Kelly stared out the glass walls, lazily sipping juice from her tumbler. The flavor was bold, unfamiliar… almost alien.
The clatter of cutlery and low hum of conversations filled the dining hall as people went about their breakfast, giving the room a warm, lived-in kind of noise.
Peering outside, Kelly had to admit the city mornings weren't nearly as chaotic as the nights. Traffic crawled along the streets, pedestrians weaving along curbs, each lost in their own little world. Floating billboards blinked with ads, and air shuttles drifted overhead, stirring pockets of wind that ruffled her hair through the window.
The faint scent of mint lingered in the air, cozy and oddly calming.
Kelly took a long, slow breath. She could stay like this forever.
"Human."
Her head snapped up. Yulvaris was there, arms crossed, looking mildly annoyed. Kelly didn't even see her arrive—one second she was alone, the next she wasn't. A Titan abusing her powers, as usual.
"Stop calling me that," Kelly barked, flicking a loose strand of hair from her face. "It's Kelly. K-E-L-L-Y! I have a name!"
One of Yulvaris's eyebrows quirked, then her lips tugged into a smirk. "Since you hate it so much… I think I'll keep calling you human… human."
Kelly groaned. "Ugh… fine. Just… don't ever call me Sunshine."
"Sunshine, then."
Kelly blinked at her. "Wow… how sweet of you."
Yulvaris snorted, turning her gaze north. "Human, the seal's going to be gone in four hours. You better start moving if you want to make it."
Kelly arched a brow, incredulous. "You do know you can just teleport us there, right?"
Yulvaris swung her gaze back, eyes narrowing until they glittered. "I refuse."
Talking with this Titan always gnawed at Kelly's sanity. She took a deep, steadying breath. "Why? You don't actually want us to walk miles for the fun of it, do you?"
"I don't enjoy walking," Yulvaris said, head shaking, smile slipping into something wicked. "Teleporting just lowers your chances of stumbling into trouble or a disaster that kills you. How can I let you off that easy when I rather enjoy the idea of you dying?"
Kelly sighed, pushing up from the chair and stretching with a lazy yawn. Lucky for her, she was already in combat gear — no wardrobe drama this morning.
"Point taken," she said, swinging her legs over and heading for the door. "Can't skip exercise just because I have you, I suppose."
"You sound very cocky, human," Yulvaris muttered, falling into step. "Let's see if you're still so confident when you're about to die."
"You seem to be mistaken Yul," Kelly replied, studying her fingers absentmindedly and stepping out of the door. "Death and I are buddies, we actually had a talk over some drinks few days ago."
They both stepped out of the hotel into the outside world, the bustle of people and traffic resounding across the street.
"Human," Yulvaris called as they stood in front of the hotel doors. "Now what?"
Kelly turned to her, a faint grin tugging at her lips hidden behind her veil, although Yulvaris could see it as clear as day.
"We go to kick some asses of course!" Then she coughed, clearing her throat. "And of course, try not to meet death for another drink. He is a very, very horrible friend..."
***
Stepping off the air shuttle, Kelly and Yulvaris found themselves at the edge of a vast desert.
From the chatterty shuttle driver, Kelly had learned that the ruins lay just beyond this scorching expanse. But the desert itself was no joke.
"The Scorched Land," the driver had called it. And now Kelly understood why. The heat from the galaxy's star beat down mercilessly, easily reaching what felt like eighty degrees Celsius.
Sandy dunes stretched endlessly, whipped into restless waves by the harsh west wind, which carried clouds of dust that scratched at their skin. But it wasn't just the heat that set Kelly's nerves on edge. Occasional, piercing shrieks echoed from somewhere deep in the desert, and the sand rippled strangely in places, as if enormous, unseen creatures stirred beneath the surface.
Armored vehicles, their wheels reinforced and bodies plated in metal, lined the border, picking up the steady stream of passengers. Everyone here was probably bound for the Ancient Ruins.
Kelly squinted at the bold words engraved on each vehicle:
High probability of death. Travel at your own risk.
She shook her head in disbelief. How could anyone survive doing this for a living? You'd be tempting death a hundred times a day.
"Ugh!" Kelly groaned, striding toward one of the half-empty vehicles. There was only one passenger at the back seat, an ordinary looking draconian girl with sharp brown, slit pupils and a gleaming sword strapped to her side.
"Pureblood!" the girl spat, but Kelly didn't even flinch. She turned to the driver instead.
He was a middle-aged man with a face worn thin by time and stress. Dark circles under his eyes made Kelly's stomach twist. The last thing anyone sane would want was their driver passing out in the middle of a desert teeming with monsters.
"How much experience do you have with… this?" Kelly asked, nodding vaguely toward the desert.
The man stretched his arms and rubbed his eyes, managing a weary grin. "Driving this baby into that cursed wasteland? Eighteen years, girl. So relax—this old man's got you covered."
Kelly raised an eyebrow. "How much for the trip?"
"Five hundred."
Her jaw dropped. "That's… robbery!"
The man laughed, a gravelly, tired sound. "What else do you expect? Risking your life every other day isn't exactly a hobby. But the pay? Sweet enough to keep going."
Gritting her teeth, Kelly yanked the doors open and slid inside. Yulvaris stepped in from the other side, and the two of them squeezed the fuming Draconian girl between them.
"A bunch of low-lives! How dare you—"
"Shut up," Kelly snapped, her eyes flaring a blinding purple. The girl froze, knees wobbling under her, the fire in her eyes dimming immediately.
The engine rumbled to life, the driver's croaky voice crooning a weird, unsettling tune from the front. Lights flicked on, cutting through the thick desert gloom. The vehicle had no windows—everything was armored metal, unyielding. A small glass panel on the driver's side offered just enough view for him to navigate through the treacherous sands.
"Things are about to get interesting, human," Yulvaris murmured from beside her, her voice low and amused.
Kelly forced a laugh. "Hey… that sounds kind of ominous for such a dangerous place—"
A thud echoed below the armored vehicle, sending vibrations through the metal. Kelly finally remembered the haphazard movement of sand patterns from before, caused by the creatures lurking beneath.
"Oh shit."
"BRACE YOURSELVES!" the driver's voice rang out.
The same thud came again.
Louder.
Sharper.
Harder.
The car spun and was thrown into the air from the force.