章 11: Chapter 11: Desert
The sun blazed down on the barren desert, a relentless force turning the endless sea of sand into a vast, shimmering furnace. The horizon rippled in the oppressive heat, playing tricks on the eye. Kael trudged forward, his skeletal frame creaking with each labored step. The dry wind howled around him, a sharp and unforgiving companion, whipping grains of sand against his brittle bones. It carried with it the scent of nothingness a void that stretched endlessly in every direction.
His hollow eye sockets scanned the unchanging horizon, their emptiness betraying no emotion but persistence. Each footfall left a faint imprint in the burning sand, his cracked bones dragging forward with a rhythm that grew increasingly unsteady. He had been walking for what felt like an eternity, with no clear destination in mind. The desert offered no landmarks, only the shifting dunes and the suffocating weight of silence.
A jagged rock formation emerged in the distance, its dark silhouette cutting against the blinding white of the desert. Kael's gaze lingered on it, the first sign of relief in the unrelenting landscape. He angled his weary form toward the rocks, his steps growing more deliberate, though his joints protested with each movement. The faint cracking sound of bone rubbing against bone punctuated the oppressive stillness.
As he approached, the rock formation revealed itself to be larger than it seemed, its rough edges etched by time and weather. Shadows pooled at its base, offering a rare sanctuary from the blazing sun. Kael stumbled into the shade, his movements uncoordinated, as if even his ancient magic struggled against the desert's crushing heat. He leaned against the cool, coarse surface of the rock, his ribcage expanding with a rattling sound as he took in the illusion of a deep breath.
"I need to rest. I am exhausted," he muttered, his voice a low rasp that seemed to vanish into the desert's vast emptiness. His jaw clicked as he spoke, the sound faint but unsettling in the stillness.
The shade provided some relief, though the heat radiating from the sand still pressed against him like a heavy weight. He slid down to the ground, the bony tips of his fingers brushing against the sand as he steadied himself. A sigh escaped him a sound that could have been mistaken for the mournful whisper of the wind.
Kael's eye sockets turned skyward, gazing at the cloudless expanse above. The sky seemed endless, its pale blue almost mocking in its serenity. He let his head fall back against the rock, the motion sending a faint echo through his hollow skull. His thoughts wandered briefly, imagining what lay beyond the desert, though the vision eluded him.
The wind picked up again, swirling the sand into tiny spirals that danced briefly before collapsing. The grains hissed against the rocks, a reminder that the desert would not be ignored. Kael flexed his bony fingers absently, the faint creak of movement blending with the ambient hum of the wasteland.
Even in the shade, the desert's heat and desolation seeped into his very essence. For now, he would rest.
Kael staggered forward and collapsed against a weathered rock, its jagged surface scraping against his brittle ribcage. His bones creaked in protest as he settled into place, the faint sound echoing through the barren wasteland. A low sigh escaped him, though it was more a habit of memory than necessity.
The desert stretched endlessly around him, a lifeless expanse of cracked earth and scattered stones. The horizon shimmered with heatwaves, the sun's oppressive glare washing everything in a dull, golden haze. There was no wind, no sound just a heavy, suffocating stillness. Kael lowered his head, the hollow sockets of his skull casting shadows over his worn frame.
'What would I do now?', he thought.
He shifted slightly, the scrape of bone against rock breaking the silence. Kael's gaze swept over the desolation around him, but there was nothing to hold his attention. Just emptiness.
"There is nothing here," he murmured to himself, the word dry and hollow like the desert air.
He let the silence hang for several seconds before reaching up and running a skeletal hand over the smooth curve of his skull. The action was slow, deliberate, as though trying to coax clarity from his fractured thoughts.
'I should probably check my system', he mused, tapping a bony finger against his temple. 'If I remember correctly, I was given an item when I defeated the serpent and the mirror'.
With that, Kael closed his eyes or at least the empty sockets where his eyes once were and focused. A faint hum resonated in his mind, followed by a flicker of light as the system's interface materialized before him.
(Name: Kael Crow)
(True Name: Phantom)
(Race: Skeleton)
(Inventory: Darkness Embrace, Lv1 Health Potion (x5), Lv1 Mana Potion (x5))
Kael tilted his head, his jaw shifting slightly in what might have been the semblance of a grin. He raised a hand, the brittle bones clicking together, and tapped the air in front of him.
"I got three items!!,"
週次パワーステータス
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