The unbound path

Chapter 1: Lost in endless Sand

The wind had a voice.

It whispered across the dunes, curling and shifting the sand in slow, lazy waves. It carried no scent of earth, no trace of water—just the sharp dryness of the wasteland. Each gust sent fine grains skittering along the ground, swirling into the air before settling again, as if the desert itself was breathing.

She lay motionless, her body half-buried in the sand, her fingers sinking into the burning grains beneath her. Heat pressed down on her like an unseen weight, suffocating, relentless.

She opened her eyes.

The world around her was vast and desolate. The sky stretched wide and empty, so pale it was nearly white, washed out by the blinding sun. There were no clouds, no shade, only an endless sea of gold and ochre. The dunes rose and fell in gentle slopes, their ridges shaped by the ever-moving wind. It was beautiful in a distant, merciless way—a land untouched by kindness.

There was no path. No direction.

She sat up slowly, each movement sending small avalanches of sand tumbling down the dune. The effort drained her, leaving her breathless. Her lips were cracked, her throat raw with thirst. She swallowed, but there was nothing—no moisture, no relief.

Her head felt light, thoughts slipping away as soon as they formed. Where was she? How did she get here?

She had no answers. But in this world, answers didn't matter.

The only thing that mattered was survival.

No matter where she was, no matter what kind of land she had woken up in—to live was the only purpose.

And that urge, that raw, unexplainable will to survive, was what pushed her forward.

She turned her gaze to the sun. It was inching toward the west, no longer burning directly overhead but still powerful, casting long golden streaks across the sand. A distant thought whispered that the sun always had a destination, always moved toward its end.

She would follow it.

One slow step. Then another. Her feet sank into the dunes, making each movement exhausting, but she didn't stop. The sun moved forward, and so did she.

No matter how endless this wasteland seemed, she refused to stop moving.

Because if she stopped, she would become a part of it.

Each step felt heavier than the last.

The desert stretched endlessly before her, and she had long stopped counting her steps. Heat shimmered in waves off the sand, and the wind whispered empty promises of water that did not exist.

Her vision blurred as dizziness crept in, turning the horizon into a wavering mirage.

Then, she saw it.

A shape in the distance. Dark against the golden dunes.

At first, she thought it was a trick of the heat, just another illusion in this cruel wasteland. But as she forced herself forward, step by step, it remained. Solid. Unmoving.

The lone tree stood in defiance of the endless desert, its gnarled branches stretching toward the sky like an ancient guardian. To anyone else, it might have been an odd sight—an isolated fragment of life in a land claimed by death. But to her, it was salvation.

Her breath came in short, ragged gasps as she staggered toward it. Her legs, weak from the unforgiving journey, barely carried her forward, but the mere sight of shade pulled her onward. Every step felt like dragging a body made of stone, yet she moved, drawn by the silent promise the tree seemed to offer.

She collapsed beneath its weathered branches, her back pressing against its rough bark. It was solid, real—unlike the shifting sands that had nearly swallowed her whole. The shade wrapped around her like a cool embrace, shielding her from the merciless sun. Her eyes, heavy with exhaustion, traced the dry, twisted roots breaking through the sand. Even here, in this vast emptiness, something had managed to survive.

Her throat burned, her lips cracked, and hunger clawed at her insides, but none of it mattered in that moment. She had found something—however small—that reminded her life still existed. That she still existed.

Her body, drained and aching, could fight no more. She let her head rest against the old tree, feeling its quiet strength beneath her fingertips. Her eyelids fluttered, the world around her blurring into silence.

For the first time since waking in this unknown place, she allowed herself to surrender—to close her eyes, if only for a moment.

And as sleep claimed her, the wind whispered through the branches, carrying with it the secrets of a land she did not yet understand.

Its gnarled branches stretched outward like withered hands, its roots buried deep in the sand. It looked as if it had stood there for centuries, defying the desert's lifeless grasp.

To her, it was more than a tree.

It was proof that something could exist here.

Her body moved before her mind could think. She stumbled toward it, her breath ragged, her legs barely holding her up. When she reached the shade, she collapsed beneath its twisted limbs, the coolness beneath its shadow like a whispered promise.

Maybe she could exist here too.

In the endless desert, where the sun burned everything beneath it, a single tree stood alone. It was old and dry, its roots buried deep in the sand. To anyone else, it might have seemed unimportant, just a lonely tree in the middle of nowhere. But to her, it was everything.

It was hope. A miracle. A blessing that saved her from dying in this vast emptiness.

Her body was weak, her legs shaking after walking for miles with no rest. Her throat was dry, and her head felt light. But as she saw the tree, something inside her pushed her forward. She didn't think about how or why it was there—she only knew she had to reach it.

Stumbling into its shade, she collapsed against the rough bark. Her fingers touched its surface, feeling its strength. It was real. It was alive. And for the first time since she woke up in this strange place, she felt a little less lost.

The shade gave her relief from the burning heat. The wind was still hot, the sand still stretched endlessly around her, but here, under this tree, she could breathe.

Her body had no more strength left. Her eyelids felt heavy. Leaning against the old branch, she let her tiredness take over.

The sky slowly changed as the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows over the endless dunes. The burning heat of the day faded, replaced by a quiet, eerie stillness. The wind carried a faint chill, brushing against the dry sand, but she didn't feel it.

Her body was too exhausted to move, her breathing slow and steady. The rough bark of the tree pressed against her back, grounding her in this unfamiliar world. The ache in her legs, the dryness in her throat—none of it mattered now.

She had found shelter, even if just for a while.

As darkness crept across the horizon, she remained still, lost in deep, dreamless sleep.