The sun of Sumeru showed no mercy. The desert stretched out like an endless golden ocean, and you felt like a castaway adrift within it.

The fight from earlier had been brutal. The marks were carved deep into your body: the heat made your open wounds throb, and the blood, now dried and mixed with dust, had stiffened your clothes, making them heavy.

Every move was agony.

Your fingers were gripping the hilt of the sword tightly as one used it as support during walking; however, your efforts were doubled as it kept sinking in the soft sand.

Almost like some sort of illusion, the gates of Aaru village could be seen through the rocks and trees around.

You didn’t know how you had managed to drag yourself that far. Your senses had dulled into a dull buzzing, but you managed to make out a figure standing at the entrance. She was tall, regal, with dark hair swaying just beneath a golden headdress. And her piercing gaze, one yellow, one azure, fell on you with deadly accuracy and quickly softened with anxiety.

It was Candace, the protector of the village. She ran towards you, and those were the last coherent things you were able to see.

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

Her voice, usually calm and steady as stone, carried a note of urgency.

You wanted to reply, but your mouth was completely dry. Your knees crumbled, and the blade fell down into the yellow sand of the desert. You began to fall.

And just when she embraced you tightly enough not to fall, everything went dark.

—

Now that you could manage to get your eyes open, you didn’t have to squint against the harsh light of the desert sun, but were greeted by a soothing glow.

You immediately realized you weren’t lying on bare ground. Beneath you, you felt the texture of a simple but clean bed, covered with coarse fabrics that smelled of dried herbs and burnt wood.

The gentle sounds of cloth and the sound of steps moving on a rocky floor brought your attention to the entrance.

“I see you’re awake.”

Candace stepped into the room. Gone were the shield and the spear that she was carrying when you fell unconscious, replaced by a basket made of woven grass containing some ripe fruits, such as juicy Zaytun peaches and shiny dates.