Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Chapter 8 - Desert
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The whispering sand brushed against his ears.
—You are the last remaining light, the glorious heat.
—Have mercy on us, and shed your tears like rain.
“…Gasp-!”
An unfamiliar cave. The sound of my own breath echoed back at me.
A strange technology, distorting gravity and coordinates, had transported the three of us to a new location,
But Amy and Jenny were nowhere to be seen.
“Amy? Jenny?”
I sat up, calling out their names, and dust and sand, clinging to my clothes, billowed around me.
Cough-
I coughed, waving my hand in front of my face. Inhaling that would clog my lungs.
“If you can hear me, respond!”
I covered my nose and mouth with [his] hood and began searching the cave.
The altar here was also hidden within a cave, but the rock was different. Dry sandstone surrounded me.
I felt the dryness, the smooth texture of the rock against my skin. This was definitely a desert.
I traced my fingers along the sandstone walls, observing the decorations.
Mirrors, especially, were prominent. Countless mirrors, arranged around the altar.
I walked, watching my reflection in the polished surfaces.
The smooth, flawless glass was impressive.
A testament to advanced craftsmanship. This desert altar was adorned with gold, jewels, and intricate glasswork.
“…”
But it was eerily silent. I couldn't sense any other presence.
It was strange. The three of us had used the altar together, but I was alone.
I was worried about Amy and Jenny. Had something happened to them?
But then I realized that I was the weakest of the three.
I shouldn't be worrying about them, I should be worrying about my own survival until we were reunited.
While I still had Alraune’s abilities,
She was focused on healing Isaac,
So all that remained within me was a shell of her former power.
I felt truly alone for the first time in a while. The only sounds were my own breathing and footsteps, and a sense of isolation, of vulnerability, washed over me.
“…”
But,
Being alone sharpened my mind.
I checked my equipment.
The knife,
The glowing rod,
The necklace that activated the altar,
The strangely resilient hood,
The backpack filled with food and water…
“Good.”
I didn't understand what had happened,
But all my belongings had been transported with me.
“I can do this. I can do this-”
I slapped my cheeks,
Steeling my resolve, preparing to leave the cave.
Beyond the sandstone walls,
Lay the desert.
***
Day 125 of isolation.
13:58, planetary rotation standard.
Clear skies.
38°C, hot.
Note - Risk of dehydration due to intense solar radiation and high temperatures. Maintain adequate fluid intake. Limit outdoor activity.
It was hot.
Dry.
Blindingly bright.
“Gasp-, pant-…”
Heat shimmered above the scorching sand.
It took less than five minutes to realize how naive I had been about the desert.
This was different. Having lived in the forest, I couldn't cope with the extreme heat and dryness.
“Okay, good… right…”
I turned and headed back towards the cave.
I couldn't cross the desert now, not with the sun directly overhead.
I wasn’t suicidal. If a plan wasn't working, you had to adapt, to find a better solution.
Wandering aimlessly through the desert was a death sentence.
I needed to find a route,
And I needed to avoid the sun.
The sun would begin to set in a few hours,
And then I could travel.
I sat near the entrance of the sandstone cave,
Replenishing my fluids as I gazed at the vast expanse of desert.
Gulp- gulp-
The water soothed my parched throat.
This environment was,
Far more hostile than I had anticipated.
“Sigh-…”
It seemed I would be spending the next four or five hours waiting.
But I couldn't just sit here and do nothing,
So, I used the limited information I had gathered to create some tools.
I modified my shoes, removing unnecessary parts, making them lighter.
After just ten minutes of walking, my shoes had been filled with sand, so I turned them into makeshift sandals, allowing the sand to flow freely.
I also decided that pulling a sled would be more efficient than carrying a backpack, so I took a large, flat piece of debris from the cave and tied it to myself using Alraune’s vines.
“Done.”
It looked functional.
I was ready to travel.
Now, I just had to wait for the desert to become traversable.
When the sun set,
And the moon rose,
The desert would cool down.
But then I would have to worry about the cold, so my window of opportunity was limited.
Three or four hours after sunset,
Before the night’s chill seeped into the sand.
It was a challenging environment.
“…”
I gazed at the horizon, lost in thought.
If I wasn't in this situation,
If this was just a casual trip to the desert,
Perhaps I would have found this scenery beautiful, awe-inspiring.
But my urgency, my desperation, prevented me from appreciating it.
From a distance, the desert was a marvel, a vast expanse of death and beauty,
But crossing it…
“…”
As I stared at the shimmering grains of sand,
I noticed something strange.
In the distance,
Halfway up a large sand dune,
Something was moving.
It blended in with the sand, making it difficult to see. But it was definitely moving.
Well, there were creatures in the desert, so it wasn't surprising.
But what caught my attention was,
That it seemed to be moving towards me…
“…?”
I focused, trying to get a better look. My eyesight had improved, but the distance was great, and the shimmering heat haze made it difficult to see clearly.
As if,
The heat and the haze were concealing something.
But the sand-colored shape was definitely moving towards me, slowly…
No, it wasn't walking.
It was… crawling?
“Damn it.”
It was definitely a living creature.
My heart began to race. Was it wise to encounter an unknown creature in the desert, alone, without Amy or Jenny?
Should I just run, brave the scorching heat?
Was it hostile?
Did it know I was here?
Was it coming for me?
I decided to flee. I quickly gathered my belongings, left the sandstone cave, and started walking in the opposite direction.
It was a chase, of sorts.
A slow,
Deliberate,
But relentless pursuit.
We moved between the sun and the sand.
“Gasp- damn it-”
The air was thick and heavy, each breath a struggle. Walking in the desert was exhausting.
My feet sank into the sand,
And sweat poured down my body.
It felt like this arid wasteland was trying to absorb all my moisture, turning me into another dry, lifeless husk.
I wasn't interested. I didn't want to die here.
Those fingers,
They should have been more helpful.
They had told me to come here, and now they had vanished. Was I supposed to figure this out on my own?
But complaining wouldn't change anything.
When I looked back, the creature was closer now,
And a massive sand dune loomed before me.
I focused on climbing. Perhaps from a higher vantage point, I could find some shelter, some shade.
Or perhaps,
A cluster of cacti, or an oasis…
If I could reach one of those, perhaps I could escape my pursuer…
“Haa… wheeze-…”
But when I reached the top of the dune,
All I saw was an endless expanse of sand.
Nothing else. Not a single landmark.
I turned and looked back at the creature, still following my trail.
I could see its shape now.
I left footprints,
But it left a long, sinuous trail.
“Stay back!”
I spread my arms and yelled, hoping to intimidate it. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I tried to make myself appear larger, more threatening.
The creature, with its long, thick tail, paused, then,
Pulled two daggers from… somewhere, raised them above its head,
And threw them on the ground in front of me, where I could see them.
“…What?”
Then, it approached me, its hands clasped together, as if in prayer. It didn't seem hostile.
Seeing its non-threatening posture, I stopped running.
In the long, stretching shadows,
Beneath the scorching sun,
The creature approached me, bowing low, and spoke.
“Мин дошман түгел. Мин һинең юл күрһәтеүсең. (I am not an enemy. Do not flee. I am your guide.)”
A familiar language.
The language of the fingers.
Its tail, long and serpentine, swayed behind it,
Its face hidden behind a veil of soft silk,
It had come to greet me.
“Көтөп йөрөнөм. Әгәр ҙә аптырап ҡалһағыҙ, тәүҙә ғәфү үтенергә рөхсәт итегеҙ. (I have been waiting for you. If I have startled you, please accept my apologies.)”