In a place where the day and night didn’t follow the laws of time. Where danger lurked at every corner. Things were relatively peaceful.

  Asher had lost many times. Especially since he came here. However, even amidst losses and no sign of clear victory or goals, he has become prideful over some things.

  One was his survival luck. It was self-explanatory. Though it was not something in his control. It's just that in times of danger, only one of the two things has happened till now. That when he faced an opponent only he survived or they both survived. In both cases he lived.

  The second thing he had become even more prideful over was his speed.

  Truly, his speed was a blessing. It allowed him to react and fight in ways that would’ve taken years of training to master. More than that, it let him escape from foes far stronger than he could ever hope to defeat.

  “Huff”

  But there was a limit to what he could do.

  Really, Asher could feel his patience thinning.

  His breathing turned jagged. And his face was going paler and paler from running.

  “You! What kind of guide even are you?!”

  He cursed loudly, with anger rushing to his head.

  The spirit of shadow shivered as it clung tightly to his cloak.

  “Kee-p running!”

  It yelled back.

  Asher's lips quivered as his hood fluttered back under the heavy wind and the warm sun.

  Behind him, the shadow of death loomed vast and clear. From the chasm rose a colossal figure wrapped in crimson sand—a worm with fissured, corpse-like hide that twisted and cracked as it moved.

  He couldn't see where it started and where it ended.

  Heck! He wasn't even sure where its head was!!

  Maybe Asher was just running needlessly and the monster was not even following him.

  Gwaaaa!

  Thump!

  Thump!

  The voices that screamed behind seemed to say otherwise.

  Asher felt a chill run down his spine as monsters' screams echoed at being indiscriminately slaughtered.

  His ears rang, and his heart felt like it could come out at any moment.

  He has met this monster before. Or at least seen it devour several monstrosities in a single bite. The last time he had survived and managed to run away was due to the creature of dreams, Acosador, whose laughter had come as a warning.

  Even now, if not for the spirit of shadows saying he needed to go this way, he could have sworn he would have never come this way.

  Alas, Asher was also near his old shelter.

  The small opening below the sharp-edged rock was shattered into pieces when he came to check on it.

  Honestly, Asher found himself lucky by not being inside the shelter when it was crushed.

  But right now it was not the time to dwell on old sentiments.

  Asher, who was moving as swiftly as the winds, stopped in his tracks. His foot sank under the sand and then everything ahead sank below.

  A maw-like shape, large, very large, opened in the blink of an eye.

  ‘Shit!’

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  He cursed, stepping back.

  The sand had started to fall below like a waterfall, or in this case, a sandfall. Inside the chasm darkness permeated heavely and dust has taken place of air.

  “Run bac-k!”

  The small bud yelled louder. Its panicked voice pulled Asher out of his daze as he swiftly turned his body in another direction. The chasm expanded; the sand below him continued to fall at a fast pace.

  Sshhhh!

  The snake-like hiss as the sand continued to fall deep into the abyss was enough to make anyone's heart sink into despair, especially when it was just behind you. Asher was no exception. Even when the sun pounded with enough heat to melt glaciers, Asher felt cold sweat pour between his brows.

  Shreeek!

  A shrill sound now rang above him.

  Asher briefly on his run raised his head to look up. It was a bird with sand-like feathers, a massive body and a sharp beak. It was a sand bird hovering above him.

  Was it the same bird he had previously let go or was this one another of its kind?

  What was this? A reunion between Asher and all the monsters he has met till now.

  Asher felt strangely touched by such a thought.

  Yes, as if someone had stabbed his heart. That's how touched Asher felt.

  A single trail of thoughts came and went one after another before Asher could even think of an answer. He still didn’t have proper control over having multiple thoughts, as if he really had two minds.

  His accelerated cognition felt strange sometimes, if not most of the time.

  ‘Focus! Focus!’

  Asher pursed his lips tightly as he had again lost his focus on the situation briefly.

  But then, before he could deal with the sand bird or even notice what the beast was going to try, Asher's eyes widened.

  A strange black cloud appeared in the sky.

  Darkness fell as a large shadow covered the area.

  The pitch-black cloud expanded rapidly, covering the entire sky. The sand bird tried to escape till it couldn’t. The cloud devoured it, leaving no trace behind as sparks flew in the air.

  “It really is a reunion.”

  Between the confrontation of heaven and earth. The heaven, in this case the dark, has won, from the looks of it.

  Asher wasn’t sure what kind of creature it was or what it had previously fought. But seeing it here, maybe unscathed, it had won what it was fighting.

  Behind him the chasm stopped its expansion as a cold, razor-sharp wind made Asher's cloak flutter.

  “You cursed spirit! If I survive, I swear I will feed you to them!”

  Asher couldn’t help but swear as he was again standing between another titanic clash soon about to happen.

  Boom!

  At the same time something came out of the dark chasm. The worm of crimson sand, draped in the blood of its prey, has opened its maw to eat the sky.

  The dark cloud went darker.

  A strong flash of light spread from all directions as it hit the worm. Asher's mind rattled and he felt his eyes water with blood dripping down.

  The worm was bleeding.

  And just seeing it made Asher go crazy!

  “Huff…”

  “Huff…”

  Asher processed the outcome fast, having already experienced something similar before and lowered his gaze in a single second.

  “Get… me out of here!”

  With gritted teeth and voice dripping with dread, he asked the spirit for guidance, losing his sight at the clash.

  “Rig-ht!”

  The spirit of shadow pulled Asher's cloak in the direction he needed to go.

  BOOM!

  BOOM!

  Behind him, or maybe all around him, powers clashed.

  Everything felt dark for the next few moments.

  How much time had passed since Asher started to run?

  Maybe a day has already passed?

  Asher remembered slowing down in moments, sipping water to wet his dry and burning throat.

  His ears had gone numb from the crackling sound of the clouds and the last thing he had heard was something massive fall below with a thunderous sound.

  His eyes were too heavy to register anything.

  All he remembered was the spirit pull to escape.

  The journey beyond, for the next few weeks remained dull and lifeless. The constant pounding of his head reminded him of the time he had newly come here, injured and tired. No, monsters as dangerous as before appeared as the spirit guided him to safety. He was so tired he couldn’t even waste a breath

  “Huh?”

  Asher felt his heartbeat slow and his breathing uneven as he sank to his knees.

  The sun was above him and no clouds could be seen covering the sky.

  Asher blinked once, then twice. He cleared his eyes of the blood covering his face.

  And when he looked ahead, his breath caught in his throat.

  Before him stood a wall taller than anything he had ever seen—so immense he could have mistaken it for a mountain, if not for the colossal gate carved into its heart. Beside the gate, two towering statues loomed, each gripping a sword pointed down, as if guarding the silence of ages.