When Kay woke, he jolted slightly—two women lay curled in his arms, one on each side. Their robes were still neat, no evidence of intimacy, but his hands had wandered in his sleep, resting on each of them.
Marina was gone; only Phil, Lina, and he remained in the tent. He carefully slipped his hands free, straightened his crumpled robe, and cast a simple Cleansing Aura—his most-used spell in this sand world, a substitute for the Water Sphere he'd never learned.
As he stood, Lina stirred awake, her discipline unshakable. Phil groaned and stretched, but no one lingered—every apprentice had a task. To escape this world, they had to finish what the official Dark Mages had ordered.
"The Vice-Deans are relying on high-level apprentices and quasi-mages," Phil said, pulling on a clean undergarment. "Mid-tier and low-tier apprentices like you? Just cannon fodder. The spatial generators at both camps are 70% complete—another two months, and we'll be done."
Kay frowned. "What are the Elemental Orbs for, exactly?"
"Fuel for the generators," Phil replied. "Quasi-mages brought 30 each; high-level apprentices, 10. You mid-tiers only got 1—probably because they don't trust you." She paused. "Each generator needs over 150 Orbs. They split them up so if one quasi-mage dies, the whole mission doesn't fail."
She'd pieced this together from Zorro, other quasi-mages, and her own guesses—sharp as ever, even if she hated studying magic.
Kay's hand moved to his spatial ring, where over a dozen Orbs waited. Phil grabbed his wrist, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Hide them. Zorro mentioned—they might be our ticket back if the generators fail. If we can't open a portal, the Dark Mages on the other side will need Orbs to locate us. Ten's the minimum for a signal—more means a better chance."
Apprentices had started hoarding Orbs once the generators' quota was met. No Dark Mage trusted others with their survival. Only bonds like Kay and Lina's might make someone share—and even then, self-preservation came first.
Phil smirked. "Lina and I just scraped together ten. We were gonna help you… turns out you're already set."
"Found them on other apprentices," Kay said, thinking of Mali and Stanson. He'd lost track of them after entering the camp—he hoped they'd found a place to rest.
When they reached Zorro's tent, he handed Kay a modified crystal ball. "Its range is a third of what it was, but it'll cover the camp—and just barely reach the other outpost."
Kay hesitated, then asked, "Is there a chance the generators will fail?" The high-level apprentice at the gate, Phil's urgency—something felt off.
Zorro glanced outside, then leaned in. "A 40% chance of failure. The shifting dunes keep changing the camps' coordinates. We send scouts out daily to map, but it's not enough. Even if we do everything right… it'll come down to the Vice-Deans and our mentors on the other side." He smiled faintly. "They spent too much to send us here. I think it'll work. The Orbs are just a backup."
Kay relaxed—though he didn't mention the black handle Moses had hidden for him. A backup for the backup, just in case.
Two kilometers from camp, Kay and Lina knelt in the sand, their crystal balls recording terrain data. Having Zorro's protection helped—he'd assigned them safe, easy tasks, far from the most dangerous scouting routes.
Fifteen days had passed since Kay arrived. He'd grown used to camp life—even mages needed company. Solitude in the desert had gnawed at him; now, the buzz of other apprentices felt almost comforting.
He finished documenting the dunes and nodded to Lina. "Let's head back."
Danger lurked everywhere. He'd seen a massive sandstorm in the distance—its roar and the way it tore through dunes made him feel tiny. He doubted even an official Dark Mage could stand against it. Phil and Lina had told him of a smaller storm two months prior—two high-level apprentices had been swept away, never to return.
Lina walked silently beside him, her face as cold as ever. Only when she met his eyes did a faint softness show—her way of letting him know she cared.
Back at camp, Kay reported to Zorro, then followed Lina to a small tent on the east side. Inside, an elderly high-level apprentice sat cross-legged, stirring a jar of green liquid.
"Senior Mordy," Kay said, "I want to learn to grow Elemental Mushrooms. This is my offer." He set two low-tier magical artifacts on the ground—plant-element gear, useless to him but valuable to Mordy.
Mordy was back at the academy, but here? He was indispensable. He and a handful of plant mages grew all the camp's food—Elemental Mushrooms and a rare "Seven-Lemon Bread Tree." The tree's cultivation was his secret, but the mushrooms… Kay hoped he could trade for it.
Food magic wasn't glamorous, but Kay knew it was useful. Phil and Zorro dismissed it—they relied on potions and spatial rings—but Kay wanted the skill. You never knew when you'd be stranded without supplies.
Mordy's eyes flicked to the artifacts, then to Kay. "My unlucky junior brother… did the sand take him? Or something else?"
"I found him as a mummy," Kay said, calm.
Mordy nodded, no more questions. He tapped the artifacts. "Not enough."
Kay hesitated, then pulled out Mali's old staff and 300 Black Gold coins. The staff was a mid-tier gem—Mordy's eyes lit up. He swept the coins back to Kay and grinned. "That works. I'll teach you the mushrooms. And if you add a little more… I'll throw in a plant-cultivation manual." His voice dropped to a rasping chuckle.
On their way back to their tent, Kay and Lina passed more apprentices—nearly 20 mid-tiers had arrived since Kay. The Dark Mages must have sent another group. He wondered if low-tiers and beginners were next… and if his friends Bowser and Merry were still alive.
"Growing Elemental Mushrooms isn't hard," Kay said to Lina. "Want to try my cooking tonight?"
"Sure," she said softly.
He hesitated. "Do you want to learn? I think it's useful."
Lina thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
Unlike Phil or Zorro, she saw value in practical skills—just like Kay. Together, they'd survive this world.
Three months had passed since Kay arrived at the camp. When he'd first gotten here, Senior Sister Phil had said the spatial generator would be ready in two months—but the deadline had long since passed. Zorro's increasingly furrowed brows and the camp's frantic, nonstop scouting missions made one thing clear: the delay would drag on longer.
More apprentices had trickled in since Kay's arrival. His camp alone now held around 50 people, and the other outpost likely had a similar number. After finishing his scouting task that day, Kay spotted several new faces—low-tier apprentices, a sign the official Dark Mages had finally run out of patience. Even the weakest of them had been tossed into this desert.
Unsurprisingly, their Elemental Orbs had been seized by the high-tier apprentices the moment they arrived. Kay scanned the crowd for Bowser and Merry, but they were nowhere to be seen. He lingered only a moment before heading back to his tent.
By dinner, Lina, Phil, and Marina—the high-tier female apprentice—had returned. The aroma of mushroom soup filled the tent, but it didn't whet anyone's appetite. Phil groaned. "Mushrooms again? Seriously?"
They'd eaten mushrooms more than half the time for three months. Even the most delicious dish would grow stale.
"If you're tired of them, go trade with the other plant mages," Kay said, not looking up from the soup he was simmering with a Fire Bolt. "I saw new mid-tier and low-tier apprentices today. They must have supplies to survive the desert—maybe you'll find something you like."
Phil. "I'm sick of their plants too. And they're all greedy, trying to milk me for artifacts like I'm a walking supply shop. Besides, the low-tiers' stuff was looted before I even got there. You're the only one who spices things up, junior brother. What'd you add today?" She leaned in, curious.
"Vine shavings. And a little minced meat."
"Meat?!" Phil's eyes lit up.
The meat wasn't human—Kay wasn't that twisted. It was dried monster meat, a gift from Mali. Earlier that day, Mali and Stanson had been the first to rob the new low-tier apprentices, quick and ruthless. They'd shared a cut with the other high-tiers, so no one had complained.
Mali and Stanson weren't "good" by any standard—but in a camp of Dark Mages, "good" was a laughable concept. Still, Kay had to admit they kept their word. Mali had promised to repay Kay for saving their lives, and though Kay had brushed it off, Mali had shown up with the meat that morning.
In this desert, food was gold. A third of a nutrient potion for a palm-sized piece of dried meat seemed fair—but Mali had left looking like he still owed Kay a debt. Kay hadn't eaten it all at once; a mage knew better than to waste resources. He'd ground it into mince, enough to flavor their meals for a month.
Marina joined them at the table. Kay hadn't slept with her, but after three months of sharing a tent, his initial dislike had faded. He'd even learned Water Sphere from her—simple as the spell was, it had been a lifesaver. In return, he'd fed her for three months.
Over soup, Phil dropped a bombshell. "The seniors are merging the two camps. Turns out the twin-generator plan was a failure—it doesn't work in this sand world. And the official Dark Mages are losing patience. The quasi-mages who can contact them got a final deadline."
Kay sipped his soup. "How long do we have?"
Phil glanced at Lina and Marina, then lowered her voice. "Three months."
The deadline lit a fire under the camp. Even Kay—protected by Zorro—was forced to take on longer, riskier scouting missions. In just half a month, the two camps merged, and the total number of apprentices topped 100. A few more low-tiers arrived, but no beginners. Still no sign of Bowser or Merry. Kay's heart grew heavier.
Two months later, Kay stopped going on missions. Thanks to Zorro, he now helped Phil maintain the magical equipment in the central tent. Maybe it was the pressure from the Dark Mages, or just luck—two quasi-mages had finally locked onto the Sand World's coordinates and contacted the Wizarding World. Zorro said the generator would activate in two weeks. They'd use all their Elemental Orbs, and the Dark Mages on the other side would stabilize the portal.
Finally—they'd be going home. Kay felt a weight lift off his shoulders. But as the activation date neared, he noticed a gray storm brewing on the edge of the desert. A shadow settled over many apprentices. A dozen had gone to scout it, including a quasi-mage and two high-tiers. They'd reported the storm wouldn't hit the camp—but no one trusted "no accidents" in this world.
For Kay and the other apprentices, half a year had passed in the Sand World. But for the Dark Mages waiting in Shadow Valley (in the Underdark), a full year had gone by. As the portal's activation neared, the mages grew restless—even Vice-Deans Martin and Jonny, who'd stayed calm for so long, felt their nerves fray.
"Nothing will go wrong this time, right?" Jonny said to Martin. "Word is the Holy Tower Mages took over several Underdark exits to the surface. It feels like they're targeting us."
"Too late for them now," Martin said confidently. "Our Mentor has left Menzoberranzan. Once we open the portal and he retrieves the dead Tier 4 creature's core—absorbs its earth-element power, grasps its laws—he'll return as a Tier 4 Dark Mage. Unless the Holy Tower's Lord comes himself, no one can stop us."
Martin was stronger than most Dark Mages guessed—he'd secretly advanced to Tier 3 a century ago. His higher life level and his Mentor's impending Tier 4 breakthrough let him see secrets others didn't. For example: Tier 4+ beings were forbidden from fighting on a large scale in the Wizarding World. Their power was too destructive—it would devastate ordinary creatures and even warp the plane's rules.
In the Astral Sea and most primitive planes, Tier 4 beings were called "gods." Many weak planes couldn't even sustain one. Martin didn't know how many Tier 4+ beings existed in the Wizarding World, but he knew the "Black Towers"—built by Tier 4+ Dark Mages in the Black Domain—numbered in the hundreds.
Jonny relaxed. She didn't trust anyone, but she trusted the Dean—the Lord of Menzoberranzan. He was a monster who'd once fought off a Tier 4 Dark Mage's pursuit while still at Tier 3 Peak. If that Tier 4 Mage hadn't ambushed him during his breakthrough (causing elemental backlash), he would've advanced long ago. Now, his last hope for Tier 4 rested on the dead alien Tier 4 creature—and a plan a century in the making.
"How did that Tier 4 creature die in another world… and leave a spatial rift here in the Underdark?" Jonny asked, voicing a question she'd had for a hundred years.
Martin chuckled. "A fool who stumbled into the Wizarding World through a rift. The Summer Guardian passed by and killed it, then tossed the corpse back into the void. Our Mentor has connections in the Beren Empire—they told him there might be unpatched rifts here. And since the alien was earth-aspected… he came to gamble."
With success within reach, Martin had loosened up—but he kept some secrets. He didn't say who in the Beren Empire had tipped off his Mentor. Those were his faction's most guarded truths, a reminder that the Black Domain's Dark Mages had always had murky ties to the Wizarding World's top powers like the Beren Empire.
A rhythmic hum filled the air around the apprentice camp. Powered by hundreds of Elemental Orbs and countless magical devices, an oval blue portal began to form in midair. Kay and most apprentices stared up, elated—until a deafening boom shattered the moment.
The sound came from the other side of the portal—something had gone wrong with the Dark Mages in the Underdark. A violent tremor rippled through the portal, knocking over tents and magical equipment, sending sand flying dozens of meters high. Miraculously, the generator had already locked onto the Underdark's signal; the portal held—for now.
Confused apprentices climbed out of the sand, covered in dust, staring at the chaos. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
A quasi-mage reacted first—Kay knew him as Rock, one of the camp's strongest. Even Zorro deferred to him sometimes; he was Martin's man. Rock knew Levitation—a spell most high-tiers never bothered to learn. He grabbed his staff, flew into the portal, and vanished.
Before anyone else could follow, Rock stumbled back out—panic etched on his face. He was too slow.
A towering pillar of flame erupted from the portal, swallowing half his body. His eyes wide with disbelief, he waved one arm weakly—then went limp. He'd died never knowing what hit him.
The fire didn't stop. It poured into the Sand World, turning into a rain of flames that cut down apprentices gathered around the portal. This wasn't Tier 1 magic—not even close. Kay had seen his Mentor Moses fight Master Catherson (the plantation mage); formal mages were powerful, but nothing like this.
The apprentices froze. The portal, once stable, now cracked like glass. And the fire was just the start—next, a violent hurricane roared out of the rift, tearing the portal to shreds and leveling the camp around it.