As the sun began to set, the streets of the Sand Kingdom gradually quieted, and dust filled the horizon like a golden veil, obscuring the view. The air grew heavier, and the heat, though the day was drawing to a close, remained scorching, searing the skin. Saroto and Lucien walked slowly through the alleyways after hours of searching, their bodies aching with exhaustion.
"We've explored half the kingdom and found nothing," Lucien said wearily, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Everyone we ask turns away as if we're uttering a forbidden word when we speak of the palace. It seems the people here are even afraid of the guards."
"That's true," Saroto replied in a quiet voice, though his own face also showed his weariness. "There's something sinister about this place. Fear fills everyone's eyes."
Lucien stopped in front of a small inn on the edge of the market, built of old stone with a thick canvas roof. Pointing to it, he said, "What do you say we stay here tonight? We're exhausted from walking. We'll continue our research tomorrow. There's no point in wandering around like this."
Sarotto nodded in agreement. "Good idea. We'll rest here tonight and continue gathering information tomorrow. We won't gain anything if we keep going like this."
They entered the inn with heavy steps. Lucien paid the landlord some coins, and they went upstairs to the room. It was simple: two wooden beds, a small table between them, and a window overlooking the city bathed in torchlight.
Sarotto sat on the bed and took a deep breath, as if to catch his breath, while Lucien sat at the opposite table. "So," he said, "let's talk about what we've gathered today."
Saruto shook his head and said dryly, "Almost nothing. Everyone I've tried talking to avoids looking at me. It's as if they're even afraid to utter the word 'palace.' Something serious seems to be happening inside."
Lucian smiled wryly. "Same here... but there's one piece of information I overheard: the palace is so teeming with guards that one of them said their shadows fill the place more than the light itself."
Saruto paused for a moment, then raised his head, his eyes gleaming slightly. "Shadows... perhaps that's what we need."
Lucian looked at him in surprise. Saruto continued in a low voice, laced with unsettling confidence, "I'll send one of my Dark Soldiers to gather information for us. Let our bodies rest tonight while my soldiers work in silence."
Lucian tilted his head to the side, half-smiling. "Then what are you waiting for? Go ahead and do it."
Saruto stood up slowly and moved toward the center of the room, where the dim light cast a clear shadow on the floor. He stretched his hand forward, and his shadow began to move, rippling across the ground like a pool of black smoke, then splitting into four dark figures, their features as indistinct as the specter of death itself.
These were the Shadow Soldiers, featureless bodies, yet pulsating with a cold, terrifying energy. Saruto raised his eyes to them and said in a commanding tone, "Sneak into the palace… immerse yourself in the shadows of the guards, and gather information about the palace. Anything related to the treasures or their location, bring it to me."
The four soldiers nodded silently, then their bodies gradually faded into the darkness, vanishing as if swallowed by the earth. Silence fell, broken only by the whistling wind outside the window. Saruto sat up on his bed and said, closing his eyes, "Now we can rest. By dawn, my soldiers will have gathered what we need."
Lucian chuckled softly, stretching out on his other bed. "You seem confident… I hope they don't get lost like we did today."
Saruto smiled gently and replied in a hoarse voice before closing his eyes, "Shadows never lose their way, Lucien… they always find their way back to their master."
Then they sank together into the stillness of the night, while outside the room, the four shadows crept through the city… slipping stealthily through the sandy alleys, on their way to the golden palace.