Chapter 131: Who and Where

  The campfire crackled under the starlit sky, the only source of sound and ambience in the silent desert night. It was a fragile island of warmth in an ocean of cold sand.

  Under a jagged rock canopy, in a makeshift campsite cobbled together from debris and animal skins, two figures occupied the fire’s edge.

  It was an odd scene in the barren, hostile desert.

  Raito sat with his legs crossed, staring into the flames. He wondered, not for the first time, how in the world his life had turned out like this. One day he was a lowly janitor, worrying about dust bunnies. Now he was in the middle of a desert, stripped of his identity, sitting with a stranger he didn't know.

  The stranger—the blond-haired, lanky, thin man who looked more skeleton than human—was currently eating voraciously. He was shoveling a green, paste-like substance from a hollowed-out rock bowl into his mouth with his bare hands.

  "Eat," the person gestured to a second rock bowl filled with the same green sludge. He pushed it toward Raito with a grunt.

  "No thanks," Raito refused flatly, turning his head away. The smell alone was nauseating—like crushed cactus and old herbs.

  "Eat... no die... no hunger, no sleep in sands," the stranger said, his words stumbling over each other.

  "I said no," Raito snapped.

  He looked at the man. "Look, I don't know who you are, but saving me was a mistake. I was ready for the desert to take me, alright? So... thank you for the hospitality, but good day."

  Raito stood up, brushing the sand from his tattered trousers. He was ready to leave. His legs still felt wrong—heavy, slow, like they didn’t fully belong to him. Which, to the current Raito, is a good sign.

  GRRROOOOWL.

  The moment he stood up, his stomach betrayed him. A loud, demanding grumble erupted from his midsection, a sound so violent it seemed to break the silence of the night like an explosion.

  The stranger stopped eating. He pointed a long, bony finger at Raito's stomach.

  "You hunger."

  "No, I am not," Raito lied through his teeth, clutching his belly. "So good day, again."

  He turned and started to walk away, back toward the open desert.

  "No!" the person barked.

  He moved with surprising speed. He grabbed a coil of rough rope from his side and flung it.

  Whish-SNAP.

  The loop captured Raito's right leg perfectly, tightening around his ankle.

  "Wha—" Raito gasped, surprised.

  The stranger pulled. Hard.

  Raito’s leg flew out from under him. He slipped, flailing for balance that wasn't there, and smacked his face directly onto the sandy ground with a muffled ack.

  He spat out a mouthful of grit, groaning.

  "Eat," the stranger said, standing up and looming over the face-planted boy. His voice brooked no argument.

  "What was that for?!" Raito growled, turning his head to glare up at the stranger, spitting out another mouthful of sand.

  "Eat," the stranger said again, persistent as the tide. He shoved the rock bowl toward Raito's face. "No hunger... no die... return... to loved..."

  "I said no!"

  Irritated beyond measure, Raito smacked the bowl away from the stranger's hand.

  CLATTER.

  The stone bowl hit the ground, spilling the green sludge, where it sizzled faintly as it soaked into the sand, still hot from the fire

  "Why do you keep trying?!" Raito shouted, pushing himself up to his knees. "I don't know you, and you don't know me! So leave me alone!"

  The stranger didn't shout back. He didn't get angry. He didn't even flinch.

  He simply walked over to the empty bowl, picked it up, and dusted it off against his rags. He quietly walked back to the campfire, dipped the bowl into a larger pot bubbling over the flames, and filled it up once more.

  He returned to Raito, extending the bowl.

  "Eat," he said again.

  Why won't this old man give up? Raito wondered, staring at the unwavering hand. The stubbornness was maddening.

  Finally, Raito’s shoulders sagged. The fight drained out of him, replaced by a gnawing hunger he couldn't ignore any longer.

  "Fine," Raito relented, snatching the bowl. "But leave me alone after, okay?"

  The stranger nodded slowly in response, his eyes glinting in the firelight.

  Raito looked at the content of the bowl. It was green. It was bubbling. It was viscous, clinging to the sides of the rock like slime. And it smelled musky, like wet dog and copper.

  "What is this?" Raito asked, wrinkling his nose.

  "Eat," the stranger simply said once more, taking a seat opposite him.

  Closing his eyes and holding his breath, Raito brought the bowl to his lips. It's just food. It's just food.

  He took a sip.

  PFFFT.

  Raito spurted the liquid out immediately, coughing and hacking. It tasted like battery acid mixed with rotten spinach.

  "This is awful!" he barked, wiping his tongue with his sleeve. "What is this?!"

  "Sandworm blood," the stranger said calmly, sipping from his own bowl with apparent enjoyment. "Nutritious."

  Raito stared at him, horrified. "Yuck."

  Looking at the stranger eating voraciously, and feeling his own stomach twist with a painful, demanding cramp, Raito realized he had no option left. His hunger was too overwhelming to ignore.

  "Fine," he muttered.

  Once more, Raito closed his eyes, held his breath, and took a second sip. He braced himself, expecting the second tasting to be as awful as the first—a repeat assault of lighter fluid.

  But...

  It was surprisingly warm. The harsh acidity had vanished, replaced by a deep, savory richness that spread heat through his chest in a good way. It felt restorative.

  "Good... right?" the stranger looked at Raito with a small smile, his eyes twinkling.

  "How?" Raito wondered aloud, staring at the green sludge. "It was awful five seconds ago."

  "Sandworm... blood..." the stranger explained, tapping his own mouth. "Need tongue... adapt... then... good."

  His speech was still broken, the cadence unnatural, but the meaning was clear enough. The first taste shocked the senses; the second soothed them.

  Raito didn't understand the biology of it, but he didn't care. He took another sip. Then another. And another. He tipped the bowl back, drinking greedily until he scraped the bottom with his tongue.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  He finished the bowl full of sandworm blood. For the first time in what seemed to be an eternity, he was full. The gnawing emptiness in his gut was gone.

  Calming down, the adrenaline of survival fading into a comfortable lethargy, Raito scanned the camp properly for the first time.

  It was a hovel of survival. Rags and patches of fur littered the wall and floor, creating insulation against the cold stone. Carved rocks in the form of bowls and crude cutting tools were scattered about. A coil of rope lay nearby, worn out, most of its bindings loose and fraying.

  And next to the stranger, sitting oddly pristine against the rough stone, was a rucksack. It was unopened, dust-covered but intact.

  Raito looked the stranger dead in the eye.

  "Who are you, old man?" he asked softly.

  "I don't know," the stranger said.

  Raito looked for deception, for a flicker of hesitation. There was none. No lies in those sunken eyes. Just a hollow truth.

  "Then, why are you here?" Raito asked again. "You seemed to know your way around here. You survive here."

  The stranger paused, his hand hovering over the fire.

  "C... cure," the stranger stammered.

  "Cure? Like a medicine?" Raito asked, leaning forward.

  The stranger nodded vigorously.

  "For what?" Raito asked. "For you?"

  "Loved..." the stranger whispered, his gaze drifting to the unopened rucksack. "Don't know."

  He suddenly flinched, clutching his head as if a headache had struck him.

  "Tired... sleep," he mumbled.

  Without another word, the stranger leaned back against the rock wall, hugged a bundle of fur to his chest, and closed his eyes. Within seconds, his breathing evened out into a soft snore.

  "Hey, old man, I'm not... done..." Raito started, reaching out a hand.

  But the old man was already fast asleep, lost in dreams or memories he couldn't name.

  Who are you? Raito asked in his mind.

  He looked at the rucksack, then back at the man's face. He shook his head. It was not his place to enter someone else's business. Especially right now, when he had run away from his own.

  So, Raito stood up. He felt stronger. The blood had done its work.

  "Thanks, old man," he whispered, a small, genuine smile touching his lips. “But, I have to leave, survival is not for a monster like me.”

  He turned his back on the fire and walked away, stepping out from the shelter of the rock canopy and back into the vast, indifferent desert night.

  Somewhere...

  Yukari stirred. She could feel her body swaying side to side in a rhythmic motion she recognized but couldn't place. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt heavy, glued shut by exhaustion and something sweet-smelling.

  "Oh! Oh!"

  An excited, high-pitched voice whispered right next to her ear.

  Who? Yukari wondered, forcing her eyelids to peel open.

  Her vision blurred, then cleared.

  She could see it. Samira. Their nose bridges were practically touching.

  "Wha—"

  Surprised, Yukari jolted forward.

  BONK.

  Their foreheads smacked into each other with a resonant thud.

  "Surpri... ack!" Samira yelped, her cheer cut short by a rude headbutt.

  "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Samira rubbed her forehead, pouting. "That hurt!"

  Yukari blinked tears from her eyes, the pain sharpening her senses. She looked around. She was in a carriage—a reinforced one, judging by the heavy wood and lack of windows.

  "Where are we and what did you do to me?" Yukari demanded, her voice rasping.

  "Surprise!" Samira said again, recovering instantly. She threw her arms wide, flailing around like a dazzle of fireworks. "I kidnapped you!"

  "Yeah, I know that part," Yukari said, unamused. "But why? And for what?"

  "To look for Raito, of course, you silly girl!" Samira beamed.

  "Huh?" Yukari stared at her. "Okay, hold on, hold on."

  She tried to lift her hands to rub her throbbing temples, but her arms remained limp at her sides. She sighed in frustration.

  "Just the two of us? In the desert? Looking for Raito?" Yukari shook her head. "I can't see the logic here. We'll die in an hour."

  "Not just the two of you! Hohoho!"

  A familiar, jovial laugh boomed from the front driver's seat.

  Yukari turned her head. Through the small opening to the driver's bench, she saw the broad, reassuring back of a massive man.

  "The voice..." Yukari whispered. "Bob?"

  "I'm here!" Bob called back without turning around.

  "And I'm here too, I guess," Mila spoke up. She was sitting next to Bob, a pair of binoculars in her hands, scanning the horizon.

  "You wouldn't think I would let stuff like this separate lovebirds like you guys, right?" Bob chuckled. "Over my dead body!"

  "This is insane," Yukari breathed, leaning back against the cushions. "Mother would never approve..."

  "Who wouldn't approve?"

  A voice spoke from the shadows behind Yukari.

  Yukari stiffened. She turned slowly.

  Sitting calmly in the corner of the carriage, sipping tea from a flask, was her stepmother, Zhu Lihua.

  "But... but..." Yukari sputtered, more confused than ever. "You said... back then..."

  "I said," Zhu interrupted, closing her flask with a snap, "I won't let you leave alone. In that condition. In that destructive mindset. And that was not all the message I had. You cut me off."

  Zhu reached over and flicked Yukari’s forehead lightly. "Learn to listen fully for once."

  "Listen to her," Samira giggled.

  Yukari exhaled, a long breath that carried weeks of tension with it. "Let's hear it then."

  "Finally," Zhu scoffed, shaking her head. "I don't know who you take after. Not even Lei nor Aster was this hardheaded and head-over-heels reckless."

  "Hey!" Yukari protested weakly.

  "Alright, look," Zhu leaned forward, her expression serious. "That Shorty, Tanvir, and the Queen already went with another expedition to the structure five days ago. They were going there to continue their examination and help with finding Raito."

  "Tanvir is the Quake Lord," Zhu explained. "He can use his earth sense to look into Raito's vibration signature across the dunes. However..."

  Zhu’s eyes narrowed slightly. "While they said they will help, finding Raito is not their first priority. The structure is."

  "So, that is where we come in," Zhu pointed to Yukari’s left hand. "We—more like you and your ring—are the only thing that links us directly with Raito. So we will use that link to find him. Narrow the search area."

  "That way," Zhu continued, tapping her own temple, "with my mental link, I can immediately send the location to Tanvir so that he can do a quick, targeted sweep. That is the plan.”

  Yukari stared at them. At Bob, Mila, Samira, and her mother.

  They hadn't abandoned him. They hadn't abandoned her.

  A bright, shining smile broke across her face, one that hadn't been seen in weeks. Tears welled up in her silver eyes.

  “But, since it’s been 9 days since that boy ran, even I can’t guarantee his survival, understand?” Zhu spoke the harsh truth.

  "Yes!" she cried. “I know he is alive, I am sure.”

  Then, a thought occurred to her.

  "But... but, what about the kidnapping?"

  Bob, Mila, and Zhu all turned to look at Samira. Their expressions were flat.

  Yukari turned to Samira too.

  "Well..." Samira rubbed the back of her head, looking sheepish. "I thought it would be funny! And more eventful! Hahaha!"

  She stuck out her tongue in a guilty teehee.

  "If my arms could move right now," Yukari said dangerously, "I would pinch those cheeks of yours until they turned purple."

  "Sorry!" Samira squeaked, hiding behind Zhu.

  "Hohoho!" Bob laughed, slapping his thigh. "Alright! You heard that, Tama? Full speed ahead!"

  Tama grunted from the harness, picking up the pace as the carriage sped deeper into the desert, chasing a ghost.

  Hours later, back in the dunes...

  Raito stood in the middle of the dunes, the sun is already at its peak.

  "Alright," he muttered hoarsely. "If beasts won’t do it... what’s left?"

  He crouched, scanning the endless beige horizon. "I can try being fried by the sun again. But I am not as hungry as before, so who knows how long will I pass out."

  He grumbled. "Dying is not as easy as I thought. I would try to look for any poison... but after that meal last night, I don't know if there are any poison strong enough to kill me. Urghhh... why did I have to eat?"

  Raito ruffled his hair. "Screw this, let's just keep walking."

  But before he can take another step, the ground shook.

  "What now?" he asked.

  More than a dozen sandworms burst out of the ground, growling.

  "Oh!" Raito’s eyes twinkled. "All of you are here to eat me right? Here you go!"

  Raito opened his arms, welcoming his end.

  But... nothing happened. The sandworms were shaking.

  "What?" Raito asked. “They’re….. afraid? Of what, I’m not doing anything currently.”

  The worms were not looking at raito. They screeched, dived back underground, and flee. A stampede of frightened sandworms shook the earth.

  "Arghh, failed to die, again," Raito kicked the sand.

  Then he turned, looking at the direction of the stampede. His eyes widened. It was the direction of the old man's camp.

  "No no, that doesn't concern me, I'm sure that old man is fine. Right.. right...." Raito panicked.

  "No," he whispered. "Still not my problem."

  His feet stayed rooted.

  "...Damn it."

  "I hate myself," Raito said.

  And he ran toward the stampede, toward the old man.

  Back at the jagged rock shelter, the fire had burned down to embers.

  The old man was thrashing in his sleep. His body convulsed violently, limbs jerking as if fighting off invisible chains. His face, usually slack with exhaustion, was twisted in a rictus of terror.

  "L... I..." he muttered, foam flecking his lips. "L... I..."

  Next to him, a pebble on the ground began to vibrate. Then another. The dust started to dance.

  RUMBLE.

  The sound of the approaching stampede was a low frequency hum that grew louder by the second, vibrating through the stone wall he was leaning against.

  Meanwhile, miles away...

  "Faster, Bob!" Samira screamed, clutching the side of the carriage as it bounced over a dune.

  "I'm trying!" Bob shouted back, snapping the reins. "Tama is giving everything she's got!"

  Yukari, Zhu, and Mila looked behind them through the rear opening.

  The horizon was gone.

  A massive wall of sand, stretching from the ground to the heavens, was chasing them.

  It wasn't just a weather event.

  it was a sentient beast of erosion.

  It moved faster than the wind, swallowing the dunes whole.

  "It was clear earlier," Mila commented, her voice tight. "Blue skies."

  "This... is not natural," Yukari whispered, her eyes narrowing as she watched the swirling vortex.

  It felt... wrong.

  Like something had forced this.

  "Agreed," Zhu said, gripping her seat. "Brace yourselves!"

  But before they could do anything—before Zhu could shield them—the mouth of the storm opened.

  ROAAAAAR.

  They were swallowed.

  Darkness and grit slammed into them. The sound was deafening, a thousand screaming winds tearing at the wood.

  And then... silence.

  As soon as Yukari squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught, the roar cut off. The shaking stopped. The sensation of movement vanished.

  Slowly, the sound of the wind was replaced by the low murmur of confused voices.

  Yukari opened her eyes. Everyone in the carriage blinked, looking around.

  They were no longer moving. The carriage was stationary. The sandstorm was gone.

  In front of them stood a group of stunned adventurers and scholars, frozen in the middle of their work.

  The crowd parted. Tanvir walked out, his mouth hanging slightly open.

  "You guys..." Tanvir pointed a trembling finger at the carriage that had just materialized out of thin air. "How did you guys get here?"

  Behind him, Malik and Queen Aleena stepped forward, their eyes wide.

  "Samira?" they called out in unison.

  "We... don't know," Samira stammered, looking at the confused faces of her companions.

  The carriage group looked at each other. One second they were running for their lives miles away; the next, they were parked neatly at the dig site.

  HUMMMMM.

  The silver structure behind the scholars vibrated. The sound resonated in their bones, deeper and louder than before. It wasn't just a noise anymore. It was a voice.

  "Li... n.... Me...."