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Volume 1 – Chapter 2
A Sorrowful Past
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Sami was hiding atop a dune, waiting for the sun to set—though it showed no sign of surrendering anytime soon. His body was drenched in sweat, and the scorching sand beneath him threatened to sear his skin. The desert stretched endlessly in every direction—no end, no hope.
As he tried to ignore the thirst and heat suffocating his body, his mind slowly began drifting… back to the past.
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He sat alone in the library, his eyes following the words in a strange book titled "The Gloomwind Clan." He had been reading for a long time, his eyelids growing heavier by the minute. Gently, he set the book down—just as he heard the sound of light footsteps.
Lifting his gaze, he saw a small girl, no older than six. Her black hair reached her shoulders, and her round cheeks gave her the look of a living doll. She wore a cute shirt and skirt, her face flushed with nerves and shyness.
In a soft voice, she said,
"Brother Sami… Mom says it's time for dinner."
Sami looked at her, his face clouded with a mix of complex emotions. With a composed tone, he replied,
"Tell her to send the food here. I'm not coming out anytime soon."
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Some time passed…
He picked up another book and began to read. But the sound of the wind rustling through the nearby window caught his attention. He walked over, still holding the book, and peeked outside.
There she was again—the same little girl—talking to a woman who looked to be in her late thirties. Her shining blonde hair flowed down to her waist, and she wore a white robe adorned with radiant golden fabrics. Her face was sculpted in perfection—serene beauty hiding a quiet sorrow.
After the woman listened to the girl's words, her expression shifted to a blend of grief and fear. She looked toward the library window, but her eyes soon dropped with a pained sadness. Lifting the girl into her lap, she turned and carried her inside, leaving the garden silent once more.
Without saying a word, Sami walked back to his table, set the book aside, and reached for a wooden sword nearby. He opened the window and leapt out with practiced ease.
Beneath the shade of a nearby tree, Sami took his stance—legs firm, arms raised, wooden sword held high. He began training, swinging the blade upward, pulling it back, then lunging forward through the air. Over and over again, he repeated the motion, as if his strikes could cut through something heavier than air… heavier than silence.
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Suddenly, Sami snapped back to the present. His eyes opened with effort—the damned sun was still blazing in the sky, unmoving. It felt like he had suffered a heatstroke, and the dryness he'd managed to ignore had returned with a vengeance.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and dragged himself up from the sand.
His armor appeared in a flash—ceramic shine, beautiful engravings, and a crescent moon etched across the chest. The suit covered his body completely, including his head and hands.
With a weary sigh, Sami muttered,
"Damn it… I miscalculated. Waiting for the sun to set wasn't a wise move."
He looked around. No choices left now.
"Well then… let's get moving. Hopefully we'll find something in this damned desert."
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Sami walked for what felt like forever. His strength was gone. He could barely feel his legs, and his vision had grown hazy.
Then… something appeared on the horizon.
He squinted and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus.
"Oh hell… is that a caravan? Or am I hallucinating already?"
In the distance, three wagons moved in a straight line, pulled by creatures that resembled horses—but their heads were covered with black iron plates, shielding them from the searing sun.
Sami had no time to think. He didn't care anymore—he just wanted to survive.
He summoned his armor to vanish and began crawling toward the caravan until he was tucked beneath one of the wagons.
A wooden beam under the wagon served as its central axis. Sami slipped his limbs into its crevices, hiding in the narrow shadow it offered, just far enough from the sun that was threatening to melt his mind.
At last, he could rest… but the question remained—how long would it last?
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As he caught his breath, Sami began organizing his thoughts.
"Alright… from what I've heard, the first Ordeal is usually the scenario of an incomplete story. You're supposed to play along until you reach a key turning point… and then finish the story with your own hands. Until then, you're free to do whatever you want… as long as you survive to the end."
He paused, then frowned.
"But… based on what I've experienced so far, something about my scenario feels off. This isn't just a normal story… something's wrong here."
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His train of thought was interrupted by the sudden halt of the wagon.
He heard footsteps descending. He couldn't see more than their boots, but it was clear—they weren't ordinary travelers.
He waited until they moved away, then slowly pulled himself out from under the wagon and dropped to the ground. Crawling forward, he reached the wagon's edge and peeked out.
Eight men, dressed like medieval mercenaries, stood nearby. They carried swords and spears, and at their head was a hulking man with broad shoulders. He wore a sleeveless leather tunic, his scar-covered arms exposed to the sun.
Sami lifted his gaze, trying to see where they were headed… and then, he froze.
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There it was.
An oasis amidst the sand.
A small lake of fresh water reflected the azure sky, surrounded by a ring of palm trees—like a painting in the heart of the desert. It was wide enough to rival a football field. The scene was stunning… almost too beautiful to be real in this hellish land.
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Sami slowly backed away and summoned his armor to vanish once more. He gathered what little strength he had left and carefully crept toward the men.
He spotted a water bottle placed near one of them. Without hesitation, he reached out, grabbed it, and dashed behind a nearby palm. He canceled his armor and started drinking like a man who had found the last bottle of water on Earth.
Once he calmed down, he set the bottle beside him and glanced back toward the group.
With a soft sigh, he murmured:
"Alright… looks like things are about to get a lot more complicated."
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To be continued…
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