Crown of Gods

2.2 Lee Minjun (이민준)

Date: 15th of Vernus 1321
Location: The Calid Desert, Solania Kingdom, Avadonia Island.

"We're almost there," Minjun said, trying to sound hopeful, pushing aside thoughts of his dark side as he forced a smile. He peered at the map, showing a small picture of the Temple of Solania with a white dot flashing above it. "It's around here somewhere."

Jude's voice carried a touch of frustration as he muttered, "If there was a temple, we would have seen it by now. It's long gone, swallowed by the sand. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack." He rested on the red sand, playing with the grains in his hands.

"I'm good at finding needles." Minjun walked on, determined to ignore Jude's pleas to rest. His eyes remained fixed on the map, where the once-white dot had abruptly turned red. He veered to the right, and the dot reverted to white. Repeating this process, Minjun turned right whenever the dot flashed red, until he finally realized he had completed a full circle, finding himself face-to-face with Jude, who raised an eyebrow in amusement at the sight.

Minjun surrendered, slumping down onto the sand, sitting cross-legged next to Jude, feeling defeated. He couldn't help but suspect that there was something wrong with the map. However, he refused to admit it to Jude; he would never live it down for wasting their time when they could be assisting the Brethren Court in their fight against The Draconian Empire.

"Where did you get that map from anyway?" Jude asked.

"Pirate Lord Zachary Flint." Minjun rolled the scroll back into his bag. "It's been passed down in his family for generations."

"Flint? Like the House of Flint? The royal family that used to rule these lands?" Jude gestured at the desert. "That means..." he paused, a look of realization on his face.

Minjun nodded. "Yep, Pirate Lord Zachary Flint is the last surviving member of the House of Flint, and technically the King of Solania, if the kingdom hadn't fallen. Now he's just a commoner like everyone else."

During their travels across the Calid Desert, Minjun and Jude had encountered numerous ruins that once belonged to the Kingdom of Solania, which had fallen three centuries ago during the Battle of the Dead Canyon. Each time they spotted a distant building, they couldn't help but rejoice, hoping it was the long-sought Temple of Solania they were searching for, only to be met with disappointment as it turned out to be yet another ruin. Minjun couldn't help but wonder how the Kingdom had managed to survive in the harsh desert environment. All the once-thriving oasis towns and cities had now dried up, devoid of any sign of life. It left him pondering what had become of the Solanians after their Kingdom's fall.

The Jakaya Oasis was a rare exception, managing to survive due to its proximity to a chroma reserve. However, it had fallen under the control of the Draconian Empire. The people living there now weren't originally Solanian; they were Draconians or others from various parts of the world, desperately seeking work in the Chroma Mines. Among them, Minjun had only encountered one true Solanian, Zachary Flint.

"How did he end up a Pirate Lord?" Jude asked.

"Just like the rest of us who became pirates. Our lands were stolen from us by the Draconian Empire, and we're fighting to claim back what is rightfully ours. Not that there is much left for Flint to take back."

"Yeah, but doesn't Emperor Cyrus see the House of Flint as a threat to his crown, since they have a claim..." Jude took a sip from his water skin before finishing his sentence. "...to the–"

"Hey!" Minjun smacked Jude's arm. "That's the last of the water!"

"It's just a sip," Jude whined. "Let's face it, the temple isn't here. We've been searching for weeks. Our food and water are almost gone, and before we know it, you won't have enough magical energy left to halo our arses back to the Jakaya Oasis. So can we just go back."