The land stretched out before them—a vast desert where every grain of sand was sharp as a blade. The dunes glittered under the sun, throwing shards of rainbow light into the sky.
Kael swallowed hard. "If we walk across that barefoot, we're done for."
"We won't," Lira said. She reached into her pack and pulled free strips of cloth. "Wrap your boots. Extra padding. It won't last forever, but it's better than bleeding to death out there."
Kael obeyed, though uneasily. The mark on his back was burning again, pointing them deeper into that crystalline wasteland.
---
Hours passed. The sun beat down mercilessly. Every step crunched, shards snapping underfoot. The air shimmered with heat, mirages dancing across the dunes.
Kael's throat was dry. "Lira… how much water's left?"
She didn't answer.
"Lira?"
She shook her head, lifting the nearly empty skin. "Enough for maybe a few more hours. No more."
Kael cursed under his breath. "We'll never make it through this alive."
"Keep walking," she said firmly.
Kael's temper snapped. "That's all you ever say! Keep walking. Follow the map. Don't you ever wonder if this Path is just leading us to our deaths?"
Lira's jaw clenched. She turned on him, eyes flashing. "You think I don't wonder that every day? You think I wanted this?" She jabbed a finger into his chest. "But you're marked, Kael. Not me. That means the Path chose you. And if we stop now, it'll kill us anyway."
Kael's anger drained away, leaving only exhaustion. He stared at the endless glass dunes ahead. The mark on his back pulsed in time with his heartbeat, relentless.
No choice. Always no choice.
He trudged on.
---
By dusk, the desert came alive. The glass dunes caught the setting sun, glowing red and gold like molten fire. Kael stumbled, half-blind, dazzled by the shifting light.
"Lira…" His voice was weak. "I can't…"
"Look!" she gasped, pointing.
Kael squinted. In the distance, atop a jagged ridge of black stone, stood a tower. Its surface was half-melted, as though fire had once consumed it, but its spire pointed defiantly at the sky.
The mark on Kael's back blazed so hot he nearly collapsed.
"That's where it wants us to go," he whispered.
Lira's eyes narrowed. "Then that's where we'll go."
---
But they weren't alone.
As night fell, the wind shifted. A low hiss echoed across the dunes, like glass grinding on glass. Shapes moved in the darkness—tall, thin figures that shimmered like mirages. Their limbs were jagged, their bodies fractured, as though made of shards bound together by invisible strings.
Kael froze. "What… are those?"
Lira's face was pale. "Glassborn."
The creatures turned their faceless heads toward the travelers. Their bodies clicked as they moved, each step crunching against the dunes.
Kael's heart pounded. "They're coming right for us."
Lira drew her knife, though it looked pitiful against the creatures' jagged forms.
The Glassborn hissed in unison, advancing.
And for the first time, the mark on Kael's back did more than burn. It surged. His skin lit up, glowing faintly beneath his shirt, and the scroll in Lira's satchel stirred on its own.
Kael staggered, clutching his shoulder. "It's doing something—!"
The creatures halted, as if sensing the flare of power. The dunes around them trembled.
Lira's eyes widened. "Kael… I think the map is fighting back."
The dunes sang with hissing voices.
Kael stumbled backward, his boots crunching over shards. The creatures closed in, bodies flickering as if they were no more than reflections. Their limbs were too long, too sharp, each finger ending in jagged points. When they moved, it was with the sound of knives sliding across stone.
Glassborn.
The word alone chilled him.
Lira planted her feet, dagger raised. "Stay behind me."
"Behind you?" Kael's voice cracked. "They're made of glass! That thing won't even scratch them!"
"Better than standing here screaming!"
Her eyes flashed, but before Kael could retort, the mark on his back surged again. The heat was unbearable now, as though a furnace roared beneath his skin. He gasped, clutching at his shoulder.
And then the world split.
Light burst from him in jagged lines, racing down his arms, pooling in his palms. The dunes trembled, shards rattling like teeth. A single blazing trail of light tore across the glass desert, stretching into the horizon.
The Glassborn froze.
Lira blinked against the brilliance, her lips parting in awe. "Kael…"
The creatures shrieked in unison, their jagged bodies twitching. One lurched forward, raising a shard-arm high to strike.
Kael panicked. His thoughts scattered. Stop, stop, stop—
The mark obeyed.
A whip of light lashed out from the glowing trail at his feet, slamming into the creature. The Glassborn shattered with a scream, shards scattering into the dunes.
Kael staggered back, staring at his hand. "I—I didn't mean to—"
Another shriek cut him off.
The rest of the Glassborn rushed them.
---
There were six left.
One leapt from the dune, body twisting midair, shards sparkling like knives. Lira slashed upward, her dagger deflecting a strike, but the impact rattled her to her knees. Another closed in from the side, jagged claws raised.
Kael's body moved before his mind did. He raised his hand. The mark pulsed.
Light arced outward, forming a shield.
The Glassborn struck—and broke apart, shards scattering harmlessly against the glowing barrier.
Kael gaped. "I… blocked it?"
Lira rolled to her feet, stabbing one in the leg. The blade bit deep, not into flesh but into glowing seams between shards. The creature shrieked, staggering.
"They're not invincible!" she shouted. "Hit the seams!"
Kael's heart hammered. His hands shook. But the mark flared again, trails of light weaving into shapes—shields, whips, lines. He didn't understand how, but the Path wasn't just guiding him anymore.
It was letting him fight.
Two rushed him at once.
Kael panicked, thrusting both hands forward. Light exploded outward, twin arcs slicing through the air. The creatures shattered, dissolving into fragments that tinkled across the dunes.
His knees buckled. His chest heaved. Sweat dripped down his face. "Lira—I don't—I can't—"
"You can!" she shouted, ducking another slash. "The Path chose you for this!"
Kael wanted to scream at her, to tell her he never asked for this cursed map, that he didn't want to be anyone's chosen anything. But the creatures didn't care about his doubts.
Another lunged.
Kael raised his hand too late—