I Thought I Didn’t Have Long To Live!

A part of his shoulder felt empty. Doha grabbed Lariette by the shoulder and moved as soon as the monster attacked. It was an attack he could have avoided if he were alone, but with her presence, it was impossible. The scorpion-like monster's pointed tail pierced through Doha's shoulder. He was overcome with terrible pain and a strange sensation of a sandstorm flowing through his pierced body. 

Doha clenched his teeth tightly and stifled his groans. Then, without hesitation, he moved his body. His golden eyes gleamed and focused on the monster that dared to harm him. Soon, a massive lance flew and pierced through the monster's body.

Puff!

Sacred power surged from the lance's tip and exploded the monster's body. The toxic tissue of its skin fell to the desert with a screech. Doha led Lariette into the carriage to shield her from the falling debris.

"Let's go."

As soon as Doha closed the door, he tremulously instructed the coachman to drive the carriage. They had to move quickly because he could already smell the dead monster's body, and another one could appear. 

Doha, who seated Lariette in the carriage seat, knelt in front of her and breathed heavily for a while. Lariette trembled as she looked at his bleeding shoulder.

"Do... Doha, your shoulder... I need to heal it quickly!"

Was she asking him to release the restriction on his magic for treatment? Doha clenched his teeth and began to channel divine power into his palms. His focus was so intense that it was more suitable for burning his body rather than healing it. And without hesitation, he placed his palms on her shoulder.

"Ugh!"

The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air. Doha couldn't bear the pain and let out a groan. Lariette was so shocked that she couldn't say anything and could only witness the terrible spectacle. The bleeding stopped due to the pressure applied to his shoulder. Adapted to the pain, Doha slowly lifted his bowed head and fiercely gazed at Lariette with beast-like eyes.

"Are you crazy? I told you to stay in the carriage. Did you want to die?"

A fierce voice shouted at Lariette. He was angrier than ever. It didn't matter if he tried to kill him. But attempting suicide was unacceptable. Lariette began to hiccup in response to Doha's fierce reaction. Her eyes suddenly reddened.

"I... I... Doha, I'm worried about Doha..."

"Why are you worried about me in this situation?"

An angry shout resonated in the carriage. Lariette's body trembled, and soon tears began to trickle from her eyes. Lariette hiccupped exhaustively and murmured as if it were an excuse.

"Worried... dark... fighting... hic!... oh no..."

A sorrowful cry followed. Doha stiffened his body and contorted his face from the moment he saw her tears. His heart raced like crazy when he heard that she was only worried about him. The fact that she shed tears for him was somehow suspicious and unbearable. It was Doha himself who desperately wanted to cry.

"Doha, I..."

Her tear-filled purple eyes weakly looked at Doha. She continued with the question she couldn't ask before.

"Do you like me?"

That's what I wonder. Doha laughed as if he had given up. I couldn't bear the emotion any longer.

"I love you."

Doha confessed with a heavyhearted voice. Recognizing that this is a confession he will never make again and putting his heart into it.

"I think I'm going crazy because I love you."

Doha's large hands wrapped around her back and pulled her close. He felt Lariette's fragrance. Her soft skin, he could hear the sound of her breathing. Doha closed his eyes and enjoyed embracing her. To never forget it, he tried to etch it into his body. And a cold voice announced the end in his ear.

"I liked you too."

A tree trunk harder than a rock rose and struck Doha's neck. Before he realized it, his wrists were untied.

"If the power of mana exceeds the restraining power of the binding seal, it will be possible to break it."

He learned everything from Doha. Breaking the restraint and lying to someone he thought was his friend.

"As a master and a friend."

Lariette no longer had hiccups. She didn't shed any more tears. Only a cold gaze remained. Doha's body slowly collapsed to the ground. Lariette's mana-filled attack was powerful, but Doha could have avoided it if he hadn't been fatally wounded and in his normal condition. That's why he prepared himself for a situation he couldn't avoid. But did he really not avoid it? Doha was a person who had acted all his life and easily understood the acting of others. It wasn't hard to notice her performance. He just didn't want to acknowledge it. He knew it was a lie, but he couldn't bear to let it go.

"It would be better to end it this way."

Doha willingly surrendered. Knowing that he couldn't end it alone, he felt grateful for Lariette's decision. Perhaps the person who was wrong from the beginning doesn't deserve to be loved. His vision remained blurry until the end, so he closed his eyes. Lariette looked at Doha, who had lost consciousness. Black smoke emanated from his pierced and burned shoulder. Suddenly, her hand touched Doha's wound. White healing power spread and healed his injuries. She didn't sympathize with Doha. Whatever he did, his actions were unforgivable, but she simply didn't want to leave wounds on his body. The shoulder wound, the forehead, and the split lips healed simultaneously. It was as if their relationship with Lariette didn't exist in the first place. After finishing the treatment, Lariette packed her belongings and stepped out of the carriage without hesitation. It was a desert.

-----------------

A strong sandstorm enveloped Lariette's body. Despite wearing a hood, appropriate desert attire, and shoes she had prepared in advance, it was very difficult to make progress. Due to the amount of sand, it was hard to look forward and follow a direction, and the wind pushed her as if rejecting her.

"Uh, oh..."

Lariette took a deep breath and moved step by step. Because she was so exhausted, her body felt as heavy as a rock, and she felt dizzy. It had been two days since she started walking through the desert. No, it wasn't just a desert; it was the desert of death. Lariette felt with her whole body why this desert earned that nickname. During the day, the scorching heat burned her skin. Sometimes a sandstorm would suddenly arrive and then fly away.

If she hadn't bought magical items beforehand, she would have died. She could endure the sandstorms and the heat with magical tents and sleeping bags. But the biggest problem was the monsters. Despite spraying anti-monster and scorpion aerosols, large monsters kept appearing. She could still manage it, but she didn't even want to imagine how it would go without the spray.

Lariette killed monster after monster using wind magic. There were many of them, and some of them were too difficult for her level, but she survived because her skills improved while practicing with Doha. Every time she killed a monster, she gained experience, and it became easier to kill the next one, but the problem was her stamina. The dry food in her magic backpack had run out, and the monsters appeared too frequently, not even giving her time to rest. Therefore, even maintaining consciousness had become difficult.

"Am I going the right way?"

Her vision was growing dark, so she didn't know if she was walking the right path. Finding directions in the desert was not easy to begin with. Her mind grew dim. Feeling the tingling in the place where she had been wounded while fighting the monsters, it seemed she had been poisoned.

"You can't fall asleep here..."

She had a job to do. She couldn't die in such a desolate desert.

"Go back... Come on, but..."

She desperately thought, but she ran out of energy and finally succumbed to the darkness. It was a nostalgic voice that awakened her.

"Lariette."

Her eyes flew open wide. Lariette urgently turned her head to find the person who called her. Her purple pupils widened in surprise. Her surroundings changed. Instead of the desert where sandstorms blew, a beautifully decorated square with colorful lights unfolded. Lariette knew this place. It was the most beautiful moment of her life, so it was impossible not to recognize it. A place where one could hear a cheerful song and smell a floral scent. It was at the Flower Festival, where the Masked Ball of Isis was held. And in front of her stood a person she had missed countless times. Lariette spoke his name with trembling lips.

"Asrahan."

"Did you fall asleep while dancing? You have a blank look."

Taking Lariette's hand, Asrahan smiled affectionately with a mischievous grin. Then, naturally, he resumed dancing. As the face of her beloved reflected under the scarlet light, Lariette seemed like she would cry at any moment.

"Asrahan."

Lariette called his name again, her voice filled with nostalgia and pain. She wanted to express her feelings to him. She wanted to show him those emotions she couldn't bear to contain.

Puff! Splatter!

But as she tried to part her lips, a loud fireworks sound interrupted her. Colorful lights beautifully transformed the midnight navy sky.

"Lariette."

Then Asrahan opened his mouth with a gentle smile.

"I love you too."

It was a confession she couldn't properly hear at the time. In the end, Lariette burst into tears.

"Can I kiss you?"

Asrahan asked in a soft voice. The situation at that moment was repeating itself. He tilted his head without even waiting for a response. As if it was difficult to contain himself even for a second. And Lariette approached urgently. Her slender fingers pulled forcefully at the nape of Asrahan's neck. Soon their lips overlapped, tears streaming down their dry lips.

Their breath was mixed with excitement. Her red tongue coveted the tender flesh and swallowed their lips. After a long kiss, Lariette moved her face away. Asrahan had his eyes wide open, surprised by how proactive she was. Lariette looked at him with a smile, still shedding tears.

"Next time, I will really see you."

Yes, she had to see him. Once again, a strong determination filled her heart.

"See you soon."

After speaking with him, Lariette woke up from her dream. Her violet eyes gleamed in the darkness of the desert. As soon as she woke up, what she saw was a massive monster with a wide nose in front of her. Soon, the monster opened its large mouth, and Lariette moved without hesitation.

"Ahhh!"

Kaeae Aeum!!<

A powerful wind magic split the monster's body in half. The monster's blood splattered all over Lariette's body, but she didn't mind at all. She stood up and continued walking in the desert. This time, she would never collapse. Because she had to survive and meet Asrahan.

----------------------

She walked and walked. She killed over ten monsters, and although the venomous wound throbbed, she didn't stop walking. She could endure both pain and hunger, perhaps because she focused solely on surviving. How much time had passed? When her throat dried up from terrible thirst, and the soles of her feet swelled from the desert heat, Lariette finally stopped.

"Here..." she murmured with a broken voice.

"Is this Ashtar?"

A massive barrier appeared in front of Lariette. It was an incredibly tall and sturdy barrier built by human power. In addition, bright protective barriers surrounded it. Thanks to that, the sandstorms couldn't enter the wall. There couldn't be many cities in the middle of the Desert of Death, so this place was clearly Ashtar. The idea of surviving relaxed her and made her feel heavy. She had to somehow get help to be able to return to the capital. Just as she was starting to feel relieved, she suddenly heard a vigilant voice addressing her.

"Who are you!!"

"Stop right there!"

Lariette looked at them in surprise. The soldiers on the wall pointed their spears at her.

"I am a traveler from the capital. I was lost and finally arrived here. Please help me."

Lariette, who remembered Doha's explanation about the difficulties of entering and leaving, politely bowed her head asking for help. Noble pride was useless. She had to pray to stay alive.

"A survivor crossed the desert and found this place? Does that make sense?"

"I think it's a woman..."

"How did she survive the monsters?"

The soldiers began to argue among themselves to discuss their positions. For Lariette, who had already run out of energy, even enduring a little more was killing her.

"I haven't eaten or drunk anything for two days. Please help me."

Lariette knelt on the hot desert sand. It seemed like the soldiers' expressions softened by her desperate voice. However, the response she received was cold.

"Sorry, but I can't let anyone in. It's dangerous. Never without the Lord's permission!"

"You'll have to wait a few more days; I'll put it on the agenda."

It was nothing short of a death sentence. She couldn't endure a few more days in that desert. She couldn't create water because she had run out of mana, and dealing with the monsters would be impossible. If they knew, perhaps they would feel pity.

"Just water... a little water, please..."

Lariette struggled to keep her body upright, yearning for some help. The soldiers were busy talking amongst themselves again, with a dying woman in front of them. And at that moment, a voice from somewhere approached them.

"Let them in."

"Oh, Lord Hamad!"

The soldiers looked back in surprise. Lariette also lifted her head and identified the new person. A man with dark skin, short red hair, and silver-gray eyes. The clothes he wore were quite unusual. It wasn't the first time she had seen an attractive face, but she had certainly never seen such an enormous size, appearance, and peculiar sense of aesthetics.

"I am the only one who has fallen in love."