"Duke, why is that person blue?"
Kaisa's eyes were sharp, and with the advantage of altitude, her vision was wide. From high above, she clearly saw the massive Domman behemoth below—and on its back, perched like fleas, the Domman beast riders.
"Blue skin?"
Duke raised a brow, glanced downward, and immediately noticed him as well—sitting cross-legged on a rope net hanging from the creature's side, a man with a sand-wind scarf wrapped around his head.
His skin was blue, patterned with black tattoos. He wore only loose trousers; his torso was bare, his features rugged, his gaze steady—carrying the weight of many lifetimes.
When Duke looked down, the man raised his head at the exact same moment.
Their eyes met.
Duke lifted a hand and waved through the window.
Kaisa blinked in confusion. "He can see you?"
"Whether he can see me or not is one thing. But someone like him deserves a measure of respect."
The airship drifted through the sky toward Soangsa, gradually leaving the Domman behemoth behind.
"Edith, activate stealth mode."
"Switching to silent flight. I don't want anyone else spotting my airship."
"Understood, boss."
Edith deployed silent systems—hiding the vessel's shape, suppressing engine noise—making it impossible for anyone on the ground to detect them.
...
On the Domman Behemoth
"What a magnificent creation…"
Karah watched the distant floating airship, awe shining in her eyes.
Ryze stared after it as well—but in his gaze were memory and relief.
The first time he had seen an airship, Shurima's sun had not yet fallen.
Now, a thousand years later, he was seeing that miracle again.
It filled him with wonder at humanity's ambition and drive, but also reminded him of the heavy burden on his shoulders.
A world this beautiful must not be allowed to die.
The world-runes had to remain hidden—buried as forgotten dust in the annals of history.
They must never surface again.
Ryze tore his gaze from the sky and looked toward the far western horizon.
Somewhere out there was what he had come to reclaim.
Coincidentally, it seemed the airship was heading west as well.
Was it chance—or destiny?
Ryze did not know.
He only knew one thing: find It, reclaim It, and bury It.
"Ryze!"
Karah's call brought him back. The mage turned to her. "What is it, Karah?"
"Do you believe in destiny?"
Karah's tone was solemn, with emotions he couldn't decipher.
"Destiny, hmm…"
Ryze stroked the beard on his chin, chuckling. "The river of fate is never visible to mortals. But everything is priced and marked long before the beginning."
"My mother was a seer," Karah said softly, eyes filled with remembrance. "On my tenth naming day, she told me that in my future, I would meet a blue-skinned mage."
"One destined to travel on a journey with me."
She studied Ryze's features—his skin, his face—and smiled.
"Now I've found him."
"Well, that's quite the message," Ryze muttered, turning his gaze forward, his eyes shadowed by something unreadable.
...
Nightfall
"Looks like we've reached it—the northwest edge of Shurima."
Duke stood by the porthole, staring down at a gaping abyss. Sand and dust spiraled within it like a bottomless maw waiting to devour the world.
"Only fools or the suicidal come here," Sivir said beside him, leaning forward to admire the view. Kaisa also stood silently, taking in the sight.
Golden sand surged over the stone like a flowing river. Centuries of erosion had carved countless channels.
Like water cascading into the sea, the sands poured endlessly into the massive pit.
The sight stunned Kaisa—grand, wild, overwhelming.
She had fought her whole life in tunnels and darkness. Never had she witnessed something like this.
"It's… beautiful."
As Kaisa murmured, Sivir rolled her eyes like an experienced guide.
"Girl, the first time you see the Soangsa Sandfall, it'll shake your soul."
"But beneath that sand? Nothing but bones."
She pointed to a section of the channels below.
There, sand-tribes were kneeling before the sandfall—throwing offerings into it.
Kaisa examined closely.
Gold, silver, spices, grain…
Even livestock.
Even people.
"What are they doing?"
"Tradition," Sivir snorted. "Some idiots believe the Sandfall connects mortals to the gods—that the ascended will hear their prayers and bless them."
"So they toss their treasures in as offerings."
She shook her head. "A bunch of brainless fools."
"And the reckless ones you mentioned earlier?" Kaisa asked.
Sivir pointed toward a hidden dune.
"Look there."
A camp—people entering and exiting constantly.
"Scavengers and treasure hunters. They dive under the sandfall to retrieve whatever the idiots throw in."
"Most die. But greed never stops them."
Sivir snorted. "Idiots offering to idiots chasing offerings. Truly a cycle of stupidity."
"If we're talking about people who'd risk everything for money," Duke cut in dryly, "aren't you the same? Someone dug up her ancestor's tomb for a reward. If your ancestor didn't have a lingering spirit left, you would've dug him up too."
"Hmph."
Sivir folded her arms. "That was the past. I don't throw away my life for cash anymore."
"Let's hope you learned something."
Duke patted her shoulder and stepped to the console.
"Edith, release the fireflies."
[0 ········· Seeking flowers ····· 0]
"Scan the Soangsa Sandfall. There should be a hidden maze inhabited by deformed beings adapted to darkness."
"Understood, boss. Releasing fireflies now."
The side hatch opened, and swarms of firefly drones streamed out like a glittering river, diving toward the sandfall.
"So what exactly are you doing here?" Sivir asked, leaning against the window.
Duke retrieved his Ant-Armor. He smiled.
"I'm here to find two stones. They're crucial for my next phase of research."
"What kind of stones?" Sivir sniffed the air—she could smell lies.
"Stones with research value," Duke said bluntly, pushing her away.
He shed his lab coat and equipped his Ant-Armor.
"For the next part, I'm going alone. You two wait here."
Kaisa nodded. "Fine by me."
"I won't be gone more than a night. If something happens, I'll notify you."
"Then go."
Duke sealed his helmet, left the cockpit, and stepped into the ejection capsule.
With a hiss—the capsule launched, firing Duke straight into the sandfall.
Weightlessness overtook him as he plummeted.
He crossed his arms, bracing for impact—
Boom!
The capsule pierced the sand current and plunged into the sand sea.
Edith's voice came through immediately.
"Boss, the fireflies found the maze."
"Location?"
"Nine o'clock, three kilometers."
"Got it."
With sand pouring in and the capsule crushed under pressure, Duke shrank himself, fired his thrusters, and blasted free of the collapsing shell.
He shot upward through the sand sea, speeding toward the hidden labyrinth—the one containing the world-rune.
Inside the Maze
Boom.
The tremor shook the entire chamber.
A sleeping being awoke—its skin seething with molten magma, flames licking across its body.
Brand opened his eyes, gazing toward the source.
"That idiot again?"
"Hmph. Defective creature."
His vision pierced the stone walls, into the magically protected chamber that held the thing he desired.
"Hurry up, Ryze…"
"Hurry. I'm waiting."
End of chapter....
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