Riche stood ankle-deep in sand, facing the Rajhu once more, the Engine looming behind him.
Steel flashed as he charged towards the rider in front of him. Riche drove his blade into the rider's stomach and wrenched it free.
Blood poured out. Not just a few drops. A flood poured out.
Deep crimson gushed onto the sand, spreading, soaking, swallowing. The ground darkened, then it turned squishy as his leg sunk into the crimson sand. Finally it gave way, the sand collapsing inward and disappearing. The desert was no longer of sand. It was now a lake of blood.
Riche tried to step back, horrified at what was happening, but his feet sank further, rendering him unable to move freely.
The blood climbed his legs, his waist, his chest. He struggled, arms churning, breath tearing from his lungs as the red swallowed him whole. His vision drowned last, eyes sinking beneath the thick, suffocating surface.
Then the world lurched.
Gravity seemed to have gone the other way, and suddenly Riche's body was sinking faster, but towards the surface of the blood.
He burst upward, gasping, coughing, dragged back into the air. Sand coated his body, filled his mouth, scraped his skin raw. His lungs burned, clogged due to the blood that flowed into them.
Riche warily opened his eyes. The Rajhu knelt before him.
The wound still bled, slow and endless. The rider raised a trembling hand and tore away the mask.
Riche froze.
His mother's eyes stared back at him, blood red as blood seeped from it.
"No…" Riche rushed forward, gripping her shoulders, hands slick as he pressed against the wound, desperate, frantic. "Stay with me. Please…"
Blade struck suddenly.
Pain exploded through his stomach.
Riche staggered, spun, and slashed blindly. He crashed into his attacker, driving them both into the sand. Hands shaking, breath broken, he tore the second mask away.
His breath hitched as he stared at the familiar face.
Mihel's brown eyes met his, glassy and overflowing with tears. Black hair hung limp, soaked dark.
"No… no…" Riche whispered, smearing blood from his friend's face with trembling fingers.
Then the world ruptured.
Blinding light flooded everything. The sand, the bodies, the blood were stripped away, erased, replaced by white brilliance stretching endlessly in every direction.
The light closed in.
It pulled at him, burned through him, hollowed him out. Almost as if it was purifying.
But where there was light, there was always darkness.
'And he was the darkness.'
***
"Hah… hah… h-huh…"
Riche jolted awake, chest heaving. Air tore in and out of his lungs as though he had been dragged back from somewhere far too deep. The nightmare clung to him, its horror carved into his heart, though its details were already blurring, dissolving into fog, leaving only a vague idea of its shock.
Across the compartment, Mihel sat on his bed, arms wrapped around his knees, watching him in silence.
When Riche's breathing steadied, Mihel slid down from the bed and crossed the narrow space between them. Riche lifted his trembling hand, palm open and weak. Mihel knocked on it firmly, grounding him, bringing him back to reality. Mihel then spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Are you alright? I was watching you. You looked like you were seeing something terrifying...." A pause. "You can tell me, you know."
Riche turned away, jaw tightening.
'How can I tell him? That I saw him dying… by my hands.'
'It's alright to lie for now….'
He cleared his throat. "Just the usual nightmare," he muttered. "Weird, ugly monsters. Bodies everywhere. Guess yesterday got to me."
Mihel raised an eyebrow, but he didn't press further.
They sat side by side, sharing a heavy silence. Midia slept peacefully nearby, soft snores escaping her, with Halise resting on the bunk above. Vinelyn was not in the compartment.
Riche reached up and pulled the curtain aside. Sunlight flooded in, warm and bright, washing over his face. For a moment, it felt grounding.
Then his brow furrowed.
"We've been travelling all night," he said slowly. "How haven't we reached yet? Wasn't the trip supposed to be only five hours?"
Mihel nodded. "Everyone's wondering the same. Either we've slowed down a lot… or they lied to us from the start." He glanced toward the door. "Ah. There's Vinelyn with hot food. Get up, Riche. Go wash up. You don't want it getting cold."
Riche nodded, greeting Vinelyn as he passed, then disappeared into the washroom.
Mihel leaned back against the wall, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
'Was he lying to me?...Does he not trust me anymore?...Or…Maybe he saw something related to me.' He mused, nodding slightly.
Vinelyn, wrapped in a thick fur coat, set the tray of food down on the central table and moved to wake Midia and Halise. He shook them lightly.
"Up already. Morning's here and your food. Come on."
Mihel lifted one of the wooden containers and pried it open. Inside lay strips of cooked meat and a handful of fruits. After a day of staring at nothing but sand and scarcity, even this modest meal looked like a feast. He began eating just as Riche emerged from the washroom, looking far better than before. His blond hair was still damp, clinging to his forehead.
Riche took a container and sat beside Mihel, eating in silence.
Halise climbed down from her bunk, flashed them a tired smile, then shuffled into the washroom. Midia sat up on her bed, watching the two of them eat.
"I suppose we'll reach today, at least," Vinelyn said between bites. "Something's been off about this Engine from the start, but… we're all still here."
Mihel nodded. "It already feels like Fate meant for us to meet. It's only been a day, yet we've been through more than most do in months." He raised his container slightly. "To that."
As he spoke, Mihel caught Riche's eyes. They were distant. Somewhere else entirely. Whatever weighed on him still hadn't loosened its grip.
Midia spoke up from her corner. "Halise and I talked. We decided we trust you now." She hesitated, then continued. "We were careful at first. Unlike Vinelyn, we didn't reveal our Destinies. But after yesterday…" She met Mihel's gaze. "After both of you came for me, it felt wrong to keep hiding."
Halise returned and settled on the floor with a container in hand. "I feel the same."
Mihel and Riche waited.
Midia took a breath. "I'm a Scholar Destined, but was always a follower of the Magicians Order of Wisdom. And Halise is-"
"I'm a Magician Destined too," Halise cut in. "Same as Vinelyn. But deception and tricks never suited me. I wasn't good at them." She shrugged. "So I kept my bow."
Something eased in Riche's chest. The quiet trust in their voices soothed a grief he had been carrying inside, one that was clawing at him. The ice between the five of them had melted as they slowly grew closer.
Vinelyn turned to Mihel. "And you? Still keeping your Destiny hidden? You said it yourself. We're a team now."
Mihel stiffened, colour draining slightly from his face. "I… I'm sorry. I'm not ready to tell anyone yet."
Midia looked disappointed, but Vinelyn only laughed. "Let him have his mystery. We'll find out eventually."
They finished eating at an unhurried pace, Midia lingering over the last bites. After an announcement crackled through the speakers, informing them they would be arriving shortly, everyone began packing.
Midia glanced at the emergency rations still sealed in silver. "Should we put these back?"
Mihel thought for a moment. "Everyone take a little. Just in case. The staff will restock them."
They did as he said, each slipping a portion into their packs, the air buzzing with nervous anticipation. A new chapter waited just beyond the glass.
Suddenly, Halise gasped at the window.
"It's…Oh… beautiful. And…" She fell silent.
They crowded forward.
There it stood.
The Exousia Branch of Avra.
And with it, a turning point, in their lives.