The sun hovered low in the sky, casting a warm, orange hue across the endless sea of sand. The desert stretched on with no end in sight, its rippling dunes shifting subtly with the wind, whispering ancient secrets. Tiny heat mirages danced like spirits in the distance. Footsteps barely left an impression in the hot, golden ground.
Gabyola was the first to spot the oasis, a shimmer in the distance framed by palm trees, an impossible splash of green in the middle of the arid desolation. She raised a hand, calling out, "Oasis! That way!"
Fuhiken squinted toward the glimmer. "Alright, we'll rest there. Keep formation."
As they approached, Yetsan groaned audibly. "Dust. Sand. It's everywhere. Even under my helmet!"
Upon reaching the small oasis, a few sparse palm trees stood like sentinels above a reflective pool. Desert roses, delicate clusters of sand and mineral, resembling blossoming flowers, grew around the roots of the trees. The setting sun lit them with an ethereal glow, casting long shadows and giving the illusion of life in a lifeless place.
Yetsan immediately dropped to his knees and began furiously brushing at his full-body armor. "Ugh, why do we even walk through deserts? This stuff's like an enemy."
"You chose to wear full armor, Yetsan," Kyle remarked, casually reclining on a smooth rock, arms behind his head. "Maybe try a swimsuit next time."
"I'll bury you in the sand," Yetsan grumbled.
Night fell quickly in the desert, the air turning crisp as the last light vanished. A campfire crackled to life under Fuhiken's careful supervision. The eldest brother had begun preparing dinner, his hands practiced as he chopped vegetables and stirred a steaming pot.
"Need help?" Orchid chimed in sweetly.
"No," Fuhiken replied instinctively, without looking.
"Come on~ Just a tiny bit?"
Adiw, without uttering a single syllable, moved with the quiet efficiency of someone who had done this far too many times before. In one smooth motion, he pulled a length of rope from his magic bag, looped it expertly, and lassoed Orchid like a wayward sheep before she could even reach the cooking pot. With the practiced grace of a seasoned Orchid-wrangler, he tied her securely to the nearest palm tree, double-knotting for extra safety.
"Stay," he said flatly, pointing at her like she was a mischievous puppy. Orchid blinked, pouting as she tugged half-heartedly at the rope.
"I just wanted to stir the soup…" she mumbled.
From across the camp, Kyle gave a mock gasp. "The soup wants to live, Orchid. Let it have this."
While the others bickered, Yuuna sat a little apart, a small magic circle rotating slowly above her palm. Her dark eyes glimmered in the firelight, reflecting the glowing runes.
"What're you working on now?" Sakura tiptoed close.
"Experimenting with a new long-range spell," Yuuna replied without turning.
"Ooh! Can I learn it?"
Yuuna glanced sideways. "Yes. Mana Bloom. It's non-elemental and high precision."
Sakura, sitting beside her, perked up.
Yuuna nodded. "You already have Light Beam. Mana Bloom will give you more options."
They spent the next hour in quiet focus. Yuuna's fingers moved in practiced rhythm, shaping glyphs into the air. Sakura mirrored her gestures. Slowly, her own magic circle began to take form.
"It's beautiful," Sakura whispered. "Feels... pure."
"It is," Yuuna said, her tone thoughtful. "No elemental bias. Just focused mana."
Elsewhere, Fahleena knelt beside her magic bag, fiddling with its tiny dial.
"Now when intruders open it, " she muttered theatrically, ", a voice will echo: 'BEHOLD! THE KEYBLADE OF DESTINY SHALL STRIKE DOWN ALL WHO DARE TOUCH THIS HOLY ARTIFACT!'"
Jessica cracked a grin. "You're seriously turning your bag into a theatrical prop."
Fahleena struck a pose. "You never know when drama saves lives, Jess."
"I'm... not even arguing anymore," Jessica chuckled.
---
After dinner, vegetable stew with some salted meat from their supplies, the group relaxed. Sakura, as expected, collapsed first, curled up beside one of the palm trees, a satisfied smile on her face. Her petite frame barely shifted as she breathed, the night wind gently playing with her pink hair.
"How can she eat that much and stay tiny?" Adiw asked, watching her sleep.
"Metabolism miracle," Sinryo muttered. "Maybe she's secretly hollow."
As most of the party settled, Orchid wandered near one of the palms. Her eyes sparkled. "There's so many of these! Look!"
She knelt beside a cluster of desert roses, crystalline and fragile, their sharp edges catching moonlight.
"They're pretty," she said, eyes wide.
Yuuna walked over with Gabyola. Gaby knelt beside Orchid. "They're real desert roses. Formed by gypsum and sand, rare and delicate."
Yuuna leaned down, brushing her fingers lightly over one bloom. Her touch was reverent.
Orchid reached for one. "Can I take one back?"
"No," Yuuna answered softly. "They can't survive outside the desert. The humidity, temperature, everything here is what lets them exist."
Gaby nodded. "It's better to admire them here."
Yuuna's gaze lingered on the crystal-like formations. She didn't blink for a long moment.
A memory bubbled up, unbidden.
She was back in Nettra, walking through a dome-encased museum in one of the tiered city sectors. Artificial gardens bloomed under synthetic light, perfectly arranged crystals, grown over months in zero-gravity chambers and shipped for display. The Crystal Gardens of Sector 4A were said to echo the universe's symmetry. Back then, she'd spent hours walking those silent halls, utterly alone.
No one noticed her. No one asked why a little girl spent her days in museums instead of parks. That world was neat, orderly, cold.
Back then, she had been a genius. Now, she was just... Yuuna.
She knelt, fingers once again grazing the edge of the rose. "They're beautiful because they exist where they shouldn't. That's what makes them special."
Her voice was low, a fragile whisper carried away by the desert breeze, as if even the wind hesitated to disturb the stillness of the moment; it blended with the rustling of palm leaves and the soft crackle of the distant campfire, making her words feel more like a fleeting thought than something spoken aloud, a sentiment barely clinging to the edge of silence.
Orchid tilted her head. "That's... kinda poetic."
"No," Yuuna said, standing, brushing her skirt. "Just true."
Gabyola gave her a gentle smile. "Thanks for explaining."
Yuuna said nothing more. She walked back toward the fire.
The desert wind picked up slightly, whistling through the oasis with a cool, whispering sigh that rustled the palm fronds and sent gentle ripples across the still surface of the water. The breeze carried a subtle scent, dry minerals warmed by day now cooled to a sharp clarity, mingled with a strange sweetness that felt like moonlight itself. Fuhiken sat quietly near the fire, nudging a log into place with his cooking spoon, ensuring the flames stayed steady against the chill that now crept into the air. Shadows danced across the sandy ground as the campfire cast flickering light, wrapping the oasis in a protective glow as the night deepened.
One by one, the party members gave in to the pull of sleep. Fahleena, curled like a cat in her blanket, murmured something vague and dramatic about destiny, her chuunibyou flair refusing to sleep even in dreams. Jessica, lying nearby with arms tucked beneath her head, chuckled softly, either in response to the dream or just amused at the absurdity of their day. Yetsan, ever the meticulous one, performed one last obsessive cleaning of his armor before finally surrendering to exhaustion. He lay grumbling about vengeful sand ghosts, his voice trailing off into snores muffled by his helmet's interior.
Only Yuuna remained sitting upright, her back straight and gaze steady, eyes fixed on the desert roses glowing faintly in the moonlight. She didn't shift or fidget, as if time held no sway over her. Her expression was unreadable, neither sorrowful nor content, but somewhere caught between reflection and detachment. The wind tugged at her dark hair, but she didn't notice. In that moment, Yuuna wasn't part of the oasis, nor entirely of the world around her. She was somewhere else, held captive by memory, remembering things she couldn't share and worlds no one else could understand.
---
By morning, the wind had stilled. The sky turned soft shades of blue and gold.
Yetsan woke first, already brushing and cleaning every joint in his armor. "I swear, if sand gets in again, I'm moving to a snowy mountain."
One by one, the party stirred, yawning and stretching. Sakura was last, her hair messy, a leaf stuck to her cheek.
"Morning already...?"
"Affirmative," Fuhiken said, tightening his gear. "Gaby spotted Thraghurn from the ridge. We march at once."
The group gathered their belongings, packed their supplies, and with a last glance at the oasis, resumed their journey. Behind them, the desert roses remained, glowing faintly in the morning sun, untouched.
---