Sitting in that rustic wooden chair, my hands resting on the arms, I gazed out of the window, fixating on the horizon that seemed endless. The vast blue sky stretched endlessly. The golden sun hung low, already beginning to set, but still strong enough to illuminate the desert mercilessly.
Below, the sand spread like a sea without waves, undulating in scattered mounds, dotted with black spots that seemed like distant movements of lost or hunted creatures. Irregular mountains appeared in the distance, like broken teeth of a beast defeated by the immensity of the desert.
The airship, which had already crossed several small kingdoms, was now entering another barren area, and I couldn't help but think about how immense, vast, and indifferent the world around us was to everything happening within it.
The group had encountered several dangers in the past few days, but strangely, no fatalities had occurred, though the tension in the air was growing thicker. I could feel that everyone was on the brink of a crisis. It was a feeling that consumed me from within, a need to grow, to become stronger.
The memory of the mutant griffin from the previous night was still fresh in my mind. The creature had been monstrous, an aberration, and it approached the airship like a hungry predator. Its eyes were monstrous, and its presence seemed like a failed experiment by some lost or obsessed mage trying to control nature. It had almost brought us down. The sense of danger, although not materializing, stayed with me.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through a tube in the wall of my room, interrupting my thoughts. It was familiar. "We'll take a break. We're landing. If any of you want to step out and breathe in the desert air, feel free."
I had done this a few times already. I had walked through the dunes, felt the hot sand, the heavy and warm air that permeated everything around me. However, the desire to step out of that wooden and steel airship, creaking and shaking with the wind, pulled me.
The whole place seemed to tremble as the airship landed, the sound of cables and gears adjusting. The door opened, and the sound of the sand blowing outside reached me, growing louder with every step.
I walked into the hallway, hearing the other youths leaving their rooms, some looking bored, others anxious. They always seemed oblivious to what was happening around us, lost in their own distractions. I couldn't help but be irritated by the thought that Cleo, somehow, managed to manipulate the situation to her advantage, making everyone on the airship isolate me. If I were a weak youth, maybe it would have broken me. But that wasn't the case.
My boots sank into the hot sand, the heat rising through them, but the feeling was good. I had made my way outside the airship after an endless journey through the skies, and now the vast desert welcomed me with its golden sands and crushing silence. However, my goal was clear: to replenish. The herbs I had gathered in the past few days had run out, and the need for something fresher was urgent.
As my feet left footprints in the sand, a strange feeling of literally being at the heart of the desert took over me. I knew that without the airship, we would die in a few days. The aridity was relentless, and the possibility of being prey to a desert demon was a constant threat. But I wasn't worried.
I gave a mental command to access the virtual lab, my faithful ally in situations like this. "Map the environment, and display information on any roots or fruits you find." The response was immediate.
["Beep"]
The lab began its analysis, scanning the desert for anything that could be useful. I kept walking, my eyes scanning the barren terrain, until I finally found some shade beneath a larger rock. There, I stopped and waited.
Soon, a holographic projection appeared before me, displaying a fruit that didn't look very promising.
["Stone Root Fruit"]
"This is a Stone Root Fruit. There are already records on it in the database. It's useless to me!" It wasn't what I was looking for.
But I didn't give up and continued my search. The sand burned under my feet, but the feeling of being in control of the situation kept me going. After a few more steps, a new notification appeared in my view.
["Sand Flower."]
"Sand Flower, this is a type of plant that can only be found in the desert. It can be harvested!"
I crouched down, observing the plant displayed by the hologram. I carefully pulled the stem, noticing the sharp thorns protruding from its sides. The liquid that leaked from the stem was an intense, almost glowing color, but as soon as my fingers touched the substance, a look of disappointment crossed my face. It wasn't what I had expected. "Terrible quality..." I murmured.
Without another word, I threw the flower to the ground impatiently. The desert seemed to mock me, and I wasn't willing to accept that. But before I could continue, a notification appeared in the corner of my eye, capturing my attention.
It was the fruit I had eaten yesterday, now growing on a bush. A smile involuntarily appeared on my face.
With the freshly harvested fruit in my pocket, trying not to be distracted by the still-burning sands beneath my feet, a sharp laugh echoed across the desert, interrupting my moment of calm. The voice was familiar, a voice I didn't want to hear again.
"What do I see? Eclivel! I must say, it's what I'd expect from a bastard with no future like you hahaha... You're really eating wild fruits by the roadside in an unknown desert? You truly tarnish the reputation of the nobility…"
Charles's laugh made me slowly lift my head, an ironic smile forming on my lips. The desert, with all its vastness, no longer seemed so vast or threatening. Not with him there, approaching with the typical arrogance of someone who believed himself to be more than he was.
Charles was there, standing, his black hair swaying gently with the desert wind. His body was a wall of muscles, arms crossed in front of his chest in an almost comical way, as if the world was about to bow to him. He smiled, a smile full of disdain, as if it were inevitable that he was there, in control, superior.
Beside him, some young nobles, the same ones who had been with him before. Their expressions ranged from curiosity to indifference. They weren't a threat, but they were there for some unknown reason.
Without hesitation, I sent a mental command to the virtual lab, knowing I needed more information. "Virtual lab, scan Charles's body and show me his stats."
["Beep"]
The response came in the blink of an eye.
["Scan complete!"]
["Status"]
["Name: Charles."]
["Sex: Male."]
["Age: 18 Years."]
["Strength: 1.7"]
["Agility: 1.2"]
["Vitality: 1.5"]
I examined the data, analyzing it calmly. Charles's strength was considerable, no doubt, but not as impressive as he thought. He had the strength of almost two adult men, which explained his ability to harm the other "me." Of course, this didn't surprise me. He was a noble son, a product of rigorous training, breathing techniques, and daily suffering. To him, this was normal. But at the same time, his skill with the sword, his dexterity, his technique, was something I could easily surpass. I had the lab, something he could never understand or compete with.
The nobles beside him, on the other hand, were irrelevant. Their stats were all below 1 point, except for one, who barely reached 0.5. They were just numbers, weak figures that didn't concern me in the slightest.
The only real threat was Charles, and even he didn't intimidate me.
Charles's question broke the silence, but it didn't affect me. "Idiot, did you get lost?"
I watched him calmly, not rushing to respond, without the fear or anger he expected. "No, I didn't get lost," I said in a calm, almost disinterested voice.
The silence that followed was heavy. Charles seemed confused, his arrogant smile faltering as he tried to understand my lack of reaction. His surprise and lack of words amused me, but I didn't let it show.
I took a step forward, now with a genuine smile. "If it's about the previous matter, with Cleo, haven't I already apologized? Cleo has forgiven me as well..."
...
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