The desert stretched endlessly beneath them as Rheanne flew with effortless grace while Brandon floated beside her, held aloft by her power.

They had been flying for what felt like hours, though time in this place was unreliable.

Below, the dunes rolled on without end, occasionally broken by jagged black rock formations that looked like the bones of some ancient beast.

Rheanne kept her eyes forward "I can see another gate in the distance."

Brandon nodded his head and glanced at the rock formations in the distance.

"Down there."

She pointed toward a cluster of towering black rock pillars rising from the sand.

Between the largest two black pillars there is another weathered stone archway, half-buried.

They began descending together.

The moment their feet touched the sand near the arch, the ground trembled.

*THOOOM* Sand exploded upward in three violent bursts.

This time, four guardians rose from the sand that are larger than the previous ones.

Brandon’s gaze condensed "Same as before."

Rheanne’s grip on her silver blade tightened.

"Stay focused," she said calmly. "These are stronger."

The guardians attacked without warning.

The first one lunged at Rheanne, forming a massive sand blade that whistled through the air.

Rheanne moved like flowing water. She sidestepped with elegant precision and countered with a clean, horizontal slash of her blade.

SHING-

The guardian was sliced cleanly in half and the two pieces exploded into sand before they could hit the ground.

But the second and third guardians were already closing in on Brandon from both sides.

Brandon didn’t want to waste ether by using his skills, so he used it to enhance his body directly.

He channeled a controlled amount of ether into his muscles and bones, strengthening them to increase his speed and power.

His eyes sharpened.

As the first guardian’s sand blade came down, Brandon stepped inside its reach and drove his enhanced fist straight into its chest.

CRACK!

The guardian’s torso shattered like glass as sand exploded outward in a violent spray.

Before the creature could begin reforming, Brandon spun and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the second guardian, smashing its head into pieces.

*THOOOOM*

The fourth guardian charged Rheanne from behind.

With a graceful twist of her wrist, she unleashed a slashing wave of elemental energy as a crescent of pure wind and light cut through the air.

*SWOOSH*

The guardian was bisected mid-charge and the two halves disintegrated before they could touch her.

Brandon raised an eyebrow curiously ’Wind and light energy? I wonder if she can manipulate all elemental energies.’

’So the first awakener’s skill is elemental manipulation? No, there should be more.’

The sand around the archway began to swirl again and two more guardians started forming.

Rheanne’s expression remained calm, "Together,"

Brandon nodded and dashed forward.

Using his enhanced body, he launched himself forward with explosive speed.

He slammed into the nearest guardian, driving his shoulder into its chest and shattering its core.

Before the sand could reform, he followed up with a devastating uppercut that exploded the creature’s head.

*BOOOM*

Rheanne moved in perfect sync.

She dashed forward and her silver blade flashed in a series of rapid, precise slashes.

Each cut released a wave of elemental power as sharp gusts of wind mixed with streaks of silver light that sliced through the guardians like paper.

One guardian tried to reform behind her.

Without looking, Rheanne spun and thrust her blade backward. A concentrated beam of light erupted from the tip, piercing the creature’s chest and disintegrating it completely.

*FEEN*

The last guardian roared and swung a massive sand hammer toward Brandon.

He planted his feet, enhanced his arms to the limit, and met the hammer head-on with both fists.

BOOM!

The impact sent a shockwave rippling across the dunes.

The guardian’s hammer shattered on contact and Brandon followed through with a powerful kick to its torso, exploding the creature into a cloud of inert sand.

Silence fell and the runes on the archway flared brightly for a moment, then dimmed.

Rheanne lowered her blade and murmured "Another fake gate."

She then turned to Brandon in amazement ’First time fighting alongside with someone who is the same as me.’

A faint smile bloomed across her lips ’It’s like he is my companion...’ she thought, the warmth of that feeling spreading through her chest.

’This feeling... is not bad.’

She took a small step closer "You fight well... your physical strength and instincts are impressive. Also, your control over that energy when you flawlessly pour it into your body."

Brandon rolled his shoulders as the ether enhancement slowly faded from his muscles.

With a tired smile, he replied "Actually I am conserving my energy."

Hm? Rheanne frowned slightly "Conserving? Why? Can’t you absorb the energy from the air like me and replenish?"

Brandon sighed in his heart ’I can’t actually say I need intimate touch with women to replenish my ether when there are no other awakeners in the world, according to her.’

Nodding his head, he replied "Actually yeah, I can’t do that for some reason."

"The energy I have left in my body, I got it during ’breakthroughs’ "

Upon hearing this, Rheanne raised an eyebrow "Breakthroughs? Oh, you mean that feeling you get when you feel like you have crossed a wall and feel stronger."

Brandon nodded his head "Yeah that feeling..."

He glanced at her with a thoughtful look ’Well, that feeling is when your ether core ascends, like from A rank to S rank...’

’I wonder if I can convince her to touch me or kiss me to replenish my energy or is that too risky.’

’She looks like a straightforward and serious woman... ugh. It will be risky.’

Rheanne let out a soft sigh "That would be trouble in the long run, Brandon Kael. What if the energy depletes completely in the middle of a fight? You would be defenseless."

With a ’tired’ smile, he replied "I tried various methods in the past two years, but I can’t find any solution."

Hearing his words, Rheanne fell into a thoughtful silence "We will surely find a way, Brandon Kael. I will also help you from now on."

He gave a nod "Thank you. Also, you can just call me Kael."

Rheanne was amused "You like to be called by your family name? Alright, I will do it... Kael."

She turned around, her white hair swaying as she began walking "Let’s continue." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Brandon looked at her from the corner of his eye as he fell into step beside her ’She definitely is a serious woman.’

’The current Rheanne and future Rheanne feels very different.’

They walked in companionable silence for a while.

After some time, Rheanne spoke again, "You know... I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to have someone else who understands this power."

As she turned to him, a soft smile touched her lips "And you are the second one to have this power. It’s like... you are my companion."

Brandon’s gaze widened looking at her beautiful smile ’Damn... she is stunning.’

For a moment, he forgot about everything.

He was simply struck by how beautiful she was... not just physically, but in the quiet strength she carried with such grace.

Rheanne noticed his stare and tilted her head slightly, "...What is it?" she asked in a soft voice.

Brandon quickly recovered, clearing his throat.

"Nothing," he said, offering a small, genuine smile. "Just... it’s nice to hear you say that. I’ve been alone with this power too, in my own way. Having someone who gets it... it feels good."

Rheanne kept her smile "I’m glad," she murmured.

"For so long, I thought I was the only one. The people either worship me or fear me. No one ever saw me as... just another person carrying a heavy burden."

She looked ahead again, her expression growing more thoughtful.

"When I first awakened this power, I was terrified. The rifts started appearing. No one else could fight them. So I did. Alone."

She glanced back at him, "But now... walking beside you, fighting together... it feels different. Like I don’t have to carry everything by myself anymore."

Brandon felt a deep pang in his chest.

He could see the weight she had been carrying and the loneliness of being the only one who could stand against the darkness.

He spoke quietly, "Yeah, you don’t have to carry it alone anymore. I mean... I am here."

Rheanne’s smile returned "Thank you, Kael."

They continued walking side by side and the silence between them was now comfortable and warm rather than heavy.

After some time, Rheanne spoke again, "Your way of speaking is quite unusual. The words you use, the way you carry yourself... it’s different from anyone I’ve met."

Brandon gave a small smile "I’ve traveled a lot and seen a lot of places."

Rheanne accepted the answer with a nod, though a flicker of curiosity remained in her eyes.

"I see. Well, whatever your path has been, I’m glad our paths crossed here."

She looked ahead toward the next glowing archway that had appeared on the horizon.

"We should reach the next gate soon. Be ready. The tower will likely send stronger guardians the closer we get to the heart."