Ten minutes earlier, at the edge of the Khal'gur Desert.
Every step the Shieldbreaker Party took sank slightly into the sand, boots scraping, armor clinking, breaths growing heavier with each passing minute.
The late morning sun burned high above, merciless and bright, turning the desert into a sea of blinding gold. Heat shimmered over the dunes, warping the horizon until distance felt like a lie. They had been walking for hours.
The route to their target—the sand wyrm—cut across open desert, and according to the map, the beast was still a few kilometers away. Unfortunately, the desert didn't care about maps.
Kiel wiped sweat from his forehead with exaggerated flair and fanned himself like a dying noble.
"This is hell," he groaned. "Absolute, undeniable hell. Why did boss take Molly with him? Is he punishing us for something?"
Maddy didn't even slow down.
"Would you stop acting like a child?" she snapped, though there was a hint of concern beneath her sharp tone. "We're here for a mission, not a vacation."
Kiel kicked a small mound of sand. "At least if boss left Molly with us, we could travel faster."
Ulon let out a loud laugh that echoed across the dunes.
"Ha! Don't be ridiculous," he said. "Without boss around, Molly can't do anything. She's a picky eater and stubborn as hell once she didn't like something."
Kiel groaned louder. "Aaahhh…the heat's killing me."
"Then save your energy," Maddy replied, "by keeping your mouth shut."
She glanced back and slowed her pace slightly, her eyes settling on Petra, who walked a few steps behind them. Petra was fully armored, black metal plates gleaming under the sun, yet she moved steadily, her breathing calm.
"Look at Petra," Maddy said. "Full armor, no complaints."
She softened her voice just a little. "You doing okay, Petra?"
Petra stiffened, surprised by the attention, then nodded quickly.
"Y–yes," she said, voice timid but clear. "This armor was specially made. It has high heat tolerance… and cooling enchantments."
Kiel stared at her armor.
"…So your armor is better prepared than I am."
Ulon grinned. "Figures. Malvury Fortress was built between sea and desert, and the temperature there was far more hellish than this. It's no wonder their armor was built differently."
Kiel sighed, "Lucky."
Their banter continued as they pressed on, footsteps crunching softly against sand, when suddenly—
Shalotte raised his hand.
The motion was hesitant and slightly off-balance. He nearly tripped over his own foot, arms flailing for a second before he steadied himself. Everyone stopped.
Maddy turned immediately. "Did we arrive?"
Shalotte shook his head, eyes scanning the dunes.
"No," she said carefully. "But I think… we're being stalked."
Kiel spun around, squinting hard at the empty desert.
"Stalked?" he repeated. "By what? Sand ghosts?"
He frowned. "Are you hallucinating already, Shal?"
"I'm not," Shalotte insisted. "I can't see it, but I feel it. Like… something's watching us."
Kiel squinted again. "I see nothing but sand."
Ulon cracked his neck and grinned.
"Then maybe it's hiding underneath."
Kiel froze. "…Why would you say that?"
Ulon shrugged. "If it's the sand wyrm, that's good news. Saves us the trouble of tracking it."
Maddy shot him a glare. "Don't encourage him."
After a while, a rocky formation came into view ahead—dark, jagged shapes rising from the sand like broken teeth.
Kiel brightened instantly. "Let's rest over there for a bit!"
Maddy snorted. "What a wimp."
She turned to Shalotte. "Deputy boss. Your call."
Shalotte looked up at the sun, shielding his eyes. It was still high, relentless.
"…A short rest," he decided. "We'll replenish water and move again."
"Sounds good to me!" Ulon said.
Petra nodded quietly in agreement.
They approached the formation, but as they drew closer, something felt wrong. The rocks weren't random—they curved inward, forming a jagged, spiky fence that blocked the view beyond.
Kiel's curiosity got the better of him.
"I'll take a peek," he said, already hopping up.
"Wait—" Maddy started.
Too late.
Kiel jumped, grabbed a rock edge, and pulled himself up just enough to look inside. His eyes widened.
The center of the formation opened into a wide hollow, half-swallowed by drifting sand and long shadows cast by the jagged rocks above. Bones littered the ground—human skulls, broken ribs, beast claws, and shapes that didn't belong to anything Kiel wanted to identify. They were half-buried, bleached pale by sun and time, crunching softly under shifting sand. At the center rose a low mound, uneven and still, like a nest patiently waiting to be disturbed.
Kiel leaned forward, eyes wide.
"Guys, loo—"
The sand exploded.
The ground burst upward in a violent spray, grains stinging skin and armor as a massive shape tore free. A long, serpentine body surged out, its form constantly shifting, coated in dense layers of sand that slid and reformed like flowing water. A wide maw opened mid-lunge, rows of jagged teeth briefly visible before sand rushed back over them.
It lunged straight at Kiel.
"MOVE!" Maddy screamed.
Kiel yelped and threw himself backward without thinking. He hit the ground hard and rolled just as the creature blasted past where he'd been standing, its massive body carving a trench through the sand. A heartbeat later, it plunged back beneath the surface, vanishing like a fish slipping into water.
Sand settled. Silence followed—broken only by Kiel's heavy breathing.
Ulon burst out laughing, already hefting his mace.
"Well," he said loudly, eyes shining, "looks like we found our target!"
Maddy spun toward him. "This isn't funny!" Then she frowned, eyes scanning the disturbed sand. "Is that really the wyrm? Its body was covered in sand—I couldn't see anything clearly."
Kiel scrambled to his feet, brushing sand out of his hair.
"Wyrm or not," he said, trying to sound brave while his voice cracked just a little, "we still have to kill it."
He glanced at Shalotte. "Shal—support!"
Shalotte startled, nearly dropping his staff.
"O–okay!" he said quickly.
"Gravity Fall!"
His staff lit up in a soft purple glow, runes pulsing unevenly as he poured mana into the spell. A wave of violet light washed over the group, and suddenly their bodies felt lighter, movements sharper, as if gravity itself had loosened its grip.
"Whoa," Ulon said, hopping once. "I feel bouncy."
"Focus!" Maddy snapped.
Their eyes locked onto the sand ahead as the ground began to shift again. A moving mound raced toward them, fast and erratic.
Ulon cracked his neck. "My turn."
"Hylomorphia!"
Silver light surged from his mace and spread across his body, hardening his skin into gleaming metal. He grinned wildly.
"Let's get this party started!"
He charged and leapt straight at the moving mound.
The sand burst upward again, revealing a massive maw lined with jagged teeth. Ulon met it head-on, swinging his mace down with a shout. Metal slammed against teeth in a deafening crash—but a blast of compressed sand erupted from the creature's side and struck him midair.
"HEY—!"
Ulon was sent flying, tumbling through the air before crashing into the sand several meters away.
"ULON!" Maddy shouted.
"I'm fine!" his voice echoed. "I think. Ask me later!"
Shalotte raised his staff again, panic creeping into his movements.
"Stone Pillar!"
The ground shook as several thick pillars of stone erupted upward, forming an uneven cage around the creature. Sand sprayed everywhere as the wyrm thrashed against them.
Petra took a breath, gripping her scythe tightly.
"I—I'll go!" she said, voice shaking but determined.
She leapt high, armor clanking, scythe raised overhead.
The creature twisted unnaturally, its body thinning and flowing like liquid. It slipped cleanly between the stone pillars and lunged straight at Petra, maw opening wide.
Petra's eyes widened. She planted her feet mid-air instinctively, rotating her scythe in front of her.
"Eclipse!"
The scythe spun faster and faster, forming a black circular shield that hummed with power. The maw crashed into it, sparks flying as teeth scraped against the barrier. Petra cried out, boots skidding backward as she was pushed down midair and through the sand.
Maddy vanished.
In a blur of motion, she reappeared at the creature's neck, blades already glowing.
"Aetherblade!"
She slashed cleanly through where its neck should have been.
Nothing.
Her blade passed through like it was cutting smoke.
"What—?" Maddy muttered, landing and twisting away as the creature surged past her.
Kiel loosed an arrow on instinct. It flew straight through the creature's body and vanished into the sand beyond.
He stared.
"…Is this a wyrm," he muttered, "or a ghost?"