"Hmm... Is this all that remains of my grandeur?" muttered Alpha as his feet sank into the burning sand, the heavy rasp of his breath harmonizing with the howling wind. He looked around—a boundless desert, a horizon melting under the scorching glow of the sun.
"A legendary dragon, lord of the skies and the mountains… destined to end up as a thirsty wanderer amid the sands," he said with biting sarcasm, as he raised his tattered cloak to shield his face from the abrasive shards of sand.
He had no idea how long he had been swept away by that vortex, but he felt as if he were trapped between two times—or perhaps between two realities. The sands concealed more than just heat and slow death. They concealed his memories.
Hours passed—or maybe days? Nothing here tells you the time.
Suddenly, amid the dancing waves of the mirage, he caught sight of the ruins of an ancient city, its edges charred, emanating a grim aura.
