The pyramids loomed under a fractured moon, their ancient stones bathed in an eerie crimson glow. The rift above Cairo pulsed wider, spilling black flame across the sky. Three demons prowled the shifting dunes, their roars echoing over the city.
But before them stood a lone man, his cloak snapping in the storm.
Zahir Al-Fahim.
The Sand Wielder of Egypt.
Every grain of sand responded to his aura, swirling around him like an endless ocean. His presence was calm, yet deadly—like the silence before a desert storm.
---
The Serpent of the Dunes
Kalreth's body twisted like a colossal serpent, scales gleaming with molten heat. His maw opened wide, the sand beneath him collapsing into a whirling pit.
"Sand Maw Devour!"
Entire dunes crumbled, houses sinking into the abyss. Screams echoed as civilians were pulled toward the pit.
Zahir's eyes hardened. He raised his palm, aura surging.
"Pillar of Eternity!"
The collapsing sands solidified instantly into sandstone pillars, rising high like the ancient obelisks of forgotten pharaohs. The people scrambled free, carried by platforms of hardened sand as Zahir guided them to safety.
Kalreth roared in frustration, thrashing wildly.
Zahir's voice cut through the storm, steady and unyielding.
"The desert is not your feast. It is my weapon."
He clenched his fist.
"Obelisk Spear!"
From the pillars, spears of solid stone erupted, piercing Kalreth's serpent body. The demon writhed, its roars swallowed by the desert night.
---
The Vulture Queen
Osira screeched overhead, wings unfurling to blot out the moon. Feathers of steel and bone glittered in the firelight.
"Carrion Gale!"
A storm of razor feathers tore through the streets, slicing stone and steel alike.
Zahir swept his arm, and the sands rose like a great wall.
"Dune Shield!"
The feathers embedded harmlessly into shifting dunes, vanishing beneath the waves of sand.
But Osira was relentless. She dove, talons glowing with dark aura, aiming for Zahir's throat.
He extended both hands, the sandstorm wrapping around her wings.
"Desert Bind!"
The dunes coiled upward like serpents, dragging her mid-flight, slamming her against the ground with earth-shaking force.
Her shriek tore across the battlefield—but it was drowned by the desert swallowing her whole.
---
The Colossus of Flame
Then the ground shook. Heat flooded the air.
Neroth, the Scorched Colossus, stepped forward. His molten body glowed like a walking volcano, every breath sending sparks into the wind. His spiked fists clenched, fire erupting around him.
"Inferno Cataclysm!"
Flame pillars burst from the sands, turning the desert into a sea of fire. Ancient stones cracked, the night sky glowing orange as if a second sun had risen.
Zahir staggered, his dunes igniting, sand turning to glass beneath the heat. The Colossus laughed, a sound like molten rock grinding.
"Sand crumbles. Fire consumes."
Zahir's aura flared, his voice calm but sharp.
"The desert has burned for millennia. And it always returns."
He slammed his hands into the ground.
"Shifting Eternity!"
The glass beneath his feet shattered, returning to sand in an instant. The dunes rose in towering waves, colliding with the flames, smothering the inferno.
Neroth roared, charging forward. His colossal fist descended like a meteor.
Zahir raised both arms. The dunes surged upward, forming a giant warrior of sand.
"Guardian of the Pharaohs!"
The sand titan caught Neroth's punch in its massive hand. The desert itself had risen to fight.
---
Clash of Titans
The two giants collided—molten fire against eternal sand. Every strike sent shockwaves through Cairo, shattering windows and toppling walls.
Neroth's flames burned holes through the titan's body, but with every strike, more dunes surged in, repairing it. Zahir stood firm, hands raised, guiding every grain with his aura.
But the Colossus pressed harder, his body glowing brighter, hotter, the desert itself trembling under his fury.
"Volcanic Eradication!" Neroth bellowed.
His body erupted in an explosion of fire, blasting the sand titan apart. Zahir was thrown backward, his cloak aflame, blood spilling from his mouth.
Still, he stood.
His aura pulsed, the desert answering louder than ever. Every dune for miles surged toward him, the storm swallowing the horizon.
"You call yourself fire… but I am the endless sands."
Zahir raised both hands high, his voice thundering.
"Eternal Dunes… Consume!"
The desert collapsed inward, a tidal wave of sand burying Neroth beneath layers upon layers. His molten body thrashed, fire bursting outward—but the dunes only tightened, suffocating every flame.
With a final roar, Neroth's fire sputtered out, his body crumbling into ash beneath the crushing weight of Egypt itself.
---
Aftermath
The sandstorm slowed. The night fell silent, save for the crackle of dying flames.
Zahir stood amidst the dunes, his chest heaving, aura dimmed but unbroken. The pyramids still stood, scarred but alive. The city was battered, yet saved.
He looked up at the rift above, still pulsing, still growing. His eyes narrowed.
"This war is not against demons alone," he murmured. "It is against the darkness that commands them."
The wind carried his words away.
Far above, in the depths of the rift, unseen eyes opened. The Upper Demons stirred once more.