It took them two relentless weeks to reach the end of the tunnel. The journey cut across an entire kingdom, with the children forced to rest constantly, their stamina waning in the cold, stale darkness. At long last, they saw a distant glimmer of light. As they stepped into the open air, sunlight stabbed into their eyes, blinding them momentarily. They raised their hands to shield themselves from the fierce glare, feeling the first warmth on their skin in weeks—a sharp reminder of how pale and weak they had become. Some of the children stumbled, weary and fragile from the grueling journey.

When their eyes finally adjusted, they took in the grim sight stretching endlessly before them. They had emerged into a barren wasteland, a massive expanse of brown dust dotted with the occasional withered plant. Parched and lifeless, it was as though no rain had touched this land in years. “Where are we?” Concubine Rong whispered, but no one had an answer.

“We’ll settle here for now,” the Queen commanded. “Use the tunnel as shelter while we search for greener lands.” Though the concubines’ faces betrayed their unease, they said nothing; in truth, they had no better ideas. The children began setting up camp with hollow, exhausted movements. But it wasn’t long before they noticed signs of other visitors—animal excrement littered the entrance, an ominous reminder that creatures also used the tunnel at night.

“Move deeper inside,” the Queen ordered. “We’ll light a fire at the entrance to keep animals out.” With weary compliance, they huddled deeper into the tunnel, wondering how long they could endure in such desolation.

The days dragged Into weeks, the weeks stretched into months, and still they remained. Two years passed in that godforsaken land, each day harsher than the last. They clung to hope in the beginning, but as time wore on, survival became an unyielding challenge. The children grew sickly, with lips cracked and dust caked to their faces. Their clothes, once pristine, had turned to tatters. They scoured the barren ground for rare plants, squeezing moisture from leaves or trees. Venomous creatures slithered and scuttled nearby—snakes, scorpions, desert spiders. They fended off attacks when they could, but some fell victim; rattlesnake bites claimed two maids and several children, too weak to fight off infection without proper treatment.

One night, Yu Qian approached the Queen, her voice low but resolute. “If we stay here, we’ll die. It’s been over two years. The children are too weak, and we’re running out of food and water. Let’s keep moving. Maybe we’ll find shelter in a few days.”

The Queen hesitated. “You know it’s dangerous for the children,” she replied, worry etched on her face.

“But it’s dangerous for them here too,” Yu Qian insisted. “Let’s give it a try.”

After a long silence, the Queen finally agreed. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.” It was too late to start that night, and besides, most of the older children had gone out scavenging. Ming An Xian and Yu Long, both twelve, were among them, as well as Xin Yao, age ten, and Xin Tianshi, age nine.

Sky Continent

The Sky Continent was a place of power, not the mightiest of the four continents, but formidable in its own right. The Dust Continent, once renowned for its strength, had suffered a tragic loss of nearly all its cultivators in a cataclysmic event. The few survivors were left so weakened that they had faded into hiding, and over time, cultivation itself had disappeared from their land, leaving them only with their mortal strength.

The four continents were separated by vast bodies of water, each meeting at the center—a mysterious, immense sea known as the Pivot. Here, the legendary Heavens Gate was said to lie, hidden from mortal eyes. Every five years, entrances to this realm appeared across the continents, inviting cultivators to test their fortune. But one place, a cave at the peak of Cloud Mountain, was strictly forbidden. Legend claimed it housed a powerful Demon King, bound by an immortal core to a stone platform.

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

Two centuries earlier, however, cultivators from the Sun Continent had ventured into the forbidden cave and succumbed to the Demon King’s control. Bound by his spell, they unwittingly freed him, and he unleashed his demonic army upon the continents. The Heavens Gate entrance vanished after expelling all the demonic agents including the demon King from it, its mysteries hidden once more, but the damage remained.

Dust Continent

The next day Ming An Xian and the group trudged through the endless dunes, each step feeling as though the sand beneath him was pulling him down. The desert stretched infinitely, a wasteland of hot, shifting earth, and the heat pressed down on him like a weight. His twelve-year-old friend, Yu Long, walked beside him, his face shadowed with fatigue yet determined. They didn’t speak much; words felt unnecessary out here in the vast, empty desert.

Ahead of them, the Queen led their small group, her daughter Xin Yao clinging to her hand. She carried herself with the strength of a leader, though even An Xian could see her shoulders beginning to sag under the burden of their survival. The other children huddled behind her, eyes darting nervously at every sound, every whisper of movement.

Out of the silence, a sudden rustling caught their attention—a flash of scales as a sand-colored snake slithered out from under a rock. It paused, flicking its tongue in their direction. Ming An Xian froze, his heart racing. Yu Long stepped in front of him instinctively, his eyes fierce despite his fear. The Queen, sensing the danger, gestured for them to back away, her calm voice carrying over the tense silence. They held their breath until the snake moved on, slipping back into the sand as if it had never been there.

After that, the group moved forward cautiously, their nerves raw. The unrelenting sun beat down, blistering their skin and drawing every last drop of moisture from their bodies. Ming An Xian’s throat felt parched, and he knew they had to ration what little water remained. Beside him, Yu Long took a small sip from a cracked canteen, offering a few drops to Ming An Xian before pulling it away quickly.

Then, without warning, the wind picked up. Ming An Xian looked up just as a wall of sand began to rise on the horizon, darkening the sky. “Sandstorm!” the Queen called out, her voice tense but steady. “Cover your faces and keep close!”

The children scrambled, pulling scraps of cloth over their mouths and noses as the storm closed in. The sand whipped through the air, stinging their skin like needles. Ming An Xian stumbled, clutching Yu Long’s hand as they fought to keep their footing. Around them, the carts rocked in the wind, and the younger children clung to each other, some crying out in terror. Through the haze, Ming Qing (An Xian’s mother) could see the Queen standing tall, holding Xin Yao close, her face a mask of fierce resolve even as the sand battered them.

When the storm finally died down, the desert seemed even more lifeless than before. They brushed sand from their eyes and skin, their bodies aching. Ming An Xian’s lips were cracked and bleeding, his entire body covered in a fine layer of dust. Beside him, Yu Long coughed, wincing as he tasted blood. The water was running low, but the Queen only allowed them a few drops each, reminding them that they still had far to go.

As dusk fell, a chill settled over the desert, and they huddled together, seeking warmth. Somewhere in the distance, a low growl echoed. Ming An Xian felt Yu Long tense beside him, his friend’s hand gripping his shoulder. Shadows seemed to move around them, and the soft padding of paws grew closer. The Queen raised a torch, its faint light casting long shadows across the sand. She was silent, her eyes sharp, watching for any movement as the children held their breath.

Despite everything, they pressed on, their small figures trudging through the endless dunes under the indifferent gaze of the stars. Ming An Xian felt the ache of loss and exhaustion weighing on him, yet he held tight to Yu Long’s hand, taking comfort in their shared determination. As the Queen led them forward, he realized that even in this vast, unforgiving desert, he wasn’t alone. Together, they would endure the night, hoping that somewhere beyond the dunes, a new beginning awaited them.