Sung-Ho spat out sand. Really, he hated the stuff. It got in his eyes, his mouth, in between his toes, everywhere.
"Puh!"
But where were they? It took him a few seconds to get his bearings back, but he noticed that there was nothing but sand.
Everywhere.
"WHAT KIND OF CRUEL JOKE IS THIS?!" He screamed, to the sky, hoping that the mysterious apparition would become visible. But no. Even the dokkaebis had left them there. There was nobody except for him, and the hundred other people on the train who were out for his blood.
First things first, finding his way back. The apparition had been cut off by static before they'd been able to hear what it was they had to do. Why, at that moment, did fate have to forsake him?
He didn't even have water. Well, he didn't think he'd be dropped out the sky into a desert at 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Farenheit). The sand whipped his face, and he could barely see. His vision was blurry, yet, he could make out a group of trees nearby. If there were trees. there had to be water.
He dragged his feet across the sand, leaving everyone else behind. It wasn't really that much of a heroic action, yet, this boy wasn't a hero. Sure, humanity meant a lot of him, but weeds still lay dormant between the patches of roses.
The ground rumbled. He was almost there, so close. Yet the ground was shaking, and pebbles began to roll sideways, and cracks began to form at his feet.
Sung-Ho stumbled, catching himself on a jagged rock that stuck out of the ground. It scratched his hand, leaving a cut.
A snakelike being rose from underneath.
"A sand snake?!"
Sand snakes weren't usually deadly. They were usually the length of your arm, and their bites carried a small amount of poison.
But this one….it was different. A purplish blood, visible through its scaly skin coursed through its veins. Said blood went through its body, and formed a purplish-black gem on its forehead. Also….it was four times the length of a human, and three times in width?
Somehow, it was still very fast. It screeched, diving underneath the ground. You could see tremors where it passed.
"Aargh! Help me!" A scream came from the other side. The snake rose from underneath, and tossed the man into the air. It's jaws closed on him, and then he was just….gone.
"GET THE FUCK OVER HERE, YOU OVERGROWN REPTILE!" The boy screamed at it. Sand snakes were also blind, however, they found their prey using vibrations underground and, sound. The snake could, due to the fact no one else was making noise, pinpoint his exact location.
Sung-Ho gulped. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. His body still hadn't recovered from the use of Divine Energy.
His skills would take too long to charge up, unless…
He had to buy some time. He dashed, sprinting as fast as he could. The snake dove under the ground, quickly catching up, due to when he ran on sand he was running the same pace as walking on normal ground. And the snake was practically swimming in its natural habitat.
"Ugh! Careless." He tripped over a rock that stuck out like a sore thumb from the ground. There was a gash in his leg now, due to that, and the snake was fast approaching. He could do nothing but crawl and hope for the best.
The snake picked him up, and slammed his back into the ground. Seems like being called an "overgrown reptile" had riled it up.
His vision blurred. He let out a groan, noticing the snake was getting ready to bite him. However, he could notice the figure of a young boy approaching.
"Get…away from here…" he let out.
"Spirit Contract: Dance Of The Dead!"
His eyes widened.
Spirit Contract? Only those who were Ghost Walkers could form contracts with spirits. A Ghost Walker….no, Lycaeon Mage, he hadn't seen one in a long time. Ghost Walkers were the humans of today's name for them. It was simply a placeholder, because they had no idea what they were. Someone who was able to converse with the dead? Impossible.
The boy brought his sword downwards, a white aura encasing it. The sand snake was vanquished- cut straight down the middle.
"Who….are you?" The boy asked Sung-Ho.