The land slowly changed while they walked — scorched, dead trees fading into cracked sandstone and pale, wind-scoured stone. The air grew drier. Sand scraped over their boots in low, whispering eddies that tried to swallow their footprints.
Rhen led the way with an easy pace, hood down, hair caught by the wind. Every now and then he looked back at the siblings with an unreadable expression — curious, measuring, thoughtful.
"So," he said eventually, breaking the silence, "you know a little about me. Traveling, glyphs, bad taste in life decisions. What about you two? Who were you before this all went to ash?"
Ellie hesitated. "We were… normal, I think. We lived near a lake. Our mother baked bread, our father kept traps. When the Shattering tore through our valley… nothing was left."
"For a while after that," Veyr added quietly, "we didn't live alone."
Rhen lifted an eyebrow. "With whom?"
Ellie's mouth opened — then closed again. Veyr's eyes told her not to say more.
"Doesn't matter," Veyr said shortly.
"For two years someone took us in," Ellie added after a moment, softer. "But then… we left. We survived three years in that hut on our own after that."
Something in Rhen's expression shifted. He didn't push. He only nodded once. "All right. Another story for another day."
Rhen glanced at him sidelong. "Some people break. Others sharpen. Seems you chose the latter."
Ellie toyed with the pebble in her palm. "He chose it for both of us."
At that, Rhen looked almost surprised — impressed, maybe — but he said only: "And now you get to choose for yourselves. That's harder."
The land dipped gently downhill, stone rising to form natural ridges. Ellie watched dust swirl at her feet and pressed on, her legs already aching from the change in terrain.
Without warning, Rhen stopped. "All right," he said. "That's enough heroic marching for one day."
Ellie blinked. "Already?"
"I'm being practical, not lazy," he muttered, searching inside his coat until he pulled out a curved, ivory-coloured horn. "Trust me."
"What is that?" Veyr asked, narrowing his eyes.
"An old trick from someone I'd rather forget," Rhen said. He tossed the horn onto the ground. It hit with a low thump.
The air rippled — and in its place stood a massive elephant, towering over them, trunk twitching curiously.
Ellie jolted back. "You could do that this whole time?!"
Veyr took one furious step forward, jaw tight. "We've been walking. Through this wasteland. And you had that?"
Rhen exhaled through his nose, almost sheepishly. "Yes. All right. I forgot. Or rather… I didn't plan on using it until I was sure you weren't going to slit my throat in my sleep."
Ellie glared. Veyr only stared.
Rhen threw up his hands. "Look, either be grateful or kill me later, but at least get your supplies on the thing. I'm tired of sand in my boots."
There was a long pause. Then Veyr touched the elephant's rough skin and muttered, "Fine."
Ellie sighed — part relief, part annoyance — and began tying her pack to the creature's side. "You really are dangerous. Just not in the way I expected."
"Thank you?" Rhen said, not sure if it was a compliment.
The three of them worked in silence for a few minutes.
That was when Ellie felt it — a faint fluctuation behind them. Like a breath too slow to hear.
She looked up sharply. "Veyr…"
Crests of black began to flicker along the ridge behind them — thin, unstable silhouettes. First one… then another… then four.
Type-3 Wanderers.
Veyr's hands were already on his blades.
Ellie swallowed hard. "Rhen—"
But Rhen was no longer smiling. He turned slowly, eyes narrowing. The wind grew cold.
"Right," he muttered. "So much for a peaceful day one."
Far ahead, the desert stretched. Behind them, the shadows converged — and the game truly began.