A gentle breeze stirred, and the sand rolled in waves.Just as every long rainy season must one day come to an end, the dawn of the next day arrived beneath a veil of clouds—still and silent, but blessedly free of drifting sand.
Within the cave, the air slowly warmed. The Fool, nearly overcome by the growing heat, finally awoke from his slumber. His first instinct was to check the infant nestled in his arms—
"Hu… hu… hu…"
She was still fast asleep, it seemed.Relieved, the Fool cast his gaze around. The cave was hushed and empty; apart from the extinguished campfire by his feet, not a single flicker of life remained.
A dream…?He glanced about once more, but aside from himself and the little girl, there were no signs of any other living soul.So it had truly been a dream.
He brushed the dust from his clothes and made to rise, but as he straightened his body, something fell from his chest.
It was a pair of shoes.Shoes carefully sewn from white cloth, each stitch neat and deliberate. Alongside them lay a folded slip of paper—Who made these?
The Fool's thoughts drifted to the girl who had sat in silence the night before, sewing the cloak without once showing her face.Could it have been real after all?
He picked up the shoes and slid his feet into them. They fit perfectly. Compared to his tattered straw sandals, they were a marvel—soft to the touch, yet firm and sturdy beneath his step. They shielded him from both the desert's burning heat and biting cold. Whatever material they were made from, it was something beyond his knowing.
After testing them for a moment, he reached for the note. Of course, unlettered as he was, he couldn't read it. But just as he was about to give up, the dark voice of Annihilation from his right arm broke the silence.
"She left you a message. Said, 'Follow the sunrise for ten days and you'll find a city. I don't know if it's the land you seek, but I hope with all my heart you'll find the right path.' Tch. Meddlesome woman."
The Fool glanced at Annihilation, then at the note again. That was when he noticed something else.
In the spot where the girl and the giant wolf had spent the night, there was a travel pack. He opened it to find it brimming with rations, water, and camping supplies—enough to last ten days, barring any misfortune.
"Hmph."Annihilation scoffed again.
The Fool examined the provisions, then gently set down the infant, slung the pack over his shoulder, and picked the baby up once more. Casting a glance at the voice on his arm, he asked,"Who is she?"
"Oho? Little human, if I recall correctly, this is the first time you've ever spoken to me of your own will. What's this? Has even your soul begun to drift toward her beauty?"
"I don't even know what she looks like."
"Bah, boring."Perhaps the Fool's indifference drained the sword's interest, for Annihilation sounded almost sulky as it said,"Why should it matter who she is? That's not the important part."
"No. It isn't."
The Fool pulled the swaddling cloth over the infant's face. As he walked toward the mouth of the cave, Annihilation spoke again, as if unable to tolerate silence for long:"Heh heh… So, boy. You don't know who she is, yet you've chosen to trust her?"
The Fool stepped into the morning light. The sun had not yet begun to scorch, and after a moment of quiet, he shook his head.
"She has a goal. I don't know what it is. But if she wanted to kill me… she wouldn't have gone to so much trouble."
"Oh? So you're willing to trust her—for food, directions, and shoes?"
"…"
"Ahahaha! Splendid! How did I end up with a host like you? Fortune has truly smiled upon me! Come, let's go! Ten days of travel should be nothing to someone who's wandered the desert for three months, eh?"
"No. I'm not going yet."
"What? What do you mean? I give you supplies and you suddenly refuse to move?"
Annihilation's crimson eye blinked in confusion—only to see the Fool raise a hand and point toward the sun.
"We rest by day. Move by night. Desert law. I dare not forget."
Endless dunes rolled beneath the wind, ever shifting. Day by day, the gales tore down one hill and sculpted another in its place. Blistering heat by day and a cold that bit like an icy tomb by night—this desert had earned its reputation as a land of death.
His cloth-wrapped feet sank softly into the chilled sand. In the blackness of night, a lone figure pressed forward across the barren land. At times, the clouds would part and reveal three silver moons, their glow gently lighting his path. But more often, he walked alone, feeling his way forward step by solitary step.
One day.Then another.And another still.
Compared to the trials that came before, these ten days passed like a fleeting dream. And on the morning of the tenth, as the sun slowly rose on the horizon, something at last broke the monotony of endless sand.
The Fool's pace quickened. The wasteland around him began to change. Scattered cacti and hardy shrubs emerged from the parched earth, and the sand gave way to cracked, sun-baked ground. Life had returned—scorpions, serpents, and other desert creatures slithered freely through the once-dead land, defying the silence that had long ruled it.
As the sun climbed higher, he moved faster. But then, without warning, his steps came to a halt.
Before him loomed a towering cliff—so vast, so sheer, it seemed he stood at the base of an endless precipice, looking up toward the heavens.
"No city. Only a wall?"Annihilation's voice was filled with amusement."So, boy… what now?"
Crimson eyes flicked upward, scanning the cliff face.Then they paused.At its base, barely visible, yawned a tunnel, its depths shrouded in darkness. The Fool hesitated only a moment before stepping forward and entering.
The tunnel stretched on—one hundred meters… two… perhaps an entire kilometer. Holding his breath, he crept through the dark. One hand gripped Annihilation, the other clutched the infant tightly. Every nerve in his body was poised, alert for the faintest whisper of danger.
But no threat emerged.Instead… came light.
It filtered from the far end of the tunnel—gentle, inviting. Not the searing blaze of the desert sun, nor the pale, ghostly rays of Senagar's sky, but something warm, soothing. And with the light came the scent of food, the murmur of music, laughter, voices… life.
The Fool stepped out into the brightness. His cold, emotionless eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed in silent confusion at the world before him.
A city.Encircled by mountains, hemmed in by cliffs that reached to the skies.
It was a city born of the desert, and yet—no scorched winds blew here. Cool rivers crisscrossed the streets, fountains danced in the plazas, and children played in boats upon the water. Women laundered clothes by the riverbanks, while greenery overflowed from balconies and lined every street. The scent of flowers filled the air, so rich and heady that one could almost forget the deadly wasteland beyond the cliffs.
He stood on a ledge near the city's edge. After a pause, he began descending the stone steps, infant in arms. People passed him by without question, their conversations and laughter continuing as if his presence were nothing out of the ordinary.
"Looks like the terrain has sealed this place off—a city beside the desert, and yet untouched by it," Annihilation murmured, glancing back toward the towering cliffs.
The Fool gave a faint nod and continued downward. Each landing on the long staircase bustled with life: children playing, adults deep in cards and board games. Far below, streets fanned outward from the city's heart. The closer to the center, the grander the architecture became—elegant, stately.
And at the very core stood a castle, rising halfway up the surrounding cliff. Even from the ledge where he had entered, its highest spire stood hundreds of meters above him.
He knew nothing of architecture, but the castle's majesty left an impression. Surrounding it were six orbs of varying size, slowly rotating in midair. With no visible support or tether, they floated effortlessly—an astonishing sight.
Yet he had not come here to gawk.He had not crossed a desert to admire the view.He had come for one reason only.
The Fool looked down.The infant in his arms had awakened. Now five months old, she beamed up at him with a radiant smile. Tiny hands reached out from her swaddling—too small, too weak to stay raised for long. But even as her arms fell, she giggled and reached again.
"Uu… ah… uu… ah…"