Chapter 122: Golden Sands and Blazing Embers

  The Golden Desert of Zarateph was not a place; it was a furnace designed by a cruel god.

  It was an unruly, unforgiving expanse where the air itself shimmered with heat haze, blurring the horizon into a mirage of liquid gold. The sun didn't just shine here; it beat down with the weight of a physical hammer, threatening to scorch the flesh from anyone foolish enough to walk beneath it without protection.

  It stood in stark, paradoxical contrast to the other half of the region—the verdant, water-rich forests that cradled the populace in cool safety. This side, the Golden half, was a graveyard of ambition.

  Yet, it was also a land of seductive mystery. Beneath the shifting dunes lay lost relics of ages past, texts that could rewrite history, and pockets of extravagant flora like the Golden Cactus that defied nature. Adventurers and scholars flocked here like moths to a flame, seeking to carve their names into the sandstone cliffs. Most found only bleaching bones. Only the exceptional returned.

  Today, a group of the exceptional carved a path through the silence.

  The expedition to uncover the secrets of the buried structure moved like a steel snake across the sand.

  Leading the pack was the Raging Bull Guild. At the helm rode Guildmaster Varessh, his massive horned silhouette cutting a formidable figure against the blinding sun. His elite team of veteran scouts fanned out ahead, reading the shifting sands like a book, clearing the path of burrowing horrors and ensuring the route remained true.

  Following closely in their wake was the Royal Caravan.

  Two reinforced carriages, their windows shuttered against the glare, carried the team of nervous but excited scholars. Driving them were men with weathered faces and steady hands—Bob’s elite caravan drivers, handpicked for their ability to navigate hell itself without spilling a drop of tea.

  There was no room for error.

  Perched atop the roof of the lead Royal Carriage sat Tanvir. The small Lord sat cross-legged, unbothered by the swaying motion or the brutal heat, his eyes constantly scanning the horizon, processing threats before they even manifested.

  Inside one of the scholar carriages, Malik was in his element. Despite his earlier frailty, the proximity to discovery had revitalized him. He was locked in a fervent debate with a senior historian, gesturing wildly with a scroll.

  But inside the main Royal Carriage, the atmosphere was heavier.

  The interior was cooled by a thin mist of ice veiled by Yukari's power, a sanctuary of plush velvet and silence. Queen Aleena sat with regal poise, sipping water. Zhu Lihua sat opposite her, her posture perfect as always. Mila was checking her weapons for the tenth time.

  And then there was Yukari.

  She was staring out the window, watching the endless dunes roll by. Her gaze was distant, unfocused, looking past the sand and into a memory that wasn't there.

  "Lin... Lin... Lin!"

  Zhu’s sharp voice cut through the haze.

  Yukari snapped her head around, her hand instinctively going to her side. "Yeah? Yes! Is it an enemy?"

  She looked around the carriage frantically, eyes wide.

  "No, it is not," Zhu said, her voice softening. "I just want to make sure you are well enough to join us. This is important and serious, Lin."

  "Ye... Yes, I'm fine," Yukari stammered, relaxing her shoulders. She looked at the concerned faces of her stepmother, the Queen, and Mila.

  She forced a laugh, scratching her cheek. "Just... I missed Raito, that's all. I think. Hehe."

  Queen Aleena and Mila smirked, exchanging a knowing look about 'young love.'

  But Zhu didn't smile.

  She knew what was truly weighing on the Snow Flower's mind. Part of it was indeed Raito—his unstable, corrupted behavior that seemed to be merging with his personality. But the heavier weight came from the conversation in the courtyard nights ago. The revelation of the Black Flame. The mention of IT.

  The name of a God.

  "Alright," Zhu said, her gaze lingering on Yukari’s eyes. "If anything feels wrong—tell me immediately. Alright?"

  "Yes, Mother. I will, don't worry," Yukari nodded, her mask of confidence slipping back into place.

  Zhu exhaled, letting the tension bleed out. Then, something caught her eye. She frowned slightly, looking at Yukari’s attire.

  "By the way," Zhu asked, tilting her head. "What are you wearing?"

  Mila leaned forward, her interest piqued. "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask. It's... unique."

  "Oh, this?"

  Yukari looked down at her clothes, her mood instantly lifting. She stood up slightly to show it off.

  Instead of her usual robes or dresses, she was wearing a tight-fitting, teal sleeveless tunic tucked into rugged, brown cargo shorts that ended mid-thigh. Heavy combat boots protected her feet, and strapped to her thighs were two leather holsters—one holding a pair of curved daggers, the other holding flasks of water. Her midnight blue hair was tied back in a long, practical braid.

  "It's something I commisioned in Azul Spira!" Yukari beamed, striking a pose with her hands on her hips. "A one-to-one recreation of the outfit Lady Huanli wore when she was doing her own desert expedition in The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor! Cool, huh?"

  She patted the leather holster. "It's cool, it's easy to move in, and I look good in it."

  "Lady Huanli..." Mila murmured, recognizing the character from Lady Geneva’s famous adventure novels. "The dual-wielding archaeologist?"

  "Exactly!" Yukari grinned.

  For a moment, in the safety of the carriage, the heavy shadow of Gods and corruption felt a little lighter.

  Zhu stared at the outfit, then let out a long, suffering sigh that seemed to deflate her martial posture.

  "I should not have let you read that book too much when you were a kid," Zhu muttered, rubbing her temples.

  "Why not?" Queen Aleena interjected, amused. "Books are an amazing gateway for a child's development. Imagination is the precursor to ambition, after all."

  "Yeah, why do you regret it now?" Yukari teased, sitting back down and crossing her legs. "You were the one who got me my first Lady Huanli book. The rest is history. No takebacks."

  Zhu looked away, a rare flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. She fiddled with the hem of her sleeve.

  "That... that..." Zhu stammered slightly. "That was only because I didn't want you to be sad after what happened to Lei. The figure in that novel... she reminded me of your father. Her adventurous spirit, her reckless bravery... so I got it for you. That's all."

  Yukari blinked. The playful smirk softened into something genuine and tender.

  "Awww," she cooed, leaning across the small space. "You cared about me, even back then. Thank you, Mother."

  She leapt forward, wrapping her arms around the startled General in a tight hug.

  "Okay, okay, enough," Zhu grunted, though she patted Yukari’s back awkwardly. She gently pushed her stepdaughter back into her seat. "Now, get some sleep or something. I'll wake you up when we get there. I can't have you be too tired or distracted."

  "Okay, General!" Yukari offered a crisp, playful salute.

  Queen Aleena and Mila giggled at the exchange.

  Yukari settled back against the plush velvet seat, resting her head against the cool window pane. The rhythmic swaying of the carriage was hypnotic. She closed her eyes, willing herself to rest.

  She wanted to sleep. She really did. But a word—a single, heavy word—had been haunting her mind since that night in the courtyard.

  'Our Creator. The Great God Silas.'

  The words had come from her stepmother's mouth, but they felt alien. Heavy. Foreign.

  A fantasy that seemed so real these days.

  But after facing a mechanical serpent in Hanyuun and a killer doll in Spica... why was it that she had such a hard time believing something like this?

  Yukari’s mind raced back through the years. She saw the candlelit room of her childhood. She saw her mother, Lei, reading her the Tale of Calvenoor. The fantasy story for kids depicting the early creation of the world. The benevolent God Silas who shaped the land and sky.

  Is it a lie? she asked in the silence of her mind. Everything?

  Then, her thoughts shifted to Raito.

  She thought of every instance where he had correctly guessed who the Lords were, even without hints. Raito was always sharp, unnervingly so, when it came to spotting the Lords hiding amongst mortals.

  It was true for Grandpa Sun-Yoon. It was true for Lily. It was true for Tanvir and her own stepmother.

  How did he get so good at it? Yukari wondered.

  Raito just said every time, "I kinda just know."

  Her mind drifted back to that night. A few days ago. The moonlit courtyard with Zhu and Tanvir. The sound of the fountain. The chill in the air.

  "The Black Flame," Zhu had said, her voice barely a whisper. "It is not elemental power. But some energy that is similar to 'IT'."

  "Who is 'IT'?" Yukari had asked, her voice trembling with a fear she couldn't name. A question that would shatter her entire worldview.

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  "'IT' is our creator," Zhu uttered the words, looking old and tired. "The Great God Silas."

  Yukari stumbled back, her heel catching on a cobblestone. "No. How? Why? What? Raito is a normal human! How could he have something that reminds all of you of the Great God Silas?"

  "That, we don't know, kid," Tanvir said gently, stepping forward to put a steadying hand on Yukari’s shoulder. "This is the answer we also want to find."

  Yukari shook her head, trying to process the blasphemy. "If Silas truly exists... then why would you two oppose it? Silas is the God that created our world! Created us! It said so in the books!"

  "Books are not quite the reality," Zhu said grimly. "In fact, we Lords have never met IT personally. Ever since our creation, we are also beings who are currently lost in so many questions."

  "That is a lie!" Yukari shouted, tears pricking her eyes. "There is no way! How about the Fallen War? The Cores? Were all of those also a lie?"

  "Oh, the Fallen War did happen," Tanvir said.

  A flicker of hope—glitter—returned to Yukari’s eyes. At least history wasn't entirely fake.

  "But..." Tanvir’s hand shook on her shoulder. "It was less of a war... and more of a massacre."

  Yukari was taken aback by the bitterness in his tone.

  "Who do you think created the Fallen in the first place?" Zhu asked quietly.

  "I don't know," Yukari stammered. "The Devil? Or something evil?"

  "You know the answer," Zhu said, her eyes piercing. "Who else has the power of creation?"

  Yukari felt the blood drain from her face. She stared at them, horror dawning.

  "That's right, kid," Tanvir whispered. "The Fallen... those melting, unstable creatures... they are IT's first creation. Deemed a failure. And we, the six Lords, were IT's tools to cleanse that mistake."

  He paused, looking her dead in the eye.

  "They are your ancestors."

  Yukari’s stomach lurched. She felt like she was going to be sick. The monsters? The mindless beasts? Her ancestors?

  "Why are you telling me all of this?" she choked out. "Right now? Why me?"

  "Because this might be the only time we can say the truth," Zhu said, stepping closer. "We are not always this free, you see. IT allows us autonomy—until we disagree. Then it steers us."

  Zhu’s expression darkened. "Remember when I killed that Fallen two years ago? Back in Jinlun?"

  Yukari thought back. She remembered the scene vividly. Zhu disintegrating a roaming Fallen with a cold, mechanical efficiency. With a voice that sounded like grinding metal—a voice that was not hers.

  "That is how IT controls all of us Lords," Zhu said. "Absolute override."

  "Then what is the difference between then and now?" Yukari asked, desperate for a lifeline. "And why now?"

  "Because now," Zhu said, looking up at the moon, "we were given time. A window of opportunity created by a single doll that also dared to oppose its master."

  Yukari thought for a second, the gears in her mind turning despite the shock. A name surfaced from the chaos of their journey in Spica.

  "Emile?" she uttered.

  "Yes," Tanvir said, nodding slowly. "Emile. That doll... influenced by something we still don't fully understand, managed to gain its own free will and oppose IT, the creator."

  Tanvir looked down at his hands, a mixture of respect and sadness in his eyes. "In Emile's last act of defiance, he sacrificed himself to not only damage IT's fortress but also gave us our temporary freedom. He severed the direct link, in exchange for sealing most of our powers. This is why we now have to act. This is our last chance before IT regains control over us."

  Yukari leaned against the stone fountain, feeling the cold dampness seep into her clothes.

  "Then... then, what about the Cores?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Surely the story about Cores being Silas's gift to humanity is also not a lie, right?"

  Zhu and Tanvir looked at each other. A heavy silence passed between them.

  "Unfortunately," Tanvir said softly, "it is also a lie."

  "The Cores... those small devices that give you all access to elemental powers... they were neither IT's creation nor our creation. They existed before we even existed."

  "If those Cores were truly gifts from a benevolent god," Zhu asked a very logical, piercing question, "then why do they have such a severe backlash? Why did using them gave you such pain to the point that most would throw them away?"

  "I don't know," Yukari whispered. "The books said... it was the Trial of the Gods. I am the mortal here. You tell me."

  "It is because they are not meant for us, or that is my current theory." Tanvir said simply.

  "Then why did you train me to wield it, Mother?" Yukari looked at Zhu, betrayal warring with confusion in her eyes.

  "Because I wanted you to be able to protect yourself," Zhu said, her voice fierce and protective. "As a mother, I don't want you to get hurt in this harsh world. But ultimately... you found a new core. A new weapon. A new strength elsewhere."

  Zhu’s expression softened. "With that boy."

  Yukari tried to stand up, but her legs were swaying. The world was spinning too fast. Zhu stepped forward to help her, but Yukari swatted her hand away.

  "Lin..." Zhu said, hurt flashing in her eyes.

  "Everything that I know... all of it... is a lie," Yukari murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. "Raito... the boy I love... my husband... is somehow connected to the creator god, who from your story seems to be a tyrant."

  "We don't know that yet," Zhu said urgently. "Raito could just be infected by something. The expedition is how we can find the truth."

  "How can you be so sure?!" Yukari shouted, her voice echoing off the palace walls. "From the looks of it, the Lords are also lost! You're just mingling with the mortals willy-nilly! You're useless!"

  She turned on her heel and ran. She ran through the courtyard, past the confused guards, her breath hitching in her throat.

  Zhu took a step to follow her.

  "Stop," Tanvir said, grabbing her arm.

  "Let me go, Shorty," Zhu growled.

  Tanvir shook his head. "She needs time to process. This is the first time we have ever told the truth to someone outside our circle. The rest... is up to her."

  Zhu watched Yukari’s figure disappear into the shadows, her hand falling to her side.

  Yukari ran all the way back to the guest wing. She burst into their room, her chest heaving. Raito was sleeping peacefully in the bed, one arm thrown over his eyes, unaware of the cosmic horror his wife had just learned.

  She stood there, looking at him. The boy who knew everything and nothing. The boy with the black flame.

  She collapsed onto the floor and cried.

  Raito stirred. The sound of sobbing cut through his sleep instantly. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

  "Yukari?" he asked, his voice groggy.

  He saw her on the floor. He was out of bed in a second, rushing to her side.

  "What's wrong?" he asked, panic rising. "Did something happen?"

  "Everything," Yukari sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

  Raito didn't ask further. He took her hands gently, guiding her up and leading her to the bed. He sat her down, brushing the hair from her tear-stained face.

  "Want to tell me?" he asked softly.

  "No," Yukari shook her head, clutching his shirt. "Not right now."

  Raito nodded. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug, offering his warmth without condition. He accepted her silence.

  They sat there for a long time, the moonlight bathing the room in silver.

  "Kiss me," Yukari whispered, looking up at him with desperate eyes.

  Raito blinked, confused by the sudden shift, but he didn't hesitate. He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. It started gentle, but Yukari deepened it, her hands gripping his hair, pulling him closer as if she were trying to merge with him, to find the truth in his touch rather than the words of gods.

  They broke apart, breathless.

  "Please don't go anywhere," Yukari said, her voice trembling. "No matter what happens."

  "I know," Raito smiled, stroking her cheek. "I can say the same to you too."

  "Idiot," Yukari smirked through her tears.

  She pulled him down, her eyes burning with an intense resolve. " If everything is a lie, then I want this to be real. Take me."

  The room grew quiet, save for the rustle of sheets and the soft murmurs of comfort. Under the pale moonlight, only the glint of metal shone clearly—a Sakura-shaped ring, and the simple silver band directly behind it, shimmering as they moved. A sign of a promise between a girl lost in a lie and a boy carrying a truth he didn't understand.

  "Don't go anywhere..."

  Yukari murmured the words in her sleep, her brow furrowed.

  Lurch.

  The carriage hit a patch of uneven sand, rocking violently.

  Yukari gasped, her eyes snapping open. The soft moonlight was gone, replaced by the harsh, filtered sunlight of the desert. The velvet seat pressed against her back.

  She was awake.

  "What... what happened?" Yukari asked groggily, rubbing her eyes as the afterimages of the dream faded.

  "Just look," Zhu said calmly, pointing out the reinforced window.

  Yukari leaned forward. Outside, the world had turned into a dust storm of violence.

  The Raging Bull Guild was engaged in combat. Massive, fleshy cylinders burst from the golden sands like nightmares made flesh—Sandworms. Their maws were ringed with thousands of needle-like teeth, shrieking as they lunged at the adventurers.

  "What is that?" Yukari asked, pressing her hand to the glass.

  "Sandworms," Queen Aleena said, not looking up from her book, though her knuckles were white. "They prey on clueless adventurers. And apparently, royal caravans."

  "Should I help?" Mila asked, her hand already gripping the hilt of her greatsword. Her eyes tracked the movement of the beasts with warrior precision.

  "Ask your leader," Queen Aleena said, gesturing gracefully toward Zhu.

  Mila looked at the General.

  Zhu leaned back, crossing her arms. She watched Varessh decapitate a worm with a swing of his massive axe.

  "They look experienced enough," Zhu said. "Let them take point. We are here to guard Her Majesty. Leaving the carriage exposes her."

  Thump.

  The carriage door swung open. A teal blur shot out into the blinding sunlight.

  "Hey, wait!" Zhu shouted, sitting up straight.

  "Can't!" Yukari shouted back over her shoulder, her voice tight with pent-up emotion. "I'm really pissed right now! Need to let out some stress!"

  "That girl..." Zhu groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

  "Let me get her back, Your Majesty," Zhu said, preparing to move.

  "No worries," Queen Aleena smiled, waving a hand. "Just let her. You two and Tanvir up top are still here anyway. She might need to stretch her legs. Or break something."

  Outside, Yukari landed in the shifting sand with a heavy thud, dust billowing around her combat boots.

  Varessh, who was busy wrestling a worm to the ground, spotted her.

  "Hey!" he bellowed, his voice grappling with the roar of the wind. "This is not a place for a girl to fight! Back off!" He gestured wildly with his axe. "Go back to the—"

  "SHUT UP!!!"

  Yukari screamed, her voice cutting through the battlefield noise. She glared at the Guildmaster, her silver eyes burning with a mixture of grief, confusion, and raw fury.

  "I am... very, very angry right now," she hissed.

  She slammed her left fist down onto the burning sand.

  Hummmmm.

  On her finger, the Sakura-shaped ring flared with a blinding, whitish-cold aura. It enveloped her body in a mist of frost that instantly crystallized the sweat on her skin.

  "Freeze."

  CRACK-BOOM.

  The golden dunes exploded. Not with sand, but with ice.

  Jagged, crystalline spikes erupted from the ground, spreading out in a radial wave from Yukari’s fist. The temperature plummeted forty degrees in a second.

  The Sandworms, beasts known for their ability to swim through sand like water, suddenly found their medium turned to solid rock. They shrieked in pain as the freezing cold bit into their soft underbellies.

  The ice was unrelenting. It chased them… freezing them in twisted statues of agony.. Within moments, the immediate area was a graveyard of frozen monsters.

  The silence that followed felt louder than the screams.

  Varessh stood frozen, his axe lowered. He gulped.

  A lone girl. A child, by his standards. She had taken down multiple large Sandworms—beasts that had claimed the lives of veteran adventurers—in a single tantrum.

  And the craziest part?

  Varessh squinted. He looked for the tell-tale signs of Core backlash. The trembling limbs, the bleeding nose, the pallor of life force being drained.

  There was nothing. Yukari stood up, breathing hard from exertion, but her vitality was untouched. Varessh didn't know about her new Core, about its unique nature, no backlash. To him, she was a monster.

  Yukari dusted off her hands, feeling the adrenaline recede. But instead of satisfaction, a frown creased her brow.

  She felt... odd. A prickly sensation on the back of her neck.

  SHRRRREEEEK!

  A lone Sandworm, hidden deep beneath the permafrost she created, burst from the sand directly behind her. It was huge, an alpha, its maw wide enough to swallow her whole.

  "Yukari!" Zhu shouted from the carriage window, already leaping out.

  Mila was right behind her, sword drawn.

  But before they could reach her, before Yukari could even turn—

  Thwip.

  The Sandworm jerked violently in mid-air. It gagged. Then, it went limp, crashing to the ground with a wet thud, dead before it hit the sand.

  Yukari spun around, daggers in hand, staring at the corpse.

  Zhu and Mila skidded to a halt beside her.

  "Are you alright? What's wrong?" Zhu asked, scanning Yukari for injuries.

  "You beat those beasts..." Mila breathed, looking around at the devastation. "Even the Raging Bull Guild knows your ability now. That was impressive. Taking down the last one without even looking?"

  "The last one..." Yukari whispered, staring at the dead alpha. "It wasn't me."

  "What?" Zhu frowned.

  "I didn't sense it until it broke the surface," Yukari said. "And I didn't attack it."

  She looked down at her hand. "And this... this is what is wrong."

  She held her left hand forward.

  The Sakura ring was not shining with its usual steady light. Instead, it was blinking. Pulse. Pause. Pulse. Pause.

  "That... is odd," Mila noted, sheathing her sword.

  "Yeah, this is the first time it does that," Yukari said, turning in a slow circle to survey the area.

  As she turned, something caught Mila’s sharp eyes.

  "Wait." Mila grabbed Yukari’s wrist.

  "What? What is it?" Yukari asked.

  "Hold your arm steady," Mila commanded. She straightened Yukari’s arm forward and began to slowly spin her around like a human compass.

  "Watch the light," Mila said.

  The three of them—Yukari, Zhu, and Mila—watched intently.

  When Yukari faced the carriage, the blinking was slow. Pulse....... Pulse.

  As she turned toward the open desert, it sped up. Pulse... Pulse... Pulse.

  And when she pointed directly toward a massive, monolithic boulder resting in the distance, shaped oddly like a sleeping giant—

  Pulse-Pulse-Pulse-Pulse.

  The light blinked frantically.

  "The blinking," Mila murmured. "The interval... it is not random. It gets slower and faster depending on the direction."

  "This new Core of yours," Zhu asked, her eyes narrowing at the device. "Does it always do that?"

  "Not that I know of," Yukari admitted. "And this is not backlash either. I would feel it by now."

  Mila kept Yukari’s arm pointed at the boulder. "Why that direction?" she asked, squinting against the sun.

  Somewhere near the boulder...

  "I think they found us," a voice whispered, carried only by the wind.

  "No, they are not," another voice replied, calm and dismissive. "Don't worry."