By following Grau’s scribbled instructions to the letter, Xellie led the group from the town, using her sunstone to direct them eastwards across the sand.

By mid-morning, the trio had reached a stone structure half buried in the desert sand, plain and innocuous compared to the sand crystals that dotted the desert.

“Is that a well?” Mattos asked incredulously, peering down into the darkness. “There’s no water.”

“It isn’t,” Xellie replied, climbing onto the edge and gripping the rope. “Well, it’s a well. But not a well ...well. For well, you know, being a well.”

“You’re going down there?”

“Yes, come after me.” She tugged at the rope to test how securely it held her weight before cautiously descending into the darkness. Once at the bottom, the well opened up into a large stone passage. “Will you be able to make it, Ary?” she called up.

“I can do it!” Ary shouted down, her voice full of excitement. “This is some real adventure stuff!”

A few paces into the passageway, still lit by the sunlight from above, a flat wall with elaborately carved but strange letters blocked the way.

“According to Grau’s notes, this is a door.” Xellie tapped the wall with her knuckles. “How to open?”

“Well, I’ll be....” Mattos brushed the vines growing over the wall aside. “You’re sure this is a door? Push?”

“Yeah, let's push it,” Xellie said with a nod.

They tried the left side, and the right side. The wall would not budge.

Exhausted from exerting their energy on the unmoving rock, the trio sat on the floor.

Xellie took the time to read the paper from Grau again.

“I’m an idiot.” She announced, standing up. “Look at this hole. You’re supposed to put a sword in there and lever it sideways.”

“You crazy? I’m not going to break my sword trying to shove tons of rock.”

“At least one of us has a sword that won’t break,” Xellie announced, flipping the energy blade on and pushing it into the slot.

“Is that even able to touch the ro... never mind....” Mattos corrected himself as the stone wall moved a tiny amount. “Let me help.”

“I got it!” Xellie gasped, pulling against the sword-lever with all her weight. “Just... a... bit... more!”

A crackle of energy sounded from behind the wall, and with a groan, the rock slid aside. Xellie fell backwards in response to the sudden movement, dropping her sword. The sword’s flame extinguished as she hit the floor with a thud and blacked out.

----

“Hey, wake up!”

Xellie could hear Ary trying to get her attention, but in her exhaustion, she couldn’t find the energy to open her eyes. It was safe enough, in her opinion, to keep resting here.

Just a few more minutes to rest...

“Is she even alive?” Mattos asked, pouring the contents of his water flask over her face.

“DON’T WASTE PRECIOUS WATER!” Xellie snapped, sitting upright, snatching the flask from him and drinking from it. “Do you even know how valuable water is in this place?”

“It’s your ration... if you died, I wouldn’t have missed it.”

“Unreal,” Xellie muttered, looking into the stone passageway revealed by the moving wall. “That thing goes downhill and there’s daylight? But how do they build anything under sand?”

“And who?” Mattos added.

“It doesn’t feel demonic at all.” Ary closed her eyes and breathed in the air from the passageway.

Xellie shrugged and picked herself up from the floor. Grau wouldn’t have sent her somewhere dangerous - she was confident of that. With that in mind, she began the slow descent down the passageway into the depths.

As the passage wound downwards, light flooded the stone tunnels. The trio turned the corner, stopping abruptly to take in the jaw-dropping sights before them.

An entire city stretched through the underground cavern, lit by the sand crystals protruding through the roof. The light split into rainbows and gently wavered on the cave walls.

Murals covered the sides of the houses in playful chalky colours, depicting scenes of children playing with their mothers.

Despite all the light, playfulness and dedication that had gone into decorating this city, there was no sound. No movement except the fluttering of the rainbow light on the walls.

The group walked through the streets, cautiously scanning their surroundings for any sign of life. There were statues that mimicked the everyday behaviours of people on and around the streets, mostly children, but no people or animals.

“This is the most peculiar place...” Mattos muttered, finally daring to break the silence. “What is it?”

“You don’t think these statues are real people turned to stone, do you?” Xellie asked, prodding at one with her sword. “Could this have been a real city?”

An excitable female voice answered her question.

“There is only one soul who resides here!”

Mattos and Xellie nodded to each other, drawing their swords before them. Ary pushed her way between them in irritation, not wanting to be stuck behind the pair.

“I won’t fight you~” the female voice called out. The speaker, a teenage girl, stepped out of a small thatched cottage onto the street. She wore a short black leather dress, with red lace-like trim and sleeves. Her thick blonde hair was braided roughly over one shoulder as if she had styled it alone.

Mattos blinked hard and did a double take.

“You’re just a child.”

“Demon?” Xellie asked, pointing her sword at the child, and activating the energy blade.

“No!” The child exclaimed. “No... please. Put that crude thing away.”

“Crude?” Xellie held up her sword and looked at the energy blade. “It... What?”

“She’s human,” Ary said, pulling Mattos arm to lower his sword.

“Who are you?” Xellie asked, sheathing the sword carefully. “What is this place?”

“This city?” The girl scratched her blonde head in puzzlement. “You don’t understand what you are seeing? I am Myla, by the way.”

“It’s a city crafted of stone? Fake people? What?” Xellie poked at a statue of a child running in the road.

“It’s a shrine to the children that could never grow up. By and for mothers that had to make the ultimate sacrifice.”

“That’s pretty creepy,” Mattos muttered.

Ary nodded in agreement.

“I will guide you through here.” Myla pointed down the street into the city. “I haven't seen life for a long time so I am happy to answer questions about the shrine.”

“Okay...” Xellie mulled over questions to ask their guide as she weaved a path through the streets. “Why did these mothers have to do this?”

Myla stopped and turned, narrowing her eyes as she appeared to look Xellie over from top to bottom.

“So people like you didn’t have to exist,” Myla replied bluntly with a shrug.

“Like me?” Xellie grabbed Myla by the arm, turning her toward her. “Are you?”

“Fighting off demon advance after demon advance is not a good life to have. It puts the whole world at risk...” Myla nodded and grinned as she pushed Xellie off her. “You know exactly what I mean... Demon Hunter.”

“I suppose I do.” Xellie sighed, quickly discarding the thought that Myla knew her heritage.

“Who was this place built?” Mattos gestured at the ceiling. “This seems beyond the work of humans.”

“Ah, who knows.” Myla tilted her head and looked up at the sand crystals protruding through the cave roof. “For all those centuries ago, humans, the gods, and their servants lived in enough harmony to work together. Knowing the future, and potential future, can lead to some terrible decisions, but also save the world.”

Xellie glanced at Mattos uneasily, who gave a puzzled look back.

“Would you like to know your future so you can avoid disaster? Regardless of the cost?” Myla asked. “I have been practising to reveal destiny to those who can change the world for the better.”

Ary nodded excitedly.

“This sounds so cool!”

“Go on then.” Xellie sighed, not having much faith in this strange girl’s powers.

Myla held her palm upright before Mattos and closed her eyes, meditating for a moment. She smiled and nodded, opening her eyes to lock her gaze with Mattos.

“Your city will be free. Your people will overcome the loss and hardship, but they will be free. They will rebuild, and you will be recognised for your role in releasing them from the snare the city is caught in. Your family will flourish.”

“I...” Mattos paused his mouth agape at the statement. “I didn’t tell you any of this.”

“Of course, you didn’t... We only just met!” Myla beamed with excitement as she look over at Ary. “Well, you, you’ll be free of that demon chasing you. You’re going to meet someone special that will teach you the way to use your gift, demons will no longer threaten your tribe.”

“Ooh.” Ary clasped her hands together with a smile. “Thank you!”

“As for you...” Myla cast her eyes downward, before raising her gaze slowly to look Xellie in the eyes. “I hope you make the right choice and defeat them both.”

“Both? Who? Ashmeviti and...?”

“I never said you will defeat Ashmeviti.” Myla gulped. “Before you can help others with their destiny, you must decide your own.”

Xellie rolled her eyes and kicked the ground with her toe.

“Why? Why do I keep encountering walking riddles?”

“We’re not that different, you and I,” Myla said, gesturing that they should keep walking. “The existence of a demon hunter in this world at your level must be a lonely one. You know you are not long for this world and keep attachments to a minimum, and that is wise for you.”

“I suppose.”

An awkward silence overcame the group as they all processed in their various ways, Myla’s words to them.

Mattos felt some comfort in the idea that this strange girl knew who he was and his home situation and was also able to say that everything was going to be okay. He didn’t understand much about Ary’s situation, but Ary seemed relieved at Myla’s comments.

The statements Myla had made about Xellie were much more unnerving. Mattos had already wondered about this rather strange warrior girl, who seemed unusually talented, yet very well-intentioned. Perhaps it was talk that only demon hunters would understand, as the demon-hunting academy had its only set of principles that appeared strange to outsiders.

Ary shuffled next to Xellie, touching her arm comfortingly.

“Are you okay?” Ary whispered.

“I’m fine,” Xellie whispered back absentmindedly. “I just don’t know who I’m supposed to fight or what choices I’m going to have to make when I know that my future could potentially endanger the world.”

“She never said that... Oh.” Ary gave Xellie a quick hug before resuming walking. “I get it. The destiny-deciding thing must be due to your bloodline.”

Mattos had only caught half of this conversation.

“All this spiritual stuff can be so confusing. Can’t we just hit the problem with a sword?”

“That.” Xellie laughed at the joke she had in her head but failed to deliver as she imagined. “Is exactly what I plan to do.”