Zephyr was stunned as he watched everything unfold before his eyes—he saw the united particle suddenly vanish from its place.
What's happening?!
Then his heart pulsed again.
Ba-dum!
The particle reappeared.
Ba-dum!
It vanished again.
Ba-dum!
It returned.
Zephyr was shocked by this strange sight, but he quickly calmed himself when he realized this must be the side effect of the two particles merging. Arlund had mentioned that every person experiences a unique effect.
The particle kept flickering—appearing and disappearing in sync with his heartbeat—until it finally stabilized and stopped vanishing altogether.
Zephyr let out a breath of relief at the sight and withdrew his consciousness, slowly opening his eyes.
The three were watching him, as usual. Their expressions showed no concern as they observed his pained features and furrowed brows—after all, all three of them had gone through this before.
Then, Zephyr exhaled deeply.
"Haaah…"
Arlund stepped forward and asked, "So, boy… what happened?"
Zephyr replied, "I succeeded. I guided the particle as usual toward my heart, then left it there. It moved on its own toward the first particle. As soon as they touched, they began spinning around each other… and then merged. One fused into the other… and then it disappeared."
Zephyr deliberately paused at the word "disappeared" to gauge their reactions.
The three showed clear signs of surprise until Arlund spoke with urgency, "What do you mean by 'disappeared'?!"
Zephyr secretly enjoyed their reactions, especially Arlund's bald, exaggerated facial expressions, which he found amusing.
Then he continued, "It disappeared, then reappeared in sync with my heartbeat. This kept happening for a few seconds until it finally stopped vanishing and settled in place."
The shock faded from Arlund's face and was replaced by understanding. "I see… Well then, I can say congratulations. You've taken your first real step into the world of Ascension."
He looked at Zephyr seriously. "Boy, today you've stepped onto a path with no return—a path paved with corpses and blood. Get ready to bid farewell to your peaceful world. On the ladder of Ascension, the bones of your enemies will be your stepping stones."
Zephyr nodded, his face growing solemn.
Indeed, he was now in a new world. He had already left behind the safety and peace of his old life. Here, danger lurked in every direction. He was surrounded by powerful Ascenders capable of fighting dozens, even hundreds, at once.
He had lost his family. He would never see them again. The only thing he had left was his own life—and he would not allow anyone to take it from him.
Zephyr spoke to himself:
"My life belongs to me alone. I will live to keep it, and I will survive through this."
Zakrox's voice cut into his thoughts, "Tomorrow we move out. Today is our last day in this damned desert. Get some rest."
Zephyr listened to Zakrox's advice. The man was right. He was both physically and mentally exhausted and needed rest. No one knew what dangers awaited them after leaving the desert. He had to be at his best, fully prepared for whatever might come.
Zephyr headed to sleep.
He woke up on his own at the break of dawn. His body had become used to rising early—this time, he was even awake before the mercenaries.
He rose with energy, packed his tent, and strapped it onto Jones's saddle.
Then he went to the campfire, where someone had already put out the flames.
He picked up two small flint stones—standard gear all mercenaries carried—and began striking them together. Sparks flew and ignited the dry wood. He sat by the flame, pulled out some dried meat and his water pouch, and began soaking the meat before eating it.
This was how Zephyr usually softened the toughness of the dried meat.
Every mercenary had to have their own set of tools: flint stones, a water pouch, a supply of dried meat, and a knife. If someone didn't carry these, they weren't truly considered a mercenary.
Gradually, the other mercenaries began to wake up and gather around the fire. They nodded at Zephyr, acknowledging his presence. After spending several months together, Zephyr had built a decent relationship with them. Though their savage behavior sometimes irritated him, he didn't blame them—harsh lives often bred harsh minds.
After finishing their meals, the mercenaries remained around the fire. Zephyr found this unusual.
Then Arlund and Zakrox stepped forward into the center of the circle of mercenaries.
Zakrox pulled an arrow from his quiver and began drawing on the sand.
He sketched out wavy terrain, which appeared to represent the desert they were currently in. Then he drew a flat expanse—Zephyr understood this to be the plains they would reach by the end of the day.
In the middle of those plains, Zakrox drew a long line running across the map, followed by a tree symbolizing a forest, and a river flowing through its center. Finally, he drew a shape that resembled a city, with the river cutting through its heart.
He then returned the arrow to his quiver and stood up, sweeping his gaze across each mercenary's face, including Zephyr, who stared back with equal focus.
Zakrox began speaking:
"Today, we leave this desert and enter the western plains of the Sky Dusk Empire.
By day's end, we will reach the empire's walls, where the western defensive division is stationed under one of their generals. We will enter peacefully, as we have a permit from the Mercenary Guild.
The empire's soldiers and their officers may try to provoke you—ignore them. Servants of power have always hated mercenaries, for we threaten even their masters' lives if the coin is right.
Once we pass the gate, night will have fallen. We'll continue marching until we reach the edge of the western forest, where we'll camp for the night. We will not enter until morning—this forest is crawling with bandits, and there's no value in wasting time on them.
The following day, we'll proceed into the forest, heading toward the western river, and follow it until we reach our final destination: the Western River City. There, we'll receive our new assignment and hand over the head of Savar the Savage to the local Mercenary Guild branch and claim our reward."
Smiles spread across the mercenaries' faces as they remembered their long-awaited bounty.
"And that," Zakrox concluded, "is the plan. Any new developments, we'll discuss as they arise."
The mercenaries nodded and headed toward their horses, mounting up and setting off toward their new destination.
They rode along the edges of the desert until the climate began to change. The heat gradually lessened, becoming mild. The yellow sand gave way to soil with traces of sand—barren, yet no longer desert.
At that moment, Zephyr turned his head to gaze at the desert behind him.
This was where he had spent his first month in this new life.
Where he had been torn from his family, never to see them again.
Where he killed a man for the first time, in self-defense.
Where he met the first people of this world and forged a bond with them.
Where he gathered his first Ascension Particle and took his first step on the path of power.
He kept looking at the desert, imprinting its image in his mind.
Then he turned away—
Bidding farewell to the desert where his legend began.