The darkness was coming, and the sun up in the sky was already burning black.
It was unnatural—like a sun from a realm long forgotten. One moment it had shone with blazing heat, and the next it had shifted into something malevolent, oozing with shadow. The once-warm winds had disappeared in an instant, leaving the air around completely still. Not even a whisper of movement remained.
Kairos stood in that silence, heart pounding. The eerie stillness was maddening. He was sure if he screamed now, his voice would echo across the entire desert with nothing to dampen it.
He opened his eyes, the dry sting of sand gritting at the corners, and turned toward the far horizon where the darkness had receded the night before. There was still some light. The sun hadn't gone completely dark yet. Not yet.
But it was going.
And he had limited time to act.
