After separating from Damien, Zara's experience was similar to his own. After wandering for a few hours, she found her way to a small village of a few hundred people.
Curiously, these people were friendly from the start. They didn't discriminate against her based on her unknown identity and made her feel at home. For around an hour, Zara stayed in this clan and met with its people, coming to learn its name, the Oga Clan.
The Oga village wasn't a very powerful force at all. Most of their denizens were children or elderly, their able men and women barely being enough to keep them living well.
The clan had such a peaceful atmosphere that it made Zara doubt whether or not this realm was truly connected to the Emperor Bone Sea. From her experience, everything in the Emperor Bone Sea was blood-crazed and deathly.
Seeing those same peace-loving denizens turn into blood-crazed maniacs in a split second was truly jarring.
The Tephit Clan attacked, these were the words of a guard that spurred everyone into motion. Within minutes, the entire village was destroyed in a bout of explosions.
"Haa!" A young Oga warrior shouted madly as he dug his fingers into an enemy's neck and ripped out his throat. As they fought, the Oga Clan only used their fists to counteract even the sharpest weapons of the Tephit.
The Tephit, on the other hand, were more refined. They used swift and piercing movements with their weapons, dancing through the water like glorious snakes. Wherever their swords struck, they would draw blood.
'This…what should I do in this situation?' Zara wondered. Combat experience, she had plenty of. But when it came to experience in society, Zara was still somewhat clueless. When it came time for a conflict like this one, she would usually defer to Damien for a decision. Unfortunately, he wasn't here at the moment.
'Ah! The transmission token!' She realized. She pulled out a small thumb-sized slip from her spatial ring, but before injecting her mana into it, she hesitated.
Her automatic response was to rely on Damien. She didn't realize how deep her dependence was rooted. Because they'd been apart for so long, Zara was sure she'd changed into a person who could stand next to him rather than beside him, but she couldn't help but want to follow in his shadow when they were together,
'I need to change.'
Her goal was simple. It was the goal of a little girl who didn't want to part from her idol and role model, a goal that she retained even after growing into a woman.
If she couldn't even make her own decisions, was she worthy of that goal?
Zara immediately put the transmission token away and merged into the shadows, expanding her presence to cover the ongoing battle.
"Oga and Tephit…" she muttered. The battle was relatively even. The Oga Clan's ruthlessness allowed them to cope with the Tephit Clan's ingenuity and armaments, but this strategy also resulted in faster deaths and injuries.
While the Oga Clan certainly had a chance to win, it would be a hollow victory.
'They helped me, so I should help them. Right?' Zara thought. If she was going to take her first steps toward changing, she couldn't opt for neutrality.
Thus, her simple reasoning ended up being the best one. In a conflict where both clans seemed to desire each other's extinction, she chose to help the side she had connections with.
Besides, neither side was out of her capacity. Their greatest forces were around her same level, but her combat strength far surpassed a mere early 4th class.
Her body rematerialized and turned into a hazy blur as she shot through the battlefield with insane speed. Once she arrived high above it, she raised her hand into the sky and galvanized her mana.
'Glacial Spbere'
Her mana boomed through the surroundings, immediately affecting the water. Within a few sparks of time, the water began to crystallize.
It had to be remembered, Zara's affinities weren't limited to Shadow Laws. Long ago, she even prioritized her ice affinity over her shadows.
Now that she'd reached 4th class, her Shadow Laws, the innate ability of her mysterious race, became her main focus.
But that didn't mean she neglected Ice Laws. In the Emperor Bone Sea, the strange death energy polluting the waters made it impossible for her ice to coagulate and spread and the presence of terrifying beasts made it difficult to use such flashy skills without drawing attention. But in this hidden realm…
With Zara as its highest point, a dome of ice formed around the battlefield, trapping everyone within. In the next instant, Zara's eyes turned a striking blue color as she fiercely exerted control over the elements.
'Chronolock'
Even time froze. The remaining water within the Glacial Sphere chilled to a maddening level and halted all movement. Whether it was the Oga or the Tephit, they were all affected.
Unlike the Tephit, however, the Oga didn't experience the terrors of this biting cold.
'Shadow Rose: Bloom'
Thorns of materialized shadows burst forth from the ground and stabbed through the arms and legs of the frozen Tiphet Clan members. A striking black rose bloomed in the middle of their formation, and the thorns retracted into its body, carrying their targets with them.
'Seal'
With one final word, Zara forced the rose to close its petals, sealing her enemies within.
For now, she didn't want to kill them. Through Tang Lingzi and Damien's constant warnings, she'd learned the importance of information.
Her body descended to the ground, the Glacial Sphere receding. She glanced at the Oga Clan members who were watching her in awe, and immediately, they separated, leaving only a single old woman in Zara's line of sight.
"You must be an outsider, aren't you?" The old woman said. "Regardless of where you come from, you are the savior of our village today. Please allow me to thank you over a cup of tea."
Zara's brows furrowed, but in the end, she nodded. After following the old woman into a hut she constructed in the ruins of the destroyed village, she sat down and asked her most pressing question.
"Why did they attack you?"
The old woman sighed. "As I thought, you've come here unknowing of the terrifying situation. Child, instead of learning more, it would be best for you to leave. We are but a small village connected to the main Oga Clan. The scale of this conflict isn't something a growing child like you should get involved in. It pains me to see promising youths die young."
Zara shook her head in denial. "Even then, you still have to tell me what's happening. If you don't, I'll release your enemies again. I have no reason to help you if you don't give me one."
The old lady stared into Zara's eyes as if trying to read her soul. Her bright golden eyes were firm and laced with defiance. It was clear that she had no interest in running away.
The old woman sighed as she spoke, "Haa…fine. In the end, a true genius' path cannot be hindered by anyone. This conflict's nature is simple. Currently, our beautiful realm of Aquazyl is engulfed in chaos. For this, there is only a single reason…"
"The Prominence War."
