Nightfall strangled the desert in its grip, the cold creeping in as the wind hissed through the dunes. The caravan moved as one, their footsteps crunching against the shifting sand. Every breath felt heavy, every shadow stretched too long.
Max's fingers curled into fists. 'There has to be a way out.' His mind clawed for a solution, but the weight of exhaustion made it hard to think.
Ash trailed behind, his sharp gaze cutting through the darkness. Then—his eyes widened.
'There.'
He vanished.
The next instant, he reappeared at the front, the air around him still humming from the afterimage of his movement.
"I see it!" His voice cut through the thick tension. "We're close!"
Ahead, the dunes gave way to jagged rock formations—the boundary. The end of Sandworm Valley.
A ripple of hope spread through the group. Their steps quickened, the distant escape pulling them forward.
Then—
A shudder beneath their feet.
Someone's voice broke. "It's... awake."
The cart trembled. A groan of shifting stone. The worm strapped to it—the Creature they thought they had beaten—was stirring.
Panic ignited. The caravan shattered into chaos.
People ran. A mad, desperate sprint. Sand kicked up in thick clouds, blurring their forms as they fled toward salvation.
Max's heart slammed against his ribs. "Wait! Don't go too—"
Crunch.
The sound didn't echo. It was swallowed.
A man at the front—gone.
One step too far. That's all it took.
The sand had opened beneath him, a maw of glistening teeth breaking the surface. A sandworm—not the one they carried—one that had been waiting.
It surged up, the man's scream severed before it fully formed. Blood misted the air. The worm's jagged maw clenched, crushing its prey before it slipped—slow, deliberate—back into the sand.
The desert fell silent.
The worm hadn't left. It was waiting. Watching.
And they were still in its territory.
Max's nails bit into his palms. His teeth ground together.
"Everyone—STAY STILL!" His voice ripped through the air.
Everything stopped.
The desert itself seemed to hold its breath.
The sand quivered beneath their feet. Something massive shifted in the deep.
Then, the sandworm rose.
A grotesque behemoth, its slick, eyeless head gleamed under the moonlight. Chitinous plates overlapped in uneven ridges, pulsing as if the creature itself was breathing. The thing didn't move, didn't attack—just loomed, silent and watching.
Kael stood too close. Far too close. Yet, he grinned.
"I've been waiting to fight you."
Max's gut twisted. Wrong. Something was wrong.
The worm… didn't strike.
It was waiting.
A sick realization crept up Max's spine, freezing the air in his lungs.
Then the sandworm turned its head—not at them—toward the endless abyss of Sandworm Valley.
Max spun toward Ash. His stomach dropped.
"Ash! Get everyone out—NOW!"
No hesitation.
[Activating Skill: Phantom's Stride]
Ash vanished. A blur through the dark, a phantom in motion. He grabbed people—ripping them from their spots, pulling them away, faster than the eye could follow.
Max turned back. "Kael, stop it! Don't let that thing escape!"
Kael's smirk faded. "Escape?"
The worm plunged into the earth.
A quake ripped through the valley. Sand surged in waves. The ground convulsed, splitting at the seams.
Max's blood turned cold.
No. No. No.
Then—
The world exploded.
Sand erupted in thick, suffocating clouds. The air filled with something far worse.
Screeches.
Deep, bone-chilling, ear-shattering screeches.
The dunes came alive.
Maws burst from the earth—not one. Not two.
Dozens.
A swarm.
Each one writhed, their gaping maws stretching wide—flesh-ripping, bone-crushing monstrosities.
Screams tore through the night.
Limbs disappeared into rows of jagged teeth. Blood spattered across shifting dunes. The scent of iron tainted the air.
The night had become a bloodbath.
The air was thick with the sounds of bodies being torn apart—the sickening crunch of bone, the wet slurp of flesh being consumed. The sand, once golden and untouched, was now stained deep red, gleaming in the moonlight like something alive.
Ash stood frozen. His chest tightened, his throat constricting with every scream, every desperate cry for mercy. He had seen death before, but never like this. Not with such ferocity, not with such speed. It wasn't even a fight. It was slaughter.
Then a sharp grip yanked him back.
Max's face, tight with fury, filled his vision. "Ash! Snap out of it! Get everyone out—NOW!"
The command tore through the haze in Ash's mind. His heart pounded in his ears.
[Activating Skill: Phantom's Stride]
Ash was a blur—a shadow among the chaos. He moved faster than the eye could follow, snatching up the survivors and dragging them away from the carnage. His feet barely touched the sand as he weaved through the wreckage—sliding past snapping jaws, dodging whips of sand that lashed at the air.
Every time he reached the edge of the valley, he would drop them, then vanish again—into the nightmare.
But it wasn't enough.
More were still dying.
Kael was fire incarnate.
He stood amid the chaos, his body ablaze, golden flames licking up his arms like serpents, his form a radiant, living inferno. A massive sandworm shot from the earth, mouth wide, ready to swallow him whole.
Kael didn't flinch.
He waited.
Then—BOOM.
A violent explosion of flames erupted from his hands, the sheer force of it turning the sand to glass. The worm's skull shattered like fragile bone, the creature convulsing in its death throes before crashing back to the earth, its body splitting and smoldering.
Kael let out a breath. "Next."
Another worm erupted from the ground, this one bigger, faster, meaner.
It struck in an instant.
Kael rolled away just in time, his body hitting the ground with a hard thud. He slammed his palms into the earth.
A wave of fire ripped through the valley—the air was suffocating, scorching. Sands melted under the intensity of the blast. The smell of charred flesh filled Ash's nose, mixing with the heavy stench of burning earth.
Still, the worms kept coming.
Too many.
Too fast.
The valley had become a graveyard, its sands consumed by monsters and the cries of the dying. Ash could only keep moving, pulling survivors from the abyss, one after the other—until he couldn't.
Max's eyes scanned the battlefield, desperation creeping in. The screams, the chaos—it was all too much. Too much.
He had no more tricks left. No more options.
And then, he saw them.
A small group of survivors—earth and ice users. They were battered, faces pale, eyes wide with terror. Weak, but alive.
Max's breath quickened. "You—can any of you fight?"
A young man, hands shaking, stepped forward. "I—I can move earth... but not much..."
Max's teeth ground together. "Then move it. Now."
The earth user hesitated, but the look in Max's eyes was enough. He gulped, his fingers curling into fists. Then he slammed them into the ground.
A massive jagged wall of stone shot up from the earth, blocking the path of an oncoming sandworm—if only for a moment.
It wasn't much—but it was something.
The ground trembled as the worm's massive head appeared, its grotesque mouth opening wide, snapping at the wall.
Not enough.
The others moved quickly. Ice users stepped forward, their hands raised in unison. A frigid wind howled through the air as they froze the ground beneath the worm, making it harder for the creature to burrow back under the earth.
Earth users followed, flinging jagged shards of rock, the sharp stones slamming into the worm's body, but it barely slowed.
It wasn't about winning.
It was about buying time.
Ash reappeared beside Max, his breath ragged, his skin slick with sweat. "Almost... done..."
Max barely heard him. His eyes were fixed on the battlefield, where the worms continued to rise, one after another.
Another scream shattered the night.
A young woman—one of the ice users—was snatched from the ground. Her body was lifted, arms flailing as she screamed for help.
Max's chest tightened, his muscles tensing. He pushed forward, toward her, but he was too slow.
The worm's mouth snapped shut with a deafening crack.
The woman's screams were silenced as her body disappeared into the abyss between the creature's jagged teeth. Blood sprayed across the sand, dark and slick.
Max's stomach churned. He turned away, his hands clenched into fists, his heart pounding with rage.
Kael's flames continued to burn—wild, untamed. Ash was a blur, moving faster than any man had a right to.
But Max knew the truth.
They weren't fast enough.
And the worms weren't stopping.
A shadow streaked across the battlefield. A heartbeat later, the sandworm's gaping maw snapped shut—on empty air. Ash had already vanished, his arms locked around the survivor as he tore through the valley like a phantom. Wind howled in his wake, grains of sand whipping against his face as he pushed his body beyond its limits.
The wasteland stretched ahead. The cracked earth, littered with those he had saved, barely registered in his mind. He barely slowed as he dropped the survivor among them, their body crumpling, gasping for breath. No time to check if they were uninjured.
No time at all.
His gaze flicked across the wasteland. People ran, stumbling over shifting dunes, their silhouettes barely visible in the dust-choked air. Others stood frozen, their eyes hollow, their limbs locked in terror.
A lone figure stood among them.
Mark.
The old man's frail form trembled. Wrinkled hands clutched at his chest, fingers digging into his tattered robe. Silent tears streaked his face as he watched the massacre unfold—the bodies swallowed whole, the screams muffled beneath shifting sand.
Ash didn't stop. He didn't look back.
The earth trembled beneath his feet. A violent ripple. A warning.
He twisted, narrowly dodging as a massive set of fangs erupted from below, snapping shut where he had stood a second earlier. Another tremor—then a blur of motion from the corner of his eye.
Another worm.
Its gaping maw surged toward a man too slow to run.
Ash lunged. His legs burned. His breath tore from his throat. He was close. He could still make it—
A whisper cut through his mind.
"[Vein Energy: 50%]"
His muscles locked. A crushing weight wrapped around him, dragging him down like unseen chains.
The world slowed.
The skill collapsed.
His body staggered.
The man's scream tore through the night.
The worm struck.
Blood splattered across the sand. The body disappeared into the void of jagged teeth. The earth swallowed them whole, leaving behind only a dark stain in the shifting dunes.
Silence.
Ash's hands curled into fists. His breath came in ragged gasps. His vision tunneled.
Then—
A sharp whistle.
Pain.
A force like a sledgehammer smashed into his ribs. His feet left the ground. Air rushed past his ears. The world twisted in a blur of sand and darkness.
Then—the crash.
His body hit the ground hard, rolling, skidding, every impact ripping through his bones. The taste of iron filled his mouth. Something warm trickled down his face, thick and slow.
Blood.
A voice. Distant. Warped.
"Ash!"
His eyelids fluttered. Light bled into his vision—blurry shapes twisting through fire and shadow. His ears rang, a dull hum drowning the world. Every muscle in his body screamed.
"Ash!"
The world slammed into focus.
His breath hitched, sharp and ragged. Above him, the sky burned—flames twisting against the dark, their glow reflecting off the sand like molten glass. Smoke filled his lungs, thick and suffocating.
Movement.
A figure rushed toward him, cutting through the chaos.
Max.
"Get up!" Max's voice barely carried over the storm of fire and sand. His face twisted in urgency. "We need to move!"
Ash braced his arms against the ground, pushing himself upright. Every joint felt like it had been torn apart and stitched back together. The pain didn't matter.
"I'm not leaving you."
Then—
The sand trembled. A shadow loomed behind Max.
Ash's breath turned to ice.
The ground split open. A monstrous shape surged from below, its segmented body coiling, its maw widening to consume everything in its path.
"MAX!"
Max twisted—too late.
The worm struck.
Jaws clamped down. A muffled scream.
Then—
Silence.
Max was gone.
Only a collapsing sinkhole remained.
Ash ran. His feet barely found traction on the shifting sand, but he ran. As if he could reach him. As if there was anything left to reach.
The ground lurched again.
Another worm.
Its massive form burst from the earth, a gaping void of fangs rushing toward him.
His breath caught.
"[Activating skill: Storm Vein]"
A current surged through his body.
"[Activating skill: Static Surge]"
Lightning danced along his skin. The world blurred. His body twisted midair, narrowly escaping the snap of jagged teeth. He landed in a slide, sand exploding around him as he came to a stop.
The worm coiled, preparing to strike again.
Ash gripped on the hilt of his blade.
A moment of stillness.
The worm lunged.
He unsheathe his blade.
"[Activating skill: Phantom's Stride]"
He disappeared.
The creature hesitated, its massive head jerking in confusion.
Then—
A glint of steel.
Ash stood atop its writhing body, his blade buried deep in its skull.
A piercing shriek tore through the valley. Black ichor sprayed, drenching his arms, his face. The worm convulsed, thrashing, trying to shake him off.
He didn't let go.
His hands tightened around the hilt. He dragged the blade downward. Flesh split. A sickening rip filled the air.
More blood. More shrieking.
The worm spasmed, its body twisting in a final, desperate attempt to devour him.
But he was already gone.
A blur of motion—then he reappeared beneath it, his blade carving through its underbelly in a single, merciless stroke.
The creature let out one final screech—then collapsed.
Still. Lifeless.
Ash stumbled back, his chest rising and falling in sharp gasps. His grip on the sword trembled.
His gaze snapped to the place where Max had been.
A shallow crater. Loose sand, sinking inward.
He dropped to his knees.
His fingers clawed at the dirt, digging, tearing. Blood seeped from his hands, staining the grains red.
The system message whispered in his mind.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy Point.]"
He ignored it.
His nails scraped against the earth, his breath uneven.
Another voice sounded in his mind.
Low. Cold.
"You can't save him, mortal."
Ash's hand froze in the sand. The voice wasn't his.
'What?'
A shout cut through the chaos—a curse that burned through the air.
"Dammit!!"
Ash's heart skipped. He knew that voice.
Kael.
He spun around, his eyes locking onto the figure hovering above the battlefield. Kael. His body wreathed in flames, flickering with fury. His face twisted in an expression of pure anger, the fire reflecting off his eyes. Kael's clothing had long since burned away, leaving him only in tattered shorts. Sweat mixed with ash on his skin.
The air crackled with heat.
The sandworms that had plagued them moments ago? Gone. But there was something worse—something far darker.
A massive shadow loomed in the distance, casting an eerie pall over the wasteland. Ash's eyes narrowed.
The Tier 6 Sandworm.
It had returned.
Its monstrous form rose from the ground like an ancient titan, the earth shaking beneath its weight. Eyes cold and unfeeling, it stared at them—its hunger palpable. Its jagged teeth glistened in the fading light, each one a promise of death.
Ash's mind raced.
The survivors—those few left—were scattering, fleeing to the distant edges of the wasteland. They were running, but they were running to where?
The Wasteland was no safe haven. Not anymore. Not with the Tier 6 on the prowl.
Ash's gaze shifted back to Kael.
Kael hovered there, breathing hard, each breath ragged. His fists clenched at his sides, flames licking at his skin, but his expression? Fury. The kind that burned deeper than the fire he summoned.
Kael was spent. His strength was draining faster than he could replenish it. The battle had taken more than it should have.
Ash's chest tightened.
'How had they ended up here?'
The battle had been relentless. A storm of chaos. A nightmare.
And now, standing in the wreckage, it seemed like fate had decided they weren't done yet.
The ground trembled again as the Tier 6 shifted, its massive body coiling as if preparing to strike. Ash's hand curled around the hilt of his blade, the weight of the weapon grounding him in the midst of this madness.
There was no escape. Not now.