Echoes Beneath Burning Sands

"Hmm... It smells so good. The smell of roasted meat." Harry suddenly had a brain fade and said as they walked.

The words slipped out so naturally, so casually—like he was strolling through a marketplace instead of a graveyard of scorched flesh.

For a split second—

Silence.

Then—

Smack...

Leon didn’t even hesitate.

His palm struck the back of Harry’s head with clean precision.

Not overly forceful.

But sharp enough to sting—and to remind.

Harry’s entire body stiffened. His eyes widened slightly as realization slammed into him a heartbeat later.

His gaze dropped.

Slowly. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Reluctantly.

To the ground.

To the charred remains half-buried in flames.

To the blackened limbs and twisted shapes that no longer resembled anything human.

The smell he had just praised—

Was not meat.

It was death.

"...Ah."

Harry instantly covered his mouth, his fingers pressing tightly against his lips as if trying to shove the words back inside.

His face turned stiff, awkward.

"...I messed up again," he muttered inwardly, his ears heating slightly.

He didn’t dare speak anymore.

Didn’t dare joke.

Didn’t even dare breathe too loudly.

Without another word, he followed behind Leon, footsteps quieter now, more careful, as they moved deeper into the wasteland.

The further they walked—

The worse it became.

The flames stretched endlessly across the land, dancing in violent bursts. The ground was cracked and scorched, blackened by countless battles.

Broken weapons lay scattered like forgotten memories.

Corpses—both human and beast—littered the land.

Some were half-consumed by fire.

Some were torn apart.

Some still clutched weapons in rigid fingers, frozen in their final moments.

The air—

Heavy.

Hot.

Thick with the smell of blood and burning flesh.

Harry swallowed slightly, his earlier lighthearted mood completely gone.

This place...

It wasn’t just dangerous.

It was merciless.

And through all of this—

Leon walked as if none of it mattered.

His midnight robes swayed lightly in the heat, untouched by the chaos around him.

His expression remained calm.

Unreadable.

Unmoved.

No one knew what Leon was looking for.

Even Harry—

Who was right behind him—

Had no idea.

He only knew one thing.

Leon wasn’t wandering aimlessly.

Every step had purpose.

Every pause had reason.

They soon reached a cluster of fallen beasts—massive creatures, their bodies still radiating faint heat, their scales cracked and torn from battle.

Leon stopped.

Without a word, he crouched down beside one of the corpses.

His fingers brushed across the remains.

Then—

He reached inside—

And pulled out a bone.

It wasn’t glowing.

It wasn’t emitting any strange aura.

Just a plain, ordinary bone.

Harry blinked.

Confusion flickered across his face.

He stepped closer, leaning slightly as he tried to understand what was so special about it.

"Senior... what is this?" he asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Leon didn’t look up.

He simply held the bone in his hand, examining it carefully.

"This is a bone," Leon replied seriously.

"...."

Harry stared at him.

His expression froze.

Then slowly—

He rolled his eyes.

Hard.

"The last time I was speechless... was the last time," he muttered under his breath.

Of course I know it’s a bone.

He resisted the urge to say it out loud.

He wasn’t suicidal.

But even if Leon didn’t say it—

Harry already recognized it.

This bone—

Belonged to a striped unicorn.

Not some random creature.

But still—

It wasn’t a precious bone.

The valuable part had already been taken.

So why...?

Why was Leon staring at it like it held some hidden secret?

Harry frowned slightly, curiosity growing deeper.

Leon remained silent.

His gaze lingered on the bone longer than expected.

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

His eyes slowly lifted—

Looking into the distance.

Something unseen.

Something beyond.

A thought.

A pattern.

A connection forming.

This bone...

The marks...

The way it was broken...

His fingers tightened slightly.

Then—

The world shifted.

A low rumble rolled across the ground.

At first, it was faint.

Then—

Stronger.

The earth beneath their feet trembled.

Dust rose.

Small stones vibrated.

And then—

A distant roar.

Clashing.

Explosions.

The unmistakable sound of battle.

Leon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hmm..." he murmured.

His gaze turned toward the source of the noise.

"There seems to be a battle ahead."

He stood up slowly, the bone still in his hand.

"Let’s go take a look."

Without waiting—

He leaped forward.

His figure blurred—

And shot toward the distance like a streak of dark light.

"Wait for me—!"

Harry snapped out of his thoughts and hurried after him, his body surging forward as he chased Leon’s fading silhouette.

The two figures cut across the burning land.

Through smoke.

Through heat.

Through the lingering scent of death.

Until—

They arrived.

The terrain shifted suddenly.

From cracked earth—

To endless dunes.

Golden Sand desert.

Waves of golden dust stretched as far as the eye could see, shimmering under the harsh light. The heat here was even more intense, the air distorted by rising currents.

From above—

The scene became clear.

A group of people had surrounded a massive creature.

A Two Fang Reptile.

Its body was enormous, scales thick like layered armor, reflecting a dull metallic sheen under the sun. Its jaws were wide, revealing two massive fangs that curved outward like blades.

Its tail lashed violently, sending sand flying.

Every movement carried weight.

Power.

Oppression.

Its strength—

At least at the GrandMaster Realm.

Below—

The battle raged.

A group of young fighters circled it, attacking in coordinated bursts. Their movements were quick, sharp, but cautious.

They knew the danger.

Knew that one mistake—

Would mean death.

But even so—

They were struggling.

Every strike they landed barely left a mark.

Every counterattack from the beast forced them back.

Some were already injured.

Blood stained the sand beneath their feet.

But what caught Leon’s attention—

Was not the battle itself.

It was the people who hadn’t moved.

At the edge of the battlefield—

Several old men stood calmly.

Watching.

Not interfering.

Their auras were restrained—

But unmistakable.

Strong.

At least King Realm.

Perhaps higher.

Leon’s eyes flickered slightly.

Guardians...

A training exercise.

This wasn’t a desperate fight.

It was a test.

A controlled danger.

A lesson.

He understood instantly.

A large household.

Bringing their younger generation out—

To temper them through battle.

Harry, hovering beside him, squinted down at the scene.

Then—

His eyes sharpened.

Something clicked.

"Eh, Senior..." he said, leaning slightly closer, lowering his voice.

"Look at their clothes..."

His gaze narrowed.

"They don’t look like they’re from the Drake Empire."

He paused.

Studying the patterns.

The materials.

The colors.

A flicker of realization passed through his eyes.

"This is more like..."

He pointed downward.

"The style of the Blue Empire tribes in the north."

His tone carried a hint of surprise.

And a trace of curiosity.

Because if that was true—

Then this wasn’t just a random encounter.

It meant—

Outsiders had entered this battlefield.

And that—

Was never simple.