I may as well spit on his corpse if it still existed.

Beatrix was in a great garden, she held her arm as she trudged through carefully it seemed no person was here.

This garden was filled with an arrangement of flowers, a beautiful meadow. Chrysanthemums could be seen among these flowers such as daffodils, water lilies and of course roses, but these roses were white.

This place was pleasing but not in a way that would lower your guard and entrap you it was a place that would let you rest, weigh on yourself and flourish.

 The garden had thorny thickets and she finally noticed among these sharp vices, there was a woman.

She was practically in rags, but she looked as if she had a natural beauty to her.

This was Beatrix's favorite sibling that remained.

Her name was.

"Jeanne is that… really you"

Beatrix face had mixed expressions surprise, but sorrow Jeanne saw her like this.

Beatrix realized this was a reckless move; did their social contract apply anymore in such conditions?

"No need to be frightened little bee, if you remember me I always thought being forced to kill in such conditions was unnecessary, these factions are unnatural so now I explore which general will, prevails under such evil conditions."

"I'm sorry Jeanne I joined Sahib, I couldn't bury my friend and I can't end myself, what do I do?" Tears welled up in her face and her voice broke.

"Little bee you joined with Sahib so what, that was natural you had to live, because you align with evil necessarily, you are not evil because I can't agree that evil would be present if it were a choice."

"To live this way I mean" She finished, while cradling Beatrix.

Beatrix sobbed into her; she had not felt a mother's warmth in so long.

"You know the secret of this place, we are practically cheaters there are two ways to cheat, you do not need to cultivate the virtues and untangle the path from the weeds entrenched into it if you already are purely virtuous or you are free from the prison of consequences."

"Being free from consequences, he he" Beatrix laughed dryly.

"I can't do that ever, it isn't ok for me to let my dear friend die."

"And also isn't being purely virtuous too idealistic" Beatrix said while looking in the distance.

"Of course not, especially for a hopeless romantic such as yourself."

"What does that mean?" Beatrix asked.

"I don't know it just sounded fitting for some reason"

"Well ok then, I'll walk through this path to the next with you, even though you are supposed to be my enemy, you of Sophie and now I of Sahib"

"I will try to walk again"

"That's good enough for me, little bee you are a living idea…"

In the desert a man rode desperately on a beast.

He was confused at what luck allowed him to escape, he felt cowardly, he felt sick to the stomach he showed a fighter his tail.

This was unacceptable for the man known as William Blade, but he had to strive forward, he had to live.

He felt like garbage for forsaking his honor, pride as a member of the Order of Dare.

To give to others what you have so they never go hungry.

Everyone gets bread and wine.

His brother no longer had a life, what could he give now?

He felt in that moment by not dying with him, he could never rejoin his order again.

In the distance of his eye, he saw a terrible sandstorm it threatened to rip the walls between being and nothingness.

A chaotic spiral, fate even trembled before it. At least the fate of men, William thanked his lucky stars that if he were able to be pursued then perhaps this sandstorm could stop it all.

Many minutes later, that was put to the test.

The storm crashed to the man who was presently solo, it seemed for the sake of maintaining speed he had resigned his minions to his mind palace.

This masked man, had untold arrogance as he snorted at this sandstorm.

He snapped his fingers; you would think this was a gesture of some sort of technique or even him psyching his self up.

But no, if it called be called technique the act of snapping was it. A force echoed from that action and the sandstorm was no more, surely if William saw that he would have begged for death, it was clear a much stronger storm was coming for him than "simple dust" as the masked man thought of it.

William blade halted his creature to a stop he tried to gather his thoughts and sloppily convey it to his associate, Thomas Aquamarine, who understood at least his companions had died and battle was coming.

The man Thomas Aquamarine was with his guardian Bondrewd Ventura. This man wore garments that seemed fitting for a religious knight of sorts.

Perhaps the same order William and Roger belonged to.

Thomas wore his own wears but perhaps a different order to Bondrewd his guardian; maybe they had an agreement between orders for this game.

They had to contact Sophie and defend themselves, Thomas foolishly thought William was overreacting, exaggerating even lying to get out of being a guard dog, but he would consider it serious nonetheless, careless but not too careless.

 Thomas had light green hair that waved in the wind, bright blue eyes that blinked. He thought he saw a mirage.

That perhaps sand had gotten in his eyes, but no.

There was a mask man not too far away from him.

William felt unparallel fear but resolved himself.

The masked man, pulled out his zombies 3 of them Naveen, Zeno and Roger??

William was shocked his good man Roger had no concept of will it was certain he was not Zeno's guardian now.

One of his siblings could do this, he felt disgust, hatred but mostly fear he prayed he, Thomas and Bondrewd would be enough.

Unfortunately, the masked man had his zombie's not even make a move, not an inch. He simply conveyed his intentions by poking the air and sending that pressure, dancing, colliding directly not into William but both Thomas and Bondrewd.

"There was never an escape, not even death will be an escape" William thought.

The air bullets a marvelous feat caved in the chest of both William's last hopes.

Those two men sailed past the desert like a kite with its strings cut, crumpled corpses of men that once were, once lived.

The masked man zombies still did not move they just watched William. William wanted to curse but could even a curse stop whatever thing was in front of him, it was no human, something that pretended to be related to him, that concealed its strength for the great hunt.

"This must be a guardian; no brother of mine could be hiding this power"

William was not a good judge because this was a more direct display of power only time would tell if there existed something that could stop this foe from doing what it wanted.

William did not want to turn his back not out of cowardice but because those who died he had to die in their place not out of duty.

But death never came, only the masked man's words.

"I could use a man like you, faith in moderation seems useful and you were in the Sophie camp until you died" He emphasized.

William knew what he implied, a way out. But what if he were being toyed with

It didn't matter this demon would do what he wanted regardless, who cared. He quelled with desperation.

"Fine, I will serve you, but what should I call you"

"We aren't good enough for more personal names, so… The Fool will do for now, because I'm a joker here to laugh as I throw a spanner in the works for everyone, laughing with great pleasure"

The masked man proceeded to cultivate the oasis while his zombies stood on standby and William watched. The monster now dictated his fate, the monster called The Fool.

Chapter 28: Look beneath your feet that's what you are

Beatrix and Jeanne joined hands and walked into the next part of the jungle, this jungle that seemed to say face everything you have done up to this point.

They were in a temple it had great wisdom, it was ancient, it seemed to have an impressive structure to it.

Jeanne grew a dark smile, Beatrix didn't notice it.

But when she was walking forward, Beatrix halted to a stop.

She had noticed a figure, a figure that was…

A figure that was broken into pieces that could never be made whole again

A figure that was her friend, it couldn't be.

It really couldn't be, but it seemed to be.

The little dragon, Thales Miray

"It's been a while Beatrix, you missed me?"

He said with a smile.

Beatrix was struck with so many questions, but Thales answered them.

"I woke up and it seemed that our sister Sophie had saved me, I don't know how or why but by some miracle I am alive"

Beatrix trusted Jeanne so she asked if she knew what this Temple was.

She answered quickly; it is duty, righteousness, law and order.

"I have no ties to the boy yet in my interaction with those concepts, he seems to be real independent of them"

Beatrix couldn't believe it, her intuition couldn't believe it, so his concept of self wasn't destroyed he was rescued?

Then what should she do now?

At the sandy deserts, the man had finished cultivating.

"Only half the truth of it all but only half what gives?"

"Well if I may, Lord The Fool"

William started but was interrupted.

"Just The Fool will do and yes you may"

"Alright the magnanimous fool-"

"Are you perhaps deaf Ngwah? I said The Fool is fine it isn't insulting if it is the name I gave"

William's thoughts nearly drifted when he was called an Ngwah, but he stayed on topic.

"Right, The Fool! There are two resource points the other is being contested so far for 3 days and 3 nights by a lone wolf called Al-Gha facing off against the Sahib factions Mavis."

"And where is that?"

"Just this way, and when you win you shall rule the sand"

They climbed on the back of the ultimate thereon an undead variant it had panicked and tried to run when sensing The Fool, so he killed it and experimented with turn undead which succeeded he had done the same to Thomas and Bondrewd but did something to Thomas first.

But away they went, chasing the winds of the sand, the winds of time.

Beatrix and Thales reunited once again, wondering what to do next.

They looked at each other wondering if the other was real, although that was what Beatrix saw, it looked like Thales was just imitating her.

Thales appeared to have Sophie's insignia.

"So that is the choice you made, she saved you so you're with her now, I guess you don't need me anymore?"

"Well Beatrix, are you not my guardian I clearly need you, we can just join Sophie together always room for one more, let's just soar past these trials."

"It seems I work for your boss now, Jeanne a great venerable that she is, I hope we can work well together"

Thales bowed

"Well she isn't really a boss, butt yyyeah that is fine"

"Well Beatrix, lead the way it is troublesome for me to find my way here because the paths lead you away if you have unrighteous conduct it seems"

"I'm pretty amoral as you know"

"Yeah I'll lead the way"

And she did.

They came across a wounded animal; Jeanne said usually they would put it out of misery and eating every part of it as an apology for needing it for food.

But Beatrix said she had some food, it was for herself and Thales but she didn't care.

She was willing to share.

She thought they should help it, Thales was indifferent.

Beatrix thought it was weird that Thales would at least say it would slow them down they should try to move on.

But he seemed to not care and even encouraged Beatrix to make the decision.

So she did. They helped it and with that a new path emerged, the right path it seemed, had they not done that maybe they would have lost their way.

They continued on.

They saw an object, a statue of sorts, but small.

It seemed valuable as a resource in some way; it just gave off that feeling.

Thales once again encouraged Beatrix to make the decision and what she decided to do which was ignore it.

"YAY you're doing so well Beatrix!" He said with great excitement and warmth.

Seemed he had changed, she didn't know how to feel about this.

In the desert The Fool and William blade traveled on their beast, they had come across were the two combatants fought for the food.

Mavis Spinoza and Al-Gha Bagdad, The Fool dismounted from the beast and told them one thing.

"Yield to me or you will lose your life"

They turned with animosity and bloodlust.

"Apparently you seem to not understand my friends"

He stepped once, the sand shook, a quicksand pit opened up.

It took no victims this time.

He stepped again; they suddenly felt their bodies ache and their bones cracked.

This was not cultivation what was this man possibly doing?

He stepped again, they easily fell crashing like a ton of bricks.

He half stepped, but they asked him to stop, because they had no idea what it was they were up against of it they could even go against this "man".

He spoke.

"I only wish to meditate on this point and rule as king, scram."

They didn't move not out of resistance but out of respect to The Fool's power.

"Well oh great one, we wish to serve" They said simultaneously.

 "Fate brought you to me; fate is all around us this sand is part of the god I worship"

 "Interesting" The Fool pondered quietly.

Al-Gha next spoke

"You can bring me to embrace the arms of my God, so I will serve you too"

"Sure whatever" The Fool said.

"Well what should we call you ruler of the sands" They said together.

He answered like he always does, call me. He said

"The Fool, Lord of the grains of Time"

"I hunger, but for your respect I will fight it off this time."

"Thank you, The Fool" They understood the assignment.

He wanted to meditate now; he predicted this would complete him based off the last gains.

He was wary of specifically Mavis, she seemed to serve Sahib with her short hair and robes for the desert and she was here for a reason after all. SO he brought out what was beginning to become a great and terrible army of Zombies along with William Blade to guard him while he cultivated, even if he thinks they were insects, insignificant as what is beneath their feet. You never know what dragon could rise out of the sand.