The atmosphere changed as soon as they stepped on the red sands.
The temperature didn't rise, instead it got colder. Dry enough that breathing was harder. No wind, no sound. A faint pressure against their skins.
The world itself was resisting their presence. It was a suffocation that the team had never felt before. Making it hard to even move.
Kshaya paused for a moment, observing everyone. "Do not rush. We are under its gaze now and the only strength we have is our patience."
Lume didn't quite follow what he meant by that and the others also had questions. But right now was not the time to pester him, let alone the fact that speaking seemed to consume a lot more energy than they realized.
They followed in a close formation, careful with each step. The sand here was finer, more dust than grain. As they walked, the faint trail of their steps and the sound disappeared into it, swallowed by the ground.
"This feels like lucid dreaming," Lume murmured.
No one replied.
After half an hour, Mira broke the silence, "We have been walking in circles." She looked at Kshaya for confirmation, who nodded in agreement.
"We are caught in a mirage. Red isn't going to make this easy for us."
"How do we proceed from here?" Eira asked the most critical question.
The team focused on him once more, as Kshaya felt a strange pressure in a long time. He couldn't remember when was the last time he had led a team. Perhaps when he was in military?
"I can forcefully break free of this mirage, but I can't take you out of here with me. If we want a passage in his domain, we will have to initiate a trial and clear it."
"Are we actually sure that this is some illusion? All we have been doing is follow this man's instructions without questioning him even once. Where is the proof that he is right in any of this? And now he wants us to challenge an oldkin?" It was Dr. Korr, who had remained silent for most part of the journey suddenly erupting.
Eira tried to reason with him, "Korr. The world we're in doesn't follow the Council's rules anymore. He literally pulled us from the sandstorm earlier."
"Something he could have easily arranged with that green camel. For all we know-"
'Shut his mouth, he will endanger us'
His mouth seemed to move, but no words came out. Everyone turned at Kshaya, questioning him. Even though they acknowledged him, being oppressed was not something they approved.
"We are being observed and words hold power in this domain. In their domain. Even though Red fought against Green, they are equals. He will not appreciate any slander against their kind."
His words were simple to understand, but the team immediately felt the impact as the wind was knocked out of their lungs. Lume clutched his throat, unable to breath as his face paled and muscles tensed. Others also struggled to adjust to the sudden loss of air. Being immortal it wouldn't kill them. But breathing was a habit ingrained in their body since forever. Other than Kshaya who seemed fine, everyone struggled with the sudden change.
"The oldkins can't be reasoned with like people. They only follow the rules,,, not of morality but nature's. When someone enters their territory, they are either allowed to reject or allow passage.
Red invited us but it demands a price. They don't call it a 'trial', it's a question. And we need to provide them an answer."
His expression was the same as ever, as he slowly helped them adjust to the change, while explaining their current situation.
Eira and Taren were the first ones to recover. The team leader seemed to connect the dots to understand their predicament. "And if we don't answer?"
"Then we stay here forever."
"Is there any other way to pass through without having to take the challenge?" Taren questioned further. Being unable to breath was a strange feeling, as he struggled to speak.
"There is, which is to be patient. Wait it out. We are immortals anyway, we can wait till the old one forgets us or gets bored to observe us all the time. But are you willing to bet on this?"
Dr. Korr objected again, "You can't be serious; provoking a force of nature is the only way forward?"
"At least it is a way forward, unless you have a better idea," Taren said.
"We will move somewhere, instead of being stuck here," Mira also agreed.
Eira looked at everyone, confirming that the majority was onboard the decision before asking Kshaya, "You knew this was coming."
He didn't deny her, "Red was always going to demand an answer."
"What do we need to take care of for this trial?"
"Just maintain clarity of yourself, as long as you know who you are and your past and present, you will be able to find a way out."
With that, the decision was made, as Kshaya stepped forward, facing the horizon.
"Old one of dust and blood, we ask for a passage through your land."
Everyone present understood his words, but they also had a strange feeling as if he spoke in a different tongue.
The air in front of them shimmered, as red and golden gathered in front of them, taking the shape of a scorpion. It was made of sand and glass, reflecting light wherever it faced. The team was down on its knees, as the pressure spiked after its appearance.
"Humans, always going walking where they shouldn't. Treading domains that are nature's to govern"
When it spoke, the whole desert seemed to echo. They were talking to a desert.
"You demand passage, how does a mortal know of the laws of our kind" It was statement, as Red already seems aware of the answer.
"You are bound to let us through if we finish your trial. Please let us attempt."
"Fine, everyone will get a chance. But if even a single one of you fails, all of you will have to remain" It does not sound angry or scheming, instead there is a sense of grandness.
Everyone agreed in a reluctant manner, not planning to argue with it. Even Dr. Korr nodded, looking down at the ground, not daring to face the creature of sand and glass.
"This trial will not harm your flesh," the Red said. "But it will open the doors you have locked within."
Kshaya nodded in understanding.
The scorpion's tail touched the sand, and the ground fractured, swallowing them whole.
'Then begin'
The scene around him shifted, as the sands beneath his feet hardened into wooden floor and walls of concrete appeared around him. He was in a room, seated on a raised chair, hands cuffed together. Hands that were metal no more, but flesh.
Three officers in uniform sat before him at an elevated bench, looking down their noses at him, like vultures.
"Captain Kshaya," One of them addressed him. "You are charged with dereliction of duty, unlawful engagement and insubordination to your superior officer during Operation Gravel."
He remembered this day.
The words, the expression, the smell of the wood.
Nothing had changed. It was all the same.
"Do you deny these charges?" They asked.
Could he deny? Back then he had remained silent. And his silence had costed him everything. His life had been downhill since that day. His silence had been accepted and he had been charged guilty, removed from his position and blacklisted in all sectors.
The officers hadn't bothered to investigate, they didn't dare to, closing the case immediately in response to his silence.
Back then, he had been naive. He had stood up, maintaining his silence in protest of the injustice he faced, believing that truth will save him.
'You thought silence was strength,' a voice he was not familiar with spoke inside his mind.
'Would you still remain silent, if given a chance?' The warm voice continued. Something clicked within him, as he rose from his seat in the defendants section.
"None of you care if I am guilty or not. You just want to save your own neck, to avoid the General's wrath." His arms transformed, metal covering his fingers as he broke free from the cuffs. His chains that he was familiar with, appeared around his body, wrapping him like a mummy.
"But guess what? I simply don't care anymore," just like that, chains uncoiled and the silence ended. This was just an illusion. It didn't matter if he remained silent or spoke up, the past could not be changed. But he could definitely vent it out in here.
As he rampaged in the room, his glowing chains wringing the necks of all those nearby him, it was almost like a weight on his mind was removed. The guards and the soldiers reacted late, taking out their guns to fire at him, but Kshaya was lost in a sensation that transcended any emotions he had felt before. His chains moved on their own, deflecting any bullets coming his way. Very soon, the court room was silent. There was only the sound of broken benches and bodies. It was macabre, but poetic.
"The silent are never treated well in life." He smiled, pulling back his chains to wrap around him. He didn't know what would happen next. If he only had a single chance, then he might have messed it up in his moment of anger. But it was done now.
As he waited in that court room, thinking ways to convince the oldkin, something felt strange. He noticed his radio and the compass missing.
The chains and his metal arms had appeared.
Upon this realization, memories that he never knew were there started appearing in his mind. He hurriedly pulled his wallet out, shuffling through cards to find it. A single picture.
But it wasn't there.
He hadn't become the special-grade mercenary yet, the specialist hadn't yet shook the world with his 100% success rate. The picture he was looking for wasn't going to be there. Not yet.
Just as soon as his missing memories had appeared, he felt them slipping, being locked behind a cage he never knew existed.
The court room, the dead bodies and his locked memories, all of them disappeared. He found himself back in the red desert, his team mates looking at him.
The red scorpion was nowhere to be seen. But that was no longer on his mind, as the reality that he had been missing for so long was once again being taken away.
He turned towards the sixth member, reaching out to her, as if she would be able to help him. But no words came out. Try as he might, but he just couldn't recall her.
Tears filled his eyes, but the chains tightened around him, taking away any chance of him ever recalling his past.
The team looked at him strangely and even more so, the sixth member struggled to understand his actions. All their thoughts were interrupted, as the desert announced-
"The trial has been cleared. Passage shall be provided. You have until sunset to leave the red sands."
The team looked at the sun, that was already past its peak. The ruins of Aiyra were at least a day's travel away. There wasn't enough time. The oldkin had tricked them.
"You might have used the laws of nature to your advantage here, chained one. But what will you do against those who aren't shackled anymore?"
With those parting words, Red's presence left the team to gather themselves.