Rites of Passage

With Axel, there were only five of them in the supporting group. As they stood before the shaman, he looked at their physique and the tattoos on their awakened hands, his disappointment evident in his mumbled words, "You rascals are this winter's Helper."

While looking at the sky, he starts to pray, "By the grace of goddess Nala, we still could survive in the wild. Now I am old. If you took me in your embrace, who would show them the path? Who will help them from evils? Oh, Goddess Nala, send someone capable to take responsibility. This old servant of yours is tired and becoming incapable." As he prays while looking at the sky, a few tears fill the shaman's eyes. 

----

Observing the group, the Shaman simply commands, "Follow me! You have a lot to do today. I will start your training after all of you have washed your sins with the Holy water and pledged loyalty to the goddess Nala."

Teenagers are stubborn creatures, often speaking before fully grasping the seriousness of situations.

"We don't want to. We're strong enough to hunt on our own. Mikio even killed a beast before the awakening. Why should we be part of the supporting group?" one kid voiced his concern, quickly gaining nods of agreement from others.

The promise of glory and status are all out of their grasp if they joined the support group.

But Axel was more annoyed than these brain-dead kids. "Why they even include me in their way of rebel. Is it only me who is happier about my own situation by becoming someone from the support group?"

Axel had never fought before, although he had some techniques in mind for certain beasts, those techniques were not applicable if he felt fear upon seeing the beast. Additionally, while browsing through the store, he could buy the most advanced book of techniques for hunting, but that also came with a price, and not having slain any animal in real life would make his experience more horrifying. 

That's why he was hesitant. It was better to become immune to seeing blood before killing an actual animal. After all, his heart was still weak when it came to killing something innocent like that.

"You vile scum of the tribe! If you were truly capable, the hunting leaders would surely take all of you to the training ground to make you useful in battle. But do you even qualify for it? What if you have good bodies? A body without stamina is nothing but an accessory to show. And how dare you question the leader and the hunters' combined decision," the shaman shouted at them.

"This generation of adults are surely stupid and naive. Sixteen winters have passed, and these poor things can't even appreciate the peace and calmness the goddess has given to them."

With a sigh, he whispered softly enough for Axel to hear, "The tribe is becoming more lazy and less cautious day by day. If they go out into the wilderness, they would die within a day."

"What do you think about it?" The shaman asked slowly, his gaze fixed on Axel.

Axel, on the other hand, was surprised to hear the mighty Shaman, the speaker of the goddess Nala, asking him, a lowly member, a question.

One had to know in the tribe one had to be in the powerful position to be a high-ranking member. No matter how high your bloodline power is nobody take it any notice one would get respect with their power and training.

Seeing him dumbfounded, the shaman began to speak again.

"With the leadership of Mani, the Heikonun tribe was reduced to ashes, and now people have forgotten the blood and horror of the Heikonun tribe. When I was little, every morning when I woke up, I saw bloodshed. I saw the hunters' bodies burning in the holy fire for protecting our tribe every day," he said, as if remembering the horrifying days, before stopping abruptly.

"At the age of just 13, we had to participate in the fight to protect the village. Thousands of mothers lost their children, thousands of fathers were absent from home, and there was no food. We feared the Heikonun more than dying from hunger. Today's peaceful expectations of hunting ceremonies are nothing but dreams for us. Regardless of gender, age, or condition, we worked together to help the warriors fight the bloody demons in human faces, just to survive. Now, they complain instead of being grateful for our help to the tribe."

Although Axel wasn't sure whether he should speak or not, he reluctantly answered, "I think every generation is different. But I believe that in bad times, people create peaceful societies. Peaceful societies, in turn, create bad times, and it goes in a cycle of infinity. That's why people need strong leaders in times of peace. With proper rules and regulations, it is possible to extend the time of peace."

Shaman looked at him with a smile and said

"Well said! Wish other also learned it and act for betterment of the tribe."

 Soon, they arrived at the frozen pond, its icy surface shimmering with a pristine blue hue unlike any other. There was a palpable aura of holiness surrounding it, as if it held within its frozen depths the whispers of thousands of years of history.

The shaman, on the other hand, gazed at the icy pond and commanded them to cut a large piece of ice from the lake. The icy coldness here was quite freezing, and the barbaric Sky Root Tribe youngsters were shivering, but the shaman, without any kindness, compelled them to dig a thumb-like thick ice from the center of the pond. On one side of the pond, there stood a big shrine of Goddess Nala.

"Listen, lads. When you plunge into the water, you should stop your breathing and clear your minds. And do not drink any of the holy water, or you would die from poisoning," the shaman instructed them sternly.

Hearing it everyone including Axels hair stand up and looked at the Shaman in disbelief. This is madness. Even if they are helpers in the tribe that doesn't mean they would have to go through a trials that could potentially kill themselves.

But they had to reluctantly do what the shaman told them to do! One took a dive, and one by one, everyone followed suit and plunged into the frozen lake. When they emerged, their bodies shivered from the icy liquid. Next, it was Axel's turn.

As he looked at the water for the first time since his transmigration, he observed his reflection. In the reflection, a teenager with tousled blonde hair and a white, pristine face greeted him. His nose was sharp, and his eyebrows were long and dark, reaching his ears. In one word to describe his face, it would be "quite handsome."

Soon, he took the dive into the frozen liquid.

In his mind, he saw a beautiful white moose looking at him. Its horns were as big as trees, and its deep blue eyes gazed at him kindly. However, within those eyes, he also saw a burning flame, filled with the passion to burn everything.

....

In the shrine of Nala.

A woman, perhaps in her thirties, with a curved body and straight curly hair, is depicted in a statue made from the finest wood in the wilderness, held inside the shrine. Her expression seems to emanate kindness towards her followers. 

It is fully colored in green, more like creating an ink from some monster's blood and colorful spinach mix.

Regardless The goddess is looked like a fairy in the in a mans wildest dream. Dying her full green made her More Connect with nature. 

The Shaman worshiped the goddess wholeheartedly, but unlike Axel, others also regarded the goddess with a mixture of awe and fear. From their youngest age, they had been told by their parents about the deeds of the goddess and heard her stories. That's why every time they came here, they would be in awe. The statue, standing at 10 feet tall, could even compete with the most ancient carvings for statues.

After the prayer, the shaman looked at his new acquaintances. In front of him, five of his newly appointed students sat in a row, half naked only their private parts are covered by some means. Every youngsters boys fitted physics in front of the shaman seems to quite ashamed.

The shaman, without caring for their discomfort, spoke freely.

"Now, you all are my dear students. A student and a teacher should show each other respect, and I will teach you accordingly. The bond between us shall be holy and pure. In the name of the goddess, I bless all of you. It's a pity none of you has ignited the green mark."

With a sigh, the shaman took out a bowl of blue blood from the air.

Looking at it, Axel was quite surprised. Did he use magic? But knowing his own situation, he immediately became quite ashamed. Other than his private parts, there wasn't a single thread of clothing on his body.

With a sigh, he could only listen to the shaman, who was bestowing useless knowledge upon them.

"Today is the estimated time the Seer saw that the beast tide would come. We have to start training now and be prepared. When you go with the other guardians, the fight should be under the control of the hunters."

As he said that, several spells were carved into the bowl of blood with hand gestures, and the tattoos on the shaman's face started to lighten.

A smile formed on the shaman's lips as he thickened the blue blood with magic. He spoke in a mysterious manner,

"Unlike the warriors, your training will be different. It will start from collecting materials from dangerous areas to assisting those hunters in command. Although the medics' team will take care of injuries, you all have to help them. Other than that, you will act as support with the knowledge I bestow upon you."

"You should always learn to use your brains. After all, you are the students of the guardians of the tribe. If someone from your second completes their second awakening with the green mark, you would be the one to converse with the goddess and lead the tribe to its glory."

Suddenly, the shaman's eyes turned golden as the sky became much darker, and the tribe fell silent and dark, with only an old man, illuminated by his eyes and tattoos, speaking in a dominating manner.

"You are Shaman King Korl Bae's student. Whether you become the greatest hunter or a simple watcher in the night, you should never stop watching the sky, never stop gathering wisdom. You should always remember that you were born in this tribe by the grace of Nala, and you should never abandon it. Protect it even in the face of death."

As the shaman sliced his own hand with his nail, blood started to fall into the thickened blue blood. The icy blood, coiling in reaction, caused a change in the mixture, forming a bluish-black hue.

With his right hand, he slowly dipped his four fingers into the blood.

In the boy named Marlim's face, he marked a straight line from his forehead with his hand. Additionally, on each cheek, he drew two vertical lines.

"Now, you are reborn. The alias from before should end now. You should be called Agnus. Only in the tribe, your name is Marlim, full name Agnus Isle Marlim."

"Understood," a low voice came out from Marlim's mouth soon after, as blood slowly began to trickle from his eyes and nose.

Without caring about it, he again dripped and followed to the second boy named Nijhel. The shaman created a mark of four straight lines on his face.

"You should be Raven. Raven Isle Nijhel." Nijhel nod as tear formed in his eyes.

"Next, it was Axel's turn. For a moment, a look of dissatisfaction flickered across the shaman's face before disappearing.

"You are quite different, huh! Maybe the bloodline speaks in favor of the goddess," the shaman chuckled.

He dipped his two fingers into the bowl and drew two horizontal lines under Axel's eyes. Without pause, he dipped his fingers in the bowl again, creating a small bindi just above Axel's nose. With deliberate precision, he drew two vertical lines beside the bindi, explaining, "One for the tribe, one for the goddess."

As he filled the empty space between the vertical lines with a horizontal line, he continued, "...this one for the Heirokkan tribe." But his actions didn't stop there. He dipped his first three fingers into the bowl once more, forming three small dot-like points upper his forehead mark. The markings on Axel's forehead now resembled the palm of a tiger, as if blessed by the creature.

However, Axel had no time to contemplate the significance of the markings. Suddenly, a flood of knowledge and memories surged into his mind.

As his eyes turned as red as tomatoes and his brain throbbed with excruciating pain, his blood circulation accelerated to the point where veins protruded all over his body. An unknown power began to surge within him as Axel began to relive Mikio's entire life.