The clang of gears and the hiss of steam echoed faintly
through the narrow streets as Kain and Yuri followed the guards deeper into the
heart of the desert city. The air shimmered with heat, thick with the metallic
scent of sand and oil. Beneath their feet, the cobblestones were uneven, carved
from black stone that absorbed the sun's fury until each step felt like walking
on embers.
The city—Ares Vaal, as they had overheard the guards call
it—was alive in its own strange way. Metal windmills spun on rooftops, catching
the faintest breezes to power pipes that ran along the walls like veins. The
hum of machines was constant, mixing with the voices of merchants shouting from
shaded stalls. Children darted between water carriers, their laughter mingling
with the rhythmic clang of blacksmiths hammering scrap metal into tools.
For Yuri, it was breathtaking. Every detail fascinated
him—the intricate mechanisms, the sand-polished glass lanterns that glowed with
captured sunlight, the endless movement of people surviving against the odds.
"Look at this place," he murmured, his eyes wide with
wonder. "They've built a kingdom from the desert itself."
Kain, however, saw something different. He noticed the weary
faces beneath the scarves, the guards posted at every corner, and the silent
drones hovering high above the rooftops. His gaze shifted constantly, assessing
exits, counting armed men, and measuring the distance between alleys.
"Stay close," he muttered. "Beauty here hides teeth."
The guards led them past a vast market square where traders
in sand-colored robes sold chunks of black glass—the city's prized resource. A
nearby stall displayed small machines that refined the shards into fuel. It
seemed everything in Ares Vaal revolved around that shimmering substance. The
people mined it from deep beneath the dunes, melting and forging it into tools,
weapons, and power sources.
The brothers soon reached the base of a towering black
structure that dominated the skyline—the Obsidian Spire. Up close, it was even
more imposing. The surface glistened like molten stone, veins of red light
pulsing slowly within. Steam pipes hissed and released bursts of heat, and
faint humming vibrations made the ground tremble.
The lead guard barked, "Wait here."
Moments later, the enormous gates groaned open, gears
clicking and chains rattling. The brothers stepped inside, greeted by the
coolness of shadow and the mechanical heartbeat of the Spire itself.
The chamber was vast and circular, filled with intricate
machinery that climbed the walls like vines. Streams of light pulsed through
glass tubes, illuminating steel platforms and balconies above. At the far end
stood a throne-like seat made of twisted metal and bone-white stone.
Seated upon it was the Warden.
She was tall, her frame wrapped in dark leather reinforced
with strips of glinting metal. Her left arm was mechanical—crafted from the
same black glass mined in the city, humming faintly with power. A long scar cut
across her jaw, vanishing beneath the collar of her coat. When she looked at
them, her eyes were the color of burnt amber—sharp and unyielding.
"So…" she began, her voice low but commanding, "the desert
spits out two children who claim they came from a forest."
Kain and Yuri exchanged a glance.
"It's not a claim," Kain said. "It's the truth."
"There are no forests here," the Warden said flatly. "There
haven't been for centuries. Perhaps you were wandering too long under the sun.
The heat can make mirages feel real."
Yuri stepped forward. "We're not mad. We lived there—trees,
rivers, birds. Then one morning, everything was gone. We walked for days before
we found this desert."
The Warden's expression didn't change. "And how did you
survive?"
"Our mother trained us," Kain replied quietly.
"Trained?" the Warden repeated, tilting her head. "In what?"
"In surviving," Kain said. "And fighting, if we had to."
Yuri added, "She always said the world beyond the mountains
would test us. I guess she was right."
The Warden's eyes narrowed. "What was her name?"
They hesitated.
"She never told us," Kain answered.
The chamber fell silent. The Warden leaned back in her seat,
studying them as though trying to read their souls. The gears in her arm
shifted, a soft mechanical whir filling the pause.
Finally, she rose and descended the steps. Her boots echoed
sharply. Up close, Kain could see faint lines of circuitry beneath her skin,
glowing faintly red.
"You speak like outsiders," she said, circling them slowly.
"Your clothes, your weapons, even the way you stand—it's not of Ares Vaal. And
yet, no traveler has crossed these dunes in years. Tell me, are you thieves?
Spies? Or just lost souls the desert hasn't swallowed yet?"
Kain held her gaze. "We don't want trouble. We just want to
rest and understand where we've landed."
The Warden studied him for another long moment, then turned
away. "You'll have both. For now."
She gestured to her guards. "Take them to the quarters
beneath the Spire. Keep them under watch. If they attempt escape—silence them."
Yuri stiffened. Kain placed a calming hand on his brother's
shoulder. "Let's go," he murmured.
They were led through winding metal corridors that descended
beneath the city's surface. The air grew cooler, damp with the scent of iron
and oil. The hum of machinery was ever-present, a rhythmic pulse that seemed to
echo with the city's lifeblood.
Finally, the guards stopped before a heavy iron door and
shoved it open. Inside was a dimly lit room—two narrow beds, a rusted table,
and a single lantern glowing weakly.
As soon as the door slammed shut behind them, Yuri exhaled.
"She doesn't trust us."
"I wouldn't either," Kain said, scanning the room. He moved
silently, inspecting corners, touching the walls. "This place… it's alive."
Yuri frowned. "Alive?"
Kain nodded slightly. "Listen."
At first, Yuri heard nothing but silence. Then—faintly—the
low hum of gears behind the walls, the distant click of metal joints shifting
above, and something else… a faint rhythmic tapping, too deliberate to be
random.
Kain's senses prickled. He turned to the lantern and tilted
it slightly. The light flickered, revealing a small black lens hidden near the
ceiling.
"They're watching us," he said quietly.
Yuri's face hardened. "So what do we do?"
Kain walked to the bed and sat down, his gaze never leaving
the camera. "We wait. We watch back."
The brothers exchanged a silent understanding. Though they
had entered Ares Vaal as strangers, the game had already begun.
Above them, high in the Obsidian Spire, the Warden watched
through a glowing projection. Their movements appeared as flickering
silhouettes on a holographic display.
"Adaptive," she murmured to herself. "Fast reflexes,
heightened perception… but the younger one—he's curious. That makes him
dangerous in a different way."
A shadow stirred behind her—an assistant in dark robes.
"Shall we report them to the Council, my Lady?"
The Warden smiled faintly. "Not yet. I want to see what
happens when the desert tests them."
Outside, the night wind howled across the dunes, carrying
the faint scent of ozone and ash. The city of Ares Vaal glowed dimly under the
twin moons, its heart pulsing with red light from the Obsidian Spire.
And below, two brothers lay in silence—one listening to the
hum of machines with inhuman clarity, the other lost in thought, already
dreaming of ways to understand this strange new world.
The desert had found its newest wanderers.
And Ares Vaal was far from done with them.