Ashen Light

Chapter 11: Biased Hope

The desert stretched endlessly before them, its golden expanse shimmering beneath the relentless sun. The trio moved at a steady pace, their footsteps crunching against the loose sand. The silence between them was filled with the distant howl of the desert wind, but the tension lingered, unspoken yet undeniable.

Zack glanced at Cyrus, his usual grin absent. "So, you gonna tell us what you found back there?"

Cyrus didn't break stride. His gaze remained fixed ahead, the holy blade resting at his side. "It's... complicated."

Skylar snorted from behind him, adjusting the strap of her quiver. "That's a great way to dodge a question, mate."

"It's not something I can explain," Cyrus said evenly. "Not yet, anyway. What I read—it's just a piece of the puzzle. I need to find the next temple to make sense of it."

Zack sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. "And where exactly is this next temple?"

"The blade will guide us," Cyrus replied simply, gripping the hilt of the glowing weapon. Its faint warmth pulsed through his hand, as if it held a will of its own.

Skylar muttered under her breath. "Great. Trusting a sword to be our compass. What could possibly go wrong?"

"This sword is everything. It's the key, I guess you could say." Cyrus enlightened them a little bit, sheathing the warm metal once again, running a hand through his neat hair with a quiet sigh. It was exhausting, really. But he'd do anything, anything to rid this demon of this world.

Anything, just to feel something again.

 Zack studied Cyrus for a moment, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly. "Alright, so it's the key. But you're still not telling us what lock it's supposed to open. You found something back there, didn't you?"

Cyrus nodded faintly, his expression unreadable. "I did. But like I said, it's only a part of what I'm looking for. The rest will come when we reach the next temple."

Skylar, walking a few paces behind them, sighed loudly. "Fine. You don't wanna talk about it, whatever. But if this sword is as important as you're making it out to be, we better not lose it out here in the middle of nowhere. I'm not fighting off some sand demon just to get it back."

"If this sword leaves my hold, that means I'm dead. It won't leave my possession." Cyrus assured her.

"Yeah, 'cause the last time demons showed up, we totally had it under control," Skylar retorted sarcastically, kicking at the sand as they walked.

Cyrus glanced at her but chose not to respond. Instead, his eyes turned to the horizon, where the setting sun was painting the dunes in hues of orange and crimson. The heat of the day was fading, giving way to the cooler embrace of night.

Zack broke the silence again, his tone lighter this time. "So the sword is just everything. That's cool. But this whole temple-hopping thing? Not exactly my idea of a good time. Couldn't you have been searching for, I dunno, a treasure hoard or something?"

Cyrus gave a small, humorless smile. "This is bigger than treasure, Zack."

Zack groaned theatrically, throwing his hands up. "Of course it is. Why can't we ever have fun?"

Skylar rolled her eyes. "If you're looking for fun, you're in the wrong desert."

Their banter faded into the night as the trio pressed on, the weight of their journey heavy on Cyrus's shoulders. The faint glow of his sword was a constant reminder of his mission—and the cost of failure.

And in the back of his mind, Ryu-Kishyn's voice slithered through the silence like a serpent.

Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'The past is the past'?