The first few days of travel went well — almost too well. 

Even though I didn't need to, I shifted my circadian rhythm so that I rested during the day and traveled by nightfall. I could have traveled all day and all night with little to no thirst, hunger, or exhaustion.  

This should be impossible. Have things always been like this? Surely not.

By about five days in, I cut my losses and traveled around the clock without consequence. Still, a lack of the most basic human needs unsettled me, and a darker part of my mind wondered if I was still human at all. 

Had I ever been human?

After the decision to travel without pause, the days blurred together into what felt like one long daydream. Eventually, time lost all meaning. Not even the searing heat of the desert sun could wake me from the trance I found myself in — but a scream could.

A sudden shriek split through absolute silence. Wide-eyed, I scanned the dunes, my hands seeking the blades attached to my waist on instinct. I sat completely still, waiting as a few silent moments crept by. After a minute, I hesitated, doubting I had heard anything, but the voice soon cried out again.

Definitely female. It's coming from over that dune.

I crept up the hill of sand, my hand still hovering over one of the two large blood-stained knives. When I reached the peak, I peered down to see a small site of ruins. Ruins like these were commonplace in the desert, but this one wasn't abandoned like all the others. A horse and carriage waited at the entrance of the crumbling building—one clearly constructed around the time of the Old Gods. Back then, the 12 clans believed in dubious myths, convinced that the Old Gods ruled over the elements themselves. I shifted my gaze to the ruin to identify the god they had built it for, and a shiver crawled up my spine 

Shit. It's a temple of Death. 

Old wives' tales about the god of Death barraged my mind, and my hand grasped the hilt of my knife. The longer I observed the remains of the black marble temple, the more unsettled I became. Ancient sand-worn statues littered the vicinity, most missing an arm or a head. Perhaps that in itself was disconcerting, but at least in this dilapidated state, I could almost overlook the fact they all depicted distinct ways to die. 

Could this be one of those ritual sites? A place where zealous cult members try to summon powers from gods everyone knows don't exist? They're all lunatics.

As I thought about it, a pit formed in my stomach, but I was merely a paranoid fool. Out of the shaded mouth of the ruin, a girl in her mid-teens appeared, sprinting away from the place. Because of the thick, excessive bonds tied around her arms, she wasn't getting very far. Three burly men emerged from the temple to follow her, chasing her down like she was made of gold. By pure chance, the captive's eyes landed directly on mine. While staring at me, she lost her footing, falling forward into the sand. 

"What's wrong, girl? Don't wanna spend any more time with us? We've been nothing but hospitable to you, you ungrateful noble bitch!" one man spat as he grabbed her leg and dragged her closer. 

"S-stop! Let me go!!" the girl cried, her straight black hair wild as it settled on her face. She was beautiful, but the profound fear in her warm brown eyes ruined any beauty she would've had.

Trapped like an animal — terrified and helpless like a prized doe. A pitiful creature.

"But my dear," the man cooed at her, moving his face close, "We haven't heard from your father yet about our money. If he doesn't contact us soon, we'll take you straight to the canyon's edge and watch you paint the bottom a fine shade of red!"

Ah… the canyon. So I'm close.

My mind sparked to life at the thought of the geographical phenomenon, the long chasm separating the Lacuna clan's territory from the Umbra clan's. Now, only a few miles stood between the border and me. Silently, I nodded in satisfaction from behind the dune and slipped away from the peak. I didn't want to get involved in whatever the hell this mess was.

I've made excellent time — record time. It'll be best for me to keep heading toward the border. I've got no time or patience to play hero.

As I was heading down the other side of the dune, I heard the teen girl's voice again, and this time it was addressing me.

"Help me! Help me, please! They'll kill me if my father doesn't pay!!" she pled, causing the other men around her to look around in confusion for whoever she was calling out to.

Now she's done it. So much for making record time.

I frowned as one kidnapper ordered the others to search for me. This would be nothing but a pain in the ass.

"Oi! Who's there?? You better show your goddamn face!" one bandit called out as he climbed up to my hiding place. The two others stood behind to cover him.

Damn. And all I wanted was to pass through…

"Where are ya, ya stupid bastard? Think you're so clever, sneakin' up on us from behind a dune, eh?" another called, now close to the peak where I sat in hiding. I sighed in frustration.

Pain in the ass, indeed.

Now in a foul mood, I moved to the dune's crest to give the group a dangerous, piercing glare. For all their confidence, they took a step back when I unsheathed my twin kris blades, their bloodied steel reflecting the bright desert sun. 

"Hey, Boss, I think those are Lacuna ritual blades! I've heard those things can steal your soul," a bandit whispered to the leader of the three.

The leader glared at his subordinate and yelled, "If you're so concerned, then don't let him kill ya, ya superstitious idiot! Now go!"

The man stumbled toward me and drew his sword. If nothing else, he had enough sense to fear me — as he should.

It's time to get this over with.

As I focused on the man about six paces away, I felt something ignite inside me. It was as if this situation was the kindling I needed to unleash a fire lying dormant in my soul. Now, power in its most raw, unstable state flooded through me from deep within. Although I could sense its hazardous nature, the sheer intensity of it made me feel like a god.

My entire body tingling, I stepped toward the man I was to fight, but a sudden bright flash of light blinded us both. When I could see again, I was somewhere different but somehow the same. It was a dark, mirrored version of where I stood an instant ago. An eclipse blocked out the sun, causing everything under its dim light to appear in a lavender haze. There was no sense of movement at all — no desert creatures, no clouds, not even any hint of a breeze. The sands were eerily still, and I shivered as a chill nipped at my exposed skin. 

What is this place? Wasn't I just about to fight someone?

The temple of Death stood before me, but it was no longer a ruin. Somehow, the structure appeared newly constructed with the disturbing statues of ancient figures intact and the gold-plated roof panels still present as if no one dared to steal them. Gigantic stone pillars no longer existent in the ruins stood at the entrance, carved with archaic gilded symbols.

This place is terrifying yet oddly stunning.

After sheathing one of my blades, I stepped forward with care, placing my hand on the golden symbols. They only rested on the pillar for a moment before the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. There was something behind me; I could sense it. Hesitantly, I turned around, horrified to see a formless human shadow, its black hand outstretched in my direction. I was sure it would try to pull me into infinite oblivion like when I first woke up — probably.

 Oh. Shit.

Without a second thought, I ran, heart pounding, toward the temple entrance. As if on cue, the bright purple light flashed once more, and I appeared about a foot from the bandit I was about to fight before the switch between worlds.

Adrenaline running through my veins, I stabbed at the man in shock. My curvy blade sank deep into his chest, causing him to gasp, his eyes wide as he stared at me in absolute terror. In the same moment, he slumped to the ground at my feet, blood tainting the desert sands beneath him the same shade of red he joked about earlier.

...What?

There was a moment of silence as surprise and fear distorted the remaining kidnappers' faces, which was almost hard not to revel in. The leader stepped back and drew his sword to defend himself.

"D-demon! It's a demon!!" he cried, his voice trembling.

I'm not a demon!... Am I?

Before I could consider the possibility, the leader charged at me like an idiot, shortly followed by his subordinate. Combat instincts I didn't know I possessed kicked in. I drew my other knife to parry his sword, which he was swinging at me in a blind panic. I was lucky. Even though I couldn't remember the training I went through, the muscle memory I retained was more than enough to best the two of them.

Once his sword hit my kris blade, I twisted my wrist around to force his weapon out of his hand and kicked him in the chest to send him sprawling into the sand unarmed. At the same moment, I spun around to parry the other man's sword, deflecting the blow before lunging forward, plunging my knife into him. When I pulled it out, he fell over while I stood unscathed. Once more, the blades were stained with blood, but this time it was fresh.

Why were they so damn slow?

All at once, I realized it wasn't that they were slow — I was unnaturally fast. No average human could move as I had, and even though it was concerning, I couldn't stop to think about it too much. It was only another weird ability in my growing list of unnatural abilities. Besides, it was time to end this little skirmish. 

Where is the leader?… Ah yes, there he is — crawling away like a coward. How fitting for filth like him.

I stood over the man on the ground as he begged me to let him go, but I ignored his pleas for mercy — he hadn't shown me any. Without a shred of guilt, I pulled the man up by the collar of his shirt to stab him in the chest while growling, "I'm not a demon, you bastard." 

Now that he was taken care of, I let his bloody body collapse into the sand. My eyes drifted to meet again with the kidnapped girl's warm brown ones. This time, they were wide open in awe, not fear as I expected. As I stepped toward her, an intense wave of exhaustion overcame me, the sudden weakness forcing me down to one knee. 

"D-damnit," I swore, my body trembling with fatigue. Before falling forward into the sand, I caught a glimpse of the girl running toward me as my limbs gave out.