First Meeting

Kael's breath caught in his throat as he took in the voice of the figure before him. There was something about their presence that sent a chill down to his bones, as if this encounter was never meant to happen.

After their ominous remark, the figure fell silent. Somehow, Kael knew exactly what they meant. Standing before them, he felt like he was facing Shukran — knowing he could be killed in a matter of seconds.

An interminable silence stretched across the already quiet night. Neither of them spoke or moved. Kael stared at the figure and...

Suddenly, his fear dissipated. It was a strange, quick feeling, or more accurately, the abrupt vanishing of a feeling. He couldn't quite put it into words. But his legs stopped trembling, his breath steadied, and the rigidness melted away.

Something clicked inside him. Like facing Shukran, this wasn't the first time he'd encountered something extraordinary or someone out of the ordinary. Still, common sense would have told him to be terrified, especially with this figure in front of him.

Yet the feeling of fear vanished, leaving Kael with clarity. Was this figure worse than a supernatural voice that could control the wind or a mad Ramalkin? Perhaps. But that didn't help the situation. Kael took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he saw with clear sight.

The figure — whoever it was — was definitely female. She was small, smaller than him, and a few strands of blue hair peeked out from beneath her hood. By her size and voice, she could pass for a child, but Kael instinctively knew that couldn't be the case.

No child exuded such a sense of danger and bloodlust.

The girl under the hood seemed to notice the sudden shift in Kael's gaze and posture. She tilted her head.

"What did you just do?" she asked, her voice playful, yet tinged with an unyielding coldness.

Kael glanced around, making sure not to take his eyes off her for long. There was no one else. Everyone was in the tents, asleep. But why hadn't Shukran sensed her?

"Nothing special. Who are you?" Kael asked, his eyes drifting down to her feet. But her cloak didn't reach the ground.

And there, he found his answer. Just as he had seen before, something seemed off about the way these figures moved. And now he saw it again.

She was hovering. That's why Shukran hadn't been able to sense her vibrations.

"You had this wonderful look on your face," the girl remarked, and suddenly she was mere inches from Kael. Despite the proximity, all Kael could see under her hood was darkness.

Kael took a cautious step back to regain some distance, placing his foot down and then lifting it again, only to put it down again after a short time. Thankfully, the girl didn't seem to notice. Kael had to keep distracting her.

"What did you like about my look?" he asked, taking another step back, this time pressing firmly into the sand.

The girl floated closer, maintaining her proximity. "Fear. I like it. Why don't you have it anymore?"

Kael tried to hide a grimace.

"What's wrong with her?" he thought. He briefly considered calling for help but decided against it. Somehow, he was sure she could kill him with a single blink. He needed something faster. Someone faster.

To divert the girl's attention away from his feet, which had started rhythmically tapping the sand, he kept speaking. Two quick taps with his left, one long tap with his right, over and over again.

Creating the silent rhythm of an old song in Zephyria.

"Why? Should I be afraid of you?" he asked.

The girl giggled, crossing her arms playfully over her chest. "It's boring without fear!"

"What gets boring?" Kael asked absentmindedly, continuing to maintain the rhythm with his feet.

The girl lifted her hand, palm extended toward Kael. Something in the air shifted.

"Killing you," she said with the most innocent tone Kael had ever heard.

From his fights with Shukran, Kael had developed a kind of instinct. He knew exactly when he was about to get pummeled. Thanks to this instinct, he ducked just in time as a small but deadly hot lance of blue fire shot from the girl's palm like a drawn sword.

Kael's eyes widened. This girl wasn't just dangerous and psychopathic; she was also a Binder!

Kael rolled away as the girl swung the fire lance downward, hearing the sand, over which he has just stood a moment ago, sizzle and burn.

The girl laughed gleefully. "You're good at this! Let's play some more!"

To Kael's horror, their confrontation was still too quiet for anyone to hear. The blue fire made no sound, and while Kael rolled away on the sand, no one would detect it.

The first time, Kael had been lucky. But now, the girl seemed fired up. Before he could react, a hand appeared directly in front of his face.

Behind it, unseen by Kael, was the blue-haired girl, her demonic grin hidden under her hood.

"You've lost," she said, and then the blue light from her hand reflected in Kael's wide eyes.

The desert lit up.

And then a massive fist of pure sand slammed into the girl's side like a battering ram. She screamed, and as she was flung across the sand, the blue fire sputtered out from her hand.

Kael gasped at the sight. It would've melted his head clean off.

He looked at the hand that was now waving at him, and a second later, its master stood beside it.

Shukran was dressed only in cloth pants, and his eyes showed he had just woken up. But there was something different about his stance and gaze than when Kael had fought him before.

What Kael now saw, he realized, was the Ramalkin himself. The steely warrior who had seen the horrors of the Iron War and the Conduit of Talak, the divine Beast, focused and ready for battle.

Kael felt a wave of relief wash over him. Shukran had answered his distress call just in time. One more second, and he would've been dead.

"Boy!" Shukran called, urgency in his voice. "To me!"

Kael didn't hesitate and stood beside Shukran. Another hand shot from the sand, spreading protectively in front of Kael. The girl had been thrown at least ten meters back, and the blow should have broken all her ribs.

But to Kael's astonishment, though half-expected, the girl got back up. Her hood had fallen off, revealing her face, even in the darkness of night.

It was disturbing. Not because she was anything special, but the exact opposite. Apart from her blue hair, she had a completely ordinary face, just like any young girl, with chubby cheeks and innocent eyes. Freckles dotted her nose and below her eyes.

But a cold, thick smile spread across her face. Kael felt a chill run down his spine. This little girl had just tried to kill him—and had the time of her life doing it.

"Who are you?" Shukran yelled at her, taking a fighting stance that Kael had never seen the old man use before.

The girl's grin faded at the sight of the Ramalkin.

"A naked old man! I hate naked old men!" she hissed back.

Shukran smiled crookedly but did not lose focus. "Tough luck, young lady. I'm not just any naked old man."

"Seriously? That's your cool line?" Kael thought.

The girl flushed red and pouted a little. But then she looked at Kael again and grinned.

"Sorry, sweet boy. Next time, we'll continue playing."

Shukran reacted immediately, refusing to let the assailant get away. He charged forward, but suddenly, the girl erupted in a storm of blue flames.

The Ramalkin's advance was abruptly halted, and both he and Kael shielded their eyes with their hands to avoid being blinded.

The girl vanished in a flash of blue flames, leaving behind only the faint glow of embers and a swirl of disturbed sand. Kael watched as the fiery light flickered out, his heart pounding in his chest.

He turned to Shukran, whose stern face betrayed an edge of concern, his eyes scanning the dark dunes.

"She's gone," Kael said, his voice tinged with a mixture of relief and lingering alertness.

"For now," Shukran replied, his tone cautious.

Kael felt his muscles tensing. He took a deep breath, glancing around at the darkness that cloaked the desert. The sounds of movement began to fill the night as people stirred from their tents, their groggy murmurs breaking the silence.

But nothing else happened. The girl was gone.

"Are you all right, boy?" Shukran asked.

Kael nodded. He didn't know what had just happened. Why did things keep happening that he hadn't expected? And why did they always almost kill him?

After Kael's confirmation, Shukran's tension also eased.

"I couldn't sense her at all, even when I stood right in front of her," Shukran said, furrowing his brow.

"She floated," Kael replied.

"Floating? I know of no divine Beast that would grant that ability."

Only now that it was over could Kael somewhat process what just happened. He would've been dead, burnt to a crisp, if Shukran hadn't shown up just in time. How did a little girl like her even get an ability like this?

And why was it so menacing?

Shukran sighed, and the two sand hands around them crumbled. He looked over at Kael.

"Why did you engage her?" he asked.

Kael sighed too. He had had enough of mysterious figures and voices.

"If I'd called for help, she might've killed me on the spot. I'm only alive because she wanted to play with me. Crazy thing. But you heard my distress call. Luckily."

Shukran nodded in agreement. "Smart decision."

Then he smiled a little. "'The Terror of the Desert.' That song was always sung in my childhood, when the war raged."

Kael nodded too. "My mother sang it to me often. I couldn't think of anything better to get your attention."

Shukran grimaced. "I was almost too late."

He put a hand on Kael's shoulder. "Sorry, boy. I seem to be getting old."

Kael shook his head. "You came," he said, and then a grin spread across his face. "And you gave that brat a good thrashing."

The noise had now woken the others, and slowly, some of them emerged from the tents, walking with tired steps. When Ammar also stepped out and saw Shukran and Kael, he immediately sprinted over.

As his father approached, Kael turned back to Shukran.

"Was that the work of the voice?" he asked, but Shukran shook his head in disagreement.

"Impossible."

Kael wanted to ask why he thought that, but his father was already in front of him, his forehead glistening with sweat. He grabbed Kael by the shoulders and shook him.

"Kael!" His voice sounded almost distressed. "What happened? It sounded like a fight!"

By now, Lyla and Safiya were also making their way over to the three. Kael glanced at Shukran, who nodded.

Kael took a deep breath.

"Well..." he began, "I seem to be in high demand with the ladies."