The pale morning sun filtered weakly through the dusty haze, casting long, trembling shadows over the scarred earth of the Wasteland. Aryan's breath came in shallow gasps, his body heavy with exhaustion and grief.
Before them lay the cold, still forms of their fallen comrades — Kira, Reno, and Neya. Their faces, once full of life and fire, now peaceful in eternal silence. Aryan's chest tightened painfully, the weight of loss pressing down like the cracked soil beneath his knees.
His fingers trembled as he traced a faint scar on Kira's cheek — a reminder of a laughter now forever gone.
"We owe them more than words," Aryan whispered, his voice breaking under the weight of unshed tears.
Kat knelt nearby, his calloused hands digging slowly into the earth. His lips moved in a soft prayer to the forgotten gods of the Wasteland, words swallowed by the hot, dry wind.
"May their courage light the path through this darkness… May their spirits find the peace the living deny them," Kat murmured, his voice a ragged breath in the stillness.
The two worked in silence, dirt covering the bodies with trembling hands, each shovel a heavy beat in the rhythm of mourning. Around them, the distant cries of scavengers echoed — a harsh reminder the world moves on, indifferent.
As Aryan stood, the morning light caught the faint gleam of something strange beyond the settlement: a crowd, gathered near the Blade counter, murmuring in urgent whispers.
Curiosity pulled them forward. The air felt charged, thick with anticipation.
A vendor's eyes widened as Aryan approached. "You haven't heard?" he said, voice low but urgent. "A man brought in the corpse of the Black Dragon — the first anyone's seen in decades."
Aryan froze, his heart pounding like a war drum.
"The Black Dragon?" Kat echoed, disbelief and something darker flickering in his eyes. "That's an A-rank beast… legendary. No one's ever bested it. Until now."
A sudden surge of questions flooded Aryan's mind, memories of the stranger in the storm intertwining with the rumors swirling in the crowd.
He grabbed Kat's arm tightly. "The man who saved us… the one we saw holding something huge... He must be the one."
Kat's gaze hardened. "If he's real, the world is about to change. But for better or worse, I don't know."
The crowd pressed forward eagerly, desperate to glimpse the mythical beast. But the Blade counter was eerily empty.
"He's already gone," a voice whispered from the shadows.
Aryan's stomach clenched, a cold knot forming deep inside.
The stranger—the savior—had vanished like a ghost, leaving behind only whispers and a chilling promise.
Kat's eyes scanned the horizon. "This is no victory. It's a warning. Something darker is coming."
Aryan swallowed, the future suddenly heavy with uncertainty. Somewhere beyond the haze, answers awaited — and so did danger.