Drake walked away from Old Ville, but the physical distance did not lessen the weight of the thoughts consuming him. His mind was in a true whirlwind, reflecting on recent events and the gaps in his own past. "Following Julius turned out to be yet another dead end," he reflected. "I need to find Shinie. She's the key…"

— Flashback —

About two months ago, Drake found himself in the city of Ice Lands, a landscape covered by a blanket of snow and adorned with gleaming buildings that captured the essence of winter. It was a special day in the city, marked by the royal family's visit, and the streets were filled with people eager to glimpse the nobility.

As Drake walked indifferently through the city center, an elegant carriage, adorned with royal emblems and pulled by magnificent horses, made its way through the crowd. It carried the royal family, among them Shinie, the Ice Princess, a figure of unparalleled beauty and grace.

Then, a sharp and surprised scream cut through the air, capturing Drake's attention. "DRAKE? IS THAT YOU? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

The scream came from the carriage, specifically from Shinie. Her voice, laden with surprise and recognition, made Drake turn abruptly. Their eyes met for a moment, but there was no recognition in his gaze. To Drake, she was a stranger, his memories of her sealed, inaccessible.

Driven by an impulse to find out why the princess knew him, Drake tried to approach the carriage. However, the crowd was dense, a barrier of bodies and voices preventing him from advancing. He struggled against the tide of people, but it was futile.

To complicate matters, a powerful magical seal surrounded the carriage, a protective measure for the royal family. This seal prevented the use of magic in the vicinity, thwarting any attempt by Drake to use his abilities to reach the princess.

Desperate to reach her and get answers, Drake could only watch, powerless, as the carriage moved away, taking with it the only person who seemed to know his past. Not long after this encounter, shocking news spread: the Ice Princess had disappeared.

— End of Flashback —

"She might have the answers about what happened to me, about the memories that are locked somewhere in my mind… But why? Why are my memories sealed? And those visions I had… were they really mine?"

Drake, feeling overwhelmed but not defeated, stopped for a moment. Looking up at the vast and open sky above him, he gathered all his strength and let out a defiant scream that echoed through the air: "Next stop: the province of Belman!"

With the Syris desert ahead of him, a fearsome place full of secrets, Drake proceeded. He was ready to face the challenges he would encounter, determined to unravel the mysteries of his past and find the answers he so desperately sought. Drake's journey was far from over, and he was more than willing to face whatever lay ahead.

The journey through the Syris desert represented an extreme challenge, even for someone as skilled as Drake. The scorching heat of the day and the biting cold of the night were just the surface of the dangers that awaited him. Moreover, the desert landscape was constantly changing, creating dunes and valleys that could disorient even the most experienced of travelers.

But the real test for Drake lay in the unique peculiarity of the Syris desert, its mysterious ability to drain magical energy. Here, in this vast and relentless sea of sand, mana seemed to be sucked from the environment, leaving mages and practitioners of magic powerless.

As Drake walked through the scalding sands of the Syris desert, he contemplated the vastness that stretched before him. A thought crossed his mind, a wish for an easier solution to the arduous journey he faced: "It would be so much easier if I could just fly over this," he reflected internally, observing the endless undulations of the dunes under the scorching sun.

But the reality of the desert brought him back. "But, unfortunately, I'd find myself without mana before reaching half of the desert. There's no escape, just to keep moving forward."

For two exhausting days, Drake crossed the Syris desert, under the scorching sun that punished his skin with every step. The scenery around him was desolate, an endless sea of sand dunes that stretched to the horizon. Despite the inhospitable environment, Drake's mind was occupied with thoughts far from that sterile landscape.

As the sun began to set on the second day, tinting the sky with shades of orange and purple, Drake noticed something unusual. In the distance, a thin column of dark smoke rose, breaking the monotony of the desert. It was an unexpected sign of human presence in a place where life seemed to have abandoned.

Reaching the top of a sand dune, Drake saw where the smoke was coming from. A girl lay unconscious in the sand, next to a backpack that was ablaze. But there was an even greater danger approaching.

A fierce sandstorm was emerging on the horizon along with the strong winds that came with nightfall, rapidly advancing towards the girl.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Drake did not hesitate. He began to run down the dune at high speed. The wind began to blow more intensely against his body, signaling the imminent arrival of the storm. He knew he didn't have enough mana to conjure magical protection and that every second was crucial.

Reaching the girl, Drake acted instinctively. He threw himself over her, covering her body with his own, in an attempt to protect her from the cutting winds of the storm. The wind swirled around them, carrying grains of sand that collided against Drake.

With each gust, Drake felt his skin being sliced. Drake clenched his teeth, resisting the pain that swept through his body. Blood began to stain his skin and clothes, but he remained firm, determined to protect the girl at any cost.

For those eight minutes, every second was agony for Drake. The sandstorm continued its merciless assault. Drake, amidst the turbulence, remained still, his body forming a barrier over the girl.

After what seemed like an eternity, the storm began to subside. The violent winds diminished, the blasts of sand gradually ceasing, until everything calmed down.

The silence that followed was a thunderous relief after the chaos.

Drake, covered in cuts and blood, breathed with difficulty. Despite the exhaustion and pain coursing through his body, he remained where he was, still protecting the girl beneath him.

Exhausted and with his mana reserves nearly depleted, Drake focused on using what little energy he had left to heal the wounded girl. He invoked the magic "Healing Bubbles," and small luminous bubbles began to form around his hands. They floated gently towards the girl, enveloping her.

As the bubbles did their work, Drake felt an overwhelming weakness take over his body. His vision began to blur, and the colors and shapes around him started to merge into an indistinct blur. He fought to maintain consciousness, trying to ward off the darkness that threatened to engulf him.

But despite his efforts, the exhaustion and physical wear were too much for him to resist. His legs gave out, and he fell to the desert floor, unable to stand. The world around him darkened completely, and Drake lost consciousness, his body finally succumbing to extreme fatigue.

"Ahhhh!" The sound reverberated, breaking through the barriers of sleep and unconsciousness.

Slowly, his eyes opened, and he found himself in an environment that contrasted drastically with the desert where he had lost consciousness.

Drake was lying on a luxurious bed, covered by silk sheets that caressed his skin gently, and surrounded by cushions that exuded luxury. Looking around, he noticed the walls richly decorated with tapestries and velvet curtains that filtered the sunlight, bathing the room in a soft golden glow.

But what surprised him most was the reflection he saw in the room's large mirror. Instead of seeing the familiar figure of a redhead boy, he saw himself with hair as black as the deepest night, his eyes as blue as the clear sky, and small freckles dotting his fair skin. He observed the reflection with a mix of incredulity and fascination.

Drake touched his face, feeling the texture of the skin under his fingers, trying to comprehend the reality of that moment. The transformation was disconcerting, raising more questions than answers. He wondered if this was a dream, an illusion, or a trick his tired mind was playing on him.

Sitting on the bed, Drake tried to piece together the fragments of his memories and thoughts, looking for any clue that could explain his current situation. He knew he needed to explore more of this unknown place and find out about the visions and memories that haunted him.

Drake, still trying to assimilate his unexpected human transformation, was suddenly pulled from his thoughts. The room began to be engulfed by voracious flames. The heat rapidly increased, and the flames danced wildly around him, turning the environment into a hellish inferno.

Without hesitation, he ran towards the door, but to his despair, he discovered it was locked. The fire began to climb his clothes, and he writhed desperately, trying to find an escape, a way out of the fiery trap.

As he struggled against the fire, Drake heard a muffled scream, someone calling a name. He murmured, his voice muffled by the roar of the flames. "Someone's screaming a name... I can't understand..." The words were distant, almost like an echo from a distant dream.

The heat became unbearable, the flames engulfing him completely. Drake felt his skin burn, the pain was excruciating, and his mind was in turmoil. His memories, already fragmented, now seemed even more distant and nebulous, lost amidst the chaos.

And then, in a moment that felt like a terrible nightmare, Drake woke up.

He blinked several times, trying to adjust to the darkness around him. The feeling of disorientation slowly dissipated as he began to situate himself in the unfamiliar environment. The orange light of dawn cast a weak glow in the cave.

He tried to stand up, but pain coursed through his body, reminding him of the brutality of the sandstorm he had faced. His clothes were still stained with sand and blood.

As he tried to process his thoughts, a soft and reassuring voice broke the quiet of the cave, dispelling the onset of panic that was beginning to form in his mind: "It's okay. The storm won't catch us again here..."

Drake carefully stood up, feeling every muscle in his body respond with a painful protest. He looked around for the source of the voice, his eyes still adjusting to the dimness of the cave, until they found the figure of a woman sitting not far from him. Her hair, a vibrant red, seemed to glow even in the weak light of the cave, like embers amidst the shadows.

She was, without a doubt, a fascinating sight. Her red hair framed a face of ethereal beauty, while her green eyes shone with an intensity that reminded him of emeralds. The woman's fair skin contrasted vividly with the darker colors around her, and her elegant posture revealed a natural grace. She smiled at Drake, a smile that conveyed warmth and kindness, dispelling any trace of fear or anxiety he might feel.

Still a bit dazed, Drake responded: "Pleased to meet you, I'm Drake, and you are?"

"My name is Elara. Actually, I owe my life to you, Drake. After that sandstorm, I woke up because of your healing. And you… you were unconscious and injured."

"I… I didn't have much choice. You needed help, so I carried you to this cave. It was the safest place I found in the middle of the desert."

Elara smiled again, a smile that seemed to illuminate the cave. "We're even now, Drake. You saved me from the storm, and I took care of you afterward. Let's say fate brought us together here."

[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/979701081745530891/1205232201671909447/ced9ac80-2ef8-4aa1-aecf-9bfe266aa3a3.webp?ex=65d79ef5&is=65c529f5&hm=5fa0b2a91bb636848411ac7a940e0041a032eca7888e02b1d2831edbf52b9829&]