"Thank you, Senior!" Silak replied, his voice filled with heartfelt gratitude. A wave of relief and newfound hope buoyed his spirits. "By the way," he added, his mind working quickly, "now that we know the turmoil was caused by you and not some unknown demonic beast, does that mean our tribe no longer needs to find a new home?"
It seemed like a perfectly logical solution. If Gahumdagat was the source, he was also the solution. "I mean, those beasts encroaching on our territory are certainly afraid of you, right? You could simply intimidate them, and they wouldn't dare come closer. A fight wouldn't even be necessary."
Silak felt a flicker of pride at his own cleverness. It was a plan that minimized risk and allowed them to stay in their ancestral home, all while taking advantage of their guardian's immense power.
A long, heavy silence stretched out before Gahumdagat responded, his mental voice tinged with a deep, ancient weariness. ["Your plan sounds good, young prince. It is a choice I would prefer, if only your tribe were stronger."]
"But why would our strength matter if you are the one scaring them away?"
["Because intimidation will not work on the things I am truly fighting. And to help me, your tribe… your warriors… would need to be at the Core Formation stage at the very least."]
Silak's hope faltered. "Core Formation? But… why? Why is such strength required? Perhaps we can assist in other ways?" The requirement was an impossible wall for his people to climb in a short time.
Another silence descended, this one heavier than the last. The air in the cavern grew still and cold, and the faint light from the cavern walls seemed to dim. A pressure began to build, a palpable sense of dread that made the hairs on Silak's arms stand on end.
["I will tell you,"] Gahumdagat's voice was now a low, somber whisper that echoed with the gravity of ages. ["You must understand the true stakes. My recent actions, the 'turmoil,' were not a show of power, but my response to a threat. I was 'cleaning up' the corrupted demonic beasts that were trying to break the seal."]
"A seal?" Silak whispered, his own voice barely audible.
["Beneath this forest, buried deep in the heart of the world, there is a Seal. My clan has not been guarding a mere territory for generations, young prince. We have been the wardens of that Seal, together with your tribe."]
The ancient being paused, and in that moment of silence, Silak felt a cold dread so profound it seemed to seep from the very stones around him. This was a secret that felt dangerous just to hear.
"What… what does it seal, Senior?"
["That, I do not fully know,"] the confession was terrifying in its honesty. ["The specifics are lost to time. All that was passed down is a name, a warning, and a sacred duty. The Seal holds back an Evil God. And the warning is absolute: if it is ever released, this world, and everything in it, will be devoured into oblivion."]
The words crashed down upon Silak like a mountain. The world-ending implications stole the air from his lungs, and all his previous worries—his cultivation speed, the tribe's migration, his own future—shrank to utter insignificance. This was a secret that affected every living thing.
["You must not share this with anyone,"] Gahumdagat's voice was a sharp, urgent command.
["The mere knowledge of this being carries a karmic weight that can crush a mortal soul. The followers of this entity are drawn to such knowledge like moths to a black flame. You, however, are shielded by the Goddess's divine blessing. Your threads of fate are veiled, hidden from its sight."]
A wave of shame and helplessness washed over Silak. He looked at his small hands, utterly powerless in the face of such a cosmic threat. "I'm sorry, Senior," he said, his voice thick with apology. "I'm sorry that my tribe and I can offer you no help. We've been nothing but a burden while you fight a war for the world's survival."
"I will get stronger," he vowed, his voice hardening with a new, desperate resolve. "I will master the Eclipsing Maw and assist you in your duty."
["That is the only path forward,"] Gahumdagat affirmed. ["And that is why your tribe must leave. The Seal is weakening, and the last attack was barely repelled. I cannot guarantee that I can protect both the Seal and your people if it happens again. My focus must be here. Your focus must be on survival and growth."]
["To repair the damage already done requires the power of multiple cultivators at the Core Formation stage. If you truly wish to help, you must reach that level. You must raise the warriors of your tribe and find trusted allies. The faster, the better."]
The weight of the world had settled squarely on his six-year-old shoulders. It was terrifying, but it was also clarifying. His path was no longer uncertain. "I understand, Senior," Silak said, his voice steady now, forged in the crucible of this terrible new reality. "I will convince my parents to begin the migration immediately, so you can focus on protecting the Seal."
He thought for a moment, his mind already working strategically. "And I will recommend that our tribe establishes a permanent watch camp on the outskirts of this region. Not to fight, but to act as your eyes and ears, to prevent mortal outsiders from stumbling into this conflict and causing more trouble."
Gahumdagat's mental presence conveyed a sense of solemn approval. For the rest of the day, the ancient, weary guardian and the young, determined prince continued to speak, their conversation no longer about a boy's future, but about the first strategic moves in a war against the end of the world.