Story 206: Blood on the Sand

The desert stretched endlessly before Damien Rook and Lena as they trudged through the scorching heat. Days had passed since they escaped the Hollow Path, but the cursed lands never seemed to release their grip entirely. Now, they found themselves in the Sunblood Desert, a place rumored to be haunted by ancient spirits. Whispers among survivors claimed the sands were stained with blood, but Damien had learned not to trust rumors. He trusted only what he could see and fight.

Yet something was off. The wind was too still, the silence too complete. Lena sensed it too, her hand instinctively reaching for her weapon.

“There’s something out here,” she muttered, her eyes scanning the dunes.

Damien’s gaze remained locked on the horizon, where the jagged silhouette of a forgotten temple loomed in the distance. “We keep moving,” he said, though a gnawing unease crept up his spine.