At 6:00 in the morning, over a thousand ordinary villagers received a notice from the Matriarch to gather at the village entrance on the northernmost side of the village.
The Matriarch was the village chieftain. Her authority far exceeded that of village chiefs in Blue Star's villages, so no one dared refuse to come.
Thus, early that morning, every household that received the news rushed to the village entrance.
The Matriarch did not waste any time either.
Once most of the people had arrived, she immediately explained the entire situation to the villagers exactly as it had happened.
The moment the news was announced, the villagers erupted into an uproar.
"What the hell? The volcano is about to erupt?!"
"Didn't it erupt once eight hundred years ago? How could it be happening again so soon?"
"The village isn't going to be destroyed, is it? My family just built a new house this year for my son's wedding!"
"It's a good thing the gods sent down an oracle in time, or we would have been burned to death by lava!"
The villagers were utterly shocked.
The threat to their very survival left everyone tense and on edge.
Finally, the Matriarch shouted, "No matter what, this is the land where we have lived for generations. We cannot stand by and watch it be destroyed. We must take action to save our home!
All teenagers, young adults, and able-bodied workers—regardless of gender—come up the mountain with me if you think you can work!"
"Up the mountain!"
"Up the mountain!"
"Up the mountain!"
Everyone was fired up, their passion fully ignited.
Apart from the elderly, weak, women, and children who truly could not do heavy labor, everyone else had red eyes as they followed the Matriarch up the mountain.
They would defend their home