Sandborn - Awakening of the Frozen Sand

[We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.] — Martin Luther King Jr.

"What for?" Kaira asked, not understanding what Azar meant.

Without waiting for the girl to expand her comprehension over the situation, the ground trembled, and the sand around gravitated towards the location where Crixus had crashed, constructing an enormous entity.

"You should really start working on that barrier," Azar advised Kaira, who was absorbed by the strange occurrence.

Afraid, Faira hid behind her father, eyes closed, squeezing his robe between her fingers. With a burst of air that cleared the space of all the lingering dust, the sand creation rose into the sky, carrying Crixus on its head. It was a worm with a prolonged face ending into a large open mouth, and with a pair of wings whose purpose Azar couldn't discern.

"Is that a sand worm?" Muhul asked, dumbfounded by the dimension of the technique.

"More like an abyss worm," Azar corrected, mesmerized by the materialization of the creature.

"A what?" Mohul asked back, not knowing what that was.

"Never mind," Azar said, focusing back on the battle in the sky.

How do these people know about the abyss worm’s existence? With their current abilities, they shouldn't be able to traverse the void. Yet they managed to replicate it with a technique? Azar asked himself.

"The sheer size of your technique impresses me, but it has a massive weak point," Araumir remarked. "It's dangerously slow."

Using an agility technique of the abyss element, Araumir's body disappeared from the black ball of mist surrounding him, reappearing a considerable distance away but not escaping Crixus' pursuit. That wasn't his intention at all; Araumir just wanted to buy himself enough time, otherwise he wouldn't have stopped flapping his wings.

Quickly drawing another set of runic seals in the air, Araumir spoke as they brightly appeared. "Poisonous Lance." And the sea of chaotic mist gathered together, forming innumerable human-sized lances pointed at Crixus and his oversized pet.

Araumir waved his hand, and the lances dashed through the air to pierce their target with an eerie aura that screamed their murderous desire. Crixus' worm was by no means slow, as his technique had the upper hand in a fight against an opponent of the same level. But it was also true that because of its size and Araumir's perfect control, the worm couldn't evade the attacks that pierced its body, especially its head where Crixus had rested safely just moments ago.

Crixus flapped his wings, using an agility technique of the aero element to evade the continuous lances dancing through the air in pursuit of his life. Not having any use for what remained of the sand worm, Crixus ended his connection with the technique, and the sand fell down in massive quantities. The runic barrier created by Kaira trembled under the pressure, but if not for it, the people would've been squashed by the mountain of sand pouring from the sky.

Damarix, after being entangled for some time with the poisonous tendrils that corrupted his body’s energetic shield and poisoned his skin, reaching as deep as the bone in a few places, managed to free himself with an explosion of fire originating from his heart. After hurriedly gulping down the two bottles of poison cure he had on him, Damarix was ready to have his revenge. Fire wisps danced around his fingertips as Damarix infused his spear with enough fire energy to set it ablaze.

The weapon revolved before him as Damarix drew the required seals in the air before whispering, "Life Incinerating Projectile."

As soon as his words were spoken and the required amount of flux was drawn from his reserves, the spear started spinning, forming flame tongues around its body. The temperature rose instantly, while red sparks emitted by Damarix's sloppy control over the technique drifted in the air, adorning the sky with their short lives.

With a soundless burst of air, the spear shot toward Araumir, carrying the pain and anger of its master. Sensing its approach, Araumir once again used his agility technique to disappear from the spot, successfully avoiding the attack. But like a cunning snake, the spear curved in the air, returning to hunt him.

Tearing the very fabric of the world with his fingers, Araumir used his technique - [Into my pocket], inserted his hand inside the spatial crack, pulling out a two-meter-long, half-meter-wide, heavy sword.

Damarix rapidly drew a few more runic seals in the air while watching his brother's situation. After they brightened the air, he shouted to gain Araumir's attention, "Flaming Birds!"

Following his command, three fire eagles formed from his flux, each letting out a war cry before flying to chip pieces of meat off Araumir's body.

"Release!" Araumir commanded before dodging the spear attack like the previous time.

When he appeared again, the Nightshade Sword in his hand rumbled, and its surface cracked, letting deep blue bolts of lightning escape. Extending a hand in the birds’ direction, Araumir paid them no respect when he activated [Energy Drinker] with a mental command. A black hole opened at the center of his palm, and a purple-black cloud of smoke that seemed to eat the sunlight itself gravitated a wide area around it.

The fire birds had nowhere to run when they entered the area effect of the black hole, and much faster than they were created, they were absorbed by the black hole. Licking his lips, Araumir controled the rest of the Poisonous Lances to assault Crixus before he focused his attention on the real threat, the relentless pursuing spear.

As the attack approached, Araumir drew runic seals with rapid movements, and the second they brightened completely, they entered his Nightshade Sword. The sword absorbed the flux inside the runic seals and built up momentum, waiting for the command to release its destructive energy.

"Ghost Purger technique!" Araumir cried, slashing horizontally with all his strength.

The sky itself screamed sharply as a terrifying lightning blade was sent by the sword, growing in size as it advanced through the air. The rumbling of thunder echoed in the sky before the two attacks met each other. A moment of silence followed. And then it happened. The epicenter of the collision burst with rapid waves of destructive flux in all directions.

A shockwave of immense power radiated outward, blasting through the desert with the force of a thousand storms, forcefully dissipating the remaining poisonous lances that annoyed Crixus, and pushing back the three individuals battling in the sky. The ground quaked violently, fissures snaking across the sand as if the earth itself was splitting apart. Massive dunes were flattened in an instant, their sand whipped into the air and scattered like dust in a hurricane.

The clash of energies created a dazzling, chaotic display of fire and lightning. The fiery light of the spear clashed fiercely with the dark, bluish electricity, creating an eerie, pulsating glow that illuminated the desert for miles around. Sparks of energy crackled in the air, arcing like bolts of lightning and searing the ground wherever they struck.

Sharp sounds capable of rendering a person deaf filled the sky, and even the two brothers found themselves needing to cover their ears. On the ground, the dome of Kaira's barrier vibrated, and the thick layer of sand covering it began to thin, allowing rays of light to penetrate.

Using his mental power, Azar retrieved the defensive artifact from Mohul, which was crumbling on the ground covering his ears like the rest, and activated its barrier. This action brought an end to the pain experienced by him and the others.

The statement in the sky continued for a few more seconds before an explosion occurred, and the spear, now devoid of energy, was sent flying away. The lightning blade continued its advance, dissipating into the distance. With a dark smile on his face, Araumir extended a hand, gazing at Crixus.

"Void Prison!" he yelled, though he wasn't actually triggering a technique.

In his panic, Crixus pulled out a paper talisman from the inner pocket of his robe, and as the runic pattern on it brightened, he disappeared from the spot. Appearing close to his brother, he quickly motioned for him to retreat. Damarix caught his hand however, giving his elder brother a stern look before pointing at the place where he had been just a second ago. Nothing happened there.

"Hahaha, you actually used a teleportation talisman to escape my bluff?" Araumir mocked. "Even in my time, those things were valuable. Are they discarded like pieces of paper now?"

Crixus looked toward Araumir with narrowed eyes, the yellow light in his eye sockets intensifying. He breathed deeply through his fully open nostrils like an enraged bull, but still signaled his brother to retreat.

"I will not be laughed at." Damarix clenched his jaw, refusing to submit. Retreating meant he wouldn’t be able to retrieve his spear, which he had worked hard to obtain.

"Are you having a dispute in the middle of a fight?" Araumir asked, placing his hands on the brothers' shoulders.

The second he revealed himself, the brothers unleashed their auras, moving to attack. However, it was too late as the Nightshade Sword pierced their bodies. A yellow substance gushed from their wounds and mouths, staining Araumir's clothes and invading his sense of smell with a foul odor.

"Your insides stink," Araumir said, his poison spreading through the sword onto the brothers' bodies.

"You filthy scum." Damarix trembled with furry.

Losing their strength, the wings on their backs dimmed rapidly as they gradually lost control over their bodies. Crixus kept his gaze fixed on Araumir’s covered face as he muttered something. Immediately after, the light in his eyes intensified, yellow liquid starting to flow from all his orifices as his body trembled. Seeing his brother's condition, Damarix followed suit.

Araumir raised an eyebrow at their decision to detonate their flux centers.

"Fools." Using his strength, Araumir quickly threw them away, then used his agility technique to further increase the distance. What followed was an explosion of bright light that burned like a second sun for a few seconds.

'They have detached their spirits,' Azar’s voice rang inside Araumir’s head.

With a shocked expression, Araumir moved to capture them immediately. With his [Ghost Vision], he was able to locate their spiritual bodies.

"The fight has concluded. We can prepare to move away from here as soon as possible," Azar said to Mohul in a calm voice.

"Y-yes... alright," Mohul responded after taking a moment to process the situation. "Lower the barrier, prepare the carriages, we're going home."

. . .

After almost three days of traveling, the small caravan arrived at the Mirha tribe, where everyone received a warm welcome. Though the high spirits lasted only until the people learned what had happened. Then, the preparation to commemorate the deceased started.

The outer wall surrounding the settlement was almost four meters tall, made from a combination of clay and wooden logs, patched in a few places with large pieces of metal. Up on the walls, Azar remarked the existence of a few, rusty constructions which reminded him of the cannons he saw on other planets.

The people of Mirha wore light, breathable fabrics in earth tones to blend with their surroundings. Their garments were designed to protect against the sun and sand, including long, flowing robes, headscarves, and face coverings. Ornate jewelry made from colored stones and metals found in the desert adorned their attire.

At the heart of their settlement was the oasis, a shimmering pool of crystal-clear water surrounded by lush vegetation. Date palms and acacia trees provided much-needed shade, while colorful flowers and herbs grew in abundance, tended by the tribe’s skilled gardeners.

Each building of the Mirha tribe was meticulously crafted from sun-dried clay, their earthy tones matching the surrounding landscape. The homes were built in concentric circles around the oasis, each with an arrow shaped roof and small windows to keep the interiors cool. The walls were decorated with intricate geometric patterns and colorful murals depicting the tribe’s history and legends.

Seeing the geometric patterns, Azar touched his right eye, reminiscing about what he and the people with his bloodline once possessed.

To the east of the oasis lay the bustling marketplace. Stalls made from wooden poles and fabric awnings sold everything from fresh produce and spices to handmade jewelry and textiles. The scent of exotic spices and roasting meats filled the air.

The largest building was the community hall, a place for gatherings, celebrations, and important meetings. Its walls were adorned with tapestries and murals, showcasing the tribe’s rich cultural heritage. Not long after the caravan's arrival, while the remaining people returned to their homes and the families of the deceased began to prepare for the ceremony, Mohul gathered the council for an important discussion.

Azar, Araumir, and Hamsha were provided with a temporary tent and served wine, meat, and vegetables. Even though Azar’s stomach could only digest fruits and vegetables, Araumir and Hamsha ensured nothing went to waste. Araumir had no need for eating, but the enticing smell of roasted lamb tempted him to eat his fill.