The sandworm loomed, its eyeless head twisting, tasting the air. A guttural hiss rumbled from deep within its cavernous throat. Wind howled through the valley, carrying the thick stench of blood and something older—something foul.
Kael hovered above, his breath shallow, flames writhing around his body like living serpents. Heat shimmered off his skin, but the cold bit deep. His hands trembled. His fire dimmed.
Ash staggered to his feet, sand sticking to the blood smeared across his arms. His head throbbed, his pulse a hammer against his skull. He sucked in a breath, lungs burning.
The other worms had vanished, burrowing back into the abyss below. But this one remained. Waiting. Watching.
Ash's gaze swept the ground where max had disappeared to.
"Max…" His voice barely rose above a whisper.
A heartbeat later.
"[Activating skill: Phantom's Stride]"
He vanished.
The world snapped forward. A gust of wind trailed in his wake.
Mark stood frozen, his pupils blown wide, skin pale as ash. His mouth moved soundlessly, his body rigid, as if even the thought of motion would shatter him.
Ash grabbed his shoulders, fingers digging into thin fabric. "Get them out. Now." His voice was low, firm.
Mark flinched, a breath catching in his throat.
"There's a settlement ahead," Ash pressed, shaking him once. "Run."
The words struck something loose. Mark blinked, his lips parting. He turned, stumbling at first, then louder—shouting, forcing strength into his cracking voice.
"We have to go! Move! Follow me!"
The survivors hesitated, terror clawing at their heels, before they broke into uneven, desperate strides. Their shadows stretched across the sand, trembling under the flickering glow of Kael's fire.
But Ash wasn't watching them anymore.
His focus locked on the sandworm.
It hadn't moved.
Not yet.
It lingered, its massive form coiled, waiting.
Kael floated higher, firelight casting jagged shadows across his face. His jaw clenched. "c'mon, why are you just staring."
Ash's fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade. The wind screamed, the sand shifting beneath his boots.
Then—
The sandworm lunged.
Kael's eyes locked onto the Creature, his breath sharp. The stone-like segments along its body had fully regenerated but line of skin can still be seen, it gleaming under the moonlight like jagged armor.
"Damn it," he hissed. "It's completely healed. My fire won't work."
The worm's maw yawned wide, rushing toward him. For a split second, Kael saw nothing but rows of grinding teeth and the abyss beyond them.
Then—he vanished.
The worm snapped its jaws shut on empty air, its entire body recoiling in confusion. It twisted, its massive bulk sending sand into the sky as it searched for its prey.
Far in the distance, Ash stood behind Kael, eyes unreadable.
Kael let out a breath. "Thanks."
Ash didn't respond. His gaze remained fixed on the Creature. Cold. Calculating.
Kael smirked. "So? Got a plan?"
Ash finally spoke. "Yes."
His eyes flicked toward the place where Max had vanished. He clenched his jaw. 'How do we get him out of there?'
The sandworm shifted, then launched forward with inhuman speed.
Kael barely had time to react. "So what's the—"
Ash grabbed him and disappeared.
The worm's jaws slammed shut on nothing. Frustration rippled through its monstrous frame. It coiled back, then slammed its tail against the earth, sending deep tremors through the valley. Sand poured into the cracks like water.
Ash focused. "Kael, same plan as before."
Kael exhaled sharply. "I don't have much left, but I'll try."
"I'll pull you to a save place away from sandworms valley."
Kael cut in. "Then i just have to make sure i charge up and give the signal if am ready."
Ash gave a single nod.
The worm stilled. Then—
It burrowed.
Without hesitation, Ash seized Kael and vanished again.
They reappeared near a lone cabin, its wooden frame barely standing against the elements. The windows gaped empty, shadows curling inside like waiting hands. Either Guz had already fled, or he was hiding beneath it.
Kael glanced around. "Where the hell are we?"
"Far enough," Ash said. "Don't think about it. Charge." He turned back toward the valley. "I need to move before it starts searching here too."
Kael flexed his fingers, inhaling deeply. "Alright. Just don't get killed."
Ash vanished.
The earth exploded.
The sandworm erupted from the ground, its massive form splitting the valley open. It scanned the wasteland, nostrils flaring, then locked onto something—
The cabin.
Kael stood in the open, his hands pressed together, a swirling orb of flame growing between them. The fire pulsed, flickering with raw, unstable energy.
The worm reared back, splitting its maw wide. A screech ripped through the air, shaking the ground beneath Kael's feet.
Then it moved.
A dark blur streaked above.
Ash landed on the worm's head. Blade in hand.
The steel sank deep into a segment line, tearing through the thin, vulnerable flesh beneath the armored plating. The worm convulsed, a guttural roar vibrating through its enormous frame. Blood burst from the wound, steaming in the cold night air.
Ash tightened his grip, forcing the blade deeper.
The Worm shrieked.
But it didn't stop, the sandworm tore through the valley, its monstrous form carving deep trenches in stone. Fractures spiderwebbed beneath its relentless weight, the landscape shattering as it moved. It had passed the boundary of Sandworm Valley—unstoppable, insatiable.
Ash stood atop its spine, blade slick with black blood. His grip tightened on the jagged ridges of its armored back, every muscle braced against the violent thrashing beneath him. The Worm convulsed, trying to shake him loose, but he held on, a shadow welded to flesh and bone.
A fissure split open between two segments.
Ash drove his sword into the wound. The steel vanished into raw muscle, twisting deep. A muffled shriek rolled from within the creature's gut, a sound like stone grinding against metal. Thick, molten blood bubbled around the wound, but the worm didn't falter. It surged forward, driven by something deeper than pain.
Heat.
Kael's fire pulsed in the distance, a sphere of searing light cradled between his palms. The worm sensed it, drawn to its warmth like an ancient worshiper before a sun-god.
Ash's breath sharpened. His blade tore free in a spray of black, and he ran. Sparks flared beneath his feet as he sprinted down the undulating spine, dodging jagged scales, leaping over shifting plates of flesh. The worm slammed its tail into the earth, opening a chasm beneath him. He pushed off the crumbling ridge, landing hard on another segment just before it twisted sideways.
The Worm rose. Its grotesque mouth split open, a cavern of spiraling fangs that churned rock and bone into dust. The stench of rotting corpses poured from its gullet, thick enough to choke the air.
Kael stood below, motionless.
His was focused. The orb between his palms swelled, slow and deliberate, veins of molten gold streaking across its surface. It pulsed, each throb sending a wave of heat through the battlefield. His breathing was steady, but sweat traced lines down his face. He was close. Almost there.
Not yet.
The worm plunged.
Ash vanished.
Air cracked. The night warped. He reappeared in front of Kael, blade raised, muscles locked. No words. No hesitation.
The worm's maw descended.
Steel met flesh. A shockwave ripped through the ground, sending a tidal wave of sand and fire skyward. Ash braced against the force, feet sliding as the Creature pressed down. His sword buried deep into the creature's inner jaw, but it didn't stop. Its fangs ground closer, the pressure forcing him back inch by inch.
Kael's eyes snapped open. The fire in his hands roared.
The worm reared, ready to strike again.
Ash didn't turn. Blood dripped from his chin. His arms shook, but his grip held firm.
"Not yet," he muttered.
Kael hesitated. The orb flared, the heat distorting the air around him.
The worm lunged.
Ash planted his feet. Held the line.
"Now." Ash's voice sliced through the chaos.
Kael grinned.
The worm lunged, its cavernous maw descending to consume Ash whole. But in the instant before impact—he was gone.
Kael surged forward. The fiery orb between his palms seethed, its heat warping the air around him. He shot into the darkness of the worm's throat like a blazing comet.
The jaws slammed shut.
Silence.
Then—
A deep, guttural tremor.
The sandworm convulsed, its massive form jerking violently. Segments rippled, stone-like plates cracking as something ruptured within. Light bled from the fissures.
And then—
Detonation.
Its head burst apart in a geyser of molten flesh and blackened blood. The explosion surged down its body, tearing through each segment in a relentless chain reaction. Flesh and armor split, fire and gore spraying across the valley, until the destruction reached the tip of its tail.
Smoke and heat choked the air. The battlefield was still.
From the smoldering ruin, a lone figure stepped forward.
Kael.
Blood clung to his skin, thick and steaming, dripping from his jaw. His breath came in uneven pulls, shoulders rising and falling with the effort. He glanced at the carnage behind him, lips curling into a weary smirk.
"This time," he muttered, voice hoarse, "I got your whole damn body."
His knees buckled. The strength drained from his limbs, and he dropped, hands sinking into the scorched sand. His vision blurred at the edges, but he forced himself to focus.
'Where's Ash?'
His gaze flicked across the ruined valley—then locked onto movement. A figure crouched in the distance, hands tearing into the sand.
"Ash?"
Kael frowned. Ash wasn't just searching—he was digging. Fingers clawing, arms moving with an urgency Kael had never seen. Blood smeared across the grains.
Panic.
Kael's stomach twisted.
"What the hell are you doing?" he muttered, pushing himself up.
Something was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong.
Ash would never act like this. Not unless something was terribly wrong.
Kael's breath slowed.
Then—he felt it.
A pulse. Faint but unmistakable.
His stomach twisted.
'Five Vein Energy?'
Realization hit like a hammer.
'Right… our Vein Energy grows by killing now.'
His gaze snapped back to Ash.
Kael forced his legs to move, pushing off the blood-soaked ground, staggering forward. His body screamed in protest, but he barely noticed.
He had escaped sandworm valley. He had survived.
'So why—'
Why was Ash still digging?
Then he saw it.
The sand shifted. A ripple, subtle at first, then more pronounced.
Dozens of them.
Beneath the surface. Moving toward Ash.
Kael's pulse pounded in his ears.
"Ash!" His voice tore through the silence. "Get away from there!"
Ash didn't move.
His fingers ripped into the sand, hands raw, streaked with blood. His breath hitched, his jaw clenched so tight it trembled. Tears mixed with dirt, slipping down his face, falling onto the ground he refused to stop clawing at.
A familiar chime rang in his mind.
"[Vein Energy: 25%]"
His body shuddered. "Not now… I need to save him… he's still down there."
The worms closed in.
One lunged.
A spear of ice pierced through its skull, pinning it mid-attack. The creature spasmed—then stilled. Frozen solid.
Silence.
The other worms hesitated, their clicking maws snapping in eerie protest.
A shadow loomed overhead.
Ash lifted his gaze.
A man hovered above the battlefield. Dressed in a pristine black suit, hands lazily at his sides. Jagged wings of ice spread behind him, shimmering under the moonlight. His expression was unreadable—sharp eyes dissecting the scene below with eerie calm.
His gaze landed on Ash.
"You look pathetic."
Another worm lunged.
The man didn't move.
Frost bloomed in the air. The worm froze mid-air, its body encased in ice before shattering against the ground.
The remaining creatures shrank back, screeching, slithering away into the shifting dunes.
Ash didn't react.
He turned back to the sand. His hands—shaking, torn, caked in blood—kept digging.
Then—
A voice.
Soft. Feminine.
"Hey, kid."
Footsteps crunched against the grit.
Ash didn't look up.
The woman approached, the dim moonlight catching the strands of her wavy brown hair. Loose strands framed her face, half-hidden beneath the shadow of her hooded cloak. Her amber eyes, sharp yet strangely gentle, flickered with something unreadable. Dust clung to her dark clothes, and a faint scent of iron and earth lingered in the air around her.
She crouched beside him, close enough that her presence pressed against the edges of his awareness.
"What are you doing?" she asked, voice steady, but laced with something—concern, maybe.
Ash didn't answer.
Her hand, rough with faint scars, reached for his shoulder.
"Kid, stop. You're hurting yourself—"
His body went rigid. Then—
A scream.
Raw. Shattered.
"Leave me alone!"
The air shuddered.
For a moment, the battlefield seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
Ash kept digging.
Blood. Sand. Desperation.
Behind the woman, Kael moved.
His steps were deliberate, heavy. Each one seemed to crack the air with tension, as though his very presence could break something. He reached Ash and yanked his arm, trying to pull him away from the madness.
"Stop, dude! What the hell are you—"
Kael's voice died in his throat.
Ash's face was a mess—blood, sand, and tears caked over every inch of him. His eyes, wide and glassy, were locked on nothing. His body was shaking, fingers still clawing at the earth like it was the only thing holding him together.
Kael's grip tightened on Ash's shoulder, his breath catching. "What's going on?"
No response.
A knot twisted in Kael's chest. His heart slammed against his ribs.
'Max.'
The thought hit him like a slap.
His hands dug into Ash's shoulders, shaking him harder than before. "Where's Max? I thought he'd be gone by now!"
Ash's voice, when it came, was hoarse—empty. "Max… got eaten. The worm took him underground."
Kael's stomach churned, a sick realization washing over him.
"Shit."
He dropped to his knees beside Ash, hands digging into the sand, feeling the coldness seep into his skin. He didn't care. The sand wasn't the only thing that felt endless now.
The suited man watched them for a moment, lips curling into something almost disdainful. He exhaled slowly, his eyes flicking to the horizon.
"They're either idiots… or all flame kids are just this reckless."
The woman stood by, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. "The smart one got eaten. Shouldn't he be dead by now?"
Neither Ash nor Kael said a word. The digging continued.
The suited man sighed, disinterested, and began to turn away.
Then, in the distance, the ground cracked open.
A sandworm exploded from the earth, its segmented body thrashing wildly, its mouth opening wide in a deafening screech. The air vibrated as it dove back underground, vanishing with a force that shook the battlefield.
The suited man paused mid-step. He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he studied the disturbance.
Ash and Kael stopped digging in unison. Their eyes locked on the shifting sand, the unease growing heavy between them.
Another tremor.
Then, the worm reappeared—its massive body slithering across the ground with unnerving fluidity. But it wasn't attacking.
It swayed, twisted, almost as if it were alive in a way it shouldn't be—erratic, spasming, its movements like the flickering of a broken marionette.
It stopped.
Ash didn't blink.
His grip on the earth tightened, nails biting into the sand as if pulling something from it. His chest was still, but his eyes burned with something too fierce to ignore.
The worm convulsed.
Then—a hand.
A human hand tore through the creature's side, bloodied fingers clutching a jagged blade. The thick, black blood of the worm spilled in torrents.
Ash's lips curled. The edge of a grin, as broken as everything around him, formed.
Kael's breath caught. He exhaled, relief and disbelief twisting into something that came out as a laugh. "Hah! I knew he wouldn't die from something that stupid!"
From deep within the worm's torn body, a figure emerged.
Max.
He climbed from the ruptured flesh like something that didn't belong in the world of the living. His body was drenched in the creature's blood, dripping like a grim reminder of survival. His breath came in sharp, uneven bursts, his muscles trembling from the strain of tearing his way through death itself.
Max spat, his mouth twisted in disgust, flecks of black blood spattering the sand. "Yuck." His voice rasped, strained from the bile in his throat. "I really hope this ability works inside my body too…"
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes narrowing as he locked gazes with Ash and Kael.
Then he smirked.
It wasn't cocky. It wasn't confident. It was just—there. As if he knew they'd be here. As if he knew they'd be watching. As if he knew, somehow, he would make it back.