The scorching sun beat down mercilessly on the group of three ladies and one man—with the man walking a few meters behind them.
Its unforgiving rays seared their skin and left them drenched in sweat.
Each step they took became a struggle, the blistering heat sapping their strength and making the air feel heavy and suffocating.
Their throats were parched, lips cracked and dry from the relentless dehydration.
The ground beneath their boots was scorching to the touch, the sand so hot it felt like walking on burning coals.
The blinding glare of the sun forced the brunette-haired lady among them to squint, reducing her vision to a narrow slit of clarity, ensuring they were heading the correct path.
The boy trudged slowly behind them, a dark aura around him. His soft linen clung uncomfortably to his body, soaked with sweat and gritty with sand, while his pale exposed skin had reddened.
Breathing itself became a chore, each inhale bringing in air that felt like it had been heated in a forge.
But still, he continued silently... they continued silently.
As they walked forward, the blazing of the sun did not show any mercy.
If anything, it seemed to be particularly merciless today, fiercely casting a relentless heat over the vast expanse of sand.
The air shimmered, distorting the landscape with mirage-like illusions.
Amidst the rolling dunes, a tangled mass of bleached bones jutted out, their twisted forms hinting at the presence of some malevolent evils at one time.
The brunette lady paused when she came by the first one, narrowing her eyes and looking around with her hand above her eyes.
"What is it?" The dark-haired lady with burning crimson eyes asked her.
"We are getting closer..."
The wind at this point was stronger, carrying with it waves of sand that shrouded their path forward like a fog... it was a fog of sand.
And it was incredibly difficult to look ahead.
However, she continued to lead them, even into the fog of sand.
After a few more steps, they began to come across more and more of these buried bones.
And after a while, they finally emerged from the fog of sand, revealing a compelling and intimidating landscape.
Enormous ribcages arched skyward, and skulls with jagged, uneven teeth lay half-buried, partially obscured by the shifting sands.
Each bone, eroded and weathered by time, told silent tales of battles long past and monstrous beings that once roamed this desolate place.
Rising from this skeletal graveyard was a towering structure, a monolith forged from the very sand it dominated.
The tower's surface was rough and uneven, with grains of sand perpetually trickling down its sides as if time itself was eroding its foundations.
Ancient symbols, barely discernible and worn smooth by countless years, adorned its base, whispering secrets of forgotten eras.
Cracks and crevices marred its fa?ade, giving it a decrepit appearance, as though it might crumble at any moment.
Yet, there was an undeniable aura of mystery about it, a testament to an age long gone, standing as a solitary sentinel amidst the sea of sand and bones.
Helena looked up at the solitary sentinel for a few seconds. She then looked around.
Raven observed her for a couple of minutes and asked,
"You've seemed somewhat cautious since we entered the sand fog, is something wrong?"
Helena lingered for a moment then replied:
"You see... little worm, the thing is..."
She looked back, Northern was just emerging from the sand fog.
"...there's not supposed to be a fog..."
Raven narrowed her eyes.
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not sure... but it can't be..."
"There's going to be a sandstorm... if we continue, we might get caught up in it at night and not survive," Terence interrupted Helena.
Both Helena and Raven looked at her, their eyes slightly widened.
"I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's the cyclical passing of a strange creature... the fog is an indication. How can I explain this? What I can say is... it's a creature as dangerous as the Kirithon, but it cycles around a certain circumference in this area."
"I'm not sure what you mean... but I guess that means we can't continue further right now."
Raven stared at her intently, then she also asked:
"Was this where you came to... the other time?"
Terence shook her head, "Not exactly... but the signs are the same."
Helena folded her arms, thinking to herself for a while. She threw her eyes briefly over Terence to see Northern, who was still behind them, but instead of heading towards them, he was heading towards the tower.
"What is that silly flower boy doing?"
Terence and Raven turned their heads to look.
"I guess he's going to the tower...?" Terence said.
A frown creased Helena's brows after she asked the question.
"Maybe he knows too... that there'll be a sandstorm."
"Whatever the case, I don't think we should be going to the tower."
Helena returned her gaze to Terence, inquisitive.
"Why?" She asked, "I'm not gonna lie, I was even considering it. I mean it looks like our best bet at hiding from the sandstorm."
Terence shook her head, flapping her hair softly.
"That tower is an anomaly due to the rift. It didn't exist thirty years ago."
"I've always seen it here though."
"That is because it appeared a few months after the four cardinal rifts suddenly broke out."
The revelation took Helena by surprise, she frowned seriously.
Raven thought for a while and chimed in:
"I've never heard of such a thing happening."
Terence allowed a slight frown on her brows as she responded to them.
"I too have never experienced anything like it... there's this strange sense of warning not to enter there... like I just feel we shouldn't be in that place. Perhaps it would pose an even greater threat than the sandstorm."
She hesitated then added:
"Moreover, I don't think it will open its door to us... many have tried to enter, no one has ever entered."
Helena blinked rapidly, stuttering:
"Uhm, I think flower boy just entered."