The ruins spat them out into daylight, but it didn't feel like freedom. The air outside was thin, sharp, and carried with it the weight of silence. Even Shanaya, who usually had a quip ready, walked with her jaw set, eyes distant.
The storm inside Neel hadn't settled. Sparks still ticked against his skin like a fuse waiting for flame. Every time he blinked, he saw the lightning-crowned figure burned into his vision.
Leela walked close, pretending to study her staff, though she glanced at him often. He knew she wanted to speak — about her bloodline, about the prophecy — but words stuck between them like thorns.
Finally, Shanaya broke the silence. "So. Chains, bloodlines, ancient murals… tell me again how this isn't you being groomed for 'World's Greatest Catastrophe'?"
Neel's jaw tightened. "Shut up."
Shanaya smirked. "What, too close to home?"
Leela snapped, sharper than usual. "Enough, Shanaya! He didn't ask for this."
"Doesn't matter," Shanaya said softly, the smirk fading into something colder. "Ask or not, the storm's in him. And sooner or later, it'll break."
–––
By midday they reached the edge of the forest, where soil turned to cracked stone and dry scrub. The air grew hotter, the wind harsher. The valley spilled into an arid expanse — the edge of the Red Dunes.
Travelers whispered of beasts prowling here, creatures that survived on heat and blood. Neel felt them before he saw them: faint vibrations beneath the earth, prickling his storm.
He wasn't wrong.
They crossed a ridge of crumbling rock when shadows moved ahead. A group of cloaked figures rose from the dust, blades glinting under the sun. At their center stood a man Neel knew too well.
Aarav.
His rival's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, the desert wind whipping his hair across his sharp, confident face.
"Well, well," Aarav drawled. "If it isn't the Academy's fallen star. Tell me, Neel, does exile taste as bitter as I imagined?"
Neel's storm roared instantly, snapping at the sight of him. "What do you want?"
Aarav's smirk widened. "Simple. Proof. Proof that you're everything the Academy fears. And once I have it, no one will doubt who the real heir of power is."
His followers fanned out, surrounding them in a half-circle. Blades hissed from sheaths.
Shanaya cracked her knuckles, flame dancing across her palm. "You picked the wrong day, sweetheart."
Leela raised her staff, eyes wary. "Aarav, don't do this. You don't understand what you're playing with."
"Oh, I understand perfectly," Aarav said, his smile razor-sharp. "I just want the world to see it too."
He snapped his fingers.
The desert answered.
Shadows rose from the sands — not Gravehounds, but creatures twisted by the heat. Their bodies shimmered with glassy scales, claws sparking against stone, their eyes burning red. Scorpidrakes — desert scavengers, half-lizard, half-scorpion, bred to hunt in packs.
Eight of them skittered forward, tails arched, stingers dripping poison.
Neel's storm surged violently, sparks erupting across his arms.
The whisper purred, delighted. "Yes. Break them. Show him who kneels."
–––
The Scorpidrakes circled, their claws scraping sparks against stone as their tails clicked like spears. Their hiss echoed across the canyon, sharp and cruel.
Shanaya's fire bloomed brighter, wreathing her arms in flame. "Eight of them? Pathetic."
Leela shot her a glare. "Don't underestimate desert beasts. They're faster than they look."
"Good," Shanaya smirked. "I like fast food."
Before Neel could reply, the first drake lunged. He barely had time to raise his arm before the storm exploded outward, a reflexive surge. Lightning cracked across the sand, throwing the creature back in a convulsing heap. The scent of ozone burned the air.
Aarav clapped slowly, mock applause. "Beautiful! See how it happens? He doesn't even try, and already monsters die at his touch."
The words dug into Neel's chest. His storm writhed, aching to answer the taunt. Sparks leapt uncontrolled from his fingertips, striking the sand and leaving it glassy.
"Neel, don't—" Leela's warning came too late.
Two Scorpidrakes pounced from either side. Shanaya intercepted one with a column of fire, slamming it to the ground. The other barreled toward Leela, tail arcing down. She thrust her staff forward, water bursting into a shield of ice just in time. The stinger cracked against it, inches from her heart.
The serpent's whisper coiled close in Neel's mind, amused. "They falter. They bleed. And you… you rise. Break them. All of them."
Neel's vision blurred. Lightning flashed, too bright. His storm lashed out, slamming into two drakes at once. They screeched as arcs of blue fire burned through their hides. One collapsed, twitching. The other skittered back, half its tail seared away.
Leela's horrified voice broke through. "Neel! Stop! You're killing them!"
"I—I can't—" His voice cracked. The storm drowned everything else.
Aarav's laugh cut through the chaos. "This is the Vessel? This is the hero the Academy pitied? He's nothing but a weapon waiting to break."
He raised his blade, stepping forward to finish the scene. His men advanced with him.
That's when the roar came.
–––
It wasn't like the Scorpidrakes — this was deeper, older. The air itself trembled. Sand exploded upward as a massive shape erupted from beneath: a desert wyrm, scales like bronze, jaws wide enough to swallow a drake whole.
The drakes shrieked, scattering. Aarav stumbled back, eyes wide.
From the crest of a dune strode a man in tattered black robes, his hair wild, eyes sharp as a hawk's. Around him prowled beasts — a sand panther, a horned vulture, and two massive dune wolves.
He raised his hand, and the wyrm halted mid-charge, its eyes glowing faintly under his will.
"Pathetic," the man said, his voice rough, commanding. He looked at Neel, at the storm still crackling uncontrolled. "You're going to get yourself killed, boy. Or worse — everyone around you."
Shanaya's flames dimmed slightly, her gaze narrowing. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The man smirked, sharp and amused. "Kabir Chauhan. Beast tamer. Keeper of the forgotten wild." He gestured, and the dune wolves snarled at the Scorpidrakes, forcing them into retreat. "And apparently, your babysitter."
Leela's relief was clear, but her grip on her staff stayed tight. "We didn't ask for your help."
"Didn't need to," Kabir said, eyes never leaving Neel. "Your storm calls beasts like a beacon. If I hadn't come, the desert would've swallowed you before nightfall."
Neel's fists clenched, sparks snapping. "Why are you here?"
Kabir's smirk widened. "Because the world's changing, Vessel. And I want a front-row seat."
–––
The Scorpidrakes hissed one last time before skittering into the dunes, leaving only scorched sand and the trembling earth of the wyrm's retreat. Aarav cursed under his breath, glaring at Kabir before signaling his men to fall back.
"This isn't over," he spat at Neel. "One day, they'll see you for what you are."
He vanished into the desert haze.
The silence left behind was heavier than the fight itself.
Kabir crossed his arms, studying Neel as though measuring him. "The serpent's whisper… the chains… the storm. You're standing on a knife's edge, boy." His grin was sharp, feral. "And I can't wait to see which way you fall."
–––