Darien’s eyes widened with fear and he staggered backward, his hands jittering.
Ra unsheathed her sword and pulled out her shield, which glowed with the insignia of the sun. She pointed the sharpened tip of her weapon at the gargantuan golem, her face fearless. “Darien, I’ll draw its attention away for a brief moment! In that time, I need you to run for the city. I’ll distract the golem long enough for you to get away.”
Darien stared at Ra with disbelief. She was going to sacrifice herself for him? This person she just met? He remembered how Yuu had sacrificed himself for Tetsu. The prince clenched his jaw. He was sick of losing people that he cared about. Already he had lost everything. And now he was going to lose this girl that had saved him. I’m not going to let you perish.
The golem raised his massive fist and brought it crashing downwards on Ra’s position. The girl didn’t falter; her mind was made up. She raised her shield as if the tiny thing would be enough to block the colossal punch that was about to squash her.
Darien sprinted forward and tackled Ra out of the way, tossing the girl to the sand. The two grunted as they struck the ground roughly. “What are you doing? Get up and run!” Ra shouted as sand rained around them.
The prince mashed his teeth together and grabbed Ra’s sword, prying the weapon from her hands as he turned to face the giant elemental alone. “You run. I’ll buy you some time!”
“Stop this! You’ve got an empire that you have to return to, a life to live so that you can find out who killed your parents!” Ra exclaimed, staring at Darien in shock. “You have to find your friend, Tetsu, and save him! You’ve got a lot to live for, prince. Don’t throw it all away now!”
“It’s already all gone.” Darien grinned as the golem brought its fist upward and swung downwards at the boy. The prince’s gaze was powerful and resolute. His feet were planted into the ground and he squeezed the hilt of Ra’s sword until his knuckles turned white. “Besides … I’m done letting people fight my battles for me.”
Ra smiled.
Darien yelled as he swung his sword upwards at the elemental that was about to crush him. However, the monstrosity stopped his punch and halted his fist several feet away from the prince, who whipped his sword through the open air. The weapon was far too heavy for him, and he yelped as he fell sideways and hit the ground clumsily. Rubbing his aching head, Darien groaned while dragging the sword at his side. He blinked, realizing he wasn’t dead. That was surprising. He looked up and saw that the rock giant had stopped its attack and was now standing tall, letting out a low grumble that sounded somewhat like snickering. “Uh….” Darien was perplexed.
“This is Amon, the Guardian of the Forgotten Oasis, Zerzura. He is also the Guardian of a god named Ares.” Ra explained, standing up, grinning. “And you, my friend, are worthy.”
“Worthy?” Darien frowned. “Worthy of what? Ra, what’s going on?”
“Come with me,” Ra said, walking forward past Darien and the gigantic golem.
Completely puzzled by the situation, Darien followed her. Amon gave a slight nod, making Darien feel a little uneasy for some reason. The prince stumbled through the front entrance of the white city and noticed that there was no one in sight. In fact, these buildings didn’t even have any doors. The city looked like it was a setup created for a stage play. “Where are we?”
“I told you already. This is the Forgotten Oasis known as Zerzura. Surely you’ve heard the tales,” Ra said.
“Zerzura was a lost civilization in the desert that had wealth beyond imagining. Its treasures supposedly were limitless, which was why the Lost Sands concealed it from those who greedily sought its fortunes.” Darien looked around, looking at the blank white buildings and the numerous torches that lit a path for them. It was sunny; there was no need for this extra light. “But all that I see is nothing. No civilization, no treasures, and these buildings aren’t even real buildings. Is all of this a hallucination? Have I gone insane?”
“Perhaps,” Ra spoke, pointing down the pathway that led through the city. It eventually led to a giant pool of glistening, clear water that shone with ethereal beauty. The water was calm and unmoving, glowing from the reflection of the dazzling sunlight. Behind the pool was a towering statue of a warrior, a muscular man wielding a spear and shield. He seemed courageous and wore a determined expression upon his frozen face. “I suppose it depends on your definition of fortune and treasure.”
Darien walked to the pool, stopping right before its edge. He stared into the stagnant waters, seeing his own reflection with clarity. It was as if he were looking right into a mirror. “This is what the legendary lost city has to offer? Water?” He smiled. “I guess I am pretty lucky for this oasis offers me life, more time to live on this blasted earth.”
“Do you not want to drink from the waters?”
“If I drink I would save myself from dehydration temporarily, so that I could suffer in this perilous desert for a few days longer before I starve,” Darien said and a weary smile cracked across his face. “But I’d rather try and live than just accept a meaningless death.” He leaned down and cupped his hands together, lifting the water to his lips and sipped. His eyes widened. It was unlike any fluid he had drunk before. The purity of the water gave it a sweet taste, different from ordinary water. His thirst forced him to lean forward and drink larger sips from the pool, enjoying the treasure of the oasis.
Ra grinned as she watched him. “You answered correctly, Darien. However, you were wrong about one thing. The treasure of this oasis is not life. While this water does quench your thirst and gives you more time on this earth, that isn’t its purpose.”
Darien drew his head back, his face drenched with the pure waters of the oasis. He glanced over his shoulder at the girl and frowned. “Then what is its purpose?”
“To grant you immeasurable power,” Ra said, and the prince stared at her with surprise. “This pure water that you see is the blood of the god, Ares. It was placed in this oasis to give those who are worthy a chance to claim Zerzura’s treasure, becoming a new god. The Lost Sands torments every human that enters the forbidden wasteland. However, it tests each individual and chooses one person to be the one to find Zerzura. And that was you.
“The hallucinations that you had when you had given up were there to grant you hope. Their purpose was to prove that you had fortitude and were willing to persevere through any pain if you had a powerful enough resolve. The rock golem, Amon, was meant to test your courage. Your journey to this city displayed kindness, determination, bravery, persistence, and selflessness. And now by drinking this water, you will become a god amongst the human world and Amon will become your Guardian. Congratulations on claiming Zerzura’s legendary treasure.”
“What? A god?” Darien exclaimed. “How could I become….” He glanced down at his hands and suddenly saw that they were covered in red blood. He shook furiously, his eyes widening with disbelief as he realized that the pool he had drunk from was filled with the crimson-red liquid of a god. The once-pure well of glistening water was gone. The statue was replaced with a corpse, the same heroic figure with blood spewing from a wound in his chest into the pool. The mirage of an oasis had faded. It was replaced with the grotesque reality.
Blood? I drank … blood? His mouth gaped open with shock and he felt a raging surge of agonizing pain ripping through his chest and pulsing through the rest of his body, creating seven seconds of absolute hell. He grabbed at his breast, feeling his heart exploding against his chest as scorching heat spread through every inch of his body, making him feel like a burning sun. Toppling to his knees, Darien bit down hard on his lower lip and gasped, his irises transforming into a beastly dark-red color. A fog of blackness arose around the corners of his vision, blurring his sight. The mist of darkness in his vision expanded until he saw nothing but black. This … this can’t be happening! And then he collapsed.
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