Chapter 159: Summons desert

Words : 1055 Updated : Oct 8th, 2025

Chapter 159: Summons desert Day one of appearing nowhere in an accursed desert... How deplorable. Kairos thought, dragging his bare feet forward through the endless expanse of golden torment. The sun loomed above like an unrelenting deity, pouring down blistering waves of heat that made each step feel like a trial forged in fire. His body, exposed and vulnerable, baked under the scorching sky. Naked and abandoned, he trudged forward—his only companions being the slicing wind and the searing embrace of sun-heated sand. The storm never ceased; harsh gusts howled, lifting sheets of burning dust into the air, lashing against his skin like razors. The wind felt alive, as though the desert itself wished to peel the very flesh from his bones. Through his clairvoyant eyes—an uncanny gift that let him see beyond normal perception—he searched, but found nothing. Only more of the same: swirling dunes, scorching winds, and a silence that wasn’t quiet, but deafening in its own sinister way. He was utterly alone in this cursed place. The heat boiled over his body. Sweat had long since dried on his back, replaced by a gritty layer of sand that clung to him like a second skin. Every grain embedded itself in his pores, his scalp, his eyelids, and worse—every private inch of his form. The discomfort was unholy. For someone like Kairos, who had appeared with nothing but his wits and naked body, this place was more than a punishment—it was calculated suffering. At this point, walking blind in the storm had become instinctual. His physical eyes were all but useless against the blinding whirl of dust and debris, but through his clairvoyance, the world still came into focus. He moved forward like a seer without eyes—guided by a deeper vision. Finally, I’m a soothsayer, he joked in his mind. But even that weak attempt at humor brought him no comfort. The absurdity of his situation had drained the comedy from life. His mouth curled in a bitter, dry smirk that cracked his lips. He had tried calling for his summons—desperately attempting to will even one of his bonded beasts into existence—but nothing answered. His cries echoed into the ether, empty. The world ignored him. Sergeant Henry had warned them. Told them the rules of this place were twisted. Summons wouldn’t obey, and powers didn’t always respond. ’Cold I can deal with,’ Kairos growled internally, ’but this... this unbearable heat, this skin-peeling discomfort while walking—this is something else entirely.’ With gritted teeth, he pressed on, scanning through his clairvoyant perception for signs of life. A city. A shack. Even a small hut would suffice—anything with shade and perhaps hope. But the probability of encountering such a thing in this harsh wasteland was laughably low. When had summons ever lived in shelters? And more importantly, where were the others? He hadn’t seen a single summoner nor summon—not even bones. It was as if he alone had been sentenced to this blazing purgatory. Probability suggests... I’m the only one thrown here to die. ’How decent. I should call myself lucky, huh? At least I’m still alive. Some other bastard could’ve appeared six feet in the ground and died on arrival.’ He tried to console himself, but the thoughts only served to remind him of how close death was dancing around him. But then—his clairvoyant sight twitched. Movement. Subtle, buried beneath ash and wind. Normal eyes wouldn’t catch it. But to him, it was as visible as a red flare in the dark. A dark ripple—thin and long—slithered just below the surface of the sand. It appeared for a second before vanishing again, but not before he locked on to it. Something was swimming... in the sand. It was massive—easily twice his size, like a monstrous fish gliding through an ocean of ash. Slow. Smooth. Predatory. Kairos froze. "Oh boy..." he whispered, halting all movement. ’Probably it’ll think I’m a statue or something.’ False hope. He knew it. Fex had once told him that playing dead could fool the dumbest creatures. And right now? That was his only plan. So he placed all his chips on the assumption that this thing was dumb. How reassuring. He clenched every muscle, holding his breath. No summons. No weapons. No shelter. Naked. Vulnerable. Betting on stupidity. Hopefully... he swallowed, sweat trailing down his brow as he watched the creature through his inner sight. It moved slowly. Then slower. Then even slower. Then... it stopped. A mere foot away. Kairos didn’t dare blink. The pressure in his bladder swelled painfully, and he feared the slightest twitch would trigger his demise. He remained still. Seconds passed like hours. His mind screamed with every heartbeat. Then realization dawned with dreadful clarity. ’It’s not dumb. Whatever this thing is... it’s intelligent. It’s waiting. Waiting for any signal. A breath. A twitch. Something to confirm I’m not part of the sand.’ It was analyzing. Weighing its options. ’At least... at least the technique bought me time to think.’ Kairos knew the monster was making a decision. Prey? Predator? Decoy? Whatever answer it chose, he refused to leave that decision in its hands. ’Let’s just hope... Integration is enough to outrun it in its own element.’ Not likely. But he had no other choice. Run. Even if there was nowhere to go, he had to run. To survive just a moment longer. That leverage might be all he needed. Kairos prepared himself. He took a slow, deep breath. And then— Before he could move— Boom. The ground exploded beneath him. A blast of sand erupted like a detonation, engulfing his vision. The beast struck. But it didn’t rise like a serpent from the depths. No, it emerged with monstrous symmetry. Two colossal walls burst from the sand on either side of him—rows of jagged, titanium-like teeth running along their edges like saw blades. They weren’t walls. They were jaws. From deep within, a glowing, orange viscous fluid oozed between the fangs, sizzling the sand wherever it dripped. A low gurgling hum echoed up from the beast’s gullet—a rumble that seemed to vibrate the air itself. Beneath Kairos, the sand vanished. Replaced with a cavernous hole of blackness. The creature had already made its decision. And Kairos now stood—naked, weaponless, powerless—on the precipice of the beast’s open mouth.

Chapter 159: Summons desert

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