Chapter 161: Summon desert Night

Chapter 161: Summon desert Night His eyes fluttered a little—open, shut... open again. A sluggish rhythm, like a dying engine sputtering back to life. Each blink felt heavier than the last, yet somehow, bit by bit, his breath began to steady. It was no longer the ragged gasp of a body on the verge of collapse. Instead, it became calmer, deeper... stable. Ever since he had reached the jagged cliffs, rock-solid and sun-scorched, he had collapsed beneath the merciful shade of an overhanging ledge, where the desert sun could no longer lash at him. That tiny sliver of shadow had become his sanctuary. His temporary salvation. Kairos’ eyes finally sprang fully open, and in that very instant, it felt like a blind man reclaiming his sight after years of darkness. Yet, even with this regained vision, the world remained a blurry smear—undefined, disorienting. He blinked several times, trying to focus, but the images still danced hazily before him, refusing to cooperate. Pain pulsed dully through his joints. His limbs throbbed, his bones ached, and every fiber of his body screamed fatigue. It was as though he had just been liberated from endless, merciless toil—like a slave finally freed from the grip of chains and cruelty. With great effort, Kairos pushed himself up into a sitting position. His breathing hitched for a moment as a sharp pain jabbed his ribs, but he steadied himself and took in a long, deliberate breath. The dry, dusty air filled his lungs, grounding him. He lowered his gaze to his own form—and immediately frowned. Naked. His entire body, marred with bruises, cuts, and dirt, sat exposed under the desert’s oppressive gaze. His skin was marked by survival—burnt in some places, scraped raw in others. Though many of the wounds were beginning to close, his condition was far from ideal. And in this harsh place, he wouldn’t last another day looking this vulnerable. First things first—clothing. His gaze shifted back toward the endless expanse of desert before him. It was vast, unforgiving, and cruel in its silence. No signs of life, no vegetation, no markers. Just dunes stretching into eternity and wind whispering secrets in a language only madness could understand. ’Wherever this place is?’ he thought, narrowing his eyes. He turned back to his body, inspecting the wounds. There was a strange warmth pulsing through his skin, faint but present—his body’s natural integration process. The healing system still worked, but it was faint... far too faint. He was at his limit, and he knew it. If he didn’t stabilize soon, unconsciousness would claim him once more. And next time, he might not be so lucky to wake up untouched. His thoughts drifted to a possibility—one last chance. ’Can I summon my core clothing?’ he wondered, extending a shaky hand outward. It was a desperate attempt. His energy reserves were low, his spirit drained, and the odds weren’t in his favor. But still... he hoped. And then, unexpectedly— He did. A flicker of darkness stirred in the air. Wisps of shadows twisted and congealed, spiraling downward like ink in water. They wove together, forming shapes—pieces of armor, gauntlets, cloth, a black mask. They dropped to the ground before him with a satisfying thud. Kairos lunged for them, driven by instinct more than thought. His fingers grasped the familiar textures—hard metal, worn fabric, cold steel. Without hesitation, he began donning the gear, piece by piece. The process was fast, clumsy perhaps, but effective. Every buckle tightened, every strap fastened was a step closer to survival. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed clothing until now. Even if this gear was far from comfortable—more armor than attire—it was a fortress against the world. The heat of the desert, the bite of the sand-laden wind... all of it now met resistance. And more importantly, he no longer felt exposed. Yet with that success came a quiet realization. He had summoned this from his internal space. Which meant... ’How unfortunate,’ he mused bitterly. His mind turned to the essentials—proper food, fresh water, maybe even a simple storage ring filled with rations. But no. Of course not. Only the armor answered his call. Still, it was a win. A small one. And in a world this hostile, even the smallest victory was enough to keep moving. Now fully dressed and finally able to see with clarity, Kairos scanned the area again. The cliffs had offered him a moment’s reprieve, but where would he go from here? The desert stretched out like a challenge—daring him to venture deeper. But that could wait. Right now, he needed rest. True rest. He turned back toward the rock formation, noticing something he hadn’t before—a small cave nestled at the far end of the cliff wall. It wasn’t deep, barely a pocket in the stone, but it was enough. A hiding spot. A shelter. Cautiously, he made his way toward it. The sun, though still relentless, could no longer touch him in there. Upon reaching the cave, he examined its interior. Nothing lived within, no footprints, no bones—just cold stone and silence. The narrow space led nowhere, a dead end. That comforted him. He had only one direction to watch. Only one entrance to guard. That, he could handle. Kairos slumped down at the rear wall, his back meeting the cold stone with a groan of relief. The air within the cave was dry, but cooler. It enveloped him like a thin shroud, a break from the heat that had nearly baked him alive earlier. He closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to drift. The discomfort of his wounds, the sting of the desert, the weariness in his bones—all of it slowly faded as the cave’s quiet lull cradled him. In moments, sleep claimed him once more. --- Moments later, Kairos’ eyes sprang wide open once more—this time out of urgency. His stomach growled in protest, a deep grumble that echoed through the silence of the cave like a declaration of suffering. Hunger clawed at his insides, each pang a vivid reminder that he hadn’t eaten in what felt like days. His throat felt raw, the dryness stinging sharply with every breath he took. It wasn’t just thirst—it was a parched sensation that almost burned. Kairos grunted, pulling himself up slowly as pain flared through his sore joints. "Of all places I could have been dropped in, why did it have to be a desert?" He took a moment to whine and curse the world under his breath, stumbling slightly as he rose to his feet. The soreness he felt now was far worse than the last time he’d moved—every muscle ached, as if his body were punishing him for merely trying to survive. Wincing, he activated his integration just slightly. The system responded, dull warmth blooming across his wounds as the minor injuries began to mend. A simple relief, but not enough to make him whole. Nonetheless, he could now stand properly. His eyes wandered around once more, inspecting the place he’d found himself in. It was a cave, barely large enough to shelter one man. Just a hollow carved into the face of the cliffs—a gift of survival he hadn’t fully appreciated until now. The rock walls surrounding him felt ancient and unwelcoming, but they had protected him from the relentless furnace of the prism sun and the pitiless, shifting sands outside. He stepped toward the mouth of the cave, boots scraping gently against the dirt-coated stone floor. As he approached the edge of the ridge, the sight before him was nothing short of despairing. Stretching endlessly into the distance, the desert waited—silent, cruel, and vast. Miles upon miles of nothing but golden, searing dunes rolled into the horizon. The wind, carrying sharp grains of sand, howled angrily as if cursing his very presence. It whipped against his skin, further blurring the already hazy vision. His sight, aided now by sheer force of will, could find no landmarks—no water, no food, not even the carcass of some unfortunate beast that might provide sustenance. ’For miles... nothing but sand. Not even a glimmer of hope.’ Kairos’ face tensed. A small frown pulled at his lips as fear began to settle in. It wasn’t just the threat of starvation or dehydration—it was the terrifying emptiness. The uncertainty of what waited beyond the dunes. He knew, deep within, that taking even a single step outside might cost him more than energy. Who was to say the intelligent beast from before wasn’t waiting? Hidden. Lurking. Watching. But before his thoughts could spiral deeper, something happened. The wind, so ferocious only moments ago, came to a halt. Just... stopped. As if the atmosphere itself had paused to listen, holding its breath. The gritty air that had danced wildly now fell like dead weight to the ground. The sand stilled. The swirling chaos that had masked the landscape vanished in an instant. It was unnatural. Kairos felt the chill wash over him. Goosebumps erupted across his arms. His body, instinctively reacting, went rigid. "Not good," he whispered, voice low, barely audible. Then, without warning, the sun changed. It didn’t fade. It didn’t set. It turned black. Not burnt or covered in ash, but consumed by a darkness that defied logic. A void that radiated shadows. The sky, once blinding and radiant, became a dome of ink. There were no stars, no moon, no source of light left to cling to. It was night. [Title: The blind child sees no path] A pulse rang through his body. The system flared softly within his mind. Eye of Clairvoyance activated. And suddenly, Kairos could "see" again—not with his eyes, but through the system’s ability. His vision expanded in an eerie sphere around him, showing him the world within a thirteen-meter radius. Outlines, heat, motion—it all painted itself into his awareness like sonar from the void. He was thankful. At least now he could navigate this cruel dark. But the relief was short-lived. Because almost immediately, his newfound sight revealed something that made his breath hitch in his throat. The desert had changed. Gone were the creatures of the sands, the scuttling horrors and hidden predators. In their place, something else had arrived. A storm... no, a presence. A vast flood of thick, black smoke hovered just above the sands. It coiled and moved like sentient shadows—twisting, curling, writhing like a den of vipers searching for prey. It slithered with no sound, no warning, only hunger. The movement was so unnatural, so fluid, that Kairos couldn’t decide if it was alive, a creature, or some terrifying phenomenon birthed by the desert’s magic. He swallowed hard. Even without understanding what it was, the sight of it inching closer toward him—toward the cliffs—was enough to terrify him. ’Please... be incapable of getting close to the cliffs. Stop, damned smoke!’ Kairos shifted backward, one foot at a time, each step calculated and quiet. He didn’t want to draw attention. He wanted to vanish. To blend into the rock and disappear from its notice. He slowly began retreating toward the rear of the cave, silently praying that the rock walls would block its approach. But that hope—foolish, fragile—was crushed before it could bloom. ’What sort of luck would that be?’ he spat in his thoughts bitterly, eyes wide as he tracked the ever-approaching cloud. The thing was massive. Endless. The Eye of Clairvoyance could only see so far, but what it saw was enough to understand: it stretched across the entire visible desert. A force of nature, alive with purpose. And that purpose was him. Something so vast, so unstoppable, couldn’t be anything less than a demon. ’Fuck! I’ll have to use Shadow Swap...’ His mind raced. Would it even work? Could his ability escape something like this? Something that spanned the horizon, that might already have him marked? No... Kairos felt the bitter weight of the truth. He was dead. He was— Splat! Stab! His thoughts were broken by the sudden wet splash across his face. Blood. Warm. Thick. But not his. Kairos froze in place. His wide eyes watched as a part of the smoke—a tendril, or perhaps an arm—pierced the sand before the rocky cliffs and dragged something out. The beast. The very creature that had chased him across the desert. In a single moment, in one fluid, horrific gesture, the smoky entity ripped the monster to pieces. Flesh tore like paper. Bones cracked. It was a spectacle of raw dominance. So fast. So clean. So terrifyingly effortless. Kairos stood there, numb. He realized something strange then—he was thankful. Had the creature not chased him toward the cave, he’d have been out there, alone in the desert, right now. And he would have been the one torn to pieces instead. The smoke held the beast’s corpse in its grasp as it receded, dragging the massive remains with it. Within seconds, it vanished—out of range, out of sight. Gone. Kairos let out a trembling breath. His fingers shook slightly, his lips dry and cracked, but it wasn’t just dehydration anymore. It was dread. ’I don’t think I’m gonna survive this place...’