CHAPTER 6: RISING VOICES
The desert winds howl around them as they finally reach the towering Palace of the Sand Kingdom — its golden walls half-buried beneath shifting dunes, banners fluttering weakly in the heat.
The moment the guards catch sight of them, rifles are raised. The air turns sharp, trembling with tension.
Aren lifts his hands slightly.
Aren: "Woah, woah—what's happening?"
Eve (calmly): "They want to kill us. Are you ready?"
Aren (smirking faintly): "Always ready."
He breathes slowly, eyes narrowing.
(thinking): If my power really brings imagination to life… then—let a giant serpent rise and devour them all.
Before the soldiers can react, Eve vanishes — the air around her twisting with whispers and faint echoes.
She reappears amidst them, voice barely a murmur:
Eve (quietly): "Rising Voices."
Instantly, the soldiers freeze—then their faces twist with terror. Sweat pours down their temples. They drop their guns and sprint away as if chased by invisible horrors, their screams fading into the desert winds.
The ground trembles.
From beneath the dunes, a massive serpent of sand and shadow bursts forth, its roar shaking the palace gates. In one colossal gulp, it devours the fleeing soldiers — and vanishes back into the ground like it never existed.
Eve (startled): "What… did you do?"
Aren (confused): "I didn't do anything… tbh."
Eve's gaze sharpens, her mind racing.
(thinking): He's unaware. But this isn't simple imagination. It's something far more dangerous…
The wind calms. The silence after chaos feels heavier than before.
Eve: "Let's proceed."
Aren: "Sure."
Their shadows stretch long beneath the dying sun as they walk toward the palace gates — unaware that their every step is echoing through the realm of gods.