The desert was a harsh and uing master. As Ethan stepped out of the ruins, clutg the molecur dagger firmly in his hand, he was greeted by a roar of wind that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The sandstorm had arrived, and it was as if the desert itself had been waiting for him.

  The air was thick with swirling sand, blotting out the sunlight and casting the ndscape in a murky, golden haze. The ruins behind him seemed to shudder and groan as the sted, their jagged spires vanishing into the wall of sand as though swallowed whole.

  Iris chimed ihe s, her voice distorted by interference. "Warning: Visibility reduced to less than five meters. Stroromagic activity detected. Reend immediate shelter."

  Ethan gnced back at the entrao the ruins. It would have been a safer option to wait out the storm there, but something about the pulsating energy within made him hesitate. The ruins weren't just a relic of a fotten civilization, they were alive in ways he couldn't yet prehend. Staying inside felt wrong, as if the ruins had given him what he came for and no longer weled him.

  "No time for shelter," Ethan muttered, adjusting the helmet's visor to pensate for the reduced visibility. "We move."

  The first steps out of the rui like walking into a warzohe storm howled with a ferocity that rattled his armor, sending gusts of sand whipping against him. The abrasive particles battered his suit, creating a stant patter of impacts. Ethan was thankful for the advanced protective systems of his gear, but even they couldn't fully shield him from the storm's uing assault.

  Every step was a battle against the wind, the sand threatening to bury his boots with eaehan activated his suit's navigation system, but the storm's eleagiterference rehe pass and GPS useless.

  "Damn it," he hissed. "Iris, you recalibrate the system?"

  "ive," Iris replied. "Eleagiterference exceeds operational thresholds. Manual navigation is advised."

  Ethan sighed, shielding his face as another powerful gust sent waves of sand swirling around him. He looked for any reizable ndmarks, anything that could guide him back to the hover truck. But the desert was featureless iorm, a swirling chaos of gold and red.

  As he trudged forward, Ethahe dagger grow warm against his side, where it was strapped to his belt. He paused, pulling it free. The carvings along its bde pulsed faintly, casting a soft glow that cut through the haze of the storm. The light didn't just illuminate his immediate surroundings, it seemed to highlight a faint path through the chaos, a subtle trail etched into the sand by forces beyond his uanding.

  "You're full of surprises," Ethan murmured, holding the bde out in front of him.

  The dagger's light pulsed steadily, almost like a heartbeat, guiding him forward. It was as if the on itself was alive, attuo something iorm that he couldn't perceive. Ethan followed the glow, his movements more purposeful now, though the storm tio fight him at every turn.

  The storm wasn't the only threat. As Ethan pressed on, the sah his feet shifted unnaturally. A low, guttural growl rose above the howling wind, sending a shiver down his spine. He turned, his hand tightening around the dagger.

  From the swirling sands emerged a massive, sinewy creature, its body covered in jagged scales that glistened like obsidian. Its eyes glowed faintly, and its maw opeo reveal rows of serrated teeth. Behind it, more shapes began to materialize, hulkis stirred by the storm, their movements deliberate and predatory.

  "Because, of course, it gets worse," Ethan muttered.

  The first creature lunged, its massive cws cutting through the air with terrifying speed. Ethaed instinctively, his reflexes heightened by the faint psychic resohat lingered in his mind. He sidestepped the attad brought the dagger up in a fluid motion.

  The bde cut through the creature's hide effortlessly, leaving a glowing, seared wound in its wake. The beast roared in pain, its movements growiic as it thrashed against the sandstorm.

  Another creature charged from the side. Ethan spun, using the dagger to deflect its cws before driving the bde into its chest. The glow from the carvings pulsed brighter with each strike, as if feeding on the energy of the storm and the creatures themselves.

  The fight was brutal and uing. The creatures came in waves, their sheer size and ferocity testihan's endurance. He moved with a precision that surprised even himself, his strikes swift and decisive. The dagger became aension of his will, its puiding his as as much as his own instincts.

  Whe of the creatures fell, Ethan stood amidst the age, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. The sandstorm showed no signs of abating, the wind whipping around him with relentless fury.

  As he turo tinue his journey, a familiar figure appeared in the distahe pale straood motionless, his hollow eyes fixed ohan. The storm swirled around him, yet he seemed ued by its chaos.

  Etha a surge of frustration and curiosity. "You again," he called out, his voice muffled by the wind. "What's going on here? Who are you?"

  The stranger didn't answer. He raised a hand, gesturing toward Ethan with a faint smile that was her warm nor cold. It was a gesture of aowledgment, as if to say, "You've done well."

  Then, without a word, the straurned and walked away, disappearing into the swirling sands as though he had never been there.

  Ethan stared after him, his grip tightening on the dagger. "One day, I'll get a straight answer from you if we ever meet again."

  The journey back to the hover truck was grueling. The storm's ferocity made every step an ordeal, the sand and wind sapping his strength. The dagger's light tio guide him, though its glow grew fainter with each passing moment, as if its power was tied to the ruins he had left behind.

  Whehan finally reached the truck, it was half-buried in sand, its exterior scoured by the storm. He climbed into the driver's seat, his muscles ag and his mind reeling from the events of the day.

  Iris's voice crackled to life. "Eleagiterference has subsided. Systems recalibrating."

  "About time," Ethan muttered, brushing sand off his armor. He started the truck, the engine groaning to life as he maneuvered it out of the sand.

  As the storm began to dissipate, Ethan gnced back toward the ruins. To his surprise, the t monolith at the ter of the site was gone, as if it had been swallowed by the desert itself.

  "What the hell is going on here?" he murmured, gripping the dagger tightly.

  Ethauro Valeris as the suhe desert's golden hues giving way to the cool blues of twilight. The dagger hung at his side, its weight both f and ominous.

  The questions in his mind were endless. Who was the pale stranger? What was the true purpose of the dagger? And what role did he have to py in the unfolding chaos on Kynara?

  Ohing was certain: this mission had ged everything.