With a sense of trepidation gnawing at his core, Blue rose from his reverie and turned to Dorothy, his inquiry hanging in the air like an unspoken promise. "Where is Deira?" he ventured, his voice tinged with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

Dorothy's smile remained unwavering, a beacon of reassurance amidst the uncertainty. "This way," she replied, her words carrying a hint of mystery as she beckoned him forward.

With Daima by his side, Blue followed Dorothy's lead, each step forward marking the passage into the unknown. As they traversed the landscape, the verdant hues of the sunflower plateau gradually gave way to an ominous transformation, the once vibrant greenery yielding to a desolate expanse of blackened earth, tinged with crimson tendrils of metallic fluid.

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Puzzled by the stark contrast, Blue voiced his query to Dorothy, seeking answers in the midst of the shifting terrain. Yet her response was merely laughter, a haunting echo that danced on the edge of comprehension.

Hours passed in silent procession, the trio forging ahead with determined resolve until at last, they reached their destination—Deira. But what awaited them was not the utopia they had envisioned; instead, it loomed before them like a specter of dystopian despair.

The cityscape was cloaked in darkness, illuminated only by the stark glare of crimson lights that cast eerie shadows across the metallic landscape. Every corner seemed to exude an aura of foreboding, as if the very essence of the city was steeped in the shadows of its own making.

Before Blue could fathom the depths of their predicament, Dorothy's voice pierced the silence, laden with an unexpected apology. Bewildered, Blue barely had time to process her words before a sudden impact sent shockwaves rippling through his consciousness, darkness enveloping him as he succumbed to unconsciousness.

END OF CHAPTER 12