The silver cocoon slowly cracked and shattered like a fragile shell losing its purpose. William stepped cautiously out of it. Motes of light fluttered briefly in the air before vanishing, leaving him standing on a boundless expanse of sand.
He swept his gaze around. The desert stretched as far as the eye could see—pathless and devoid of life. Only the undulating grains of sand resembled a frozen sea. As he looked up, something odd immediately caught his attention.
The sky.
He remembered that before the storm, the sky had been bright and blazing. Now, however, pitch blackness hung starless in the sky, as if the daylight had been sucked away.
William raised his hand, and silver butterflies scattered from his palm and circled around him. Their light was dim but enough to reveal the truth.
"It's not the sky that's been affected by the illusion," William murmured thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes. "We were all caught in the illusion when the storm swept us away."
He snapped his fingers. Instantly, the butterfly shattered into fragments of light and vanished into the air.
It was silent. Absolute silence. The only sound was the whistling of the empty desert wind. William didn't see Louis, Jones, or anyone else. For the first time since the whirlwind, William showed his worries.
His body melted and merged with the red, mist-like shadow. In that form, he shot through the air at lightning speed toward the faint mana aura he'd seen in the distance.
But the journey felt long. Each desert he crossed looked the same and seemed endless. There was no sign of a caravan or horse tracks—not even a crack in the shield. Only the illusory silence continued to press down on him.
Finally, he stopped.
Amidst the waves of sand, a silhouette emerged—a woman walking slowly with a frightened young brunette.
William recognized the figure instantly. It was Elizabeth. Though she looked exhausted, her figure remained upright and graceful, even in the worst of circumstances.
He lowered his red shadow form and revealed himself on the path they were about to take.
Elizabeth looked up. When she saw him, her eyes lit up with relief. "William, is that you?"
She quickened her pace, almost running toward him. The small girl, no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, kept her hand tightly gripped and trembled with fear.
William stood tall with a sharp gaze. "Where are the others?" he asked matter-of-factly.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I lost them. After Louis's shield shattered and we were swept away by the storm, I didn't see anyone again. It was as if we had been deliberately separated."
Elizabeth remained silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on the endless expanse of sand. After some reflection, she spoke softly but firmly.
"Those two dice are a type of mid-level magical weapon. The hurricane was merely a disguise to conceal the magical illusion. The Sentinel uses natural phenomena to blend its magic with the environment."
William narrowed his eyes. The explanation made sense, and he suddenly understood why his silver butterflies had been so agitated. They weren't afraid; they were angry. Those tiny creatures hated being confined, and now external magic was restraining their wings.
He grinned faintly, his tone light as usual. "It seems the mysterious group is moving faster than we expected. Our information was flawed, and it turns out the Sentinel of the Royal Order just intervened. Hmm, interesting."
William's arrogant tone made Elizabeth sigh, but she nodded in agreement. She produced a small crystal ball from beneath her robes. She held it tightly in one hand while pressing two fingers to his temple in the sign for communication magic.
However, after waiting a long time, the crystal remained dark. Elizabeth scrunched up her face, furrowing her brow.
"I can't contact anyone. Not the Royal Order or Louis. There's some kind of interference magic around here cutting off all communication lines."
She tucked the crystal back into her robes, then turned her head forward. "We have no choice but to move. I sense a faint mana aura in that direction." She pointed her finger straight down the nearly endless sandy path.
William simply shrugged. "Then you lead the way." He walked casually behind Elizabeth and the little girl.
For anyone else, this situation might have been tense. But William enjoyed it. At least he was alone with Elizabeth again for the first time in a while. Of course, a little girl was between them.
William's gaze never left her. Her brown hair was disheveled, her face was pale, and she walked hesitantly. From the outside, she looked like just a frightened little survivor. But to William, caution was instinctive. There was something about the little girl that made him reluctant to divert his attention.
Elizabeth tried to ease the tension by starting a conversation. "Your name is Anna, isn't it? Sir Roster introduced you to me."
The little girl lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly. "Yes, I'm Anna. I'd like to meet Aunt Jane and Uncle Roster soon. After all, they've been taking such good care of me."
They continued walking through the desert, which was now shrouded in darkness. A cold, piercing wind replaced the day's heat. For William and Elizabeth, the bone-chilling cold was nothing new—they were used to far worse. However, Anna, the little girl, was shivering violently.
Finally, Elizabeth took off her cloak and draped it over Anna's tiny body. The pink dress that had previously been hidden beneath the cloak was now clearly visible.
"You need to stay warm," Elizabeth said softly.
Anna nodded slightly. Her face was pale, but she tried to appear strong.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth took a deep breath and spoke softly. Her voice was carried by the wind. "I'm really worried about the others: Louis, Jones, and the merchants. We haven't found any trace of them."
William walked a few paces behind them. He didn't answer or try to comfort them with words. Instead, he released five silver butterflies, which scattered in all directions while flying in a regular pattern. Every kilometer, a butterfly flapped its wings, breaking the line of sight and looking directly into he eyes.
His brown irises slowly gleamed red—a sign that he was seeing through them. The desert seemed empty, just an endless expanse of sand. There was no sign of a caravan, sentinels, or life.
However, just over a kilometer ahead, a black silhouette could be seen in the distance. At first, it appeared to be a mirage, but as the silver butterfly flew closer, the shape became clearer. It was not just a shadow, but rather, walls and buildings.
A city. A city standing in the middle of the desert night.
William narrowed his eyes and said evenly, "Let's continue straight ahead. There's a city ahead. If we're lucky, we can rest there."
Elizabeth nodded, accepting the decision without hesitation. The night was growing colder, and they needed shelter.
Even though Anna was wearing Elizabeth's cloak, she still shivered violently. She tried to pull the cloth tighter around her.
Elizabeth bent down and reached out to her. "Come here, Come close to me."
The little girl obeyed, taking a few steps forward and taking Elizabeth's hand. A warm jolt flowed from their grip—Elizabeth had channeled just enough fire magic to make the tiny body feel safe.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief and her eyes sparkled slightly. "Thank you..." Her voice was soft but calmer than before.
William watched from behind. His gaze wasn't on Elizabeth's tenderness but on Anna. It was as if the warmth were necessary, yet beneath the girl's innocence, his instincts whispered that something wasn't right.