For a single heartbeat, the entire settlement seemed to hold its breath.
The silence was so complete that even the wind in the high canopy seemed to pause. Hundreds of faces remained turned and eyes locked on the calm figure standing between Kira and Zeyra.
Then the name broke free like thunder.
"SOL!
SOL!
SOL!"
The chant erupted from the front ranks of warriors and spread outward in a rolling wave. Within seconds it had become a single, deafening roar that shook the timber houses and stone foundations of the settlement.
Warriors slammed their fists against their chests in perfect unison, the deep, rhythmic impacts echoing like war drums.
Women and elders dropped to one knee or pressed both palms to the ground in the deepest ancestral salutes.
Children, perched on shoulders or clinging to their parents' legs, shouted his name with wide, shining eyes, their high voices cutting through the deeper roar of the adults.
