'When is it okay to surrender?' I thought I knew the answer—until I stared into the eyes of death itself.

That question lingered in my mind as I stood there —paralyzed, dehydrated and exhausted— completely defeated by the never-ending scourge of the sun. I had walked for what felt like thousands of kilometers through these dunes and I still wasn't sure why I was here exactly or why I had left my home.

Now, Elidia might not be the perfect place to live, especially for a young woman, but I always thought it was better than submitting myself to the cold steel of the military complex that Arcadis was slowly turning into. If there was a time to get out of that hellhole, it was now... or at least, that was my motivation during those first days of travelling through this scorching desert. But now? Now it felt like this "small" trip wasn't really worth it, especially since I wasn't sure if starving to death was a preferable demise compared to, I don't know, getting lost in a sandstorm.

However, as funny as it might sound, that wasn't the biggest of my issues. No. It was all about the creature in front of me: A giant feline with legs as big and strong as those of a stallion, a stinger on the tip of its tail and a mouth brimming with fangs —more fitting for a dragon than a cat. It's quite easy to understand why people call them Devilcats. I couldn't help but stay there, not knowing what to do. I'm sure that, in any other scenario, I would manage to survive for a few more days in the intensity of the wasteland's conditions, but standing in front of that beast? Not a chance. My death felt inevitable. So you might be wondering, how the hell am I still alive to be able to tell you this tale? Well...

"Get back; I'm handling this." Those were the exact words I heard seconds before that mysterious guy, appearing in front of me, pointed his gun at the colossal monster with no fear in his eyes, no shaking, no hesitation. Just a precisely aimed bullet to the head of the beast was enough to save my life.

I let out a scream as the boom of the gunpowder made the dunes around us tremble, covering the air with a dusty cloud. After the roar from his attack had settled down and the high-pitched noise in my ears disappeared, I found myself squatting, shaking in fear from what had just happened.

"T-Thanks..." I said, my face frozen in shock. It was too much for my thirsty brain to actually process everything that happened in a matter of mere seconds, but, somehow, I knew I had to say something to my savior.

"No need to thank me." Said the man who had pulled the trigger that allowed me to stay alive with an unfazed look on him. I wish I could have said something meaningful, something that would've allowed me to express how much of a lifesaver he was, but no words came out of my mouth. I could only stay there, impressed by him.

"Why are you here? This desert is no place for a lady to go for a walk, you know?" The mysterious man asked me as I slowly regained my senses, with barely enough energy to reply to him. I gathered the little strength and courage I had left to stand up.

"I-I'm traveling. I come from Arcadis, and I'm trying to reach Olimpia" was my answer. It was only then that I actually got a better look at him: He was a young man, about my age— or maybe slightly younger? He was probably just 17 or 18. How did someone so young become this skilled with a gun? He probably had a long story behind him, but my mind drifted toward his other features: His dark hair spilled from under his hat, framing his sharp, almost feline eyes. His height was enough to tower over me, but probably not that tall considering the height of most Elidians. He compensated that fact with his athletic build, though. No wonder why he was fine engaging in combat and, even more incredibly, killing a Devilcat.

He didn't utter any other word after hearing my reply, but with a slightly annoyed, maybe reluctant, look on his face, he made a gesture signaling his permission for me to follow him. I immediately fell in behind him, knowing that it was for the best. He was a complete stranger, but the fact that he saved my life had to mean something, right? In fact, company from another human was better than being stalked by hostile desert creatures. Besides, he was kind enough to let me drink water from the bottle he had with him.

Only the sound of the wind could be heard as we walked through the sandy roads, not a word passing between us. This felt weird to me —weren't Elidians supposed to be quite talkative and open, even towards strangers? My curiosity grew up with every minute that passed until I couldn't hold it in anymore. I needed to know more about him.

"M-my name's Chryssa, by the way." I mumbled, hoping to get a reaction from him, but I wasn't sure if my words were that inaudible or if he simply didn't care, as no answer came from him. Not even a hum.

After a little more than an hour, we finally found ourselves on a paved road. The desert was left behind our backs as more and more plants, bushes, and finally trees, started to surround us. This was the Sacred Royal Road, the one that connected Olimpia, the capital of Elidia, with all the other provinces and, of course, with the three-way frontier between Elidia, Arcadis and Akaia. This would have been the road I would have taken had I migrated here legally, but rising tensions between the three nations, free transit was anything but free. Most Arcadisians and Akaians were forced to cross the border through the desert. Sadly, those who attempted it tended to die or get sent back to their countries, deported after being found by the Elidian authorities.

"The city's three hours from here. This is the closest I'll get you." He said serenely, the tone of his voice matching the stoic espression of his face.

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"Wh-what? Are you leaving me alone?" I cried, surprised and slightly upset by his words. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I never said I was coming with you." He replied, clearly annoyed by my helplessness. "Besides, I noticed you have a dagger with you. You don't need a bodyguard."

"I-I know..." I replied, sadness and disappointment filling my heart. "But... I really wanted to repay you for saving me." I said, looking deep into his eyes, hoping to catch a hint of his emotions, but to no avail. He simply stood there, waiting for me to let him go.

"I didn't do it to get any kind of reward." He said, his words carrying a coldness that made me shiver in place, but that coldness was coupled with the warmth of his honesty. "It wouldn't have been right to let you die."

Even if I tried, I couldn't come up with words to continue the conversation. Like, there was nothing I could say against what he had just said, so... what now? I didn't want him to just leave me in the middle of the road, and I was too tired to walk for another hour, let alone, three of them.

"Fine!" I exclaimed. "But, at least, could you keep me company until a carriage passes by and takes me to the city, please? I'm too tired to walk or fight on my own, and I don't want to be alone in the middle of the road where a group of bandits could rob me or... something else, you know?"

He stood quiet for a second, with his eyes closed, listening to what I said. He suddenly opened his mouth and talked back. "Okay."

We both sat down to the side of the road for a bit. At first, I thought I was starting to get through to him, but I wasn't even close to the truth. In fact, he wouldn't even look in my direction, as if pretending I didn't exist. That annoyed me more than you can imagine. How could someone act with such indifference? Was he an automaton or something?

Not long after, a carriage passed by. I quickly stood up, signaling to the driver in hopes he would stop and agree to take me to Olimpia. "Hey, sir! Could you please help me?" I shouted, hoping to get noticed.

The carriage came to a stop and the door opened. The driver, an overweight, balding middle-aged man, adressed me. "Good afternoon, lady? What do you want from yours truly?"

"Hello. I was wondering if you were headed to Olimpia and, if that's the case, would it be possible for me to accompany you?" I asked him boldly, but at this point, I was starting to feel like I had no other option than stating out loud what I actually needed.

"Well, of course! I can take both you and your boyfriend there with no issue."

Boyfriend? "Uh, thanks sir, but it's actually just me. I don't really know this man." I answered, feeling a bit flustered by his words. The awkwardness only grew when I noticed my savior glance at me after I answered. I wondered what was on his mind when I spoke.

"Oh, I'm sorry for my inappropiate comment!" Said the driver, lowering his head as an apology. "In any case, I would appreciate it if you could come here and sit down now, I need to get to Olimpia as soon as possible for an appointment."

I went into the carriage, looking at the face of my mysterious savior, with a somewhat sad look cause by the fact I didn't really get to know him. But I guess it was too late now and, honestly? I didn't think we were going to see each other after this day... At least that was what I thought.

About half an hour had passed since the carriage started moving. What would be a three-hour trip by foot would be about 45 minutes if everything went well. Finally, I was closer than ever to reach my destination. However, my blissful thoughts were interrupted by the sudden halt of the carriage.

"Sir? Is there something wrong?" I shyly asked, waiting for the driver to answer, but no sound actually came from him. What is going on? As soon as I was about to ask again, to know if there was something wrong, the carriage started moving again, but this time, it took a sudden turn and started drifting into the woods beside the road. "Sir? SIR?!" It was no use, no answer came from him. A few minutes later, the vehicle stopped again. A few seconds of silence passed, but they were quickly interrupted when a group of masked men boarded the carriage in a violent manner.

"Sir! Help!" I said, waiting for the driver to do something, but he simply turned back his head to me, with an evil grin in his face.

"Don't kill this one! She might be useful, if you know what I mean!" He spewed to the masked men. One of them, probably the leader, took out a dagger from his robes and held the edge of his blade against my throat. The other men rapidly started taking turns in touching my pockets and looking if I had anything of value.

"She's not Elidian, you idiots! She has no money, the only thing we can do is collect her essence!" 'What's essence?' I thought as the masked leader shouted. "Take her out and start draining her!"

After he spoke, the masked men launched me out of the carriage as the driver simply watch, feigning pity for me. While this was happening, one of the bandits took out a machine from the carriage's trunk, it had a tank and a tube attached to it. The leader pressed his blade in my shoulder, slicing a shallow wound that drew a cry in pain from me. They put the tube in the wound and a mysterious golden fog started coming out of it and slowly making its way into the tank. I started to feel weak as I saw how they drained this mysterious substance out of my... soul?

I was about to lose consciousness, but the sound of what I thought was thunder foreshadowing a raging storm kept me awake. However, in just a few seconds I learned it wasn't exactly a storm as I felt a splatter of blood in my face coming from the forehead of one of the masked men. Was it him?

Bullets started flying through the air, hitting the thieves one by one. It was indeed that mysterious boy who saved my life earlier. I couldn't believe it! But how did he find me? Well, I didn't care. The thing that actually mattered was that he was here and he was saving me once again. It took me almost as much of a surprise as it took the masked men, as they couldn't even react to what was against them. One by one, they were executed in place, with one final shot directed to the driver that took me and made me fell into this trap.

After taking out all the bandits, he looked at me, noticing my face stained by the red from one of his prey. He kneeled and produced a towel from inside of his coat, helping me clean myself. I was too shocked to react, but at the same time, I felt a certain warmth coming from him. Almost as if he actually cared about me.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you go on your own." He said in a tender tone, I couldn't help but smile after his words.

"It's not your fault" I whispered, looking deep into his eyes. "It's not like any of us could have predicted this would happen."

He nodded, acknowledging my words. He drew a breath and gave my face one last glance before addressing me again. "My name is Ordell, by the way."