"Stay still and wait. Also—don't let Petra sleep." Shane's voice came through steady, calm, with the faint roar of wind behind it.
Ulon slowly tilted his head upward, both hands still clamped together above him, veins standing out as his arms trembled. Then he glanced sideways at Petra, who was leaning at the very edge of the barrier, eyes half-lidded, jaw tight, like a predator pretending to rest.
"…Easier said than done, boss," Ulon said weakly. "My hands are already cramping. How long until you arrive?"
"Three hours at least."
Ulon's voice cracked. "That long?"
"Can't be helped," Shane replied. "Traveling over a thousand kilometers isn't easy, even with Zevy."
Zevy was already flying at full speed, wings beating hard against the wind. Shane leaned forward to keep his balance, while Cukuz was forced to cling to Shane's lap, gripping his coat with both tiny hands to avoid being flung into the sky.
Back inside the barrier, Ulon sighed dramatically.
"Great. I might lose blood circulation before you get here."
He squinted at the panel. "By the way—where's Slouch?"
Shane glanced downward as he flew, eyes narrowing. Faint, shifting phantoms moved far ahead in the distance, barely visible against the trees.
"He's on his way too. If nothing happens, he might arrive earlier than I."
Kiel blinked, then muttered under his breath, "Mr. Klaus arrives earlier? How does that even make sense?"
Ulon snorted. "Nothing changes even if he does."
"That's true," Shane said evenly. "At least he can position himself better."
"I still don't have hope in him," Ulon said.
"Me too," Maddy chimed in immediately, arms crossed. Her eyes flicked toward Petra, then back to Ulon. "If he messes this up, I'm blaming both of you."
"It's better than nothing," Shane said.
"I hope so," Ulon replied.
"Stay still a little longer," Shane continued. "I'll give orders once I arrive."
"Copy, boss," Ulon said.
The panel dimmed and vanished.
Petra clicked her tongue. "You didn't even ask if they finished their mission."
Ulon shrugged carefully, trying not to move his arms. "It was a trivial matter now. Knowing the boss, he'll abandon the mission the moment it turns dangerous or something urgent pops up."
Shalotte raised a hand hesitantly. "So… we wait?"
"Yes," Ulon said flatly.
To kill time—and mostly to distract Ulon from complaining—Shalotte rummaged through his pack and pulled out strips of salted beef jerky. He passed them around, nearly dropping his share before fumbling to catch it.
"Careful," Maddy scolded, though she still took one. "You're going to attract something."
"I'm already attracting danger just by breathing," Shalotte muttered.
He even held jerky and a water flask up to Ulon's mouth, feeding him slowly since Ulon couldn't lower his arms.
"This is humiliating," Ulon said between bites. "But appreciated."
Time past longer than they expected.
Then, Shalotte's notification rune beeped softly. He froze.
"Boss?" he said quickly. "Did you arrive?"
Shane's voice answered at once.
"Yeah. I'm above you now."
Far overhead, Zevy circled the desert sky in wide loops.
From his vantage point, Shane's gaze fixed on the dark, glassy crater beside the wyrm's rocky nest below. The sand there had melted into jagged black curves, reflecting light like broken mirrors. He counted quickly—two massive wyrms. One coiled within the nest, barely moving. The other remained outside, alert, its body partially surfaced.
Four separate sand mounds shifted around the crater, moving too deliberately to be natural.
He opened the channel again, his voice cutting through the wind like a blade.
"Be ready. I'll count to five. At five, emerge from the sand. Split into three groups and handle the nannies. Petra goes solo. Maddy with Shalotte. And Kiel, with Ulon."
Inside the barrier, Ulon swallowed hard, then grinned anyway.
"Solo, huh? You sure Petra can handle that? And what about the sand wyrms?"
Petra didn't even look at him. She rolled her shoulders once, slow and deliberate, fingers tightening around the shaft of her scythe.
"It's better if I'm alone," she said coldly. "You'd just slow me down."
Ulon clicked his tongue. "Tsk…She's too confident."
"I'll handle the one inside the rock formation," Shane continued calmly. "Klaus will take the one above you."
Ulon winced, his joking tone slipping for half a second.
"Are you sure that'll work? We might get roasted before Slouch even reacts."
High above, the wind howled louder as Shane reached up and removed his rings one by one. Each clink as they dropped into his pouch sounded final.
"Then pray he reacts faster."
Ulon let out a dry laugh.
"That's really reassuring, boss."
Shane pulled the pouch from his shoulder and swung it toward Cukuz.
"Keep this safe. Stay here with Zevy."
The small creature squeaked in alarm as the weight nearly pulled him over. Shane turned to the massive beast beneath his feet.
"Zevy, slow down a bit—and don't bully Cukuz. He's still a baby."
Zevy answered with a sharp shriek but did slow, its wings beating less violently, almost gliding. Cukuz panicked and tried to hide against Shane's chest.
Shane sighed, shook his head, then lifted Cukuz properly and set him steady on Zevy's back, securing the pouch. Cukuz clung there stiffly, eyes wide.
"Don't move," Shane said, then stood up.
Below, inside the barrier, everyone tensed.
"Five…" Shane said.
He jumped.
"Four—!"
Maddy snapped her dagger into her grip, eyes darting around. "Kiel, don't freeze. If you trip, I swear—"
Kiel already had his bow out, hands shaking just enough to show his nerves. "I'm good! I'm good!"
"Three—"
Petra straightened fully, feet steadied. She lowered her scythe, blade angled upward, her stance sharp and deadly.
Mid-fall, Shane adjusted his posture, straightening his body to increase speed. The wind tore at his tunic as his eyes locked onto the center of the rock formation below.
"Two—"
Shalotte raised his staff, nearly fumbling it before steadying himself. His voice cracked as he cast,
"Gravity Falls!"
Purple glow warped everyone.
"One—GO!" Shane shouted.
"Ultimate Skill: BioMorphing!"
A massive burst of light exploded across the sky, blinding and overwhelming. The desert was painted white for a heartbeat.
Every wyrm froze, their massive bodies stilled as all eyes turned upward. Even the worms beneath the sand stopped.
Inside the barrier, Ulon finally spread his palms apart. The transparent dome peeled open from above like a blooming shell.
"Move!" he yelled.
Petra launched.
She swung her scythe upward with brutal force.
"Moonblade!"
A crescent of power tore through the air and detonated in the heart of the crater. The explosion thundered upward, sand and glassy rock erupting skyward.
Hundreds of meters away, Klaus lay flat against the dunes, unmoving. His eye stayed glued to the scope of his P14 rifle, finger resting lightly on the trigger. It trembled—not from fear, but anticipation.
A slow grin tugged at his lips.
"Game on."