They consisted of a few elders who had survived the massacre by the female alhamera. Their pardon was also part of a clever strategy to demonstrate compassion, but they grew like a cluster of cancer cells.
They 'poisoned' people with anarchist thoughts full of hatred towards the female alhamera.
However, only a few were swayed, and most of them came from the weaker groups: outcasts and troublemakers.
They were easily captured. The female alhamera then introduced another breakthrough that would later become a cornerstone of her people's culture and morality: a judicial process.
The first verdict ever issued on the land of Antroseda was a death sentence. The rebels were tied up and driven into a bear's den, left to be torn apart and killed.
The seeds of rebellion were successfully uprooted, and the female alhamera had also established behavioral boundaries—what was and wasn't acceptable—based on the most primal emotion: the fear of death.
Lucas recalled how the first trial in human history had taken place millions of years before his birth.
If he remembered correctly, on his home planet, Earth, a person could choose between receiving a similar punishment (death) or paying a fine.
This reminded Lucas of the concept of money. So far, the alhamera civilization had shown no signs of material transactions, not even bartering.
They lived in such abundance.
After all, even after several generations, no rigid social hierarchy had formed. It had occurred once among the elders but never lasted a full generation.
They shared food equally, everyone had similar tools, the same house structures, and identical hunting and guarding schedules.
The alhamera civilization was a primitive utopia.
But there is always calm before the storm.
The female alhamera was not immortal, and she eventually died of old age. Her ashes were placed next to the first magic user, and the village leadership succession process resumed.
At least this time, the female alhamera did not die carelessly. She had taught her children how to use magic and allowed them to awaken talents of varying types.
From life magic, capable of healing, repairing cells, and even providing sustaining energy for agriculture …
To enhancement magic, essentially a form of steroids. It increased durability, stamina, and explosive power, enabling its user to defeat a bear in one-on-one combat.
Enhancement magic could also be channeled into weapons, increasing attack range and sharpness.
But the most remarkable of all was elemental magic. Although fire could already be manually created, those who could conjure it with a snap of their fingers were not to be underestimated.
Not to mention the emergence of elemental variations like water and wind magic.
The succession process was clearer this time: only the strongest one deserved to be a chief.
Thus began a bloody battle among the children of the female alhamera. And it was there that the alhamera learned they could kill their own kind.
The victor of that bloodbath was a pale-skinned alhamera.
A genetic defect.
Previously, inbreeding had resulted in genetic complications, but they were often invisible. Those born with such conditions were usually abandoned in the forest to starve.
However, this albino alhamera survived, and regardless of anyone's wishes, the previous leader's decree could not be challenged.
Upon becoming the new leader, the albino alhamera introduced radical reforms.
The first change was the strict division of roles, which affected hunting schedules, farming routines, and food distribution.
And when such matters began to be regulated... Lucas didn't want to think about it. It was an ancient process he found most disgusting— the caste system.
Previously, there was indeed some hierarchy, but privileges only extended to the children of the chief.
Now, however, the distribution had become more varied.
Due to the declining game population, food portions were now allocated based on hunting success. Those unable to catch any prey received nothing.
The same applied to crops—those who harvested the most received the largest share.
Though it seemed contrary to their previous lifestyle, the alhamera eventually adapted.
The result of this revolution was the rapid development of weaponry. The albino alhamera also made no exceptions in hunting, declaring that even fierce beasts could become food.
Bears, once seen as the apex predators, were now reduced to mere prey.
As land became scarcer with everyone competing to produce the largest harvest, a new need arose.
The albino alhamera introduced another policy—perhaps an original idea: expansion. And for that, they had to eliminate predators standing in their way.
Another technological breakthrough emerged from this policy: armor. Although it was merely woven straw and bamboo, it still helped reduce injuries when facing carnivores.
Their territory expanded, and their population flourished.
What was once a small village had now become a large city. The albino alhamera had many hate, yet even they had to admit that he had advanced their civilization, allowing them to experience things they had never known before.
However, the turning point of this civilization did not arise from within.
It came from outside. Amid the uncontrolled expansion, the power the alhamera had built drew the wrath of a predator they had never previously considered— the Tyrannosaurus.