Along with other able-bodied clansmen, Oscar gathered the bodies of all the fallen villagers together in a heap, and cremated them. He was busy throughout the night until the sky was brightly lit by the sun, and all the dead clansmen had been cremated.
After doing all this, Oscar did not leave the demolished village, but waited for a few days instructing the clansmen to pack everything that could be termed as useful.
And before long, all the valuables that the tribe had accumulated over the years, such as food, clothing, weapons, and the rest, were piled up at the central square of the village.
In the early morning of the fourth day, Oscar gathered the surviving clansmen at the village square.
Seeing the mountain-like objects piled up in front of him, he was overwhelmed. "Uncle Callor, all these?"
"Yes, Oscar. Everything useful is here. The rest were left behind." Callor didn't rest well these days due to the amount of work that he had been doing. The two dark circles under his eyes were evidences of his lack of sleep.
Except for Oscar being the son of the rulers, he had the highest status in the clan. So he had been directing the clansmen to sort out their items.
Oscar took out a holding ring of storage, which was the ring he got from the the cave.
He followed the guidance ofvthe remnant, and swept through the items piled up on the square, and everything was immediately transferred into the space in the ring of spatial storage.
Then, he handed the ring to Callor and said, "Uncle, please take this ring. Everything you brought is all inside it."
"Oscar, I don't have the power to use something like this. Moreover, you're next in line to be the leader of the clan. Why don't you hold the ring?" Callor didn't understand why the boy was giving him the item.
Since he wasn't in line to succeed the late leader, wasn't it better for the son of the patriarch to hold it by himself?
"Uncle, you have also seen that our clan has suffered greatly. We can no longer stay here. So, from now on, there will be no Birch village anymore." Oscar replied with heavy heart and the remaining members of the clan also silently lowered their heads. He took a deep breath and then continued. "It's all on you now, Uncle. Please, can you lead the rest of the clan to the south to join the Canyon tribe? When you see my sister Helena, tell her what happened. Please, comfort her for me. I hope you'll all live a good life among Canyon tribe."
"Yee, but..." Callor was stunned for a moment, and suddenly asked. "...are you not coming with us?"
Oscar shook his head and said. "I have a different path to take. So I won't be going with you."
Callor was silent for a few seconds, then slowly asked. "Is it revenge?,if you plan to seek vengeance, then let us go with you."
"Yes, let's go together." The other clansmen also said firmly.
Oscar's eyes suddenly turned red with deep emotions. This was the Ironwood tribe his parents built with their own hands. To have these warriors as his clan really made him proud. He took a step back and bowed deeply to the people.
The clansmen immediately quieted down, not understanding what the surviving heir meant by his action. "I thank you all for your unyielding resolution. However, the dreads are extremely strong, so we have no chance to survive against them. What I plan to do is what my parents told me before their death. I have to become stronger."
Callor frowned and asked. "Oscar, you and I are not strangers to each other. Can you tell me what's going on? Whatever it is, you must know you're not alone. I'll surely accompany you."
Oscar shook his head and said. "There's no need, Uncle. To be honest, my parents told me to go to the Arcane academy. They said it's there that I can learn the arcane arts to protect myself and our people in the future. I want to do this right away. There's no time to delay further."
"What about your safety?"
"You don't have to worry about me, I can protect myself from minor dangers."
"Maybe you can handle the dangers, but what about sustenance?" Callor glanced him, nodded in agreement, and asked. "The Arcane academy is located in the northern part of the mainland. I'm afraid you won't be able to get there in a month or two. There will be no one to take care of you along the way, I really worry about this."
"Uncle, don't worry, all the way to the north is under the human territories. Only a few dreads would dare to come there. As long as I am careful, there'll be no problem in protecting myself and taking care of myself. Instead, I'm more worried about your own journey to the Canyon. There are a lot of the dreads territories on your path."
"I understand, but you don't have to worry about that. We'll be careful." Callor still wanted to argue, but seeing Oscar frowning face, he knew that the boy was determined to leave alone, and he no longer insisted. "Alright then, let us be on our way before its dark again."
Oscar nodded in thanks. "Okay, uncle. When you arrive at the Canyon, you can hand over the ring to master Guyon, he'll know how to use it. Tell him that I am still alive and I'm walking my own path. In the future, I'll definitely come to the Canyon to greet you all."
"I will keep to your words, Oscar. May the gods be with you."
"And with you all." After that, Oscar bowed deeply again and said with sadness.
Then he strode away under everyone's sorrowful eyes. No clan, no relatives, only hope and vengeance.