The black-stone city loomed behind Zhan Arkheis as he walked into the desert night, the shard's faint glow spilling from its case. The air felt heavier than it had before, a suffocating pressure that seemed to press against his skin and pull at his thoughts. The amplifiers trailed behind him in their wagons, their hum subdued, as if reluctant to continue.
Zhan's steps were steady, but his mind raced. The figure's words, the warnings about debt, the storm of Essence he had seen—it was all noise. He couldn't afford to dwell on it. He had claimed the shard, awakened the heart of the sands. He was closer to breaking the cycle than anyone in history had ever been.
"Let the sands come," he whispered to himself, repeating the promise he had made to the void. "Let them try."
By dawn, Zhan's journey had brought him to a basin at the edge of the Great Abyss. The dunes here were smaller, the ground firmer, littered with shards of black and glassy rock. The amplifiers began to hum louder, their glow growing stronger, and the shard in its case pulsed more violently.
The Essence in the air was thick now, so much so that it shimmered faintly under the light of the rising suns.
Zhan dismounted, his boots crunching against the cracked earth. He approached one of the larger shards of glassy rock, his fingers brushing against its jagged surface. It was warm to the touch, vibrating faintly with Essence.
The amplifiers pulsed behind him, their glow intensifying.
And then the whispers returned, louder than ever.
"The debt awakens. The sands remember. The cycle strikes."
Zhan drew his sword, his gray eyes scanning the horizon. The ground beneath his feet trembled faintly, the cracks spreading outward like veins.
The shard flared brightly in its case, its light spilling into the air as though answering the whispers.
And then, the sands moved.
The ground exploded, a massive wave of sand and glass surging into the air. Zhan leaped back, his sword at the ready as a towering figure emerged from the earth.
It was larger than the guardian he had faced before, its body a swirling mass of sand, glass, and Essence. Its face was a void, a swirling abyss that radiated malice.
But this time, it wasn't alone.
Two smaller figures rose beside it, their forms flickering like mirages. They moved in unison, their limbs sharp and jagged, their bodies radiating the same suffocating power.
The amplifiers pulsed violently, their hum rising to a deafening pitch.
Zhan smirked, his blade glinting in the harsh light. "Is this the best the sands can muster? I expected more."
The central figure's void-like face tilted toward him, its voice echoing through the basin.
"You have taken what is not yours. The sands will bury you. The cycle demands balance."
Zhan stepped forward, his blade raised. "The cycle demands nothing from me."
The battle erupted with a fury that shook the basin.
The two smaller figures charged first, their movements swift and erratic. Zhan met them head-on, his sword flashing as he parried their strikes. The shard's power surged through him, sharpening his reflexes, quickening his movements.
One of the figures lunged, its glassy limbs slicing through the air. Zhan sidestepped the attack, his blade cutting through its arm in a single, fluid motion. The figure staggered, but before it could recover, he drove his sword through its chest.
The figure collapsed, its body dissolving into a cloud of sand and Essence.
The second figure attacked from behind, its jagged claws raking toward him. Zhan spun, his blade meeting its strike with a resounding clang. He pushed forward, his strikes relentless, until the figure fell beneath the weight of his attacks.
But the central figure remained, its form looming over him like a storm.
"You cannot fight the sands, Arkheis," it said, its voice cold and unyielding. "The debt will consume you."
Zhan tightened his grip on his sword, his expression defiant. "I don't owe the sands anything."
The figure's form flickered violently, its voice rising. "You owe them everything."
The central figure surged forward, its massive limbs crashing down with the force of an avalanche. Zhan dodged, his movements precise, his blade cutting through the air as he struck back.
The amplifiers flared behind him, their glow intensifying with each clash. The shard's energy coursed through him, filling him with power, but he could feel the strain. Each strike grew heavier, each movement slower, as the Essence around him pressed down like an invisible weight.
The figure's attacks were relentless, its limbs reforming faster than he could destroy them. The ground beneath him trembled, the cracks spreading wider with each strike.
The whispers surged in his mind, their words sharp and insistent.
"The sands awaken. The debt grows. The shard burns."
Zhan gritted his teeth, his blade slicing through another wave of attacks. "I'll pay the debt when I'm done," he growled. "And not a moment before."
The figure loomed closer, its void-like face inches from his own. "You will not finish this path, Arkheis. The sands will take what is owed."
With a roar, Zhan channeled all of his Essence into his blade. The weapon flared brightly, its light cutting through the suffocating darkness. He struck with all his strength, the blade cleaving