Under the scorching sun of Talrakia, Nashr walked calmly while disguised in a simple cotton robe that had faded to a dull brown. Beside him, Rasyid walked stiffly. His posture was too upright for an ordinary merchant and occasionally invited suspicious glances, but he remained loyal by keeping a distance of one step behind his king.

  They observed and listened to the whispers of the restless people. Near the public wells long lines of citizens were visible. There was no more loud laughter from the women who usually washed fabric. All that remained were sharp looks full of suspicion toward anyone carrying more than one jar.

  "Lord Nibras, look at this," an old merchant said while pointing to a public water fountain that usually flowed heavily. Now only murky drops fell into a stone basin that had begun to crack. "The wells in the lower district are starting to bring up mud. If the oasis shrinks any further, we will have to limit the water for the livestock."

  Nashr’s face hardened beneath the hood of his robe. "It will not be long before this city runs out of water," Nashr murmured lowly, his voice nearly swallowed by the noise of the crowd.

  His amethyst eyes swept over the ruins of buildings in the corner of the market, which still left debris from the earthquake a few weeks ago. A few stonemasons appeared to be working in silence while laying bricks on a building under renovation. However, more houses were still waiting for a touch of repair. Nashr crossed his arms under his chin, which was a habit whenever he was weighing a heavy decision.

  "The situation is worsening faster than Elam’s estimates, Your Majesty," Rasyid whispered in a calculating tone. "If the northwest oasis continues to dry up, our trade route will be completely paralyzed within a month."

  Suddenly the earth trembled.

  A violent tremor made their footing feel unstable and dust scattered from the gaps between buildings. Citizens screamed and panic spread as some fell prostrate when a second stronger shock followed.

  "Another earthquake! This one is stronger than the last!" a citizen shouted while hugging a support pillar.

  Nashr stood firm with his eyes closed for a moment. He released a small portion of his energy into the ground to feel the frequency of the vibration. In his mind's eye, he saw a pulsing black dot in the northwest. Exactly at the center of the Dead Lands.

  "This is no ordinary earthquake," Nashr hissed. The purple light in his eyes began to glow golden.

  "Rasyid, cancel all agendas for this afternoon. We are going back to the palace. Now!"

  Without wasting time Nashr hurried away. His strides were long and steady while cutting through the crowd that was still panicking from the quake. He no longer cared about his disguise. He had to return to the palace. There was only one goal. Entya.

  Nashr’s breath was ragged when he finally arrived at the greenhouse beneath the palace cliffs. Fortunately, there was no major damage to the structure of the building. He burst through the wooden door quickly. In contrast to the dirty market dust, the air inside here was so cool.

  There, among the stretch of green herbal plants, Entya was crouching. Her face was pale and her larimar eyes still radiated the remains of fear from the tremor earlier. Her long charcoal hair was slightly messy, some of her small braids were caught on the branches of the plants.

  "Entya!" Nashr called out.

  The girl turned while surprised to see Nashr appearing in a hurry with dusty disguise clothes. "Nashr? What is it? The earthquake earlier... my plants shook so violently."

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  Nashr approached her and gripped Entya’s small shoulders firmly. His voice was full of urgency yet there was a confident smile as if he had just found the key to all the problems. "Entya, get ready. This is your first mission!"

  A few minutes later the side gate of the palace opened. Ghazi, the cold faced leader of the shadow warrior, was already waiting with a group of elite warriors whose bodies were entirely covered in dark robes. They rode through a small sandstorm toward the northwest.

  In the distance a giant rock formation stood tall. Beneath it was a dark cave mouth surrounded by cracked earth and trees that had become black skeletons.

  "The source is in there," Nashr said as they dismounted their horses. The air around the cave felt heavy as if even oxygen was reluctant to enter.

  Entya stepped forward with her hands trembling slightly as she felt the aura coming from the cave. "Nashr... the energy down here... it feels unsettling."

  "When the dark energy feels this strong, it means the source of the trouble is right before our eyes. This is the right time to face it," Nashr answered confidently.

  Firmly Nashr gave a signal to the leader of the shadow guards. "Ghazi, circular formation. Do not let the miasma touch anyone."

  "Everyone is on standby, my Lord," Ghazi answered shortly with his curved sword already in hand.

  They entered the mouth of the cave. The dry air outside was instantly replaced by a damp and cold feeling. The atmosphere inside felt chilling because of a miasma in the form of a thin purple mist. Nashr’s amethyst eyes swept through the thick darkness. He activated his golden shield into a transparent dome that filtered the air around them which allowed them to breathe more freely.

  They arrived at a large hall inside the cave that was divided into three dark tunnels.

  "Entya," Nashr called lowly. "Can you track the location of that energy? Give it a try."

  Entya turned while confused. "How do I do it?"

  "Focus your awareness on that energy, just like when you meditate with me," Nashr guided with his voice becoming soft.

  Entya took a deep breath while closing her eyes. Slowly the sound of the soldiers' footsteps and Nashr’s heavy breathing faded away. All that remained was a subtle vibration beneath her feet which gradually grew stronger. She traced it while letting her senses lead her into the depths of the cave, to find the core of the chaos they were facing.

  At the end of the leftmost tunnel, a wave of thick energy hit her consciousness and made her flinch. The energy was heavy and very uncomfortable.

  "Gasp!" Entya flinched with her eyes wide open. Her breath was racing. "That tunnel... the one on the far left. Toward that way."

  "Good," Nashr praised with his eyes glinting in pride.

  Entya immediately turned to Ghazi, the leader of the shadow warriors who stood near her. Her eyes radiated determination. "Ghazi, may I borrow a bow?"

  Ghazi looked at Nashr for a moment to ask for permission then promptly handed over his black wooden bow along with a quiver of arrows. "This is light but the pull is strong, My Lady."

  Entya spun the bow in her hand while feeling its balance. "Thank you."

  Nashr looked at Entya with a thin smile on his lips. There was an admiration he could not hide and a bit of pride. "What other weapons can you use besides a bow, little hunter? You look like an expert holding that bow."

  "Perhaps only a bow and a dagger at the moment," Entya answered. "I am curious about swords, but well... with a body this small, a sword would only make me trip over," she continued bitterly as she mentioned her physical limitations.

  Nashr wore a smile full of confidence like a mentor seeing limitless potential. "You will grow with the years, Entya. Your body just needs time."

  Entya stopped walking. She turned toward Nashr with a serious look that the King had never seen before. Her larimar eyes stared at Nashr intently. "Nashr... did my aunt or grandfather not tell you? My body stopped growing when I was twelve years old," she asked in confusion.

  "Huh?"

  Nashr’s footsteps stopped instantly.

  He was stunned and his smile faded. A deep frown appeared on his forehead. He stared at Entya from head to toe. That childish face and her height which was only as high as Nashr’s waist. A big question floated in his mind.

  'What is the actual age of this child?'

  Before Nashr could ask further, the cave shook again. This time, it was with a deafening roar.

  "Ghazi, shadow guards, get ready!" Nashr shouted with his voice booming over the sound of crumbling rocks. He immediately reached out his hand. His golden shield expanded and hardened as giant boulders began to fall from the cave ceiling.

  "Run to the main chamber! Follow Entya!" Nashr commanded.

  They ran through the dust and tremors until they finally arrived at a giant cavern, where an underground river that had turned black flowed around it. There, curled upon a pile of contaminated crystals, was a giant spirit snake with scales that emitted thick black smoke. Its eyes glowed red while radiating pure hatred toward anyone who dared to disturb it.

  That was the source of the chaos they were after, the real reason behind Talrakia's problems.