The scorched sun beat down on Cedric and his companions as they emerged from the frosted pines into the vast expanse of the Scarlet Dunes. Weeks of travel had carried them south from the frozen north. Now, the shifting sands offered new peril. Lynne shaded her eyes with one hand, pressing the Lattice Reconstruction Blueprint orb against her chest.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
Current XP: 107/400 Level: 8
Next Unlock: "Core Thread Weave" at Level 9
Seal Integrity: 78%
Elric reigned in his steed, scanning the horizon. "The temple lies beyond that ridge," he said, nodding toward a line of bleached sandstone spires. "An oasis once stood there—now only ruins."
Kerran wiped sweat from his brow. "Sun's blazing, and the warding glyphs we carry won't hold more than an hour."
Cedric raised a hand to silence them. "We press on. The next fragment—Eye of Dunes—waits beneath those stones. Let's move."
They crossed the dunes in single file, each step sinking ankle-deep. The heat clawed at Cedric's throat, but he forced himself forward, eyes fixed on the distant marker: a collapsed archway half-buried in copper sand.
---
The Ruined Oasis
Hours later, they reached a cracked basin where date palms once thrived. Now, only skeletal trunks remained. In the center stood the crumbled façade of a temple, glyphs half-erased by storm. Cedric's sword rang against a fallen pillar as he pulled himself over the threshold.
Inside, the air was cooler—dust swirled in slanting light. At the far end, a sunken pool shimmered with faint blue light. The Eye of Dunes rested in its center: a golden orb floating atop rippling water.
Lynne frowned. "It's protected by water magic—unstable." She tapped the orb at her belt. "We need to drain the pool without collapsing the chamber."
As Cedric approached, the water writhed. A ripple became a wave, and from its depths rose a Sand Wraith Guardian: a humanoid form of liquid sand and glass shards, eyes glowing cerulean.
> Threat Scan: Red-Black
Estimated Level: 9
Host Level: 8
Recommended Caution Level: High
Cedric felt a spike of adrenaline. "Stay behind me," he told Lynne and Kerran. He advanced, sword held horizontally.
The Wraith lunged, dissolving into sand that reformed behind him. Cedric slashed at the shifting form—his blade passed through, drawing no blood. He staggered as the Wraith's glass-like claws scraped his ribs.
> HP -27 → 79/106
The creature's laughter echoed, sandy particles coalescing around its form. Lynne whispered under her breath, weaving a thin Trace Overload ring at Cedric's feet. The Wraith recoiled as its sand-cohesion faltered.
"Now!" Cedric called. He surged forward, Quick Strike propelling him through the Wraith's front. His sword, imbued with thread-infused mana, severed the Wraith's core, unleashing a shockwave of scattered sand.
> XP +172 (Sand Wraith Defeated)
Current XP: 279/400
The water stilled. Cedric sheathed his sword and carefully drained the pool with a simple flameless wick—designed to evaporate the water without scorching the chamber. As the pool receded, the Eye of Dunes rose to Cedric's hand, warm and pulsing.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
"Eye of Dunes" Acquired (Fragment 004/∞)
Seal Integrity Restored: +7% → 85%
---
Exiting the Temple
The desert air hit them like a furnace as they emerged. Kerran slumped, retrieving a canteen. "That was… exhausting."
Elric nodded, offering shade. "Your skill with the Threads grows. Soon, you will rival any Wraith."
Cedric held the golden orb aloft. "Each fragment mends the lattice. But if the Infinite Maw still stirs beneath, we have little time."
Lynne surveyed the dunes. "We press on to the next site: the Obsidian Caverns. They say the Guardian there can sense deceit and trap fortune-seekers forever."
Cedric's jaw tightened. "Then we won't be fortune-seekers. We carry truth." He slung the Eye of Dunes onto his belt, resolve unapologetically burning in his gaze.
As they mounted and vanished into the ever-shifting sands, the dunes whispered behind them—a warning to any who dared challenge the fragile balance of magic.