The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 238

Chapter 238

Chapter 238: Hidden in Sand

“Here! We have to land here!” Virion cried out as we hovered over the vast deserts of Darv.

“There’s nothing here though!” Bairon argued, his head turning left and right.

Even I looked around, shielding my eyes from the sharp gusts of wind, but below were just a few odd boulders and lots and lots of sand.

Back when we had been flying above the clouds, it was easy to spot our relative location using the various peaks of the Grand Mountains as our compass, but now it was impossible to see the range of mountains because of the thick sand-carrying winds.

Sylvie descended and I followed behind them until we landed on the soft ground.

“Flying through that was... tough,” Sylvie muttered after switching to her human form. She wore all black like she usually did, but her scales had turned her outfit into a thick shawl that covered most of her face and body to combat the harsh winds.

“You did well, Lady Sylvie,” Virion said as I quickly covered his body in a thick layer of mana. “Most aerial mana beasts can’t last against the winds this far south.”

“Well I’m not a mana beast,” Sylvie rebutted with a raised brow.

“Ah—My apologies...” Virion replied.

“Come on. Let’s find this refuge of yours,” I said to him, gesturing for him to take the lead.

Virion pointed at a tall boulder that looked almost like an ancient column of some sort. “We have to head over there.”

“That thing?” Bairon pointed, his expression muddled with confusion. “It’s a bit conspicuous for a top-secret refuge shelter, isn’t it?”

“That thing isn’t the shelter, it’s the landmark Buhnd had to make to keep track of the shelter’s location,” Virion corrected, walking forward.

The rest of us followed towards the giant pillar that was riddled with scars from the sand-infused winds that were so prevalent here.

“We start from here,” Virion stated, pointing to a deep gash in the center of the pillar. “With your heel against the pillar, we take 35,651 steps forward.”

Bairon, Sylvie, and I exchanged glances before looking back to Virion. “Really? This is the only way to find the shelter?”

“For now, yes,” Virion answered. “The shelter itself branches off into various tunnels that haven’t been explored, though, so I’m hoping that more entrances can pop up.”

Sylvie nodded in agreement. “If this is the only way to get to the shelter, it’ll be almost impossible to bring normal civilians here discreetly.”

Virion let out a sigh with downcast eyes. For him, this shelter was most likely his last chance in having any hope at redemption against the Alacryans. If this plan only amounted to us and a few others being able to make it to the shelter, there was no point.

“Well, we’ve come all this way. Let’s go to this shelter first before we come to any conclusions,” I interjected, putting on the most confident expression that I could muster.

And so we began our trek through the desert. Unable to fly or use any shortcuts with magic, Virion was forced to walk heel to toe while I kept count.

It was a rough journey that usually would’ve taken days of preparation to even try. However, in a group with two lances, a silver core mage, and an asura, we were able to get by.

Fresh water, that would’ve been impossible to come by, was extracted from the clouds every so often to replenish ourselves, and our near bottomless pit of mana was able to keep us safe from the cold desert air and sharp winds.

“I can take over from here, Commander,” Bairon said on step 10,968.

“No. Your foot sizes are different,” I cut in. “It’ll throw us off.”

Bairon shot me a quick glare in response to my curt interjection, but I ignored him and signalled Virion to continue walking. We travelled in silence and with my concentration solely focused on Virion, even Sylvie blocked her mental link so she wouldn’t have to hear me monotonously counting numbers in my head.

Our journey was a long and tedious one, but the counting helped my mind from wandering and overthinking. I focused on keeping track of our steps, slowing my pace to be just behind Virion’s heel-to-toe gait.

We did stop every now and then so that Virion and Bairon could stretch and rest. The two were still recovering and while their bodies had healed, the trek through the sands were still taxing for the two of them. With our feet sinking almost shin-deep with every step, it took a lot more strength to walk here than it did on flat ground.

Sylvie checked the state of their damaged mana cores every now and then to make sure they were okay, but it seemed like the only way they’d be able to recover would be by giving them time to rest.

Virion had come to terms with his injuries, but I would hear Bairon grunt in frustration every now and then after failing to use mana to the degree that he had grown used to. Virion could barely even coat his fist in mana, while Bairon was only able to shroud his body. Neither of them were able to utilize elemental magic.

After another ten thousand steps had gone by, I noticed that Virion had gotten slower. Looking up, I noticed that his body was shivering.

“Virion,” I called out, gripping his arm. I immediately sent a wave of heat and I could see blood rushing back to his pale face. “Let me know when you’re getting cold.”

“T-Thank you,” he replied with a weary smile. “And don’t worry, I’m okay.”

I watched as he walked on. His once broad shoulders seemed so narrow and weak as he hunched forward. For the first time, Virion actually appeared... old.