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 this situation.'
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."
