The cold of the desert night was the first thing Richard felt when he opened his eyes. His body was heavy, and every muscle ached as if he'd run a marathon. The last image he remembered was the facility's gate and the wind roaring around him as he escaped. Now, he was lying on a rough blanket, the starry sky stretching above him like an endless cloak.
He tried to sit up, but a calm voice stopped him.
"Don't push yourself too hard. You're exhausted."
Richard turned his head and saw a figure sitting near a makeshift campfire. The light from the flames partially illuminated his face, but a mask covered the upper half, leaving only his lips visible. He wore a dark cloak that seemed to move in the wind, even though the air was still.
"Who are you?" Richard asked, his voice hoarse from exertion.
"Someone who knows what's inside you," the figure replied, still staring at the fire. And someone who doesn't want you to fall into the wrong hands.
Richard frowned, trying to process what he was hearing.
"Did you follow me? Do you work for them?"
The figure gave a low laugh.
"If I worked for them, you wouldn't be here now. You'd be back in that facility, or worse."
Richard tried to get up again, this time with more success. He sat up, supporting himself on his hands, and looked around. They were in a small depression among the dunes, sheltered from the wind. The campfire was small, but enough to keep them warm.
The silence of the desert was almost absolute, broken only by the crackle of the flames and the soft whisper of the wind caressing the dunes. Richard felt a strange calm, but also a growing unease.
"Why did you help me?" he finally asked.
The figure looked directly at him, and although its eyes were hidden behind the mask, Richard felt the weight of its gaze.
"Because you are the key. What you saw in the temple, what you carry with you… is more important than you imagine."
Richard felt a chill.
"How do you know about the temple?"
The figure leaned forward, letting the firelight illuminate its face more fully.
"Because it's not the only one. And because I've spent years searching for what you just found."
Richard swallowed. The figure's words echoed in his mind, but he couldn't fully grasp their meaning.
"What do you want from me?"
"For now, nothing. I just want you to survive. But if you want answers, you'll have to trust me."
Richard didn't respond immediately. He had learned not to trust anyone since the system appeared in his life, but something in the figure's voice told him it meant nothing.
"Okay," he finally said. "But if you try anything, I'll know."
The figure nodded, as if waiting for that answer.
"Rest. Tomorrow we'll have to move before they find us."
Richard watched the figure for a few more seconds before lying back on the blanket. He closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come easily. His mind was filled with questions: Who was this person? What did they know about the temple? And what did it mean to be "the key"?
The starry sky seemed to watch him, vast and indifferent. Richard felt a strange connection with the stars, as if they were witnesses to something much larger than himself. When he finally fell asleep, the system activated, projecting a message into his dreams:
[New quest available.]
Objective: Find the next temple.
Reward: Knowledge Fragment.
The system's vision faded, and Richard found himself in a strange place. He was standing in a vast desert, but this was not the same one he had been in. The dunes were black as obsidian, and the sky was tinged with a deep red. On the horizon, a towering structure loomed: a temple similar to the one he had seen before, but much larger and older.
A voice echoed in his mind, deep and solemn:
"The path is marked, but only the worthy may walk it."
Richard woke with a start, the message still etched in his mind. He looked toward the figure, who still sat by the fire, motionless as a statue.
"Are you ready to begin?" the figure asked, as if it knew exactly what Richard had seen in his dream.
Richard nodded, feeling like his journey was just beginning.
The figure stood up, extinguishing the campfire with a flick of its foot.
"The desert doesn't forgive those who stand still. We must move before dawn."
Richard stood up, still feeling the weight of exhaustion on his body. As he followed the figure across the dunes, he couldn't help but look toward the horizon, wondering if the temple in his vision really existed.
The wind began to blow harder, kicking up small clouds of sand that swirled around him. Richard felt like each step was taking him further from the life he had known, and closer to a destination he was only just beginning to understand.