As the days turned into weeks, the caravan traveled in fear and despair. Elyon hadn't been able to hide himself for long, and on the second day he had inadvertently revealed his presence among them as a stowaway. Everyone in the caravan embraced the idea of leaving him behind, but Kavren felt something for the boy that he had never felt before. So he took full responsibility for the boy and managed to convince the rest. As the week passed, they didn't stop for long except for sleep, and during the day they took very small breaks if necessary and then continued on their way. Along the way, they had not seen a single desert animal, let alone a human being.
Everyone was tired from the heat. On the cart, Elyon lay on Kavren's knees, sleeping under the little shade he had made for himself, while Karven looked out over the seemingly endless desert. Torm, trying to understand what he was feeling from his expression, was looking in the direction he was looking and at his face. Kavren, on the other hand, did not look away for a minute. Finally realizing the futility of this pointless experiment, Torm looked at Kavren's face again;
Torm: Hey...are you okay? You've been staring into space for quite a while.
Kavren: I'm fine, just a little distracted.
Torm thought Karven was not absent-minded, even though he had said so. He hadn't responded in a dazed, post-awakening stupor. His voice was calm and steady, and even when he said he was calm, he kept looking where he was focused.
Torm: Hey. Do you think there is hope?
Kavren: Sir.
This time he realized that he was really absent-minded and did not understand. He repeated his question, slightly rephrasing it;
Torm: We're officially going to the other side of the realm. Hoping to find some food.
He noticed the change in Kavren's gaze. The mountainous man was stunned by that look. He paused for a few seconds and gathered his thoughts to better explain his intentions;
Torm: I mean, I'm not saying that the book is wrong, but the place described may not exist now. Or we might not even get there.
Kavren: you heard the manager. We couldn't desperately wait for all of us to turn into cannibals.
Torm adopted his friendly tone again. The look that had affected him a moment ago had worn off.
Torm: You may find this ridiculous, but I have a natural talent. I recognize people at a glance. Although I would say that you are the one who challenges me the most in this regard, I am very sure of one thing.
Kavren: What is it?
Torm: You are not here for the reason you mentioned. I don't know why you are here, which is a journey that even a person with a clear vision of hope would consider madness. Anyone coming here must have a very good reason. I don't know what your reason is, and I don't think you would want to share it with me, but my grandfather told me, "What must be known can never be hidden. It is against the order of creation."
Torm felt as if she had finally managed to get Kavren's attention and was happy about it. He turned to Torm without waking Elyon, who was still sleeping with his head on his knees.
Your grip: And what is your reason?
Now Torm was looking at the horizon that Kavren had been staring at;
Torm: I was just a little boy. That evening my father and I were on our way home. There was no famine then, but people could still kill each other. I don't know if it was for pleasure, but they killed. So I don't care about cannibalism. I certainly wouldn't do it, but people always find excuses to kill. Anyway. That night was one of those nights. There were five of them, but my father still stood up to them. I could hear my father struggling with them as I ran away with all my strength, but I was scared. I ran home without looking back. I watched the door for hours that night but he never came. When we went to the same street early the next morning... I know. He fought them so that I could escape.
Torm paused for a moment to choose his words carefully and try to control his emotions. There was not the slightest change in Kavren's gesture or expression. He was staring off into the horizon with the same emotionless expression he had maintained since the beginning of the conversation, just like Torm. She glanced at Kavren for a moment and was both horrified and angered by his lack of emotion.
Torm: If I'm going to die, I want it to be in a fight.
Grasp: I see. Reasonable.
"Reasonable?" said Torm. He couldn't believe that this was his reaction to such a tragic event. His anger grew, but he tried to control himself. "Who is this man? Who could be so unscrupulous?" he thought.
For that night they found a place among the huge rocks where they could create a safe space. The rocks were arranged like a hill and the group camped on the ridge of this hill. While the rest of the group was huddled around the fire, Kavren was on top of the rocks, binoculars in one hand and a book in the other, checking the surroundings, when he heard a noise behind him. Someone was coming towards him. He turned his head and saw that it was Ralthir. He had dropped his armor and sword and was coming towards Kavren.
Ralthir : Hey, lone wolf. What are you doing here?
Your grip: I'm watching the perimeter. You're unarmed. It's dangerous.
Ralthir: As far as I know, you are not a threat and we are in a safe place.
Now he had come up to Kavren. He put his hand on his shoulder, but Kavren was offended by the insolence and pulled him back without saying anything.
Ralthir: Okay. You don't like contact much. You're obviously a man with secrets.
Kavren continued to look around unresponsive.
Ralthir: Look, I understand and I respect it. We all have secrets, we all have bad experiences. But if we're going to make this work, we have to make sure that we can at least trust each other. Look, I was chatting with Torm and he doesn't feel comfortable around you.
Kavren made a sound like a chuckle, a wry grin on his face, and put down his binoculars. He turned and looked at Ralthir;
Kavren: "If we make it"? Do you really believe we can make it?
Ralthir: Well... you can't live without hope, can you?
Kavren: It can be lived, but we don't live it.
Ralthir: What do you mean?
Kavren: There is no hope, but we are still alive. You are still alive. Hope is not a fact or an event but a possibility. It is these possibilities that keep us alive. You can call it whatever name you want, but it doesn't change the truth. Nothing has ever been certain, including our end, and we are much closer to absolute certainty than you realize.
Ralthir didn't know what to say. He had never expected such a response, he paused for a moment and then continued;
Ralthir:... If there is one thing I know, it is the will to victory that keeps warriors alive. If we lose that, we are already dead.
Kavren picked up the binoculars again and began to observe;
Your grip: You are wrong again. The strongest warrior is a warrior who has lost everything, including all hope of living. Nothing can stop him. And your optimism and absurd belief in hope makes me difficult for you to understand. Death really is closer to us than you realize.
He handed the binoculars to Ralthir;
Kavren: Look at this.
Ralthir looked through the binoculars and could not believe what he saw.
Ralthir: O...there...
Kavren: The dunes are moving.
Ralthir: How can this be? How can the dunes move like that?
Kavren: Because they're not sand dunes. The book talks about huge creatures that live under the desert sands.
Ralthir: Are they coming this way?
Kavren: No, they didn't. Either they didn't notice us or...
Ralthir: They are surrounding us. What should we do?
Kavren: The book said they could sense movement in the sand. Go down and tell everyone to stand on the rocks. Carry the entire load up the rock and do it extremely slowly. There will be rotating watches throughout the night. If they have really spotted us and are surrounding us, we have nowhere to defend ourselves but this rock.
Ralthir: Okay. I will do what is necessary.
That night it had taken hours for the clan to carry everything to the rocks, but they had made it. Kavren was sure these were the creatures referred to in the book as "ako", but they didn't seem to be surrounding them. But "they are waiting to attack", Kavren thought. Nevertheless, the caravan made it through the night safely.
The caravan began to pack up at first light. The moving hills had disappeared with little time left before sunrise, and although there was a sense of relief throughout the caravan, Kavren was even more nervous than before. The caravan packed up and set off north again.
They traveled calmly and slowly for a while. Until a powerful tremor hit them and they felt as if the earth was shifting beneath their feet. In the confusion, as the caravan sought shelter, Kavren immediately grabbed his sword and told the others to arm themselves. If other people thought it was an earthquake, he knew what had caused it. As the caravan fled in all directions, Kavren called out to Ralthir, who was right next to him. "GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE NOW!"
Then he turned around and shouted "ALL WARRIORS BE PREPARED". Most of the warriors in the caravan had not even heard his voice on the way out, but when they suddenly saw him thundering at the crowd with a powerful voice, the warriors in the caravan gathered themselves. Then stalagmites began to rise from under the sand and a kind of sinkhole began to form.
Ralthir : WHAT'S HAPPENING!
Grasp Be prepared. Keep your distance and stay away from the sinkhole.
Torm and the twins ran to Kavren.
Kavren: Zarveth and Tarveth, you go and protect the rest of the clan.
Something huge started to rise from the sinkhole and as it rose, it became clear that the stalagmites were actually its teeth. Not only did it have these teeth on the outside of its huge mouth, it also had many fangs on the inside. It rose higher and higher out of the sand and its shadow was still not completely out, even though it was engulfing everyone, including the people who were running away. "RUN!" shouted Kavren. This was his suspicion, the creature named Ako from the book. He realized he was the focus. Kavren and Torm turned to one side, Ralthir to the other, before Akor lunged at them with his huge mouth. When the Akor's mouth met the sand again, it dug underground, but the tremors did not stop. Kavren immediately called out to Torm.
Kavren: LIGHT A FIRE AND GET ONE OF THE HORSES.
Then he called to Ralthir, who had been thrown to the other side;
Your grip: YOU GET A HORSE AND DISTRACT HIM.
Ralthir: ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Grasp GET THE CREATURE AWAY FROM US. MAKE AS MUCH NOISE AS YOU CAN. COME HERE ON MY SIGNAL.
Torm quickly built a fire and brought one of the horses. Ralthir rode quickly on the horse he had found, driving his sword into the desert sands. He could feel the tremors following him. The spot where Torm and Kavren had been was a little calmer.
Torm: What are you planning?
Kavren looked at the fire and the horse. He petted the horse's mane and then plunged his sword into the horse's body. He made a gash and the internal organs of the horse, which had collapsed, began to spill out.
Torm: ARE YOU CRAZY?
Kavren: Signal Ralthir to come this way and get you out of here.
When Kavren had finished, he smeared his sword with the fat from the horse's stomach and then thrust it into the fire. After a while the oil ignited and his sword caught fire. Torm did not understand his purpose, but he did as he was told. With the help of a trumpet he signaled Ralthir, and as he sped off at top speed he maneuvered sharply in the direction of Kavren and Torm. The closer he came, the more strongly Kavren and Torm felt the zelzel. When Ralthir finally reached them, Torm didn't even give him a moment's pause, he mounted Ralthir's horse and they both rode away. All that was left was Kavren, standing beside a dead horse with his flaming sword. Akor smelled the dead horse and did not follow Ralthir and Torm. His fangs showed once more. And as the earth receded into its mouth, Kavren plunged a dagger from his waist into one of the chord's teeth and rose up with it from the ground. When the chord appeared once more in its frightening glory, the panicked and frightened people focused on Kavren, who was now standing right in the mouth of the huge creature. He plunged his flaming sword into the flesh just below the chord's teeth and began to fall downwards, opening a gigantic creature and screaming at the same time. The chord screamed so loudly that the other people had to fall to the ground and cover their ears. The chord quickly began to return to the ground. When it had completely returned, the earthquake had finally stopped. Everyone else was still on high alert. Torm looked at Ralthir in great surprise. "Is it him?" he said in a trembling voice. And then there was another tremor. Once more the chord had risen to the surface, but this time it had collapsed. His lifeless body lay there on the sand. He had obviously made a last ditch effort to get back to the surface, but he had died just as he did so. "KAVREN," Ralthir shouted. There was silence for a while longer. Then Kavren came out of him, slicing through his body. He was completely covered in blood and had numerous wounds, but he was still standing.