Sands 1

I kept walking for hours and hours, about eight, I finished my water and my food.

For I am a fool.

In the distance I saw a well, I rushed closer in hopes of water.

On the well there was a paper with something written on it with quite a good handwriting and it read as follows 'take as much as you need not more for God it's watching'.

Listening to the writing, I took just as much as I needed for the trip and I wrote a thanks on the well using my blood.

About thirty kilometres or 2 hours of walking something crawled unto my hand.

A blood-red ant, ants that are attracted to the smell of blood, usually attack in an army of ants, deathly dangerous and once they climb into someone's blood they melt and merge with the blood until they have complete control over the victim's body.

"How am I supposed to defeat ts 💔" I thought in my head and yes that emoji was necessary to convey my thoughts.

Another blood-red climbed unto my foot searching for blood, and another and another and another eventually all I could do was run in hopes of the wind making them fly away but they hid behind my back.

Suddenly I had a thought; 'why do the blood-red ants stay only in the desert?, what are they hiding from' then I realised; '💡HYDROGEN💡' they melt when the hydrogen touches them, but then why would they sacrifice their bodies to get in our blood?, it's not just for control of it, but instead for the proteins and sugars that are in our blood, conclusion and mission "run back thirty kilometres to the well and dive in so that the ants would melt in water and eventually die becuase of lack in sugar and protein.

'Damn I'm smart😼, actually how the hell am I supposed to run back thirty kilometres if it took me two hours to walk💔🥀💔'.

Regardless if it was suicide I started running their, it was useless unless-

I tried something that I never did before, I used Sefor on my legs, and boy did it work, half a kilometre per second, I just discovered fire all over again.

The desert blurred past me as my legs burned with the raw power of Sefor. The wind howled in my ears, and the sand beneath my feet barely had time to shift before I was already meters away. My body felt weightless, as if I had tapped into something far beyond human limits.

Half a kilometer per second.

That meant a full minute was all I needed to reach the well. A full minute of outrunning the Blood-Red Ants that clung to me like a death sentence.

I could feel them tightening their grip, their tiny legs piercing my skin as they searched for an opening. My vision blurred at the edges as I poured everything into this sprint.

Forty kilometers per minute... Keep going. Just a little more.

The well appeared in the distance, a speck growing larger with every heartbeat. My legs ached, the muscles screaming under the stress of using Sefor for the first time at this speed. But stopping wasn't an option.

Thirty seconds left.

The first ant melted into my bloodstream.

A fire spread through my veins, a heat so unbearable that my thoughts almost shattered. I gritted my teeth, forcing my body to hold itself together. If one ant could do this, I didn't want to know what a swarm could do.

Fifteen seconds.

The well was just ahead.

The second ant melted. My vision darkened for half a second, my legs wobbling from the sudden jolt of pain.

Don't fall. Don't you dare fall now.

The third ant melted. My fingers twitched involuntarily, and my breath came in short, ragged bursts.

I leapt.

The well's edge rushed toward me, and I twisted my body midair. My back hit the water first, sending a shockwave of coolness through me as I plunged into the depths.

For a second, silence.

Then—

Screeches. Unholy, ear-piercing screeches.

The Blood-Red Ants on my body writhed as the water devoured them, their forms dissolving like ink in a storm. The pain in my bloodstream pulsed one final time, then faded into nothing.

I stayed underwater for as long as I could, letting the coolness seep into my burning muscles. My lungs ached, and finally, I resurfaced, gasping for air.

I dragged myself over the stone edge of the well, dripping and exhausted. The desert heat was already working to dry my soaked clothes, but I didn't care. I was alive.

And I had just learned two things.

One: Sefor was more powerful than I had ever imagined.

Two: I was going to need a hell of a lot more water for this trip.

As I stood up from the water a girl, about eight years old or atleast that was my estimation, came running, past her a worm was chasing her, the worm was smaller then the one I had fought earlier, I quickly lunged in the direction of the worm and I jumped, my jump was enhanced with Sefor, midair I unsheathed my Cultro and shifted the light from my legs to my knife and sliced the worms head right off.

The girl came to thank me and led me to what looked to be a very small village -if you could even call it that- it consisted of four not that large houses that were sand yellow.

The girl said to me "come here mister, I will tell my father about you so that he may reward you"

"That's nice of you" I replied, She smiled and ran ahead, calling out in a language I barely understood. The village was eerily quiet—no signs of movement aside from the girl and the shifting sands in the wind.

I followed her cautiously, still gripping Cultro in my hand. The desert had already tried to kill me once today. I wasn't about to let my guard down.

The girl led me to the largest of the four houses, which wasn't saying much. It was barely taller than me, its walls cracked and weathered by the harsh sun. She knocked twice, then pushed the door open without waiting for a response.

Inside, a man sat cross-legged on a worn-out rug, his face hidden under a hood. His hands, rough and scarred, rested on his knees. The girl ran up to him and whispered something before pointing at me.

The man lifted his head. His eyes—pale and piercing—studied me for a long moment before he finally spoke.

"You move like a shadow," he said, his voice deep and calm. "And you carry a blade that does not belong to these sands."

I said nothing. I wasn't sure if I should be flattered or concerned.

The girl sat beside him, grinning. "He saved me from a sandworm, Father!"

The man nodded slowly. "Then you are either very brave or very foolish."

"Bit of both," I replied.

A small chuckle rumbled from his chest. "Good. Foolish men do not survive the desert. Brave men do not last long either. But those who are both? They leave their mark on the world."

He gestured for me to sit. I hesitated before stepping inside, my fingers still wrapped around Cultro's hilt. The girl handed me a clay cup filled with something that smelled like spiced water. I took a sip. It burned my throat, but it was better than nothing.

The man leaned forward slightly. "Tell me, stranger. What brings you across the Kingdom of Sand?"

I glanced at the girl, who was still beaming, then back at the man.

"My master," I said. "She's in Asverada. She sent a message asking for help."

The man's expression darkened. "Asverada…" He let the name sit in the air for a moment. "That is far from here. And dangerous."

"I know."

"Do you?" His eyes narrowed. "The beasts in these sands are nothing compared to the creatures that lurk in the Kingdom of Ice. You are strong, yes. Fast, too. But speed alone will not keep you alive in Asverada."

I frowned. "Then what will?"

The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out a small vial filled with a thick, dark liquid.

"This."

I stared at it. "What is it?"

"The blood of a creature that does not freeze," he said. "A small dose will keep your body from succumbing to the cold."

I took the vial, turning it in my hands. It was warm. Almost unnaturally so.

"Why give this to me?" I asked.

The man smirked. "Because my daughter is alive because of you." He stood up, adjusting his robe. "And because I am curious to see if you truly are both brave and foolish."

I slipped the vial into my pouch. "Then I guess I'll have to prove it."

The man chuckled again. "Perhaps." He gestured toward the door. "Rest here for the night. At dawn, I will show you the safest way to cross into the Kingdom of Ice."

I exhaled, finally letting my guard lower just a little.

One step closer to Asverada. One step closer to my master, my hated master.