In a distant land, known on old maps as the "Forbidden Sands Expanse," the sun hung motionless in the sky like the eye of an ancient god gazing down upon a parched and lifeless world. The desert stretched on endlessly, each grain of sand a fragment of time long forgotten.
Amid the stillness of the sand sea, a shadowed figure moved slowly.
He wore a long cloak that covered his entire body, woven from black fabric that exuded an eerie, ancient aura. The wind could not sway his robe, and the sand dared not touch his feet. In his hand, he held a strange stone glowing with a faint lavender hue the Stone of Time and Space. His face was hidden beneath thick darkness, revealing only a single burning red eye, deep and endless like an abyss.
From the horizon, a sandstorm erupted without warning, defying nature's laws. Within the swirling chaos of sand, another figure appeared.
Clad in sacred armor, he stood tall like a war god. At his waist was the Dragonblade its hilt shaped like a dragon's maw gripping a black hole, and its blade gleamed like divine metal. His stance was firm, unaffected by wind or storm.
No words. No reasons.
The two figures launched at each other like colliding meteors.
Slash!
A swing from the Dragonblade tore through the sky, opening a crescent-shaped void in space. Sand and wind were sucked into the gaping rift.
The dark figure instantly teleported, leaving no afterimage. He raised his hand, and the Time-Space Stone flared ripping open a massive gateway in the heavens.
GRUUAAAA!!
From within the portal emerged a colossal Space Whale. Every beat of its tail made the ground quake, and great swathes of sand collapsed like drained oceans. The beast opened its maw and unleashed a magical Gamma Beam capable of piercing mountain ranges.
But the Sword Saint did not flinch.
He knelt on the trembling sand, gripping the Dragonblade tightly, his gaze like burning steel in the cold desert. The wind tore at his cloak, revealing sun-darkened shoulders and the aura of a warrior who had faced countless abysses.
He swung his blade.
This was no ordinary strike. From the gleaming arc of the blade, hundreds of tiny black holes opened in the sky like eyes of the cosmos awakening. They spiraled, howled, and devoured light, sound, and even time itself.
The Space Whale's gamma beam surged like a waterfall of annihilation.
Yet before it could reach the earth, the first black hole swallowed the beam. Then the second. Then the third until the entire wave of destruction was consumed into nothingness.
The sky shook. The sand turned to dust. Reality itself twisted.
The black holes did not vanish they swirled toward the whale, forming a web of death. In an instant, the monstrous body of the Space Whale was torn apart like paper, its flesh and blood bursting into light before vanishing into emptiness as though it had never existed.
Silence returned. The sand settled. The wind ceased.
The two figures remained in the desert still, and locked in a silent standoff.
Nearly a month had passed since the Forbidden Dragon was destroyed.
Even the sky seemed to sigh in relief after that cataclysmic battle.
The ashen clouds had long since dispersed, revealing a vast sky clear as polished jade.
The sun no longer blazed with fury, but now warmed gently its golden rays spilling across rooftops, treetops, and flowing streams like silk.
The wind through the leaves carried a softer rhythm now mellow, distant like a quiet melody strummed by unseen hands welcoming a world reborn.
It was as if the whole world… had closed its eyes to rest.
Kael, Draven, and Lania had slowly returned to their usual routines.
Lania, now fully recovered, spent each day practicing new beast summoning contracts. Though she had yet to fully call forth a new companion, the flame in her eyes burned brighter than ever.
Kael and Draven rose with the dawn to train sword drills, combo techniques, and battle simulations.
At night, when the lanterns flickered across the city streets and the wind grew still, Kael would retreat to his study, focused on deciphering the mysterious sword he had retrieved from the treasure chest.
Soft purple light radiated from its blade… as if it were whispering forgotten truths.
They still accepted minor quests from the Adventurers' Guild. Partly for coin. Partly to stay sharp.
Yet even in peace… trouble brewed.
Tun the arrogant noble who had once been humiliated by Kael had not given up his grudge.
Though he no longer dared confront them head-on, his mischief took a more cowardly form.
From the male dorms to the female wings, Kael's group endured a string of petty sabotages.
Light poisons slipped into contracted beasts' food, personal items vanishing mysteriously, even false rumors spread by impersonators using their names.
When Kael caught him red-handed, Tun dropped to his knees and begged forgiveness. But days later, the mischief returned more hidden, more malicious.
One quiet afternoon, Draven found Kael deep in thought.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
Kael turned, his eyes calm but resolute.
"We can't live here forever."
Lania, just returning from training, overheard. She blinked in surprise.
"You mean… leave the dorm?"
Kael nodded.
"We've grown. After clearing an S-rank mission… we're no longer rookies clinging to Guild lodging."
"Tun isn't a threat, but I'm done living in the shadow of someone so pathetic. We need a place of our own. Quiet. Safe. Somewhere we can train and grow… without constant distractions."
Draven paused… then chuckled.
"I like that idea. With our own place, I could forge all night without complaints."
Lania smiled softly.
"And I could finally plant my herbs…"
So the three sat down with their ledgers, tallying what remained from their S-rank reward and recent missions.
Still… not enough.
Draven suddenly laughed.
"No worries. I'll sell the beast dagger."
Kael moved to protest, but one glance at Draven's eyes stopped him.
They all knew sometimes, a home meant more than a rare weapon.
It was a house they had long dreamed of.
Located on the city's outskirts, where stone-paved roads gave way to mossy trails, and the glow of manastone lanterns faded behind silent trees.
Mist rolled gently through the woods, and the breeze carried whispers like the voices of ancient spirits.
The two-story house was made of pale stone, its walls engraved with long-faded runes. The black tile roof curled like sleeping dragon scales. At each corner of the courtyard stood a weathered guardian statue lion, phoenix, turtle, and tiger cracked by time but still majestic.
The great wooden door was moss-veiled, its frame inlaid with black silver etched with the sigil of time's spiral. Stained-glass windows arched like cathedral eyes, though most were clouded by dust.
Atop the roof stood a long-silent clock tower, frozen in time yet serene in presence. Inside air thick with age. But the bones of the house were strong.
The ceilings stretched high. The beams still sturdy.
A round room held a private library with rotating shelves. The second floor was reached via an iron spiral staircase with elegant carvings. Each room had a fireplace, and the tiles bore curious patterns none could name.
Behind the house lay a forgotten garden trees entwined, paths overgrown, a stone well choked in vines. Half-eroded stone beasts lay hidden among the roots… silent witnesses from an age long gone.
And in the basement mystery.
The door was sealed with an old enchantment.
No hand or spell could open it.
Carved upon it: a closed eye and an inscription in an ancient tongue:
"Not for the Light."
The house's owner, an elderly silver-haired mage, permitted them to explore before deciding.
"It's been abandoned for ten years," he explained. "The furniture is unsalvageable… but the stonework it's from the Lost Era."
And then, more seriously:
"The basement… you must never enter."
His voice was low, almost a growl.
"It's sealed by its former master."
None of the three asked further.
But in Kael's eyes… a flicker of curiosity had already lit.
Still, the house was enough.
After a quiet pause, the three looked at each other.
No disagreement.
"We'll put down a deposit," Kael said. "When we've saved enough… we move in."
Evening wind danced across the mossy steps… carrying with it the first breath of a new beginning.
[End of Chapter 20]
Next Chapter 21: Longlong's Confession