Newfound energy surged through his veins, and the prince forced himself onto his feet with great fervor, swaying slightly as sand rained off of his body. He turned and suddenly saw that there was a stranger standing there beside him.

It was a young girl with gleaming blonde hair that blazed as brightly as the sun. She had a white cloak wrapped tightly around her body and an orange scarf that came around her neck, to protect her from the pounding heat of the sun. Small beads of sweat rolled down her tanned cheeks. Her glistening blue eyes reflected the same color as the infinite skies of this sweltering-hot day. Strapped to her back was a long, gigantic orange shield, with a symbol of the sun engraved into the front of it. A broadsword was sheathed at her side, and she stood staring at Darien. She smiled at him. “So, you’ve finally come to. You look like you’ve still got some energy, huh?” She reached to her belt and pulled out a canteen of water, thrusting it out towards Darien. “Go on, drink. You look thirsty.”

Darien blinked, frowning at the girl. How on earth had she just appeared beside him out of nowhere? And why was she being so kind to a complete stranger? What was even more puzzling was that this girl was out in the Lost Sands. Was she another hallucination?

The boy frowned, hesitating, before taking the canteen without saying anything. He trickled water into his mouth, which didn’t seem to satisfy his unquenchable thirst. He lowered the canteen, thankful that it hadn’t been empty. Darien handed it back to the girl and exhaled. “Thank you.”

“So what’s a prince doing out here in the middle of nowhere?” the girl asked, putting the canteen back on her belt.

Darien knitted his eyebrows. “You know who I am?”

“Who doesn’t? You’re the prince of one of the greatest nations in all of Dastia.” The girl giggled. “Well, it’s no use to stand around here all day. I suggest we move; being stagnant in the Lost Sands in unwise. We can talk as we go, yes?”

Darien told the girl of his life in the empire and how he had eventually been betrayed as they walked. He told her of how he didn’t know who murdered his parents but he was determined to find out. The girl seemed interested in his story. He found out that her name was Ra, and he felt that he had heard that name somewhere before, though he couldn’t quite place where.

Hours along in their journey, Darien snapped back to his senses when he heard Ra cry out in excitement. He turned and looked to see where the girl was pointing. The two of them were standing upon a mountain of sand, and she was pointing down to a giant city in the distance filled with tall, glistening, white buildings. Darien’s eyes twinkled with hope and he grinned. Maybe he wasn’t doomed to perish after all!

Darien and Ra broke into a brisk run, eager to reach the city in the distance. They raced across the sands, disregarding how weak they were feeling underneath the burning hot sun. The strong winds whipped sand at their faces, but Darien didn’t falter and continued to dash towards the mysterious oasis. Staggering down the steep hill of sand, Darien ended up tripping and falling down a good portion of it. But he didn’t let his fall crush his hopes and he quickly picked himself up at the bottom of the dune of sand, breaking into a jog towards the entrance of the city. Ra was right beside him.

The prince grinned. He was almost there! Civilization! He could escape this treacherous wasteland! Even if it was only temporary solace, that was better than staying out in the searing sun. Wait, a civilization in the Lost Sands? What—

Suddenly a fissure ripped through the earth, and sand spewed into the air like a geyser as a gigantic creature tore its way from underground to the surface. A massive hand made entirely of sculpted rock smashed down onto the ground, sending sand spurting out in all directions. A giant golem composed of rock had torn its way from the earth. Its body was similar to that of a humanoid, for it had limbs, a torso, and a head. This golem was taller than every building in the city, practically the size of a small mountain. How such a massive being had forced itself from the ground was something that Darien didn’t understand. An enormous chasm that led into a dark abyss lay underneath the monstrosity. Enormous boulders and rocks were clamped together to forge this colossal elemental, whose eyes were two gleaming rubies. The monster opened its mouth, a pitch-black void, and released a bellowing roar that sent tremors through the desert.