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Part 20: Fire, Ice, Nature And Fairy Meet The Broken Heart

The sun hung low over the desert horizon as the four rulers —Arson, Sylvia, Glacius, and Peggy were leaving Sand districts.

Except it was more like Sylvia and Peggy dragging Arson and Glacius.

Arson complained. "I wanted to conquer this place, yet you are trying to leave."

Sylvia protested. "Unfortunately I am not strong enough to let you get killed."

Glacius smirked mischievously. "Without her, you probably won't exist by now."

Arson glared in annoyance. "Same goes for you doesn't it?"

Glacius said in a cold tone. "I exist with strategy and don't plan to conquer this place until I have a sufficient amount of territories and alliances..."

Peggy interfered. "You done giving your speech? Ice block."

Glacius responded coldly. "I had told you not to call me that."

Sylvia smiled getting entertained by there drama and Arson somehow started to enjoy the show.

Peggy gave a mischievous smile. "Anyways, though Arson is right, you probably won't exist without me."

Glacius in a surprised tone asked. "Why?"

"Because that time, you would probably be fodder for the bugs. Thanks to me relying on emotions rather than coldness, that you are existing." Peggy responded.

Glacius froze remembering the moment. He knew he couldn't deny it.

Arson muttered sarcastically. "Oh! Really? Guess that makes us even."

Sylvia laughed deep inside realizing how similar their situations were.

Then suddenly on there way they noticed a group of bandits passing by.

They ignored until Glacius heard them discussing something among themselves due to his sharper senses and instincts.

He then immediately whispered to Peggy pointing at the group. "I clearly
heard them say something that supports Kairo."

Peggy leaned towards him in suspicion. "Are you sure?"

Even Arson and Sylvia couldn't ignore it and were waiting for his response.

Glacius said. "I trust my senses and instincts. They never lie."

Peggy said. "Well, in that case we have to find it ourselves."

Arson nodded in agreement. "It sounds interesting."

Sylvia commented. "I think it's better not to interfere with this matter. We should put our nose out of matters which doesn't concerns our role."

Arson protested. "But, it will be fun. I want some exciting chaos."

Peggy in a serious expression said. " We have the full rights to confront them if they are in support of Kairo, a wanted criminal. And if they are in cahoots with him, it can help us find the whereabouts of Kairo and help Lord Dune capture him. Plus, we are not weak enough to lose to some bandits."

Sylvia couldn't find any reason to debate so she nodded in agreement.

Glacius pointing at the bandits came to a decision. "If everyone agrees, we should confront them immediately and directly rather than trailing them. It's the best course of action."

_ _ _

The air was thick with tension, the only sounds being the faint crunch of sand beneath their boots and the muffled whispers of the bandits, who seemed more terrified than defiant.

Sylvia, Arson, Glacius and Peggy were already heading towards them in faster pace.

Finally, Peggy flew and landed right in front of them suddenly blocking there path, surprising them. The other 3 followed later surrounding them from every directions. The bandits were unable to process what would happen to them especially after realizing two of them were Arson and Glacius.

"Why do you support Kairo?" Peggy asked after a long tense moment, her gaze slicing through their hesitation. "He's a dangerous conqueror — or at least, that's what we've heard."

The bandits froze in horror not able to compute.

"How did they know that we are supporting Kairo?" They thought.

Then...

One of them nervously stepped in, his voice trembling. "We don't... we don't support him because of his conquests."

Sylvia stepped forward, holding onto Arson's wrist. "Then why?"

The bandits exchanged nervous glances. "How can we trust you?" one of them muttered. "You work with Dune. He'll hear everything we say — we'll be dead by nightfall."

At the mention of Dune, Peggy and Sylvia both stiffened.

"We're not going to tell Dune anything," Peggy assured, her voice steady. "Just speak."

Sylvia nodded. "If you truly have something to reveal about Kairo, we want to hear it."

The bandits looked at each other, the fear in their eyes gradually giving way to reluctant trust. After a long silence, one of them finally spoke.

"There's... something you don't know about Kairo," he said quietly. "And about Dune."

The weight of those words hung in the air.

Without another word, the bandits led the rulers to a small stone house hidden behind a cluster of dunes — a place so inconspicuous that no one would have suspected anything significant was hidden within.

Once inside, the rulers were met with a sight they didn't expect.

There, sitting on a simple mat in the corner of the room, was Yuki.

The blind woman's head lifted at the sound of footsteps, her delicate face calm despite the tension in the air. She didn't flinch or cower — instead, she sat upright, her hands gently clasped in her lap.

Sylvia's eyes widened in shock. "You're... Yuki?"

Peggy's jaw tightened. "The same Yuki who's on Dune's wanted list?"

The bandits quickly stepped aside, and Yuki tilted her head towards the voices. "I may be wanted, but I am not a criminal," she said softly. "And I trust you — even though you are strangers."

Sylvia exchanged a glance with Peggy, both of them momentarily stunned by Yuki's calmness.

"Why would you trust us?" Peggy asked, her voice cautious.

"Because," Yuki said, "I always believe there are still people who can be trusted. Even when the world turned against Kairo."

At the mention of Kairo, the room fell silent.

Sylvia's voice softened. "What happened to him?"

Yuki's fingers trembled slightly as she spoke. "Kairo... he gave up on his goal," she whispered. "He no longer wanted to conquer territories. All he wanted was to escape this life — with me."

Arson's fiery aura flickered with surprise. "Escape?"

"Yes." Yuki's voice broke slightly. "We were running away, far from the Sand and Aqua tribes, hoping to find a place where we could live peacefully — away from the wars and the politics."

Glacius narrowed his gaze. "But that didn't happen, did it?"

Tears pooled in Yuki's unseeing eyes. "No," she whispered. "The Sand Tribe fought him and the Aqua tribe... they betrayed him. When we were surrounded, Kairo fought with everything he had to protect me — but they used a dirty trick to capture him."

Sylvia's heart clenched. "But... Dune said Kairo escaped."

Yuki's voice quivered. "That was a lie."

Silence.

Peggy's face darkened. "What?"

Yuki nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Dune told the entire district that Kairo escaped — but in reality... Kairo surrendered himself."

The bandits' heads hung low.

"He let himself be captured," Yuki continued, "to protect me. He knew if he kept fighting, they would kill me. So he gave up his freedom."

Sylvia's mind spun. "Where is he now?"

Yuki's voice broke completely. "Kairo... he's going to be death-sentenced — in two days."

The words hit like a thunderclap.

"Two days?" Peggy repeated, disbelief washing over her.

Yuki nodded. "Dune doesn't want anyone to know the truth. He's made it seem like Kairo ran away, but in secret, he's planning to execute him."

The room was deathly silent, the weight of the revelation sinking into every corner.

Even Arson — the fiery, impulsive conqueror — said nothing. His flames dimmed, his jaw tight.

Sylvia's voice was barely above a whisper. "All this time... we thought Kairo was still out there, scheming — but he's already in chains."

Yuki's sobs filled the air, the sound of someone who had lost everything.

"Kairo didn't wanted to be a conqueror," she cried. 
  
"Not anymore. He just wanted to be with me... and now, they're going to kill him."