"All the love in the world is worthless if it doesn't include yours. Even the love of a billion pales compared to just a fragment of your affection."
These words used to echo endlessly in my mind. Back then, nothing mattered more than seeing her smile. Her presence was the sun that chased away the shadows of my life, rousing me from the slumber I spent beneath the tree of the dead. Her worries, her care, her excuses, even her anger—I remember them all so vividly. And yet, the thought of never witnessing her again bleeds my heart.
I am truly sorry for everything you endured, Sister. And I swear I will avenge you.
The caravan rocked gently as we traveled toward the district of Runa, my thoughts as turbulent as the unsteady wheels beneath me.
"We'll be reaching the Kingdom of Ruins in an hour. Be ready, Vairagya," Tarun's voice interrupted my brooding.
"Sure," I replied, gazing outside the window. The barren landscapes rolled by, unremarkable yet eerily familiar.
"It's been a long time since we last saw each other, home," I murmured softly, though the words felt heavier than the silence they replaced.
This journey isn't just about returning; it's about closure. The battle that began the day I was born must finally come to an end. No more loose ends, no more delays. This chapter will close, and the darkness will fall silent.
Five Years Earlier, 10th Eunj, 476 DA
"Hey! Isn't it exhilarating?" I shouted, a wild grin spreading across my face as I ducked under the massive Sand Eater's thrashing body, feeling the ground shudder beneath its 50-meter frame. "I never thought I'd be slicing open a Sand Eater's guts!"
"Just keep your eyes open!" Kai shouted back, his voice taut with urgency. "Its tail's coming your way!" He tightened his grip on his axe, eyes sharp, tracking the creature's every move. The tail, thick as a tree trunk and slick with venom, whipped through the air like a viper's strike, deadly and precise.
Earlier…
"So, where's this 'Sand Eater' you keep going on about?" I asked, leaning over to peer at the map in Kai's hands.
"We're close," he replied, his tone firm. But that's what he'd said an hour ago.
"So just how close is this 'about'?" I replied, gritting my teeth, waiting for something more concrete.
"Well…" He glanced at the ground, then back at the map. "By the looks of the tracks, it was here about half a month ago. So yeah, we're close."
Half a month? I clenched my jaw, fuming. Eight hours of walking, and we're standing where this beast was weeks ago? The urge to strangle him grew by the minute.
But then Kai smirked, and I knew what that meant. The ground trembled, a rumbling building beneath my feet, shaking the earth around us. Kai had already leaped back, his eyes gleaming with the same thrill that lit up my own. A split second later, the sand beneath me gave way, collapsing into a pit. My heart raced—this was exactly the rush I craved. Twisting mid-air, I descended toward the creature's gut, steering clear of its gaping, snapping jaws.
Now
I sprang into action with a surge of instinct, executing a perfectly timed roll to the side. "I've got this! Just keep it distracted!" I called, drawing my katana in a flash of steel. The thrill of battle has already coursed through me as I focused on the beast.
And soon Kai charged forward, determination etched on his face. "On it!" He leaped into the air, aiming for a powerful downward strike and swinging his axe with all his might, connecting the blade with the Sand Eater's tough hide. The creature roared but barely flinched, its glowing eyes locked onto me.
"Now, Vairagya!" Kai shouted, narrowly dodging the tail that swept past me, leaving a trail of toxic mist in its wake. I felt a rush of energy as I propelled myself forward, channeling my focus for the kill.
"Die, you monster!" I yelled, launching myself into a high jump, katana aimed at the Sand Eater's exposed underbelly. But in the heat of the moment, my aim faltered—I miscalculated, and the blade scraped along the creature's thick skin instead of delivering a decisive blow. The Sand Eater roared in defiance, angered by the intrusion.
My heart sank as I realized his mistake. The creature's massive tail lashed out, poisonous venom glistening in the air. "Vairagya, watch out!" Kai shouted, barely dodging the attack as he focused on the Sand Eater.
"Kai!" I called out, panic rising. But Kai was already preparing for a counterstrike, his eyes set on the creature's vulnerable flank.
"Keep it together!" Kai yelled, determination burning in his eyes. "I'll handle this, I knew trusting you was a bad decision!" He positioned himself for a final, desperate assault, his axe raised high.
As the Sand Eater lunged forward, jaws gaping, I steadied myself, watching in awe as Kai made his move. With a fierce battle cry, Kai charged, dodging the tail's venomous swipe and leaping up to deliver a powerful downward strike.
"Now!" I shouted, locking eyes with Kai. With precision and force, Kai brought his axe crashing down onto the base of the Sand Eater's tail, severing it in one clean strike. The creature let out a deafening shriek, thrashing wildly as its tail fell away, but it was too late.
Seizing the moment, Kai pivoted and thrust his axe deep into the Sand Eater's gaping maw, pouring every ounce of strength he had left into the strike. The beast convulsed violently, its body writhing in a desperate struggle as it succumbed to their might.
"Now, huh? Like I did listen to you?" Kai taunted with a grin, wiping sweat from his brow as he marched toward Vairagya, taking a swig of water from his canteen.
breathless, I watched as the Sand Eater let out one final, anguished roar before collapsing to the ground in a heap. Kai withdrew his axe, panting heavily but standing victorious.
"We did it!" I exclaimed, with relief flooding within me.
"You mean, I did it," Kai said, glancing towards me with a mix of pride and teasing. "Next time, let's make sure, that you are more than a spectator."
"Don't forget, it was my prey if it wasn't for the miss," I replied with a bit of admiration for that bastard.
With a structure of 50 meters in length and 2 meters in width, Sand Eaters could certainly claim the title of the kings of the desert. They usually stayed hidden underground, feeding on the minerals found in the sand until they matured.
"Hey, Vai, make sure to slice out all the eggs while I dismantle the skull," Kai instructed, already moving toward the creature's head.
"What? Wasn't that supposed to be your job, Kai?"
"Well, I would've happily done it if someone hadn't messed up his job of killing," he retorted with a smirk.
"Oh, Hilarious… such a good laugh haha," I replied rolling my eyes, though the thought of dismantling the Sand Eater's skull revolted. Nothing was as tiring as slicing through the 500 eggs crammed in its gut, all on the brink of hatching. I glanced at the hole I'd made earlier; it was time to get to work.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself as he peered into the Sand Eater's gut. The stench was overwhelming, a putrid mix of rotting flesh and some unknown acid that burned my eyes and throat.
"All right, let's get this over with," I muttered, pulling a dagger from my belt and carefully cutting into the thick layers of flesh around the hole I'd created earlier. Each slice revealed clusters of pulsating, jelly-like eggs, packed together like beads in a net. I winced as I imagined them hatching—swarms of mini Sand Eaters, each one with its own lethal tail.
Kai chuckled from above, busy prying apart the creature's skull. "Better move fast, Vai. You wouldn't want one of those things hatching on you."
I shot him a glare. "Thanks for the encouragement, Kai. Makes this whole ordeal delightful."
"My pleasures, by the way, looks like you missed one," Kai taunted, tossing down a piece of the skull he'd just pried off. "You might need a reminder of precision after that blunder in the fight."
I smirked. "I'll let you handle the next Sand Eater solo, then. We'll see if you're as good as you think you are."
"What? Didn't I solo this one too? I mean all you did was flutter like a dead fish." He sneered.
In the wake of the Sand Eater's final roar, a profound stillness enveloped the arid expanse, the once-vibrant dance of chaos yielding to an eerie calm. The creature lay defeated, its massive form sprawled across the desert like a fallen titan, a monument to our triumph. Yet, beneath the surface of victory, a current of unease flowed, as what we awaited for years was soon to be upon us.
"Let us gather what we need and return," Kai urged, his voice steady, yet tinged with a gravity that belied the levity of our earlier banter. He knelt beside the slain beast, deftly extracting the precious materials we had bartered for, our survival hinging upon this very hunt.
"Indeed," I replied, a hint of irony lacing my tone. "How fortunate we are that Sand Eaters roam alone. Imagine the calamity if they were to gather in their grotesque camaraderie." I chuckled, but the sound felt hollow against the weight of our task, plus I hated it when Kai purposefully avoided my joke.
"Life sure is fickle," I mused aloud, feeling the heat of the day retreat into the cool embrace of twilight.
Kai glanced up, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Huh, that's a rarity coming from you."
"Huh, why's that?" I asked, intrigued.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Because it's not often you hear something worthwhile from someone as foolish as you."
"Hey, were you trying to be funny?" I quipped, shaking my head with a smile, to which he joined me as we continued. "Because that wasn't funny."
It was a sentence that made us both chuckle, as we soon got delved into the seriousness of work so that we can soon get our yield.
Kai's voice was firm as he handed over our report to the caravan owner, a grizzled man with a perpetual scowl who clearly preferred counting his gold over listening to young hunters like us.
"Request 387," Kai repeated, and he added our party name for good measure. "Sahajyoti," he said, his tone proud and defiant.
The caravan owner raised an eyebrow as he thumbed through the report, grumbling something under his breath. "Sahajyoti, huh? Bit of an odd name for a pair of reckless kids who barely made it back from the desert," he scoffed, eyeing us both with thinly veiled disdain.
"Reckless? Maybe," Kai replied, flashing a grin. "But we're also the ones who brought back a Sand Eater, aren't we?"
I watched the caravan owner's face closely, my own irritation simmering just below the surface. These caravan owners and traders didn't understand the danger of what we did. To them, we were just tools—means to acquire rare materials without risking their own necks. But Kai's confidence seemed to amuse him, if only slightly.
The man huffed and finally tossed us a small pouch of coins, heavy enough to make my hand ache when I caught it. "Payment, as agreed," he muttered, clearly reluctant to part with even this much. "Don't spend it all at the tavern," he sneered.
Kai chuckled and gave a mock salute. "Appreciate the advice," he said, taking the pouch from my hands and tucking it into his satchel. "But we've got bigger plans than just drinking ourselves senseless. Don't we, Vai?"
I nodded, though I kept my mouth shut, eyeing the caravan owner's face for any hint of respect. Nothing. Just the same disinterest, the same dismissal. But this was no surprise; I was used to it.
As we turned to leave, Kai nudged me. "How many days are left for the Shadow game?"
"Not many, and we are still far from ready, we need to pick more assignments, as we don't have any political backing," I responded, clicking my tongue thinking about the future.