ATLAS PENDRAGON.

As I walked through the vast desert, my mind focused on the storm rushing towards me.

I observed the cold sand clouds crossing the oval hollow in the surface where my feet passed, followed by waterspouts and waterfalls crossing the sky. I continued my march, unmoved by nature's fury.

My gaze fell on an isolated pyramidal rock formation that rose in the middle of the desert. I contemplated how its shape changed under the whirlwinds until it became a simple dirty orange excrescence.

These formations were the result of wind and rain erosion, which wear away the surrounding rock leaving the most resistant ones exposed.

The sand swirled in the hollow covering the sky, which darkened as if covered by a screen until the area was totally buried.

The autumn sun still struck with some force, and I could feel my throat dry as I advanced on foot through the terrain.

"How boring all this is," I thought while letting out a sigh.

The path was rough and irregular. I extended my gaze towards the horizon, probing the sky with my trained senses. I could perceive the noise of small animals, the singing of birds, and the sound of a sand waterfall crumbling, accompanied by muffled groans beneath it.

The Baratheon desert was one of the three most dangerous places recorded to this day and crossing it was necessary to reach the Cassio Kingdom. Even Barbarians barely survived here.

Suddenly, I felt something approaching rapidly beyond the slope. About a hundred meters away? It was somewhat melancholic that, as a mage, I was sensing my opponent by instinct. However, I kept my mind focused.

This presence isn't human...

It wasn't a wild animal, but the presence of a being running on two legs through the desert. I looked curiously towards the source of that sensation.

Shortly after, something appeared abruptly. It was about 160 cm tall, with a flat nose, bulging eyes, and protruding teeth that were visible. It was a face that would frighten humans, but for me, it was too familiar.

—A barbarian —I muttered to myself.

A small barbarian with brown skin and grayish hair was rapidly approaching while staring at me. Upon seeing me, he seemed nervous and raised his rusty sword.

—Krurkaka Lokata Kara! —he shouted.

His face was full of hostility. I clicked my tongue unconsciously upon seeing his small and thin appearance.

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—Seems to be just a child... —I muttered.

Barbarians are enormous humans who possess monstrous power. If he's that size, he's probably about 13 or 14 years old.

I knew they usually lived in desert regions, far away from human kingdoms, due to racial discrimination and poaching by the latter.

Barbarians saw the empires as rude, cunning, and pretentious. Conversely, the Imperials saw them as animals that shouted and hit at the slightest sign of anger.

I observed the child silently with interest. In fact, compared to me, saying the child was small and thin was relative; his body wasn't common. His entire body was well-trained and covered in scars, indicating he was a warrior who had experienced many battles.

"Did he escape from a slave caravan?" I wondered. The practice of raising barbarians as gladiators to fight to death for entertainment and betting was widespread throughout the continent. This child could be in a similar situation.

—Krurr... —growled the little one.

As I showed no reaction and just looked at him, his behavior softened a bit. He lowered his sword slightly, but still remained on high alert.

—You, ignore me. Then I won't kill you! —he told me with a cold voice.

The situation amused me. If it had been another human, he probably would have resorted to violence without thinking twice.

I looked beyond the desert. Although not visible, I could clearly feel that a group of armed individuals was running fervently towards us.

Are they after this boy?

I cleared my throat for a moment and then let out a growling cry in their language.

—Young barbarian, are they chasing you? —I asked in Balak.

His eyes opened wide upon hearing his language come from my mouth.

—You speak Balak? —he asked surprised.

—A little —I responded.

The barbarian seemed surprised by my fluency. With a notably softer tone, he muttered:

—As you say, they're chasing me.

—I want to help you —I offered.

The barbarian boy opened his eyes wide and then shook his head, indicating his objection. Puzzled, I asked:

—Don't you trust me? Or do you mean you won't accept help from a human?

—It's not that —he replied—. Whoever knows my language is like a brother to me. I can feel the sincerity of your goodwill in my soul. How could I put such a brother in danger due to my situation?

I grew a bit fond of the boy. Humans judged barbarians, who seemed to limit themselves to growling, and ridiculed them as beasts.

However, their vocabulary isn't very different from ours. It's just that their language is rich in tones and meaning changes with long and short sounds, which makes them seem like simple noises to humans.

This boy among the barbarians was using a particularly intellectual tone. Could he have been born into a good lineage?

—I have the ability to help you and they won't harm me. Trust me —I assured him confidently.

My attitude seemed to shake his expression. Finally, he nodded.

—I will accept your kindness, benefactor —he said, immediately changing his way of speaking.

I immediately cast an illusion spell. Although it was simple, casting it in an area made hiding a child trivial. After extending a veil of illusion over the sand we were stepping on, I gestured to him.

—Lie down and hide inside this. My magic will conceal your body —I indicated.

The boy, unable to hide his surprise, asked:

—Are you a mage, benefactor?

—Is it so strange that I'm a mage? —I responded.

—With that body? —he questioned.

I remained silent for a moment. Indeed, nobody would think that I, with my 185 cm height and my body full of muscles, would be a mage. I chuckled and continued gesturing towards the darkness.

The barbarian boy, momentarily disconcerted, soon relaxed his expression and entered the veil.

—Then I accept your kindness with gratitude —he said, submerging himself in the darkness of the veil, letting out a little laugh.

Seeing him disappear into the darkness, I sighed. Then, I started walking again and pretended nothing had happened.

Shortly after, a noisy group of men appeared making their way through the desert depressions.

They looked like mercenaries.