I wake up precisely at the moment the sun peeks from behind the horizon, with the eventful replays of the previous day going fresh in my mind. I then stretched, with my body still aching and bruising from the battle with bandits. The bed was soft compared to the harshness of the desert outside its walls. I thrust myself up, bound to face whatever comes next.
Downstairs, I find Tricky already up and about. Her wings are bandaged, but the gunshot wounds still show. She looks up at me, softness in her eyes, curiously locking on mine.
"Morning."
"Morning."
"I have a question," she says. "So, Astro, how did you end up here?" her voice is soft yet probing.
I hesitate, take a deep breath, and am suddenly flooded by memories of my former life. "Well, it's a twisty path," I start off, and immediately my voice is laced with traces of recollection and doubt. "After university graduation, at least in my head, everything was supposed to go well: get a good job, but here I am, stuck in some nowhere restaurant waiting tables under a boss from hell.
Tricky nods sympathetically, with full understanding in her eyes. "Life has a way of throwing curveballs at us, doesn't it?"
I smile wistful. "It sure does. Then, I chanced upon the world of VTubers. They became my get-away, my inspirations. I felt a connection, something almost like home. So, I decided to become a VTuber myself. A few talented artists later, my VTuber avatar came into life.
Tricky's eyes light up with excitement. "And then?"
"I was supposed to stream for the first time tonight," I continue, now a hint of sadness creeping into my voice. "I was on the way to pick up a new camera when I saw a kid in danger. Without thinking, I rushed to save him. The next thing I knew, I woke up here, in this unfamiliar desert."
Tricky pats my shoulder softly, her face comforting. "That's quite a journey."
The blasting explosion shakes the airwaves as our conversation is cut short. Speeding out, we were faced with the most eerie and ghastly scene: bandits formed circles around the pyramid. This time, they brought catapults too.
I stood in front of an endless expanse of sand and sun. I stood there with Tricky against the circling bandits as eagles do.
I let out a deep breath, feeling the weight. "Yeah, I'm ready," I reply-my voice much surer than I am.
The bandits attack, and to the trained eye, their motions are predictable. I have no magic, no superpowers-just my mind and my fists. I duck and weave, each movement calculated, each step deliberate. I catch a glimpse of Tricky with the edge of my eye, her magic a whirlwind of destruction. She calls upon "The Cursed Sands," and spectral hands rise from the ground, ensnaring our foes.
It's the distraction I take advantage of, striking one in the wrist hard enough to disarm him before delivering a well-placed kick to send another tumbling. Tricky's "Razor Sand Rings" dance past me, her control over the elements a thing of beauty.
Back-to-back we fight, an effortless team. Her magic and my strategy blend together in perfect harmony and, one by one, the bandits fall until none are left standing.
After the battle, I clamber to the pyramid with aching muscles and heavy breathing. Tricky is already there a little apart. "We did it," I say while walking to her side.
"It could have been better," Tricky admits. "The bandits have never come this close to the pyramid before. Something's changed."
"What do you think happened?" I ask interested.
Tricky sighs, concern on her face. "I don't know."
Tricky suddenly sprints into the pyramid, telling me to stay here.
The sun rises higher, casting a golden shine upon the dunes, I am atop the pyramid, catching whispers of the wind from ancient times; and well, that is something. The scenery spreads, a wide canvas with moving sand and stones worn out by time. This is tranquil, an almost exact opposite of what had just happened.
When Tricky returns, she does so with her arms full of clothes for our journey. By that time, the sun has risen just a little higher in the sky. "Astro," she goes on with a grateful undertone to her voice, "you've gained my trust. You helped me when I was most helpless, and in return, I will help you through this world."
I watch her. "Thanks, Tricky," I answer, taking the garments she hands me. "I don't know how I came to be here, but I'm glad you're a friendly face. "
She nods, "Maybe we can find clues about your situation"
She says this and launches herself, with a sudden fluidity of grace, back down into the pyramid. I take a moment to slip the hoodie on; its material is unfamiliar yet peculiarly comforting-it's something real of this strange new reality, a symbol of the journey ahead.
When Tricky reemerges, she is a vision of readiness, her resolve as clear as the desert sky: "Let's not waste anymore time," she urges.
Tricky gives her ghostly guardians a command, their ghostly forms in trouble when the daylight is with them: "Xiboo, Cupid, Chillaboo, Spoodle, Diaboo," she tells them -stern, yet lovingly. "Guard our home. In case of imminent danger, send a signal to me."
The ghosts wobble in air.
With a flick of her wrist, Tricky utters the incantation, "Terra Submergo," and the pyramid starts to submerge, the sands swallowing it whole. It is a sight to watch-magic in this world never ceases to amaze me.
"Come on, Haruto!" Tricky calls a few paces ahead of me. "We don't have all day!"
I glance at the disappeared pyramid for one last time and hasten up my pace to catch up with her.
With that, we are off into the unknown, called forward by the promise of answers and new horizons.
The desert landscape shifts and changes as we travel across its expanse. The constant dunes of gold eventually give way to rocky outcroppings and scrubby vegetation. The air cools, and the crushing heat of the desert begins to let up. We walk in silence, each lost to our thoughts.
With the sun well across the meridian, we finally come to a small oasis nestled between cliffs. Palm trees slightly bent in the breeze and a crystal clear pool of water shimmer invitingly. I look around me, feeling serene in this place.
"We'll rest here for the night," Tricky says finally-the only voice.
I nod, and as we settle a small camp, my mind keeps working its way back to just how unreal the journey has become. This is an odd world, full of every kind of danger, but it's also full of possibility, too. Thus, with Tricky by my side, I feel ready for whatever dangers lie beyond our campsite.