Chapter 7 – Sand and Shattered Legacies
Adrian stood before the cave, his legs still tense from the long journey. The sound of the wind passing through the stones echoed like ancestral whispers.
"This is where it all begins."
With steady hands, he pulled his combat gear from the backpack. He strapped on the supply bracelet, adjusted the cross-shaped amulet around his neck, and tightened his reinforced boots.
"I'm just an ordinary person… If I want to pass this test, I'll have to be extremely careful."
"Here we go," he muttered, stepping into the cave.
As he crossed the dark threshold, the world around him trembled. The light twisted, as if being sucked into an invisible vortex. The ground dissolved beneath his feet, and before he could scream, everything vanished—like the world had folded and thrown Adrian into another dimension.
When he opened his eyes, the scene was apocalyptic.
Above him, the sky shattered like broken glass, with glowing purple and gold cracks. A dry wind howled, lifting fine sand across a desert that stretched endlessly. Amid the vast, devastated land, the ruins of destroyed castles lay like the skeletons of a forgotten empire—shattered towers, crumbling walls, and tattered flags barely fluttering in the silent breeze.
In the center of an ancient stone plaza stood a gigantic cross. Or what remained of it—broken in two, as if the faith of this world had been shattered along with it.
Adrian stepped forward hesitantly, eyes wide.
"Where is this…?" he whispered, feeling the sand seeping into the seams of his boots.
Clang… Clang…
A metallic noise broke the eerie silence.
"What was that?"
He turned sharply. From the rubble, two soldiers emerged. Their helmets partially hid skeletal faces, and their worn armor creaked with every step.
Without hesitation, the soldiers attacked.
Adrian barely dodged the first sword—it whistled past his shoulder. He stumbled to the side, rolling in the sand until he landed near a rusty sword. Without thinking, he grabbed it and swung, hitting one of the soldier's legs.
At that moment, the cross-shaped amulet on his chest glowed intensely. A ray of white light spread across the ground like a wave, making the soldiers scream in agony and drop to their knees, their armor rattling under the mystical force.
Adrian seized the opportunity. He jumped up, gripped the sword with both hands, and sliced off the nearest soldier's head. Black blood and dust sprayed from the helmet.
He turned to face the other, who was still struggling to stand. Adrian rushed to finish him off—but hesitated—just long enough for the soldier to drive an improvised blade into his leg, opening a deep wound.
The pain made him scream and collapse. The sand beneath him darkened with blood. The remaining soldier crawled toward him, the decayed face under the helmet revealing lifeless eyes and broken teeth.
"I'm going to die here..." he thought, panic tightening his chest. But something inside him ignited.
"No... I won't die here!"
With a cry of pain and fury, Adrian twisted his body, grabbed the sword, and plunged it into the soldier's head. The impact cracked the helmet. The body collapsed lifelessly beside him.
Breathing heavily, Adrian rolled to the side, clutching his wounded leg.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
Clang… Clang… Clang…
The sound returned—faster and heavier.
He turned with difficulty and saw ten soldiers approaching from the ruins, their armor reflecting the fractured light of the sky.
"The noise must have drawn them."
Bitterly smiling, bleeding and exhausted, he muttered:
"Perfect timing… With my leg like this, there's no way I can run.
Only one option left.
Even if the chances are close to zero… they're not zero!"
Staggering in pain, he shouted:
"Come on, you bastards! I'll defeat every one of you and claim the inheritance! I'll protect everyone at the orphanage!"
At that moment, a blinding white light tore through the sky, striking the soldiers with a divine explosion. The blast shook the ground, raised a cloud of dust, and hurled Adrian two meters back. The sound was deafening.
Cough… cough… cough…
The air turned heavy. As the dust settled, he heard a soft voice:
"Hey, hey, are you okay?"
Half-conscious, Adrian looked up. A little girl stood beside him, wearing a simple dress and a radiant smile.
"Hi! My name is Cordelia," she said cheerfully, as if it were just a park visit.
Adrian couldn't take it anymore.
He fainted in her arms.
"Hey…? Hello…?"
She sighed, looked around, and with a soft glint in her eyes, said:
"Let's get out of here."
In the blink of an eye, the girl gently grabbed Adrian, and the two vanished—leaving behind the desert and the broken legacies of a forgotten world.