The sun rose slowly over the horizon, turning the mountains gold and red. Naruto stood at the ridge, wind tugging at his cloak. He had been walking for three days straight, following the pull of the ring.
Below him stretched an endless sea of sand — the Desert of Glass.
It shimmered in the sunlight like waves of silver flame. The heat made the air bend and twist, turning the horizon into a mirage.
Naruto shaded his eyes. "So that's it."
"Yes," Shax said softly. "The desert where the Queen of Chains was buried. Once, it was a great city. Now it is nothing but silence and dust."
Naruto smiled faintly. "Then let's go wake up the silence."
He slid down the slope, sand crunching under his sandals. The heat hit him like fire, but the wind swirled gently around him, cooling his steps.
The Desert of Glass
The desert was both beautiful and cruel. The ground glittered with shards of crystal buried under thin layers of sand. Each step made them crackle faintly, like walking on frozen fire.
Naruto took a sip from his canteen. The water was warm, but it helped. Sweat rolled down his face.
"Shax," he said, "how come this place is full of glass?"
"Long ago, it was not a desert. It was the capital of the Spirit Kingdom — a city where humans and spirits lived together. But when the Queen rebelled, the Magus sealed her using fire and sound. The blast turned stone to glass."
Naruto's eyes widened. "He destroyed a whole city just to stop her?"
"Yes. And it was the first time he cried."
Naruto walked in silence after that, his thoughts heavy.
Hours passed. The sun climbed higher. His clothes clung to his skin, and the air shimmered with heat.
Still, the ring pulled him forward — always east, always deeper into the heart of the desert.
By evening, he found a cluster of ruins half-buried in the sand. Broken towers jutted from the dunes, their surfaces polished smooth by centuries of wind. Strange carvings still marked their sides — spirals, chains, and eyes.
Naruto knelt beside one pillar and brushed off the sand. "These symbols… they look like the ones on the ring."
"They are. This was once her temple."
He looked around. "And now it's her grave."
"Perhaps not for much longer."
The Whispers
That night, Naruto built a small fire between two fallen stones. The flames flickered weakly in the dry wind.
He sat close, eating the last of his rations. The desert sky above was huge, filled with stars. The moon looked pale and distant.
For a while, he listened to the soft hiss of the sand. Then, slowly, he realized it wasn't just the wind.
A voice whispered through the air — faint, almost like the rustling of cloth.
"Naruto…"
He froze.
"Shax?"
"I did not speak."
The whisper came again, closer now. "Naruto… come…"
The fire flickered. The ring pulsed faintly on his finger.
Naruto stood slowly. "You hear that, right?"
"Yes," Shax said darkly. "That is not the desert. It is a call."
"From the Queen?"
"Perhaps. Or from something she left behind."
The whisper turned into a hum — soft, melodic, and haunting. It made the glass shards around him tremble.
Naruto took a cautious step forward. The sand shifted beneath him, forming faint symbols that glowed blue for an instant before fading.
"Be careful," Shax warned. "This place remembers her power. Every sound, every breath, feeds the seal."
Naruto nodded. "Then I'll follow the quietest path."
The Glass City
By dawn, the whispers had led him to the heart of the desert. There, hidden beneath layers of shifting sand, stood a massive circular ruin — like a sunken arena made entirely of glass.
Light from the morning sun reflected across it, creating a thousand colors.
Naruto stared in awe. "This place is huge…"
"The Crystal Sanctum," Shax said. "The center of her dominion."
Naruto jumped down into the arena. His feet echoed softly against the smooth glass floor. In the center stood a single black monolith covered in cracks.
As he approached, the whispers grew louder — not angry, but sorrowful.
"Free me… free me from the chains…"
Naruto's hand trembled as he reached out to touch the stone.
"Naruto!" Shax shouted. "Stop—"
Too late.
The moment his fingers brushed the surface, light exploded outward. The ground shook violently, and the glass floor shattered like thin ice.
Naruto fell.
The Chamber Below
He landed hard, rolling to his feet. Dust and shards of glass rained down around him.
He found himself in a vast underground hall. The walls were covered in murals showing a woman with long hair and eyes like fire — chains wrapped around her arms and legs.
Naruto looked up at the ceiling. The cracks glowed faintly red.
"You touched the seal," Shax said, his voice tense. "You weakened it."
Naruto swallowed. "I didn't mean to."
"Intent does not matter. The Queen of Chains stirs."
Naruto turned in a slow circle. The air was heavy, thick with energy. The walls pulsed like a heartbeat.
Then, from the shadows ahead, a faint shape appeared — tall and graceful, made of smoke and light.
Her voice was calm and distant. "After so long… a human dares to wake me."
Naruto stepped back. "You're the Queen?"
The figure smiled faintly. "A title long forgotten. I was once the guardian of freedom — until your kind turned it into slavery."
"Do not listen!" Shax hissed. "She twists truth into poison."
Naruto frowned. "I just want to understand. Why were you sealed?"
The Queen's voice softened. "Because I refused to kneel. The Magus bound us — called it peace. But peace built on chains is only silence."
Naruto hesitated. Her words felt heavy, full of pain.
"Lies," Shax said sharply. "She sought dominion, not peace. Her chains were forged to control all spirits — even me."
The Queen turned toward the sound of his voice. "Ah… little Shax. Still loyal to the man who caged you?"
"Better loyalty than betrayal."
Her laughter echoed softly. "And what of the boy? Will he become your next master, or your next victim?"
Naruto clenched his fists. "Enough! I'm not here to fight anyone. I just want to stop whatever's happening to the world."
"Then release me," the Queen said gently. "Together we can restore balance — free spirits and humans alike."
"Naruto, do not listen!" Shax warned. "If she escapes, she will enslave both realms!"
Naruto looked between them — one voice filled with warning, the other with sorrow. His heart raced.
"I can't tell who's lying…"
Then, suddenly, Paimon's faint voice whispered in his mind:
"Truth sings softly — lies scream loudly."
Naruto closed his eyes, listening.
The Queen's voice trembled slightly, a tiny quiver in the melody — fear, not truth.
He opened his eyes. "You're scared."
The Queen's expression froze. "What?"
"You're scared of something worse than the Magus, aren't you?"
Her smile faded. "You know nothing of what sleeps beneath this world."
The ground trembled again. Cracks spread along the floor, glowing red.
"Naruto! The seal is breaking!" Shax shouted.
Naruto reached for the ring, pushing his chakra and spirit energy through it. "Then we fix it!"
"You cannot reseal what was bound by the Magus alone!"
"I don't need to be him," Naruto said through gritted teeth. "I just need to be me!"
He slammed his hand to the ground. The ring flared with red and gold light.
Sound and wind merged, forming a swirling vortex that filled the chamber. The chains carved into the walls began to vibrate, their glow fading slowly.
The Queen screamed — not in anger, but in grief. "Foolish child! You cannot stop destiny!"
Naruto shouted back, "Watch me!"
The light grew until it swallowed everything.
The Vision
When the light faded, Naruto was floating in a white void.
The Queen stood before him — not chained now, but whole. Her eyes were soft, her expression calm.
"You could have freed me," she said quietly.
"Maybe," Naruto replied, "but I don't trust people who call their cage freedom."
She smiled sadly. "You are more like him than you realize."
"The Magus?"
"Yes. But your heart is still your own. Remember that, child. When the final seal breaks, even truth will become a weapon."
She reached out and touched his forehead. "Take this gift — the Chain of Memory. It will let you see echoes of the past."
A faint light entered his mind. He gasped as visions flashed — cities of light, the Magus standing before seven thrones, and a massive shadow watching from above them all.
Then the vision shattered.
Awakening
Naruto woke on the surface again, lying among the ruins. The morning sun was rising. The black monolith was gone — only dust remained.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his head. "Shax?"
"I am here."
"What… happened?"
"You resealed her. The Queen's voice fades once more."
Naruto exhaled in relief. "Good."
"But she left something inside you."
He looked at his hand. The ring glowed faintly, its pattern changed — a new mark, shaped like a chain link, circled the band.
Naruto sighed. "I can't even take a nap without getting new powers."
"You now possess the Chain of Memory. It will allow you to glimpse truth hidden in the past — but use it carefully. Memory is not always kind."
Naruto nodded slowly. "Guess that's the price."
He stood, brushing sand from his clothes. The desert wind howled softly, but the whispers were gone.
For the first time since entering, the air felt peaceful.
The Shadow Beneath
Far below the ruined temple, deeper than even the Queen's chamber, something stirred.
A low heartbeat echoed through the ground — slow, ancient, and heavy.
In the darkness, a voice whispered:
"Another seal broken… the chain weakens… soon, the King will rise…"
The sound traveled upward through the sand, unseen and unheard, carrying its message to every corner of the spirit world.
The Journey Continues
Naruto climbed the last dune and looked back at the endless desert. The sun blazed high, turning the glass below into rivers of light.
He smiled softly. "One more mystery down."
"And seventy more to go," Shax said.
Naruto laughed. "Don't remind me."
He adjusted his headband and started walking toward the horizon. "So what's next?"
"The Queen mentioned something — what sleeps beneath this world. I believe she referred to the Void Gate. If that opens…"
Naruto glanced at the sky. "Then we make sure it doesn't."
"Always forward, never rest," Shax said.
"You know me too well."
"Unfortunately."
Naruto grinned and kept walking. The wind picked up behind him, swirling around his feet, carrying the faint hum of distant voices — echoes of spirits whispering his name.
And somewhere beyond the dunes, something unseen began to follow, its presence faint but patient.
The hunt, it seemed, had only just begun again.