Unknown Realm, Eltar Mage Alliance Chapter House.

Three towers scraped the clouds, arranged in a triangle of immense power. Chains of pure magic, etched with dense, glowing runes, linked them at their peaks. Arcs of lightning, like captive drakes, would periodically leap down their lengths, bathing the entire complex in a holy, intimidating light.

Suddenly, a beam of golden light tore through the void and lanced into one of the towers.

A long moment passed.

"Faraday is dead," a deep voice finally rumbled, heavy with the dust of a long slumber. "The sea of sand has been taken by outsiders."

"The sea of sand is home to the Dune-Wyrm Roc," another voice answered from the second tower, as if it had been waiting for the cue. "No archlord could have defeated Faraday there. Whoever killed him and seized the realm must be a demigod."

The arrival of the golden light had roused the three sleeping elders of the Eltar Mage Alliance.

"That desert is our asset," a third voice stated from the final tower, its tone leaving no room for debate. "It is a valuable proving ground we use to cultivate promising archlords. We cannot afford to lose it."

"Do we fight, or do we talk?" the first elder asked.

A heavy silence fell between the towers. For beings like them, the greatest pleasure was to slumber within their towers, their consciousnesses swimming in the pure ocean of magical theory. Venturing out to confront another demigod was not only a waste of valuable research time but also carried inherent risks.

"Our opponent is a demigod, after all," the third elder, a woman, finally reasoned. "Let us attempt to negotiate first. Mages can be arrogant, but we are not fools. If we can trade for the sea of sand with resources, all the better. If talks fail… we reassess the situation and then strike."

"Adrian," the first voice commanded. "You and Kaina will go. I shall remain to guard the towers."

"Done."

***

The Sea of Sand, The Oasis.

By the time Soraya and the phoenix Fenyra arrived, the oasis was a ruin. The Pilanti people who had lived there were gone, first caught in the crossfire between Faraday and Orion, then crushed by the sudden appearance of the pyramid. Before Orion even had to lift a finger, they had been buried in the sand, their bodies already beginning the long process of joining the undead legion.

"Orion, what happened?" Soraya asked, her gaze sweeping over the devastation. "That golden light that vanished into the sky… what was it?" This was to be her fiefdom, and every detail mattered to her.

"I can't be sure," Orion admitted with a shrug. "My guess is some kind of warning system or distress signal. If the Deputy Commander were here, he'd know for sure."

He turned to face her. "The sea of sand isn't an independent realm. It's the property of some mage alliance. This fight isn't over. Are you sure you want to make this the territory of the scorpion tribe?"

She was his, and her safety was paramount. The sea of sand was about to become a contested zone, a potential war front.

Soraya didn't answer directly. Instead, she asked, "My lord, would you give up this Godforsaken Land?"

"Of course not," he said without hesitation. "We fought for this place. Anyone who wants it will have to go a round with us first."

"Then, will you continue to watch over this place?"

"I will. As long as this situation is unresolved, my attention will be here."

"Then that's all I need to know."

Soraya stepped forward and leaned against his chest, her expression a mix of adoration and raw desire.

"You've made up your mind?" he asked, his voice softening.

"I have. No regrets. This is an opportunity for me and for my tribe."

Orion was silent for a long moment. He raised his hand, and a swirl of sand began to spin in his palm. "Hold out your hands," he commanded gently. "Receive it. Feel it. Accept it."

She obeyed without question, and Orion smoothly transferred the Desert's Authority into her.

Hours later, Soraya opened her eyes. They shone with an incandescent joy, and her entire presence felt deeper, more ancient. She threw her arms around Orion's neck and pulled him into a searing kiss.

Now that she truly wielded the Desert's Authority, she understood the sheer magnitude of the gift he had given her. If her ambition before had been to one day reach archlord, it was now set squarely on demigod. The first step was now a certainty; given enough time to cultivate her power in the sea of sand, ascension to archlord was guaranteed.

More importantly, leveraging the Desert's Authority, she already possessed the raw power of an archlord. It was conditional, of course—a power that existed only within the borders of the sea of sand. If she were to return to another world, she would revert to her true strength.

After a long moment, Orion gently broke the kiss, leaving her breathless and flushed. This wasn't the time. There were things she needed to know.

"You now command the Desert's Authority, but your own power is not yet sufficient to awaken the undead or summon the Dune-Wyrm Roc," he began, his tone shifting from lover to mentor. "However, as long as you are in this realm, your power exceeds that of any archlord, and you are effectively immortal."

It was both a reminder and a lesson. The "immortality" he spoke of didn't apply to confrontations with demigods. But against a typical archlord, Soraya was untouchable here. Of course, exceeding them in power didn't mean she could slaughter them at will. An exceptional archlord with the right skills could still escape her grasp.

"Mm, I understand," she purred, the knowledge of her new power flowing through her. She could feel the limits and the strengths as if they were her own limbs.

"But if you encounter a demigod," Orion said, his expression turning deadly serious, "do not even try to fight. You have not yet grasped the fundamental laws of reality. To them, you can be extinguished with a wave of their hand."

He wasn't joking. The archlord peak, Faraday, had died because of that arrogance. He thought wielding the Desert's Authority made him a demigod's equal. He was fatally naive.

The Authority granted its wielder a taste of cosmic law, a glimpse of true power. But that taste was a universe away from the real thing. Orion himself was only halfway there.

The true value of the Desert's Authority wasn't the immediate combat boost. It was the unique opportunity it gave its wielder to study and experience the laws of reality firsthand. It was a key, a guide to comprehending a Lord's Stone.

Soraya understood this perfectly. It was why her gratitude was so profound, her passion so intense. She knew he had just given her something impossibly rare, a treasure that not even Lilith possessed.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.