Back at the camp, flames rose in the shaman's fire. Elder Kam Ata, the tribe's wise man, saw the signs in smoke — birds flying backward, dead water turning black.
He called the tribe together. "A dark power sealed long ago stirs again. The Witch of Akdöl, who turned warriors to ash and stole the moon's light, has broken free."
When Alp showed the sword, Kam Ata fell silent. "That blade... is Kılıçgölü — the Sword of the Lake. It chooses only one bearer in every age."
The blade, once wielded by the hero who sealed the witch a hundred years ago, had chosen Alp.
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