The blistering heat of the Sea of Glass made it hard enough to see straight, but when the golems started appearing and disappearing like phantoms, that was when things got chaotic.

As soon as we spotted them, their jagged glass bodies reflected the sunlight so sharply it was like looking into a thousand blinding mirrors.

Kaldor charged first, his shield raised to absorb the first hit.

The impact was deafening. His feet skidded back in the sand, and for a moment, I thought he might fall over.

"These things hit harder than an ogre!" he shouted, barely managing to brace against another strike as the golem swung its blade-like arm.

I rushed forward, ready to strike alongside him, but as my blade sliced through empty air, the golem blinked out of existence.

"Where did it go?" I spun around frantically, as Kael darted to my side.

"It’s like they’re just… phasing out,” Kael grit his teeth, dagger held high. "This is insane. How are we supposed to fight something we can’t even see?"

Before I could answer, a shimmering distortion in the air formed directly behind him—another golem reappearing mid-strike.

“Kael, behind you!” I yelled.

He spun just in time to sidestep the blow, but the jagged arm caught his shoulder, tearing straight through his sleeve and leaving behind deep, crimson lines.

“Damn it!” Kael hissed, stumbling back as blood seeped through the fabric.

The golems flickered around us like some kind of twisted light show, reappearing only long enough to strike before vanishing again. Every time we moved in, they blinked away, and just when we started to relax, they’d blink back into striking range.

A sharp crack split the air as another golem struck Kaldor’s shield. The force sent him staggering, and he barely managed to hold his footing before another swipe came at him. He tried to block again, but this time, the golem was faster. Its blade-like limb carved deep into the exposed part of his side, blood spraying across the sand.

He let out a pained grunt, dropping to one knee.

"Kaldor!" Sylas shouted. She started to move toward him, but a golem phased in front of her, forcing her to jump back.

"I'm fine!" Kaldor growled, trying to stand, but his wound made his movements sluggish.

No, he wasn’t fine. Not with blood leaking down his armor like that.

Another golem appeared behind him, its razor arm already mid-swing—

Mira reacted first, throwing herself between them. She slammed her hands against Kaldor’s wound, golden light flaring as she forced a healing spell through her palms. The golem’s attack still connected, slamming into her barrier instead, but the force was enough to send both of them tumbling backward.

I clenched my jaw. We can’t keep this up.

Sylas was on the outside, attempting to cast a spell, but the constant movement kept her from getting a clear shot.

"I can’t hit them like this!" she shouted, frustration creasing her brow as her hands glowed with magic she couldn’t release.

A golem reappeared just beside her, its jagged fingers reaching for her throat—

"SYLAS!"

Kael tackled her out of the way, but his dagger-wielding hand was caught in the golem's sudden attack. The moment his arm passed through the golem’s flickering body, thin, glowing cuts erupted across his skin.

He collapsed onto the sand, clutching his arm. "Agh! What the hell—"

Mira was already at his side, her hands glowing as she forced another healing spell into him. "You're losing too much blood! Stop throwing yourself into danger!" she snapped, though her voice wavered from exhaustion.

But the golems weren’t stopping.

I could feel my heart pounding as another one flickered in front of me, its blade slashing straight toward my chest.

I raised my sword just in time to block, but the sheer force behind its strike rattled my arms to the bone. My feet slid back in the sand, and I barely had a second to recover before another appeared on my left.

I twisted away—too late.

A sharp sting seared across my ribs, hot blood immediately pooling against my tunic.

Damn it. If this keeps up—

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kael squinting hard, watching a golem that seemed half-faded, flickering under the harsh sunlight.

His eyes widened.

“Wait! I think the sunlight’s making them disappear!”

He turned to the group, calling out, “It’s the sun! I think it’s reflecting off them somehow, making them vanish. Block the light, and maybe they won’t fade away!”

I sucked in a breath.

That made sense. It wasn’t just their bodies—it was the way the light bent around them, the way they flickered like a mirage.

Sylas, panting and barely keeping herself upright, forced herself to stand.

Sylas nodded, setting her focus on the sky above us. “Give me a second,” she muttered, her wand weaving through an incantation.

She was breathing hard, her forehead is full of sweat, but soon enough a massive cloud began to gather overhead, wiping out the glaring sun.

As the shadows lengthened around us, the golems finally became fully visible, their jagged, glassy forms defined in the dim light. We could see them now, every one of them. They stood taller and looked deadlier than before, but at least we could finally strike back.

“Nice work, Sylas!” I yelled, giving her a thumbs-up.

“Alright, team, let’s hit them hard while they’re visible!” I regained, readying my stance.

Kael surged forward, launching himself at a golem with renewed confidence.

His blade sliced through its neck, shattering part of its crystalline structure. But as he stood over the defeated golem, examining his work, he suddenly hissed in pain, looking down at his hand. Thin, red lines appeared across his skin, blood seeping out from cuts that hadn’t been there a second ago.

“Agh!” he yelled, clutching his bleeding hand, cuts crisscrossing his skin as he stumbled back. Mira immediately dashed to his side, her hands glowing as she began healing his wounds.

“You keep pulling stunts like that, and I’ll run out of magic before we even finish this fight,” she scolded, though her tone was more concerned than annoyed.

“I wasn’t exactly aiming to get shredded,” Kael muttered, frowning as her magic sealed the worst of the cuts.

“There you go. Don’t risk yourself into bad situation ok?” Mira said with a gentle voice

“Thanks, a lot.”

…

Suddenly, the corpse of the golem at Kael’s feet exploded, glass shards bursting out in every direction.

Kaldor lunged forward, raising his shield just in time to protect both Mira and Kael from the onslaught.

“That was close. These things don’t go down as easy as I thought it would,” Kaldor muttered, casting a wary eye on the remaining golems.

Two more golems advanced, their glass arms slicing through the air like guillotines. Kaldor moved to intercept them, blocking one with his shield, but the impact shook him to his core. “These things hit like sledgehammers! You better have a plan, Duke.”

I saw Sylas standing at the ready, magic coursing through her hands.

I glanced over and made a quick decision. “Sylas, get ready to hit them all at once. I’ll draw them in close—just wait for my signal!”

“Are you out of your mind?” she shouted, eyes widening.

“Probably,” I said, taking a deep breath before sprinting toward the pack of golems.

I danced around their jagged strikes, my heart pounding as I kept just out of reach, baiting them closer together.

Two of them broke off, noticing Sylas’s charging spell, and started advancing toward her. In one motion, I hurled my twin swords at their legs, shattering the glass joints and bringing them down before they could reach her. The golems toppled, but they didn’t break, their shattered bodies still dragging toward her.

“Any time now, Sylas!” I yelled, diving out of the way as the golems finally clustered close enough.

Sylas’s spell erupted, a massive fireball that is thrown into the center of the golems, bathing the area in an intense explosion. Shards of glass flew everywhere, and the ground shook from the impact, the golems reduced to smoldering fragments in the blast’s aftermath.

We immediately ran over to Kael, who lay unconscious, the last golem’s shard embedded in his side. Mira had done her best, but she was pale, her mana depleted.

“I must continue,…I’m the one responsible for wounds. I must keep him alive,…”

“Mira—” I muttered, but Kaldor and I quickly secured them both, carrying them to the mounts we’d left behind.

With gentle hands, we bandaged Kael’s wound and hoisted him onto the nearest mount. Exhausted but alive, we made our way through the Sea of Glass, pushing onward to the nearest city.

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Kael groaned, blinking as he took in the dimly lit earthen dome around us. His eyes moved from one familiar face to the next before he let out a deep sigh.

"Where am I? Am I in heaven? Sigh…" His voice was barely above a whisper as he rubbed his temples.

We all exchanged glances, but before anyone could say a word, Kael sat up a little, scanning the group.

"Whoa… never thought people in heaven would look exactly like my friends. Maybe this is one of those memory things before passing on…" He muttered, nodding to himself like he had completely accepted his fate.

Then, before we could correct him, he suddenly reached out and clamped a hand over my mouth. "Shh! I forgot to apologize to all of you guys before I died. Now that I'm gone, I can't say it directly, so let me do it now."

His tone turned oddly sentimental, like he was leaving behind his last words.

"Duke," he said, turning to me with what looked like genuine regret. "You’ve got the weirdest fashion sense. Seriously, what is that? A scarf in the desert?"

I furrowed my brows, shoving his hand off my face. "Excuse me?"

But Kael had already moved on, looking at Kaldor. "Kaldor, man, you really need to chill. You’re always so paranoid, like the whole world's out to get you."

Kaldor blinked. "Kael, you were literally just half-dead."

Ignoring him, Kael turned to Sylas. "Sylas… I swear, your food is really bad. I can't imagine eating your cooking even in heaven. The thought alone might send me straight to—"

Before he could finish, Sylas delivered a solid smack to his forehead.

Thwack!

"With words like that, you’d be in hell, not heaven," she said flatly, arms crossed.

"Ow!" Kael yelped, his eyes going wide. He hesitated, blinking rapidly. "Wait… I'm not dead?"

"No," we all replied in unison.

He let that sink in for a second before slowly turning his head toward Mira, who was sitting nearby, looking exhausted but awake. His expression softened instantly.

"You saved my life, Mira… thank you," he said quietly, and for once, his voice lacked its usual sarcasm. A faint blush dusted his cheeks.

Mira, despite her exhaustion, managed a smirk. "Just… don’t make a habit of it."

Sylas let out a long sigh. "Kael, you almost died. The least you could do is be more grateful."

Kael, still rubbing the spot where Sylas smacked him, groaned. "Fine, fine, thanks to everyone who helped save my sorry ass. There. Happy?"

I folded my arms, glancing at Sylas, who gave me a knowing look. Without a word, we both scooted a little closer to Kael, wearing eerily identical grins.

Kael frowned. "Uh… guys? What’s with the creepy smiles?"

I cracked my knuckles. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking…"

Sylas nodded. "You’ve been unconscious for a while, Kael. It only feels fair we help ‘wake you up’ properly."

Kael's face paled. "Wait… wait, hold on—"

Before he could bolt, I grabbed his arms while Sylas went straight for his sides, fingers digging into his ribs with expert precision.

"Agh—Wait! No! Stop—!"

Kaldor let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "This is a little cruel."

Mira smirked, crossing her arms. "He kinda deserves it, though."

Kael was kicking and flailing like a fish out of water, his laughter uncontrollable as Sylas and I kept up the relentless assault. "I—CAN'T—BREATHE—!"

Sylas smirked. "Good! That means it's working!"

Mira and Kaldor exchanged amused glances while Kael continued shrieking in laughter, completely at our mercy.

That night, after our so-called “torture session” with Kael, we finally settled in for the night. The earthen dome Sylas had shaped for us was sturdy and warm, shielding us from the cold desert winds. The fire in the center flickered softly, casting shadows across the rugged walls.

We laid on the thick rugs we had brought with us, meant to keep the sand from creeping into every part of our gear. My body was exhausted, aching from the battle, but my mind refused to rest. I stared up at the plain ceiling of our shelter, the stillness pressing against my chest.

I wasn’t the only one.

The quiet breathing around me wasn’t the steady rhythm of sleep. It was the kind of silence that felt restless. I turned my head slightly. “You guys awake?”

A beat of silence. Then, one by one—

“Yeah,” Sylas muttered.

“…Mhm,” Mira added softly.

Kaldor let out a quiet sigh. “I tried.”

I frowned, shifting onto my side. “Something bothering you guys?”

Another pause. Then Mira spoke, her voice hesitant. “What if we don’t make it…?”

The fire crackled, but no one said anything.

Mira continued, and there was a fragile edge to her words. “Duke… you and I—we both have homes to return to. But what if… mine isn’t there anymore? What if my family stopped looking for me?”

She hesitated, her fingers gripping the edge of her blanket. “It’s been almost two years since we became a party. From the Far North to here, there’s been no sign—no rumors—nothing that says my family is searching for me.”

I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t find the right words.

Mira took a slow breath, as if steadying herself. “To be honest… I don’t even know if I have a home. You all know I was saved and raised by an old couple after being caught in a slave transaction. Before that, I barely remember anything—just… a blurry image. A man and a woman, probably my real parents. But I was too young to remember anything more.”

I heard her swallow hard. “After that, I think… I was bought by some noble family. But they didn’t keep me. I was just something to be sold again—to the raiders.”

Her voice grew thinner, weaker, and for the first time since I’d known Mira, she sounded like she was about to cry. No one interrupted. No one knew what to say.

She sniffled but forced out a small, broken laugh. “Kaldor will probably return home before I ever do. The beastkin have a large territory in the Southeast. It’ll be easy for him to find his way back. But me…” She pulled her blanket up, burying her face in it. “I don’t know where I belong.”

The silence stretched, heavy and unspoken.

Then, slowly, I heard shuffling. I pushed myself up and saw Kaldor sit up, glancing around at us before nodding as if confirming something in his own mind.

“…Didn’t we all agree to get home together?” His deep voice was firm, steady.

Mira peeked out from her blanket.

Kaldor exhaled, staring at the fire. “If you don’t have a home yet… then isn’t it simple?” He finally looked at her. “You have one with us.”

Mira’s eyes widened.

Sylas sat up next. “Yeah. What, you thought you could just leave us behind?” She smirked slightly, but there was warmth in her eyes.

Kaldor continued, his voice quieter. “Even if I return home, I’ll ask the new patriarch—most likely my older brother by now—to let me continue traveling. I want to see this through. I want to help Duke bring back his mother and sister… and Sylas’ mother.”

I felt something catch in my throat. I hadn’t expected Kaldor to be this sure, this willing. I nodded, my voice rougher than I meant it to be. “Thanks, Kaldor.”

Sylas let out a breath. “And Mira, if you haven’t found your family by then, you’re always welcome with us. My family might be small, but we take care of our own.”

I nodded. “Same here.”

Mira wiped at her eyes quickly, blinking as if trying to process everything. “…You guys…”

Before she could finish, we heard a faint sniffle from the corner.

We all turned at the same time.

Kael was lying with his back to us, his shoulders stiff, his fingers twitching slightly.

Sylas raised an eyebrow. “Kael?”

No response.

Kaldor narrowed his eyes. “Are you… crying?”

There was a long pause before Kael suddenly sat up, aggressively wiping at his face with his sleeve. “Pfft. Crying? Me? Yeah, right.” His voice was slightly hoarse, and I wasn’t buying it for a second.

I smirked. “It’s okay, Kael. Even if you pretend you’re some cold assassin, we all know you have a heart.”

Kael scoffed, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Unlike you guys, I don’t have a home to go back to. And I never will.” His voice was firm, but there was something underneath—something raw.

As Kael sat there, pretending as none of this conversation affected him, I found myself staring at the fire, lost in thought.

I knew Kael had no intention of returning to his family. He had made that clear long ago. But no matter how much he tried to deny it, family was something you could never truly escape. It was part of you, whether you liked it or not.

You could leave your family, but your family never really left you.

I had seen it before—the way Kael tensed whenever someone mentioned noble families, the way he scoffed at the idea of blood ties meaning anything. But there was always something beneath it. A flicker of hesitation. A ghost of something unspoken.

Maybe it was regret. Maybe it was anger. Maybe it was something he hadn’t even put into words himself.

I understood it more than I wanted to admit.

I clenched my fists under the blanket.

My mother and Clara were still out there, somewhere. Every day, I told myself that I would bring them back. That I had to. But what if… what if by the time I did, things had changed? What if they had moved on without me?

Would they still look at me the same way? Would I still be home to them?

The thought made something twist painfully in my chest.

I shook my head slightly. No. I couldn’t think like that. I wasn’t going to let doubt crawl into my mind now. Not when we had already come this far.

I looked at Kael again. His smirk was forced, his posture stiff. He was trying so hard to act like he didn’t care.

But I knew.

Even if he refused to admit it, even if he wanted nothing to do with them—somewhere, deep down, there was still a part of him that did care.

And that was the worst part, wasn’t it?

Because sometimes, it was easier to hate family than to admit you still loved them.

Sylas frowned. “That doesn’t mean—”

Kael cut her off. “Listen. I’m glad you all have places to return to, but you don’t have to waste time helping me. I don’t need it. I’ve already made my choice. After we help Duke and Sylas find their missing family members, I’ll just…” He shrugged, forcing a grin. “Find some remote village, lay low, and live a quiet life. No assassins, no guilds, no past haunting me.”

I furrowed my brows. “Kael, you—”

He raised a hand. “Nope. Not listening. It’s late, we’re all exhausted, and we’ve got a long way to go tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

We all stared at him.

Then, Sylas smirked. “You’re terrible at lying, you know.”

Kael huffed. “And you’re terrible at shutting up.”

Despite everything, we laughed. It was soft, tired, but real.

I didn’t push him. I knew that even if Kael didn’t say it out loud, he felt something tonight—something that scared him. He wasn’t ready to admit it, and that was okay.

After five long days of sand, heat, and exhaustion, the sight of Sarahart rising from the horizon felt like a mirage made real.

I could barely believe it—an entire city shimmering in the distance, set against the sunlit dunes. From here, it looked like a glistening oasis of stone and life, a beacon of civilization surrounded by an endless desert.

The first thing that caught my eye was the towering sandstone walls encircling the city, their surfaces intricately carved with symbols and murals.

Even from afar, I could make out scenes of the desert’s past—a tapestry of battles, legends, and folklore etched into stone, paying homage to a history as old as the sands themselves.

The architecture was mesmerizing: domes and sloping roofs designed to battle the brutal desert sun, arches that seemed made to welcome a cool breeze, and tall minarets capped with vibrant flags dancing lazily in the afternoon wind.

In the very heart of the city, a colossal tower stretched into the sky, crowned with a copper dome that gleamed brightly in the late-day sunlight.

The amber reflection bathed the surrounding rooftops in a warm glow, giving the whole place a surreal, almost dreamlike quality. Around the main tower, other spires rose, each unique but just as grand, with vivid flags adding a splash of color to the sandy palette.

As we drew closer, I could make out the bustle of the city streets winding through a sprawling market. Even from here, it was a riot of colors and movement.

Rows of stalls were draped in rich fabrics, shimmering in jewel tones that stood out sharply against the beige of the desert.

I spotted glints of metal and glass, jewelry and trinkets that caught the light, a glimpse into the wealth of spices, fruits, and exotic wares brought in from across the continent.

Lush palm trees marked the edges of the city, surrounding a river-fed oasis—a rare sight, a vivid patch of green in a sea of endless beige.

It was clear that this water source was the lifeblood of the city, sustaining not just the people but also the market, the animals, and the traders who had likely journeyed even farther than we had.

Beyond the walls, a sprawling settlement of tents and small structures fanned out, a gathering place for travelers and merchants. The air was thick with the sounds of distant drums and the faint scent of spices that seemed to drift toward us even from here. It was almost like the city was calling out to us, promising rest, excitement, and discovery all at once.

Standing there with my friends, each of us exhausted yet thrilled, we shared a moment of silent awe. We’d made it. After days of grueling travel, battles, and near-misses, the thought of safety and civilization within those walls felt almost unreal.