The sky was clear of clouds, an azure blue that would make any painter’s dream. The star named Arasol shone brightly on Arcave, the landscape was luminous and beautiful. However, the sight which was offered to the young woman and the young man was a desolate desert. Of an orange yellow, the view which presented itself to them extended to kilometers, beyond the horizon, giving an impression of death and solitude. If he wasn't following the woman and the huge buildings were not behind him, he would have thought he was lost forever. They had just left but the heat was already unbearable to him. The young woman was used to it, after all this time. She knew well the desert that was all around her : The Justice desert. Some people got lost there and never came back... In short, finding corpses buried under the sand was unfortunately not rare. Despite the large buildings of the Kemono Federation behind them, not everyone was able to find their way and some ended up getting lost in this immense desert. The Kemonos were humans with animal attributes, considered a different race. How many of them should have passed through the Federation gates, but did so through those of death? This was a dangerous desert and refusing a guide was foolishness, not courage nor strength. Here, this close to the Federation buildings, there was no chance of getting lost, but when they moved away... That was another story. After all, in a desert where only sand was their friend, how could they know where north or east was? They could find their way by Arasol, but not everyone knew this technique and would end up getting lost forever... and become part of the desert. The Kemonos who joined the Federation were now being taught how to find their way around by Arasol. They should have no problem if they came with a guide, but it was not uncommon for a Longer to emerge from the sand and separate them... or even kill the guide. In short, they decided they had to be even more careful.

- Get in the back, I've got some stuff in the front," the woman said without even looking at the person who nodded.

This young woman was not very tall, but she seemed imposing when she spoke or fought. Sheep's horns started from the back of her head and "curved" to the front. Her dark blue and white hair stopped at her shoulders and threatened to hide her beautiful bright yellow eyes. She was a rather popular Kemono in the Kemono Federation, mostly due to her many successes as well as her faction, which was also very famous. With time, Kemonos — normal or even superior ones — had heard of her. This young woman was the leader of her Faction: her name was Sheerah and she ran the Sheerah Faction. She had lightning enriched powers and was powerful, intelligent, strong physically and mentally. She gave a cold look to anyone who spoke to her, but those who knew her more personally knew how her heart worked.

It was a hot day and she was outside the Kemono Federation, accompanied by a young... mysterious man. A human who had been found outside the doors of the main building, unconscious and with amnesia. Yes, this person who accompanied her didn't know who he was, what he was doing here, his age or even if he had any family. He had only one clear and precise memory: his first name.

"Na".

A name made up of two letters that could make one think of a negation. A strange name, but one that did not deserve to be judged. His physique proved that he was human, but it was impossible to determine his real identity or have a clue about who he was. When he had been found by Maslow, he was wearing clothes that were neither rich nor poor. His hair was unkempt and his eyes showed no particularity. Nothing about his looks, the way he spoke or acted could give a clue. Absolutely nothing. In short…

Na was a total mystery.

It had been a little over ten days since he had been taken in by the Federation, more precisely by Sheerah. He had been able to talk to five of the six members of the Sheerah Faction and had gotten to know them better… even if he couldn't consider them "friends" yet. He wanted to learn more about himself, to find out who he really was and what had happened to him. Why was he here, why had he been unconscious in this desert, at the gates of the Kemono Federation? After all, he had no animal attributes and was clearly not a Kemono, so... what was he doing here? Nevertheless, nothing had come back to his mind. Even his dreams didn't give him any clues... In fact, he never remembered his dreams. Only his first name could help him, but that was clearly not enough. He wanted to find out who he was, but he knew it would take time and help. On his own, he was certain to fail in his quest. He hoped with all his heart that Sheerah, Kituhn and the others could help him... They were his only hope right now.

He opened the back door of the gray vehicle and sat down in one of the three available seats. He'd been inside the Federation walls since he woke up, so he'd been happy when Sheerah had offered him a ride. She wanted to show him the coastline and the ruins of an ancient building that stood near the ocean. He wondered what this huge expanse of water looked like... The young man was sure it must be beautiful. Seeing the rays of light reflecting off of it, clear blue water... He had heard Ronaa talk about it and he couldn't lie: he really wanted to see the ocean! Sheerah got into the vehicle and closed the door with force. She settled comfortably into the seat and, before starting the car, looked behind her.

- Are you buckled up?" she asked.

- Buckled… up?

Na didn't understand the woman's question, which made her sigh. He didn't even know they could be tied up in a desert car... She pointed to the strap that was sticking out next to him, to his left.

- You take this end, you put it in front of you so that it protects you and you fit it in the end which is under your butt.

Na took a few moments to understand and performed awkwardly. Eventually he did and Sheerah looked ahead to where the desert was. She knew the way, but she had to be careful not to get lost, so she took her compass and watched it. Na waited, impatient. There was so much to discover in this world! He may have been an adult, but his eyes showed a childlike curiosity. He wanted to recover his memory, to know who he was and what he was doing here, but he also wanted to discover and learn about Arcave; the world he was in. He didn't know much, after all! He had discovered music with Kituhn, understood a little more about love with Ronaa, discovered many flavors and likes of food with Kaide, learned a little more about life in general with Hushimao and learned a lot about the Federation with Sheerah. He had even met some people who seemed very friendly like Panthana, Panthera and Viremis! The person he had to meet now was Maslow, an important woman of the Federation who was the one who had received him. He wanted to talk to her and see if she knew more about him... Maybe she had no information, but he had to start somewhere. One day, when he knows more about the world around him, then Na will be able to think about traveling a little more…

Staying in one place won't help him.

- I'm starting the car.

Sheerah turned the key and the vehicle shook slightly, which surprised Na.

- It's just the engine.

She reassured him and put her hands on the wheel. She liked the feeling of driving, so she was happy to be out and about on this beautiful day. She put her foot on the pedal and they finally moved forward. Sheerah didn't start driving too fast, not wanting to scare Na. She preferred speed when she drove, but she would sacrifice that pleasure for this time. When she was with Ronaa, she could drive as fast as she wanted, that frog would still manage to sleep...

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

- ...

Na had his eyes turned to the window next to him, watching the landscape move by itself. There was nothing but sand for miles around, but it was a pleasant sight. The colors were beautiful, in this desert... The sky, too, was beautiful. When the vehicle had started, he had been afraid to move in all directions, but to his surprise, it was rather... relaxing. The sound of the engine, the pleasant smell of the interior, the few vibrations of the vehicle driving... It made him want to rest. He finally closed his eyes and a few moments later he fell asleep. He wasn't necessarily tired, but he couldn't help it: it was too relaxing to keep his eyes open, so he joined the world of dreams…

For a few weak moments.

- ...

- I will find you, you hear me.

- ......

- Let's get together.

- ...........

- To—

Na slowly opened his eyes. He had to close them immediately afterwards because the light was too strong for him. He placed a hand in front of his eyes and opened them again. A few seconds passed and he finally managed to look around. They had probably arrived...

- ...?

But something was wrong.

Where was he, exactly?

He stood up slowly and blinked. He had fallen asleep in the vehicle, but he woke up in the middle of...

- Buildings...?

... a city. However, it was probably no longer an inhabited place: the houses and apartments were all in ruins. Debris of facades, walls and broken windows lay on the roads, which suffered from the passage of time. Some cars were parked, abandoned by their owners. Nevertheless, it was clear that they could never take the road again... Rust had poisoned them. Their carcasses were only proof that time imprisoned all things in its bosom. Na took a few steps forward, unable to say where he was. What could he do...? Was this a dream?

- Sh...

He hesitated, but sighed and stopped.

- Shee... Sheerah?

He called the Kemono's name…

But no one answered.

Silence. Not even the wind made a sound. He looked above at the sky and could not see Arasol, the tall buildings blocking his view. He had no idea how to react in such a situation. Should he wait patiently, without moving, hoping to be rescued...? How had he been separated from Sheerah? Why was he no longer in the vehicle with her?

- Is it possible that we were attacked while I was sleeping...?

That was the only possibility he could think of right now. There was no reason for her to leave him alone on the road! They had taken such good care of him... But maybe he had been tricked? Maybe they had pretended to like him only to abandon him later? Maybe someone forced them to do such a thing!

- No, they wouldn't do that... would they?

He continued walking, hoping to find someone or something other than ruins. Na remembered that they had to go and look at a destroyed building near the ocean... However, this could not be the destination! Sheerah had talked about it with him! He couldn't see the ocean anywhere and there wasn't just one building in this place! Na didn't feel good, not safe... If a Longer came to attack him, he would be defenseless and would probably be killed before he could scream. He wanted... He didn't want to stay here...

- S-Sheerah...?

The beginnings of his sobs could be heard in his voice and his throat shook in the insecurity he felt. He had the impression that he was being watched, but nothing was visible except a dead landscape. The buildings seemed to grow, enclosing him more and more, and unpleasant feelings ran through him. He had to get away from here...! Na had started by walking slowly, but his legs began to run. He didn't know where he was going, or the direction he was going, but he didn't care: he just wanted to find help!

- Sheerah?!

He shouted the woman's name again, hoping for an answer in return, a comfort from her. He wanted—

As he ran, an object slammed into the ground right in front of him. He collided with it and fell backwards, his vision blurred. His head was spinning and he ended up shaking it, holding on with his right hand. He barely had time to open his eyes again when he heard a loud noise in front of him. He looked up... and saw that someone had just landed a few feet away. They had jumped from the building in front of him, a fall that would have killed anyone. The person ran towards Na, which paralyzed him. He was afraid... He wanted to scream, to cry, to defend himself, but his body would not move.

He saw death before his eyes. He was helpless.

The person grabbed the object they had stuck in the ground and pointed it at the man.

- You, who...?!

When she saw the face of the tearful person before her, her eyes widened and her throat froze. Her body stood still for a few moments before she turned the object that was her size and put it behind her back.

- ... I found you.

- ... H-H-H-Huh...?

The person in front of him was a girl. Blood red eyes and black colored hair. A scarf was wrapped around her neck and a sort of cape around her pelvis. Behind her back, her weapon that she had thrown at the young man was still visible, thinking he had been a suspicious person. She reached out his hand, helping him to stand up and Na accepted. He dried his eyes and caught his breath. She was really short...

- Sorry. I didn't know.

- No worries… but who—

- My name is Bibi, I was just looking for you.

She didn't let him finish his sentence when she quickly introduced herself. She didn't even try to find out who he was when she asked him something:

- I need your help. You got teleported here too, didn't you?

- ... ?! Y-You too?!

She nodded and sighed.

- This is an ordeal... that we're being forced to do.

- An ordeal?

Bibi looked at him, her eyes determined.

- We have to get to the sanctuary if we don't want to be locked up here forever.

She grabbed his hand and squinted.

- So you'll help me if you want us to go home.