Rising high into the sky, the bright golden sun paints the world in brilliant shades of light; even the cloudless blue sky seems to reflect the sand below and its hazy aurelian. A thin stone path extends from the bottom of the dunes up into the vast sky. A weak breeze flies low above the ground, rustling sand and creating a film of heat that washes across Astraoth, sand filtering through his thick silver hair.

Walking slowly on the slim stone trail, Astraoth makes his way past great dunes of blinding white sand, heading toward the enormous sun, which continues rising slowly past the horizon. Oromius treks beside Astraoth, leading him forward. Reaching the top of the bend, Astraoth, finally able to see past the rocky pathway, scans across the desolate wasteland, spotting a colossal pyramid looming in the distance, towering over the entire desert.

  Astraoth pauses as he notices the titanic leviathan, looking to Oromius, and, upon seeing him nod in confirmation, continues on toward the massive goliath, increasing his pace. As they march forward, Astraoth carefully observes his surroundings, feeling uneasy despite Oromius' presence beside him. Oromius, cognizant of Astraoth's strange behavior, rests his hand on Astraoth's shoulder, reassuring him gently. Astraoth takes a slow, deep breath, calming his heart and mind.

  Astraoth, preparing himself for arrival at the pyramid, begins to talk with Oromius, asking,"Dad, are we finally about to reach our destination?"

  Oromius, a wide smile on his face, responds happily,"Yes, we are finally about to arrive. However, it is your destination alone."

  Astraoth, confused, looks to Oromius, inquiring,"What do you mean? Aren't we going there together?"

  Oromius looks to the magnificent giant hanging over the horizon, and replies,"We are traveling together to the tomb, but you will enter-and succeed-alone." Gesturing to the pyramid, still far away, he continues," This is your future. Not mine."

  "...I see," answers Astraoth, closing his eyes, silently preparing himself for the task ahead.

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  Arriving at the base of the pyramid, Astraoth observes the building, finally able to see the ancient behemoth in all its glory. The monolith is a dusty yellow, with lines of pale white spiraling around its vast bed, extending to the top, a milky white peak, glorious in its beauty. Astraoth, realizing its size, is astounded; the tomb towers over even Oromius' mansion. Standing at over one hundred kilometers tall, the edifice is immeasurably large, tens of thousands of times taller than Oromius.

  Even the sun's glory is diminished in front of the immense, magnificent tomb of Dracul Mephilius. Astraoth, astonished at its size, turns to Oromius, asking,"Why did we need a map to find this if this...tomb is so large?"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Oromius replies softly,"It's quite simple; even though the pyramid is huge, the desert that houses it is much, much larger. Even then, this desert is small and hard to find, relative to the size of this continent cluster, and the cluster itself is already exceptionally tiny and unknown. No one would expect the resting place of such a powerful man to be in a location this remote. We needed the map to know his tomb was in this cluster, we didn't really need the exact location."

  Finding the stairway leading to the entrance, Astraoth and Oromius begin the long trek up to the main hall, crossing many tens of kilometers of stairs to get to the entrance, which rests at twenty-five kilometers up the pyramid, at the quarter way-point. Arriving at the gateway, Astraoth, and Oromius stop, looking up to the massive door to the tomb, ornate and luxurious; inscribed with shining white letters carefully, the gate is gilded and aureate, crafted precisely with gold and diamond. Standing at 5 kilometers tall, the gigantic entrance was nothing short of immense in scale.

  Still, the passage could not be called gaudy;  it was adorned with wealth, but, crafted to accentuate and enhance the imposing image of the pyramid, the gate was flamboyant in its style but impressive in its artistry. Astraoth, as he reached the base of the entrance, sits down, waiting for Oromius. As Oromius begins to rest on the floor, in the shade of the door, Astraoth starts to pelt him with questions,"Dad, can you finally tell me how you got the map, and what this 'tomb' is? Also, can you explain who this tomb really houses-I know it is for 'Dracul Mephilius', but I don't know who that really is? Anyway..."

  As Astraoth tries to continue, Oromius cuts him off with a wave of his hand, beginning his explanation,"I found the map in the possession of a young student of the 'Golden Burning Sun' Sect. After a short fight with a student of the 'Black Crescent Moon' Sect, she perished, and I managed to escape the Victor. I don't know where she got the map, but it is very likely her sect didn't know about the tomb, and she kept it to herself, intending to reach the tomb and succeed Dracul Mephilius."

  Astraoth, curious, interrupts Oromius,"That's why I wanted to know who he was..."

  Oromius, though, cuts Astraoth off again, annoyed at his refusal to quiet down, asking,"Then why do you keep interrupting me?" Seeing Astraoth remain quiet at his question, Oromius continues,"Anyway...I do not know who he is, not fully, but, judging by the energy left over in the note you found, and his title, I would guess that he is a very old and very powerful demon."

  Astraoth, finally satisfied, replies,"Okay...Then when can we start the exploration of his tomb?"

  Oromius responds, shaking his head,"We will not explore the tomb-you will. And you will start tomorrow."

  "Why tomorrow?" Astraoth complains, disappointed and annoyed, pouting.

  "Well Astraoth, it is quite simple- right now, it is nearly night, and I'd rather you be well-rested when starting an expedition."

  "But Dad, don't demons work better at night?" Astraoth replies.

  "Be that as it may, we still want you to be in top condition when starting to infiltrate a tomb-especially when we don't know the environment inside it," Oromius responds.

  "Fine, then I'll go to bed." Astraoth finally begins to ready himself for sleep, tired from a very long day.