to him and motioning for John to stay low. Together, they backed into the edge of the crowd, pressing themselves out of sight.
A large wooden cart rolled into view. It was drawn by two horse-like, small dinosaurs whose scaled hides gleamed under the torchlight. The cart moved steadily, slicing through the parted crowd like a royal procession.
It passed directly in front of John.
He happened to be looking up.
And then it stopped.
Abruptly.
"How dare you look up at us with your head raised?" a harsh voice bellowed from atop the cart.
John didn't hear him.
He wasn't even listening.
Because his eyes—sharp, focused, unmoving—were locked on the beautiful girl seated beside the boy who had just spoken.
She didn't move. She didn't speak. But her presence struck him like lightning.
Her hands—delicate, fair—rested gently in her lap, glowing softly in the firelight. She seemed untouched by the harshness of this world, like a figure from another place altogether. A different kind of beauty.
John remained motionless, mesmerized.
He neither lowered his head nor offered a response.
The boy's voice, once thunderous, now twisted into fury.
He stood quickly. His cloak shifted with the motion as he leapt from the cart, landing directly in front of John. His boots hit the ground hard, and he straightened with eyes blazing like fire.
His fists clenched.
His gaze burned.
John didn't move.
Didn't blink.
And in the space of that silence, something dangerous was about to ignite.