The desert wind howled behind them — a constant reminder of the danger they left behind. The sun was beginning its descent, casting long shadows across the dunes. Six figures, hooded and cloaked, moved swiftly through the sand, leaving only fleeting footprints that the wind quickly erased.
No one spoke at first.
The weight of what had just happened — the brutal battle with Dune, his shocking revelation about Yuki, and the intense combined attack they launched against him — still hung heavy in the air.
But they couldn't afford to stop.
"We need to move faster," Glacius muttered, his icy breath visible even in the scorching heat. His cloak, lined with frost, shimmered faintly as he helped support Kairo, who was still weakened from his imprisonment.
"No time to waste," Arson added, the faint glow of his ever-burning embers hidden beneath his hood. "Dune may be down, but his soldiers won't stay back forever. If they find us..."
Sylvia's voice was soft but urgent. "They'll hunt us to the ends of this desert."
Peggy fluttered beside them, her fairy aura dimmed as much as possible to avoid drawing attention. "We need to cross the border before they figure out."
Yuki, still holding Kairo's hand, kept pace, her head slightly tilted as if listening to the subtle changes in the wind — her blind eyes seeming to sense every shift of the sands beneath her feet.
Kairo, despite his injuries, kept moving. His usual confident smirk was gone — replaced by a somber, thoughtful silence.
It was only after they crested a distant dune, where the Sand territory's patrols would have a harder time spotting them, that Kairo finally broke the silence.
"I didn't know," he said softly.
Everyone looked at him.
"Didn't know what?" Arson asked, though he already guessed.
Kairo's voice was heavy with emotion. "That Yuki... was Dune's daughter."
Yuki's grip on his hand tightened.
"I didn't know either," she admitted quietly. "I only found out today."
Kairo's gaze hardened as his mind raced. "All this time... he was watching you. Protecting you, in his own twisted way."
Sylvia spoke gently. "Dune loved her, Kairo. Even when the Sand tribe's laws called her an undesirable, he tried to shield her."
Kairo clenched his jaw. "Then why exile her? Why push her away?"
Glacius, ever the strategist, answered. "Because if the tribe knew she was his daughter, they would have seen Dune as a traitor. Protecting an undesirable would have made him lose his status."
"It was the only way to keep his position... while keeping Yuki alive." Peggy added softly.
Kairo didn't respond right away. The truth stung — Dune had made the ultimate sacrifice in his own way. But it didn't erase the years of pain Yuki had endured.
"I still hate him," Kairo finally said. "For letting you suffer."
Yuki squeezed his hand again. "I know."
The group kept moving, the desert stretching endlessly before them.
After a while, Arson smirked, breaking the tension. "Well, at least now we've all got something in common."
Glacius raised a brow. "What's that?"
Arson chuckled. "We've all fought Dune and lived to tell the tale."
Despite the seriousness of their situation, the corners of Kairo's mouth twitched upward.
"That's true," Kairo said. "Though you two —" he nodded at Arson and Glacius "— didn't do so well the first time we met."
Glacius' face darkened. "We were teenagers."
Peggy raised a brow. "Teenagers who thought they could conquer Aqua territory on their own?"
Arson crossed his arms under his cloak. "We were ambitious."
Kairo laughed softly — a rare sound these days. "You were overconfident."
The memory of Kairo, back when he was still a mysterious hooded figure, effortlessly defeating both Arson and Glacius flashed through their minds. They had been reckless, thinking combining fire and ice could overwhelm the Aqua tribe, only to be taught a harsh lesson by the man they now called "Master."
Sylvia, curious, glanced at Kairo. "Why did you train them, anyway?"
Kairo's smile faded a bit. "I needed strong rivals."
Glacius nodded. "And we needed someone to push us beyond our limits."
Arson smirked. "Didn't think we'd end up fighting by your side someday."
Kairo looked at Yuki, his expression softening. "Neither did I."
Peggy's voice turned serious. "We're all tied to each other now — whether we like it or not."
Yuki nodded, her fingers still laced with Kairo's.
As the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in streaks of gold and crimson, they pressed forward — each of them carrying their own scars, their own secrets, but moving as one.
A group of rulers, an exiled prince, and a blind girl with a power just beginning to awaken — bound together not by alliances or politics, but by battles fought, sacrifices made, and an unspoken promise to protect one another.
And as the desert wind howled behind them, their only path was forward — toward freedom.
The desert night was cold — a stark contrast to the burning heat of the day — but the cave they found was large enough to offer some comfort and protection. The wind howled softly outside, a distant echo through the rocky hollows, but inside, the atmosphere was surprisingly warm, not because of Arson's fire, but because of the rare, genuine camaraderie that had begun to form between them.
The group had been traveling for a full day without rest, and their exhaustion was evident. Kairo leaned against the cave wall, his arm around Yuki, who was sitting close beside him. Despite the silence, Kairo could feel the slight tremor in her hand as she gripped his.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
Yuki's voice was quiet but vulnerable. "I... I'm scared."
Kairo blinked, surprised. "Of what?"
Her grip on his hand tightened. "Of losing you... again."
A shadow crossed Kairo's face. He understood. After all the times they were separated — by the Sand tribe's laws, by Dune's threats, and most recently by Kairo's imprisonment — it was only natural that Yuki would fear it happening again.
Kairo's voice, though calm, carried an unyielding resolve. "That won't happen." He tilted his head slightly, a cocky smirk forming. "Especially not when I've got allies now. And two of them happen to be my brilliant students."
His words echoed through the cave, and almost instantly, Glacius and Arson perked up.
"Brilliant students?" Arson repeated, his arms crossed. "Finally, some recognition."
Glacius, ever the composed one, gave a small, pleased smile. "About time you admitted it, Master."
But then —
"What about us?" Sylvia interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "You've got more than just your so-called brilliant students."
Peggy fluttered next to her, a playful pout on her face. "Yeah, Kairo. Are we just... background characters to you?"
Kairo chuckled softly, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Of course not." His smirk widened. "You two are my students'... respective lovers."
There was a brief silence — and then:
"What?!" Sylvia and Peggy snapped in unison.
Arson, nearly choked. Glacius, meanwhile, froze, his icy aura flaring just a bit from sheer embarrassment.
"We are not their lovers!" Sylvia growled, her cheeks red.
Peggy jabbed a finger at Kairo. "Where did you even get that idea?"
Kairo just leaned back lazily, clearly enjoying how easy it was to fluster them. "I'm just calling it as I see it."
Even Yuki, for the first time in a while, let out a small laugh. It wasn't loud, but it was genuine — a soft, free sound that resonated through the cave like a bell.
The tension quickly dissolved into something lighter — something friendlier.
As they settled into a more relaxed conversation, Kairo tilted his head curiously. "By the way... how old are all of you?"
Yuki nodded.
Arson shrugged. "I'm 24."
"Same," Glacius added.
Sylvia smiled. "I'm 21."
"I'm 20," Peggy said, flapping her wings a little.
Then, Yuki quietly spoke. "I'm... 25."
There was a sudden pause.
Arson blinked. "Wait... you're older than us?"
Glacius, normally the calm one, looked genuinely surprised. "You're a year older than me?"
Before Yuki could respond, Arson gave her a playful grin. "Guess we have to call you big sis now."
Glacius nodded, his tone just as teasing. "Big sis Yuki."
Yuki's face flushed with embarrassment, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
Sylvia and Peggy exchanged a look — and then Sylvia smirked. "Well, if Yuki's big sis, that means Kairo's..."
Peggy clapped her hands together. "Big bro!"
Kairo, who was taking a moment to rest, raised an eyebrow. "Big bro?"
Sylvia grinned. "Yep. Big bro Kairo."
Kairo shook his head in mock disbelief. "I'm 30. Shouldn't I be something more... dignified?"
Arson, with his ever-present smirk, clapped Kairo on the back. "You're Big Bro now. Deal with it."
Glacius, ever the logical one, added, "It does make us feel... closer. Like family."
Kairo's smirk softened into a rare, sincere smile.
"Fine." He looked at Arson and Glacius. "Then you two better call me Big Bro from now on."
The two princes exchanged a glance, then, in perfect unison: "Yes, Big Bro."
The cave echoed with laughter.
But amidst the jokes and teasing, there was an unspoken truth: this wasn't just a group of rulers, exiles, or warriors anymore.
They were becoming something more. Something like family.