I went from the ash of the Necropolis to the Solar Caliphate. It was like a punch in the face. The air was hot and smelled like something was burning. There was a smell like old spices and dry bones. The horizon was all wavy. Looked like a big line of sand dunes. It was like the back of some creature that was buried under the sand.
I stood at the edge of the Sands of Sorrow. This was the way to get to the peninsulas. The 5.3% Divinity inside me was getting restless. I could feel it in my veins. They were throbbing under my skin because of the sun. Isabella was beside me. She was wearing silks that stuck to her sweaty skin. She had her hand on the handle of her sword. Elara was on my side. She was holding a book and had a weird shadow thing around her to keep the sand out.
"The Sultans think the desert will protect them " Elara said. She was squinting because of the sun. "They think no army from the north can survive the deserts heat."
"An army needs water " I said. My voice was low and rough. ". I do not need water. I just need the Sultans to do what I say."
We did not meet any diplomats. Instead we met the Sun-Fire Maidens. They were the warriors of the Caliphate. They came out of the sand dunes like they were made of heat. They were tall. Had dark skin. They were riding animals with golden skin. Their swords were made of a glass that caught the suns light.
The leader of the Sun-Fire Maidens was Sultana Zulaykha. She was a woman with features and moved like a predator. Her face was partly covered with a gold mesh. Her eyes were like melted amber. She did not look at me like she was scared. She looked at me like I was something she did not like.
"You are the one who breaks things and hurts people " Zulaykha said. Her voice was smooth but rough at the time. "In the Caliphate we do not worship darkness. We burn it. The desert eats kings. Spits out dust."
"The desert is hungry Zulaykha " I said. I took a step forward. The sand under my feet turned to glass. Broke. ". I brought something to make the desert less hungry. A darkness that does not burn."
I hit my cane into the sand. The 5.3% Divinity inside me flared up. It was like an eclipse. A huge dome of purple covered the sun. It got very cold fast.
The Sun-Fire Maidens were surprised. Their glass swords lost their glow. The animals they were riding got scared.
"Isabella. Elara " I said.
Isabella moved fast. She was a blur of silk and steel. She went through the warriors. Hit them with her sword. Elara raised her book. The shadows of the sand dunes got up. Wrapped around the warriors.
I walked through the dark toward Zulaykha. She tried to hit me with her sword.. I caught the blade with my hand. It broke into pieces. I grabbed her by the throat. Pulled her off her animal.
"Your sun has set, Sultana " I whispered. My eyes were the light in the dark. ". I think it is time you learned what happens in the dark."
The dark dome did not just block the sun. It made the sand dunes forget what it was like to be warm. The sand felt like ice. I dragged Zulaykha to a place called the Mirage of Flesh. It was like a pocket of something in the middle of the desert.
Inside the Mirage the air was thick. It smelled like spices and blood. Zulaykha was lying on a pedestal. She was scared. I stood over her. My chest was bare. The violet veins of the 5.3% Divinity were pulsing under my skin.
I did not use any oil. The desert did not give mercy.. Neither did I. I grabbed her hair and forced her legs open. I put myself inside her. It was one thrust.
Zulaykha screamed. Her muscles were strong. They tried to crush me.. I did not give her time to breathe. I started moving. It was fast and hard.
Isabella and Elara were with me. Isabella touched Zulaykhas lips with her fingers. Elara stood at the foot of the pedestal. She was using her book to make the shadows stronger.
Zulaykhas resistance broke. She started to move with me. Her body was hot. It was like she was on fire.
The end was violent. I felt something inside me ignite. It was like a brand. I pulled Zulaykhas hair back. I erupted inside her. It was like a flood. The brand went into her deep. It changed her.
The dark dome did not go away. It stayed. It turned the sand dunes into a wasteland of black glass. The heat of the sun was a memory. The only thing that was left was the sound of my heart beating through the sand.
The Mirage of Flesh disappeared. We were back on the sand dunes. The Sun-Fire Maidens were still there. They were huddled together in the dark. They looked up at me as I stepped out of the haze. Isabella and Elara were with me.. It was Zulaykha that made them quiet.
Zulaykha did not walk. She stumbled. Her legs were shaking. Her skin was marked with my cum. The proud Sultana was gone. In her place was a woman who looked empty. Her eyes were fixed on my boots. She was devoted, to me.
"Your Queen has found a sun " I said. My voice did not need to be loud. The 5.3% Divinity carried it across the sand dunes.
One of the Maidens, a girl with a scar on her nose stepped forward. Her glass scimitar was shaking. "What have you done to her? This is not the Flame of the South " she said.
I did not say anything. I looked at Zulaykha. "Tell them who you serve " I said to her.
Zulaykha sank to her knees in the sand. She touched her forehead to the glass. "The sun is not real " she whispered. Her voice was very sad. "There is the Master. There is the Shadow. You must. The dark will consume you."
The sound of breaking glass filled the air. The Sun-Fire Maidens dropped their weapons. They had no choice. It was getting colder. The only warm thing was the violet light coming from my skin. They crawled towards us. They were no longer proud. The eclipse was too much for them.
[CURSE STATUS: 5.4% DIVINITY]
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: SOLAR CALIPHATE ANNEXATION. COMPLETE.]
[NEW ASSET: THE GLASS LEGION (Archers with Void-Infused Sun-Glass).]
I looked at the capital of the Caliphate. It was a city of ivory and gold. Now it was just a shadow against the violet sky. Isabella leaned in close to me. Her cold breath touched my ear.
"The South is yours My King " she said. "The map is all black from the coast to the coast.. The Gods are starting to wake up. They do not like it when people do not follow the rules."
"Let them wake up " I said. My hand was on the back of Zulaykhas head. "I am tired of playing games. If they want their world back they will have to come and take it from me."
I turned my back on the sun that would never rise again. The first part of my story was. It was very brutal. The continent was no longer kingdoms. It was one place, like a bedroom.