As they walked, the tension from the recent events lingered in the air like a thick fog. Neato couldn't shake the memory of the inexplicable display of power from Roman.
"What was that back then?" Neato finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
Roman glanced at him briefly before returning his gaze to the horizon. "That was Mech Tech," he replied simply.
"But I didn't see any tech," Neato countered, puzzled.
Roman nodded. "That's because the tech is inside my body. Instead of transforming outside, I transformed inside."
Kael interjected, his voice filled with wonder. "I never knew Mech Tech could be used in such a way."
Roman shook his head. "It can't."
Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden rumbling beneath their feet. The ground trembled violently, sending shockwaves through the desert.
"A desertquake out of nowhere?" Neato exclaimed, his eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of danger.
Roman's expression darkened. "That was no desertquake."
Kael's eyes widened in alarm. "Then what was it?"
"It was a sandworm," Roman replied gravely.
Neato's heart sank. "But where could it be?"
"I don't know," Roman admitted, with an emotionless expression.
The scene shifted abruptly, the tranquility of their surroundings replaced by chaos and destruction. Verdonia lay in ruins, its once-grand buildings reduced to rubble. In the distance, three massive sandworms loomed, their jaws devouring everything in their path.
END OF CHAPTER 10