My name… is Axel Vorous, Great Abisai. And I am here to become a Shavrak.
…
"Heh. Good."
I smiled before I realized I was smiling. My second mind was already unraveling the deeper thread—Intisak's intentions, the angles, the foresight. Everything… plans layered beneath plans. Even when he seemed impulsive, there was design. Even in half-truths, direction. He was guiding me while ensuring I believed I was choosing my own steps.
A perfect leader.
"Come, Axel Vorous. Follow dem winds again. Abisai will test your sands."
I nodded sharply and resumed my march, again facing the storm head-on. I didn't sprint this time. Not even a jog. If there truly was a trial ahead, then I needed every shred of endurance I could conserve.
So I walked.
Minutes of silence passed. Then more. Perhaps an hour. Perhaps longer. Time blurred in storms like this. The winds hammered endlessly against the lands, reshaping the black dunes beneath me with every gust.
And then, at last---
"Child."
