Beneath the Red Sands

I had always enjoyed dealing with Nucerians.

What I meant was, I liked their enthusiasm and their straightforwardness—two things rarely seen in the galaxy these days.

Though, to be honest, they had never been all that common. Otherwise, they could hardly be called virtues. At least, neither existed within me.

After wandering alone for nearly ten thousand years, I had come to understand my own character very deeply. By any measure, I had nothing in common with those two precious qualities. I supposed that was why I liked them so much.

Humans always yearned for goodness and beauty. Realizing that had brought me great comfort—good, time had not yet ground away my sense of myself as a human being.

I rose from my bed.

Calling it a bed was somewhat generous. It was really a broad blanket spread across the endless yellow sands. To accommodate my size, several tailors from Hattaka Oasis had labored together for days before presenting it to me.

It felt comfortable to the touch, and lying upon it was even better, but the money I had paid could not possibly have matched such craftsmanship. In return, I improved some of their tools. I imagined it would add quite a bit of color to their lives going forward.

The old me would never have done something like that.

Hm, speaking of the past—forget it. Better not speak of it.

I admitted that I did not wish to recall those days. Not because I hated them—how could I? Those years had shaped who I was now, but I merely...

Well, a bad ending was enough to destroy all that was good. Wouldn't you agree?

I packed away the blanket and left the tent.

The Radiance of the blazing sun shone overhead. Nuceria's scorching sun was especially vicious at