Demons in the Sand

Somewhere in the Desert

A large palace stood in the middle of the desert, looking as if it did not belong there. The palace had a mix of white and gray colors, giving it an eerie appearance, almost as if it belonged to a demon. At the front gate of the palace, where the stairs touched the desert soil, a young man sat on the steps, holding a large sword. He appeared to be in his twenties, sitting halfway in the shadow cast by the palace gate. The shadow shielded him from the strong sun rays, yet half of his body remained exposed to the sunlight.

"Footsteps..."

"Rey, why are you sitting half in the sunlight and half in the shadow? At least sit fully in the shade," a young girl said, looking at the young man sitting on the stairs. His name was Rey. The girl wore a long red scarlet dress that covered both her arms and legs. She appeared to be in her twenties as well, the same age as Rey. Beside her, an old man dressed in a butler-style black uniform stood, holding an umbrella in his hand, shielding the girl from the strong sunlight.

"It's fine, Mia. I did it on purpose," Rey replied, looking at Mia. Mia was the name of the girl wearing the red scarlet dress.

"Purpose? What purpose, my love?" Mia asked, curiosity flickering across her face.

"The purpose is that you will worry about me, and when I hear those worried words, they will pierce my heart, my love," Rey explained with a smile on his face.

Hearing Rey's words, the old man standing near Mia sighed, knowing something was about to happen.

Suddenly, a loud slap landed on Rey's left cheek, sending him flying into the desert. He crashed onto the desert soil.

"Don't try to make me worry, you idiot!" Mia yelled in anger.

"Yes, my love..." Rey groaned, lying on the desert sand. Suddenly, he began to sink, slowly being swallowed by the desert soil.

"Ah… Mia, my love, please save me!" he yelled, stretching both his hands toward Mia with a mix of love and urgency.

"My love, please save me…" Rey cried out again and again.

Taking a deep breath, Mia ordered in a strong voice, "Seven, do it."

Rey, still yelling, kept his arms stretched toward Mia, waiting for her to grab his hand and save him. Suddenly, he felt something touching his hand. Thinking it was Mia, he grabbed hold of it, and in an instant, he was pulled upwards from the soil.

"Mia, my love..." Thinking Mia had saved him, Rey opened his eyes, only to see that it was Seven—the old man whom Mia had ordered to save him. Rey was gripping the top of the umbrella Seven was holding.

Upon realizing this, Rey's expression turned serious.

"You are an obstacle in my love with Mia, Seven! Die, you demon!" Rey shouted. At first, he spoke in a normal but serious tone, but then his voice turned angry.

Hearing Rey's words, Seven, who was holding Rey using the umbrella, shook it, tossing Rey forward towards Mia. Falling straight at Mia's feet, Rey looked up at her.

"My love, help me…" he pleaded, reaching his hand toward Mia.

"It's serious, Rey," Mia said, her tone turning stern.

Hearing Mia's words, Rey suddenly appeared standing, bowing in front of her with one hand on his chest. The humorous atmosphere shifted into seriousness in an instant.

"Order me, my queen," Rey spoke, still bowing in front of Mia, his gaze lowered.

"Oh, my love Rey, there is nothing more serious than our love," Mia said in a soft, loving voice.

"I know, my queen," Rey replied in the same gentle tone.

"You may raise your head," Mia ordered.

Hearing her words, Rey lifted his head and looked straight at Mia. Seven stood beside Mia, watching the interaction.

Looking at Rey, Mia stepped closer, standing right in front of him. She gently touched her soft red lips to Rey's cheek, giving him a beautiful kiss. A small smile appeared on Seven's face as he watched.

"..." Rey muttered, his face turning red with happiness, his eyes widening. After kissing Rey, Mia stepped back and stood near Seven.

"Are you ready to listen?" Mia asked with a smile on her face.

Hearing her words, Rey nodded quickly, his face still flushed with joy.

"Some alliances in the south are planning to attack the Red Dungeon," Mia said in a strong voice.

Hearing Mia's words, Rey was slightly shocked. "Don't worry, I will kill them all," he replied with a smile.

Hearing Rey's response, a drop of sweat formed on Seven's face.

"No! Did you forget the chaos you caused? If you kill them all, the balance will shift," Mia explained in a serious tone.

"Even if I don't kill the alliance, the Red will kill them, and chaos will still happen," Rey replied in a firm voice.

"Yes, that's the problem. If only we had an army and people, we could do something to stop them…" Mia said angrily, glaring at Rey. Seeing Mia's angry expression, Rey looked down, avoiding her eyes.

"Hehehe… well, that was in the past, you know… Let's forget about it," Rey said with a small smile.

"Ha..." Mia sighed deeply, calming herself. "So, what do you suggest?" she asked, looking at Rey.

"I recommend we should ask Seven about it," Rey replied with a grin.

"Seven?" Mia asked.

"We should ask Miss Nari about this matter. She has the means to deal with it without causing chaos and without angering the Red," Seven answered.

"Yep, he's right. Nari can handle it. She has more people compared to us," Rey agreed.

"And who is responsible for that, Rey?" Mia asked, glaring at him again.

Hearing Mia's words again, Rey quickly looked away, avoiding her gaze again.

"Well, Seven, send a letter to Nari," Mia ordered, looking at Seven with a serious expression.

"Yes, my lady," Seven replied, bowing in front of Mia.

After giving the order to Seven, Mia turned to Rey and noticed that he was staring intently at the desert, deep in thought.

"What is it, Rey?" Mia asked seriously.

"There is a high chance that someone is pulling the strings from behind," Rey said in a grave tone.

Inside the Red Dungeon

"You will be today's dinner, bat," Arthur said, shooting his web string towards a bat flying above.