News of the declaration of an all-out war at the Footprint of the God of the Land was relayed back to the Zoran Tribe. The elders of the tribe took on stiffened expressions at the news, but the young warriors seemed rather welcoming. It was because the location held significant meaning for them.

“It seems that the Kochillas know honor,” said Ivatar with a grin. The Footprint of the God of the Land had long been used as a stage for wars to decide the fates of the great tribes. Although it was true that the God of the Land would guide the spirit of the warriors, regardless of where they perished, it was also true that a warrior who died in the Footprint of the God of the Land would lie in the Cradle of the Warrior in their death, in the arms of the God of the Land.

Ivatar's father, the former chief of Zoran, had fallen in battle against the Kochillas, succumbing to injuries sustained during their conflict. The battleground for their fateful encounter was the Footprint of the God of the Land, a sacred place that held great significance to the natives of Samar. Ivatar, fueled by his warrior spirit and driven by a desire to avenge his father's death and reclaim the souls of their fallen warriors, was determined to emerge victorious in this upcoming battle.

At the dawn of departure, the warriors of the Zoran Tribe and their allies gathered together for a solemn ceremony. At the heart of the capital, a temple was set ablaze, its flames reaching for the sky and spreading heat upon all those gathered. As the warriors readied themselves to depart, they each cast their personal belongings into the fiery inferno, accompanied by the sorcerers who added a mixture of potent herbs to the flames.

As the herbs incinerated, they produced smoke. The warriors who inhaled the smoke screamed or danced. Although the hallucinogenic herbs used were treated...