A group of five people left the city the next day. Jong and Rosey saw them off with conflicted expressions. That morning Jong was a little more there and even had a small conversation with Ryuji, thanking him for helping out Rosey. They took no horse or animal of any kind with them. They were to cross the wastes, and most animals would die in such a place. Not to mention pretty much any animal that they could have taken was killed or injured in the calamity the day before.

Ryuji had found out that the wastes wasn't just an abnormally large desert but the place of a magical disaster. An abnormal amount of mana resided there, so many strong monsters were born as a result. It wasn't as bad as the Lost Lands, but even then, there was still quite a lot of them. Even A rank adventurers would have a hard time dealing with the weakest of these monsters.

Since they wanted to reach Mallen and nowhere else, they would be taking the shortest route through the wastes and simply cutting into South Kevic. Because of this cut, the trip in the disaster zone would likely only last a week or two.

A day into their journey, everyone was already complaining.

"Good lord, why is it so hoooooot!" Ryuji passively raised his clenched fists to the air and shook them.

"Compadre! I think I might be dying." Jessy's voice from behind felt sluggish, and her movements were stiff as she walked along the sand.

"Oh, you might die, huh? Then why the hell don't you use water magic and help us all out!" Ryuji's question started concerned, then turned into a fit of rage.

"Eh? You know I can't do that. I would rather perish than betray my gun magic!"

"Don't speak like it's some noble cause. Dot, would you talk some sense into her?"

Dot, who was walking in front of Ryuji, turned and revealed in her hand a cheap plastic fan. The kind you might find in a gas station that shoots little sprits of water out. "Gunjob, please, oh please use your magic! We're dying here!" Her last words were accented and reminded him of a bad comedy routine he had heard before. Dot raised her hands and assumed a praying formation, all the while still holding the fan.

"Dot, what the fuck is that in your hand?"

"...I don't know what you're talking about."

"I see, I see. Must be a mirage then because it looks to me like you're holding out on us!"

"Nope, it's a mirage."

"Give the damn thing here!...what?" Halfway through, Ryuji pulled Dot close and began wrestling for the fan, but when he finally pried it away, it immediately disappeared. He looked speechlessly at his empty hands. "I see... I've lost my mind." Without any further resistance, he began walking forward like a zombie.

"Uh, Ryu... hey Ryu!" Dot held a concerned look and ran forward, putting her gloved hand on his shoulder and stopping him.

From a few good feet away, Rhea watched with amusement in her eyes and began quietly laughing. She stopped as she soon felt the eyes of someone staring. Turning to her left, she saw Queen, who was being characteristically quiet. When their eyes met, Rhea resisted the urge to turn away, remembering what Ryuji had said about dealing with her. After a second of awkward staring, Queen smirked shyly and looked forward. Rhea felt a vast happiness sprout within her that made her want to jump for joy.

"Big one nine O clock!"

"That's not even nine O clock! If you're going to say stupid stuff, don't give misinformation! ...Can we kill something like that?"

Rhea returned her focus. In front of them was a monster that probably ranked somewhere in the S range. A monumental thing that looked like a sandworm sluggishly edged out of the ground. It was of a similar size to the stadium that held everyone during the incident. Rhea, of course, knew of its existence and name. It was her time to shine.

"Stand behind me." Her voice was steady as she walked forward with elegance drawing the sword at her hip. She would not draw Reaper for such a weak monster but instead drew Ralthunder, a blade forged by the hands of a grandmaster. "That monster's name is Dune Riser. It's a worm that barely ever reaches the surface. It's rare to encounter it, but it was probably drawn to me or possibly Ryuji." With the explanations out of the way, she readied her blade and stood in a simple stance. The worm finally noticed them and began charging. It was fast for a beast so huge. "Divider."

With a simple swing, not a shred of it remain. The landscape itself would have been permanently changed if it were not the desert. Either way, it made walking forward easier for a while as they trudged down the man-made path of Rhea's blade.

They encountered various other problems and monsters along the way, but every single time, Rhea would step forward, explain it, then exterminate it. It continued like this until the night of the third day. They sat around a campfire created a magical item Rhea had on her person. Rhea kept watch as the other members drifted off to sleep. Eventually, only Ryuji, Dot, and Rhea were awake.

Dot was nuzzled close to Ryuji with a kind of book Rhea had never seen before. Their faces were lit up, and sometimes when they turned the page, their expressions would change. Sometimes, they would smile. Sometimes, they would scowl. Sometimes, they would frown. And sometimes, they would cringe.

"What kind of book are you two reading?"

"I uh don't really know how to explain it."

Ryuji scratched the back of his head and looked pleadingly at Dot.

"It's a special book I made using my magic!"

Dot puffed out her chest and lied through her teeth. Rhea tilted her head.

"I've never heard of a magic that makes books." Ryuji started sweating bullets, but Dot just remained in her pose, exuding confidence. "Come to think of it, I've been meaning to ask where you got that weird thing you were carrying earlier, but if your magic can create objects, then I guess that explains it. Still, through all my travels, I've never heard of magic that lets you make literally anything, and with so little mana. I can't sense any being used at all!" The bullets had formed rivers, and Ryuji was about to have a panic attack. He could even see Dot's eyebrows twitch as the conversation carried along. "Wow, the world sure is vast, huh? Maybe I'll see even more unique magic."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Dot slammed the book shut and shot up. "I'm going beddy-bye!" With that declaration, Dot stomped over to her sleeping roll and nestled in.

The night dragged on, and an awkward silence filled the air.

"So Rhea?"

"Hm?"

"..."

"..."

"........................."

".................???"

Ryuji desperately searched his mind for some kind of topic to talk about. "How long do you think the trip is going to take!?" Ryuji practically jumped forward once he thought of something to say. Although he pretty much knew already. The last time they met, Rhea had traveled to the world conference and came back in about a year, so he figured it would take about four or five months.

"Let's see, maybe... one and a half years."

"HUH!?"

Rhea made a face wondering what was wrong. Meanwhile, Ryuji was floored.

"Ryu, if you don't shut the fuck up!" A heavy metal can crashed into the side of his head.

"Sorry." Ryuji bowed with all his might. The result was a 'hmph!' from Dot and some sand on his face. "Um, can I ask you why it's going to take that long? It only took you a year for the round trip last time."

Rhea's eyes held kindness in them. The same sort an older sibling might have when explaining something to their little brother or sister.

"A few reasons. The first being, last time I was able to ride the train. As you might have guessed, the trains were in the station and thus destroyed along with everything else."

"What about train stops? The one in Priscillaca can't be the only one."

"You're right, there is another one, but it's so far away that by the time we get to it, riding the train won't be beneficial to us at all."

"Why are there so few stations!?"

"Think about it. This wasteland is a harsh place, so there's no point in building one out here, and South Kevic isn't much better. Both environments are desolate and dangerous. You also have to think about who uses the trains. Only military or supply personal are allowed aboard. With restrictions like that, on top of the fuel used for the train being tricky to store, the only place for train stations-"

"Are big cities."

"Correct. The only big city in South Kevic is Delgrad. Since it's on the coast, getting aboard the train won't help."

Ryuji looked up and sighed. "Alright, what's the next reason then?"

"Well, I hate to say it like this, but I move faster when I'm alone. This path we're taking through the desert will probably take a week and a half. If I were by myself, I could make it in two days."

"Any other reasons then?"

"The last reason is that I'm not rushing."

"You're not rushing?"

"This is the first time I've traveled with f-friends. So I was looking forward to the time we spend together." Ryuji's gaze was as if he was quickly losing respect for the one in front of him. "Don't misunderstand! The world conference happens once a year. Even if we shave a month or two off our journey by breaking our backs, we won't make it in time for the next one. Even reporting to the King of Mallen will just result in him saying, 'Wait until the conference, then repeat it!'"

"Well, if you say so." Ryuji sighed and lifted his head towards the sky. "Still eighteen months, huh? That's a long time."

"It'd take a person three years normally. They'd have to deal with monsters, expenses, and currency exchanges every time they crossed a border. Lucky for you, you happen to be traveling with the Sword Saint!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get too smug on me now." With one last playful sentence, Ryuji yawned and went to his bedding. He would have a hard day tomorrow. As he was getting ready to sleep, he took out a sizable black book. He knows for a fact who it belongs to and what it can do. He found it during his last night in the city. He was confident that it was the right book from the moment he laid eyes on it. Opening it up and flipping through, he found that all the pages were still blank. 'I don't want to show it to Rhea just yet. I'll wait until there's a good time to bring it up.' Ryuji put the book back in his bag and went to sleep.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Ryuji woke up to the sound of buffeting winds. Sand covered his entire vision allowing for zero visibility. He felt something was peculiar, and when he looked down, he realized what it was, he was no longer in his bed. He frantically patted himself down. All he managed to find on his person was his sword which he never went to sleep without.

"Well, that's better than nothing, I guess. HELLO! ANYONE THERE!?"

His shouts were barely audible with the sandstorm raging. Using Emperor's Eye, he attempts to find any source of life near him, but all that comes into his vision is sand. With all his immediate choices being complete busts, Ryuji could only sigh. His thoughts grabbed hold of him as he took in the situation.

'So I'm all alone in the middle of a sandstorm in one of the most dangerous places on the planet with zero water... amazing. I don't think my luck has ever thoroughly screwed me as hard as it is right now! How did I even end up like this!? Where is my bed? Where's everyone else?'

Ryuji took a breath and inhaled sand. Spitting it all out, he takes his cheap red mantle and uses it as a mask. Ryuji breathes deeply to calm down.

'Alright, I've got two options! Option one: I stay put and hope they find me in this storm. Option two: I move from this spot and try to find them.'

He pondered for a while as the storm continued to howl around him, but he couldn't pick one.

'Alright, let's break it into pros and cons! Option one Pros: They might find me if they already have some idea where I am. If I don't move, then I can survive longer without water. Cons: They might have no idea where I am, and staying put doesn't matter at all. If I stay put, I have no way of ever getting water, meaning I'll die once I dehydrate. Option two pros: I might find an oasis or some other travelers or something and get some water. In this storm, it's unlikely that they could tell where I am, so the likelihood of being found doesn't really change whether I move or not. Cons: If I move, I'll dehydrate faster. I have no clue where I am, so I may end up backtracking or just heading further into the desert.'

After calmly looking at all his options, Ryuji just clutched his head and fell to the ground with a defeated sigh.

"I guess I'll go with option two, so it at least feels like I'm doing something. I'm so stupid. What was even the point of all that thinking? At worst, I'll just die and go back in time, although dying by dehydration sounds pretty awful."

With shaky resolve, Ryuji got off the ground and headed in a direction. He tried his best to stay straight and never accidentally turn himself around. But after walking for hours, he wasn't sure whether or not he was on the same path. He wasn't even sure if he was alive anymore. He thought about exuding as much mana as possible to become a beacon for Rhea but quickly thought about all the monsters that would target him the second he did.

"I'm so tired!"

He couldn't tell how long he had been walking, but the storm had not let up one bit. Just as he was about to stop walking, he abruptly bumped into something. Going into full alert, Ryuji jumped back, got into his stance, and steadied his hand, ready to draw his blade.

"H-Hello!?"

An unfamiliar voice made its way to Ryuji's ears despite the gale surrounding him. He crept up, his sword still at the ready. As he got closer, he realized how short the person in front of him was.

"Dot! Jessy! Is that you!?"

The swirling nightmare encasing him lifted without any warning. The howling winds died down to whispers, and the brown flakes slowly fell to the ground. After the dust settled, Ryuji could clearly see the person in front of him.

"Who the hell are you?"

The person looked young, Ryuji guessed somewhere around thirteen, not that it really mattered too much in this world. Their clothes were solid white, or they would be if they weren't stained by dirt and sand. Their hair was short, brown, and parted to the sides, exposing their forehead. And at that moment, their gray eyes were shaking with fear.

"So you gonna tell me or what?"

After speaking, Ryuji realized just how dry his mouth was and how close he was to collapsing.

"My name is Ash."

He replied quietly without taking his eyes off of Ryuji as he stared him down warily.

"Ash, huh? Names Ryuji, hey can I have some water; I think I'm about to die."

Before Ash could speak, Ryuji promptly collapsed against the hot sandy ground.