The men and women at the center who were previously dancing were now openly having sex with their chosen partners. The women seemed to be prepared as they wore nothing under their skirts.
Diana blinked a few times, and her face reddened. While she did many shameful things with the Scorpion King, it was all in the privacy of a room. She still could not believe that she would witness an orgy on her wedding night.
King Akdan smiled as he watched his new bride with interest. He had bedded many women, but he had not seen someone as interesting as her. Her expression changed so many times as she watched the event before her. He thought that he looked cute.
The image of a redhead with striking green eyes suddenly flashed in his thoughts. Back at the boat, he only glanced at the woman briefly, but her captivating beauty left a lasting impression on him. He couldn't help but imagine how wonderful it would be to have her as his bride.
"Vera, let us head out tomorrow at the first light of dawn." He spoke as he downed an entire goblet of wine.
...
In the northern part of the huge desert, the people on V1 were sleeping. Even Gavin Reeves took a break from driving to stretch his limbs. He lay down on the front seat of the crude vehicle. His feet were dangling because his frame was too long for the seat to accommodate him.
Emily was sleeping next to Loeric, while Angel chose to sleep in a sitting position at the back of the vehicle.
Angel stirred, and her eyes opened wide. She exited the vehicle and walked a distance from where the five vehicles were parked. Leoric opened his eyes. He carefully crawled to the back of the vehicle and sat there with his feet dangling and touching the sand. He observed Angel walk away until she stopped.
'What the hell is she doing?' He muttered. He did not get out of the vehicle but continued to watch her. By habit, he lifted his left wrist to check his watch only for him to realize that his watch has not stopped working. He could not guess what time it was.
Angel came to a halt after covering a distance of 500 meters. She had chosen to wear a white pajama instead of a nightgown for the sake of convenience. As she gazed towards the west, she noticed the moon, which was on the verge of setting, looking remarkably close and large. Its luminance, once golden the previous night, had reverted to a warm orange glow on this particular evening.
Then, a strange phenomenon occurred: the moon to the west suddenly turned blood red. The desert was plunged into a dim red glow as the three smaller moons disappeared from the sky.
The people in the vehicles were unaware of the changes in the sky. They were fast asleep, except for Leoric, who was already awake, and the two others who were stirred awake because they sensed something was wrong.
Angel stood in a trance, her eyes transfixed by the enchanting sight of the moon. Bathed in a deep crimson glow, her flowing hair appeared engulfed in flames. As an unseen force lifted her from the ground, power surged through her entire being. When she finally opened her eyes, her orbs had transformed into a fiery golden hue, emanating an otherworldly and mesmerizing light.
Then she heard a voice in her mind. 'Your physical body is very weak. You have to make yourself strong. The power I passed to you will exhaust you if your body is weak.'
'Who are you? What do you mean by power?' Angel tried to open her mouth, but she could not. She could only ask with her mind.
'I am your sister. But now I am you, and you are me. We are one. This world belonged to us but was forcibly taken from us by killing our family. You have to take it back. You have to avenge us!' The voice was gentle and soft, like the sound of the flowing stream.
"I don't understand," Angel uttered in bewilderment.
'I thought I was the chosen one. But I was wrong. It was you. You will break the bondage and set our people free.' The voice in Angel's mind started to fade just as the blood-red moon descended to the west quickly.
Angel's desperate cry of "No, don't go!" echoed through the darkening desert as she felt her body plummeting. With her eyes tightly shut, she prepared for the impact of the sand, but instead, she was enveloped by the firm grip of a pair of strong hands.
In the Kingdom of the Scorpions, an urgent shout coming from the entrance of the banquet hall interrupted the frenzied atmosphere, which was filled with wine and the smell of sex.
"Your Majesty, please go up immediately. Mayari has turned blood-red." He gasped as he hastily kneeled before the presence of the king.
King Akdan and Vera the Sorceress stood up hastily and climbed the stairway that led them to the open space of the desert. Diana was left seated and did not know what had happened.
Vera stood next to King Akdan, who was still catching his breath after climbing the stairs at a rapid pace. They both gazed at the moon, Mayari, which looked larger and more enchanting than ever, with a red halo surrounding it. The moon's crimson glow cast a mystical and beautiful hue over the desert, giving the illusion that the entire desert floor was covered in spilled blood. Vera's expression was one of horror as they took in the surreal scene.
"Vera, what is the meaning of this? Why did Mayari turn into blood? Is this an omen?" King Akdan asked in a worried voice.
"My King, I am uncertain. The woman foretold in the prophecy may have come into the world this very night," Vera expressed her unusual uncertainty.
Meanwhile, at Adhara, the capital city of Astralis...
The chief astrologer urgently roused Emperor Zurin Delmar from his slumber and escorted him to the observatory atop the magnificent durga (castle).
The astrologer was visibly breathless and excited as he addressed the self-proclaimed emperor, expressing his astonishment at the unprecedented phenomenon. "Your Majesty, never in the history of Astralis has Mayari turned into this color," he exclaimed.
Emperor Zurin's eyes narrowed as he demanded, "Be straightforward. What is the meaning of this?"
"I am not sure, Your Majesty. But it could mean the birth of the child in the prophecy," the astrologer replied.
As the astrologer finished his words, the entire Astralis was plunged into total darkness, shrouding everything in an eerie blackness.
Zurin felt a fear rise from his gut. It was a primal and unsettling sensation he had never experienced before.