It felt as though the desert would never end. The paths shifted like mirages, and with every ragged breath, the distant tower seed to recede rather than draw closer. Bristle ran beside , tongue lolling, panting hard as his paws scattered molten sand—each stride leaving only faint, half-ford impressions that the heat quickly erased.
The thing behind us did not relent. It coiled, surged, and leapt, each pulse through the ground sending up another eruption of blistering air. And it was closing in.
The air shimred, wavering like a veil of glass. One quick glance over my shoulder told enough. It would catch us… soon.
But the terrain ahead was changing. A final reprieve.
Luna’s voice thundered through my mind: It’s different there! Maybe if the ground is solid—
“I know,” I gasped, forcing my legs to move faster.
The sand beneath my boots began to harden, grain by grain, until each step struck sothing solid. The mont my foot caught the first clutch of stone, speed returned to , the friction steadying, anchoring, and driving forward.
I risked another look back, praying the chase had ended only to watch in disbelief as the beast erupted from the sand. It crashed down full-bodied onto the rock, no longer burrowing but propelling itself with the rhythm of its paddle-like limbs.
Fatigue gnawed at . Our surge in speed allowed Bristle and to hold even, yet not to gain. It was a battle of endurance now, and sooner or later, it would end in one of us collapsing.
A ripple?
Was it just my imagination?
As I ran, the air itself seed to move with a faint distortion, like a pebble striking still water. But Luna gave no warning, and if she didn’t sense danger, I had no ti to question it.
I drew a deep breath, chest burning. Enough running. Fighting would be better. Every creature had a weakness. Bristle had struck inside its mouth before. If we triggered enough explosions…
I skidded to a halt, turned, and raised my hand. And waited.
The creature sensed the motion and charged with greater fervor, its roar tearing through the heat. Bristle’s fur bristled with power as he gathered energy beside .
Ti seed to still.
It lunged.
A hollow, tallic roar thundered from its body, then—
GOOONG!
It… bounced?
I blinked, dumbfounded, exchanging a glance with Bristle. Both of us stared at the creature, now sprawled and fully exposed.
It lunged again.
Gong!
I exhaled, a shaky laugh escaping before I collapsed backward onto the rock, my hands bracing as I caught my breath.
“You didn’t sense anything, Luna?” I asked, realization dawning that Bristle and I had sohow crossed a boundary. The ripple hadn’t been an illusion. The spire beyond us, the civilization, was shielded by sothing unseen.
The beast tried several more tis, each impact echoing through the still air before it finally stopped. It glared at , its horrifying form tensing.
I smiled.
It wasn’t much different from what I’d glimpsed before. The lower half a mirror of the upper, minus the face. Segnted plates, paddle-like limbs, hard and gleaming. It huffed once, then turned, retreating into the wastes.
Sense what? Luna asked at last.
“The barrier,” I muttered, glancing down, half-expecting she was joking.
A pause. Nope.
Bristle had already collapsed beside , releasing a concentrated burst of frost that cooled the ground into a thin sheet of ice beneath his belly.
I rubbed his ear, drawing a weary groan from him, and turned toward the horizon.
Now that the haze had settled, I could see movent very clearly. Not far away anymore.
Inhabitants.
Half-buried huts of stone jutted from the sand, shaped from the sa rock that towered above. Two distinct kinds of creatures wandered among them.
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And chains.
A harsh and commanding barked order rang out, its voice unmistakably belonging to the undead species I’d encountered before.
“Faster!” it snarled, a half-rotted arm shoving one of the others ahead. “You want to be refined?!”
The victim stumbled forward, wings twitching weakly. They weren’t beast in entirety, but unmistakably bird-like. Tall and thin, this one carried a large pack slung around his back, skin visible through layers of ruffled feathers.
The plumage along the arms looked threadbare now but suggested it might once have been a vivid burnt gold or desert red at so point—colors suited to this sun-pounded place.
Clothes wrapped their legs, covering below the waist yet leaving the three-toed talons exposed. Its short, curved beak parted slightly, as if to speak, but ultimately the creature remained mute as its large, reflective eyes scread of exhaustion.
So had paid the commotion I’d caused no mind, but others had. Two figures were already rushing over. I was exhausted, but Luna could force energy to circulate through if the worst ca. It wouldn’t take much to handle two of them, but… how long could I hold out?
Just these two weren’t much, but looking behind revealed dozens more. So barked orders, others wandered about casually. I was certain many bore the sa Domain of Death. The air thickened as they approached, the dulling pull of adrenaline clashing with the oppressive domain radiating from the two that hurried toward us.
Their movents were not hurried so much as deliberate.
I forced myself up, Bristle groaning as he struggled to rise with .
His teeth showed and fur bristled, but I pressed my hand to his flank, silently commanding him to wait.
To my surprise, they weren’t shouting or making hand shapes for spells. They rely jogged forward. Not a single visible weapon in sight.
When the first reached us, he asked, “What clan do you co from? What business have you here?”
Clan?
I glanced toward the humanoid creatures in bindings, wings unfurling and stretching every few monts. Then I looked back at the barrier.
Could clans cross the border? How had I done it? Was it so intent left by the creator to test hostility? My Sensory Veil? Luck?
The other ca a few steps closer and the pressure increased, my Internal Force slowing a good asure.
“It would be wise to answer,” it suggested in a brittle growl.
I raised my hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t co to start trouble. I was on a mission and—” I nodded toward the barrier where the monster had been clashing. “Well…”
The two took a couple more steps forward. “You aren’t answering our questions,” one accused.
The other began to fidget with his hands, tracing sothing across his wrist.
This was getting infuriating. All this trouble.
“I just need sowhere to stay,” I pleaded, frustration seeping into my voice. “Just for a few hours then—”
A flash of light and a pale blue orb appeared in the further one’s hand, the center dark and oblique like a small void.
I didn’t wait. With what I had left—Luna and Drybel lending what help they could—lunged for him, ignoring the other who stared, too shocked by my sudden movent to react.
My target froze when I gripped his flesh-striped arm, the most stubborn pieces of skin clinging on.
“I’m—”
He didn’t finish.
My fist t his skull first; the blue fla guttered out without another sound.
I spun to face the other, ready to strike and flee, but this ti he held up his hands. “Wait!”
We both halted and I heard a sound from his throat… trachea? It was exposed, that’s the point. He swallowed. “Y—you should’ve just said you were from the Giants,” he stamred.
Maybe I don’t always think things through, but I knew an opportunity when I saw one… usually.
“Why should I have to explain further than I already did? I was being polite, and you suddenly attack?!” I accused, voice edged with haughty indignation.
He stepped back, a faint tremor rattling through his exposed bones. “You are, of course, welco to stay. We are allies, after all.”
I nodded, briefly wondering if my resistance to their bloodline had triggered this sudden recognition. It had to be. Though, it was funny to know that Giants didn’t need to be… well, giant. I was a bit more muscular than I used to be, maybe slightly taller, but beyond that? Still human enough.
The undead turned and began leading away from the clatter of chains, guiding us along a wide circular path tracing the barrier’s edge.
“It’s remarkable that your clan can endure the outer air through sheer stamina alone. Most creatures beyond the barriers would simply perish,” he praised. “In all our records, so few have ever withstood our presence as well.”
I nodded, accepting the complint with ease. “It is our fortune too. We match well. Our strength and your magics.”
Testing his words, I slowly let the Sensory Veil dissipate. Imdiately, the air lost its sterile stillness. It was dry, searing in places, but still breathable. Sothing faint continued to gnaw at my lungs, though with the strength I and Bristle’d gained, it was manageable.
And as if to confirm it, Luna cried out in triumph. Nice! It’s definitely new! Been a while since I could use anything that old man taught … Umm, Peter?
What? I replied curtly.
There’s not very much compared to earlier. Could you—
Deal with it, I cut her off. Seriously, was this little flower trying to kill ?
“I apologize for the unsightly scene earlier,” the creature said. “We only recently conquered these beings, and they’ve yet to fully submit.”
My eyes narrowed, but I held my tongue. The sounds of chains and muffled cries were already fading, swallowed by the dry air. For now, there was nothing I could do. And truthfully, who knew which side posed the greater threat to ?
I knew nothing of this place yet.
Eventually, we stopped before an isolated sandstone hut. It was small, rough-edged, but shelter nonetheless.
“I understand your people have no need for luxury, so I hope this will suffice,” the dead man offered.
I waved dismissively. “I must recover my strength. If I remain inside for longer than half a day, enter. You may interrupt .” I fixed him with a hard stare as a silent warning.
He nodded, turned, and departed.
Bristle rushed inside without hesitation.
I couldn’t bla the poor pup.
Finally, shade.
I stepped in. The heat peeled away instantly, my shoulders and face cooling.
I closed my eyes.
And began to recover.
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