Desert (III)

The hushed conversation of the boy and the dragon was drowned out by the strong winds in the area. It was also drowning out the sounds from their companions' movements.

Suddenly, a hushed voice near their ears joined the conversation of the two. "What's the problem, Ling? I thought this will be easy for you. If you say you want to go back now, you won't even last a second in the Limaw Sea."

Turning his head so fast, Ling almost bumped his forehead on the man's jaw as he saw that Mayari was now standing close, bent slightly behind them. The sun was high and the wind was strong, therefore, Ling could understand why he didn't notice the other man's shadow or hear his footsteps as he moved near them. However, he also didn't sense the older man's 'mist'.

Meanwhile, earlier, Mayari had already noticed that Ling and Maga had stopped walking, still near his position. They weren't even trying to look for rocks on the ground. Besides, there were not much they could find in that area.

The search was not a competition or a race. However, it was a test for these young men. Like Mayari said, they wouldn't last in the Limaw Sea if they couldn't last here.

Squinting, Ling's eyes was still trained on the older man as the other straightened his posture, trying to sense the man's 'mist'.

When he really couldn't sense anything, he sighed, then explained their concerns with the older man, "That's not it, uncle. You see, Maga here just stopped walking and was turning his head around, like he was disturbed by something." What wasn't voiced out was that it was the dragon's fault and not the boy's.

It was the dragon's turn to whip its head fast to stare at the boy incredulously. The sudden turn almost made them bump their heads too, as the dragon was currently sitting down, readying itself for a long discussion. However, Ling knew how Maga would react, so he already moved his head away.

Ignoring his friend's glare, Ling continued talking to Mayari with a smile on his face, "I think we both heard a roar somewhere. But it was different from the wind's roar." Ling's brows curled together as he paused to think of a better description. "Something like Maga's roar, actually."

Seeing that the conversation just continued, Maga opted to listen instead of pouncing on the boy. When it heard the explanation, it nodded and let out a roar to support it.

"I think I also saw some trees and water earlier, when we were still outside. Can we explore here instead of helping with the collection?" Ling's eyes lit up as if he thought of a great idea.

Soon, however, it dimmed again when Mayari shook his head. "That will be a great practice but we don't know what's out there. Even I, who had been travelling here a lot of times, haven't travelled far where we could find the source of that roar. The area is just a place full of sand and rocks."

Seeing the disappointed faces of Ling and Maga, Mayari thought of something to change their mood. "But I can explain the trees you see." Mayari smiled when he got their attention. "According to the stories from villages nearby, this area was once a prosperous city. A city full of life from the people living here. With lots of treasures from their secret mines.

"Despite it's location in a place full of sand, there was enough life 'mist' from the people and surrounding trees. The people were happy and it was a privileged to be able to live here.

"However, unexpectedly, a huge sandstorm caught the dwellers unawares. It was the first time it had happened in the otherwise said calm area. A few of them manage to hide in their homes, but afterwards, they still died when the 'haze' from the dead got too much for them.

"Several dwellers, who went to other villages for trade at that time returned to their city. The yellow 'haze' was already present then, but these people said they could see their city. They still went back to their city despite the warnings, and they weren't seen again."

The three figures sitting down were quiet. The two young ones were still eagerly waiting for the rest of the story, hence Mayari continued. "Some said that the succeeding deaths here were caused by the illusions brought about by the 'haze'. The trees and water you saw were once part of the city.

"Some believed that it was still existing, hiding its treasures still. That was why there were even a few travellers trying to hunt for its treasures. Those who could see the city were said to be able to return to the city and its treasures."

Leaning closer to the two, Mayari lowered his voice. The action was mirrored by Ling and Maga, their eyes sparkling like the said treasures. "And like those dwellers who returned to their city, the treasure hunters were never seen again!"

After the story telling was done, Mayari leaned back and smiled at the wide eyes of Ling and Maga. After a minute that the two remained unmoving, Mayari let out a laugh. This story had always been a good tell.

"We're not children anymore." Indignant at the older man's laughter, Ling stood up and brushed the sand off his pants.

Suddenly, the wind blew strongly, carrying with it that familiar roar. Both Ling and Maga frowned at the laughing Mayari.

"Ok. We're not here for the story telling. You already wasted half an hour and still haven't collected anything. Go on now." Mayari reminded.

Still feeling put out, Ling didn't reply and walked off, followed by Maga. Remembering something, Ling turned around to ask, "Uncle Mayari, weren't you supposed to give a signal everytime so we could tell where to come back? But you didn't do it while telling us the story." What if the other boys wanted to go back but couldn't find them.

"You're right!" Mayari exclaimed. However, seeing the horrified look of the boy and the dragon made Mayari laugh again. "I left a ball of 'mist' in my previous position earlier so you don't have to worry. If you tried to sense in that direction, you'll see it."

Once he tried to sense the said 'mist' ball, Ling could see that there was a white light somewhere behind Mayari. Realizing that he was duped again, Ling just told Maga to follow him and they both ignored the older man until his laughter was drowned out by the wind.