Desert Company: Retrospective

Ding dong.

Saya stood panting in front of Mashuu. Her breath stung her lungs. She couldn’t let herself lose. Even when it came to life and death, she wanted to live. Even when she had the advantage of the sun, Mashuu still cornered her to the wall. Saya spat on the rough sand, the red spit seeping into the ground. It wasn’t over.

“If you are capable of spitting blood in front of me…” Mashuu aimed his sword, “Then you are capable of giving a fight, Izdaha Saya!”

He charged at her. As soon his sword collided with hers, Saya went for it. The shamisen began to rev up, a constant beat of sakura-sakura. The scimitar ensnared his sword like a snake, rendering it stuck in front of him. She flipped herself over him and stepped on his shoulder.

“Alam Botok!”

She launched up into the air. With the remaining airtime Saya drove her sword into the midst of the barrier, scratching the surface of it. She remained airborne while the scimitar was stuck, having made an open cut.

“Gh…” Saya gave it a good yank and she was falling again. The wind battered her face as she waited until she was close enough to the ground. “Alam Botok!”

She sprung upwards and landed on her two feet. It was only a few beats. Mashuu’s sword became quick to attack. Fights were a battle of rhythm. Opponents exchanged attacks in beats. A single mishap gave the other side an extra beat to attack, while the other lost one. Saya and Mashuu cleared blows one after another. Saya was always on the defensive. One broad swing she stirred up the sand in the arena, blinding the environment.

Ding dong.

She raced to the wall and began to ascend. Saya had to destroy the dome at all costs.

“Alam Minjie: Flowing Snake,” Saya chanted as her speed steadily increased. Particles trailed behind her in a flurry. Revolving around like a flight of stairs, she finally reached the top. She made a giant leap, raising her scimitar above. Saya carved a huge tear in the barrier. The space widened.

“Saya…” Mashuu appeared from the dust cloud below, jumping on the wall. She winced as a hole gaped in her foot. She rolled to the ground. Attempting to stand, she didn’t expect him to attack from such a height. Looking above, the dome became barely visible compared to the afternoon sky. Had they accomplished their goal?

The dust had cleared, but something was wrong. Blue particles swirled around and about. She struggled to stand up in confusion. Her body ached at the amount of exhaustion and minor injuries, while something else was brewing.

“There were three people that accepted the invitation to Al-Wa…” Mashuu dragged his sword on the ground slowly. “You’re one of them. The next one was Mouka Toqemur… and then me…”

He raised his sword. Saya jumped to the side to dodge. An explosion of dust imploded as the particles glowed azul. She had seen those before back when they were banished, when he was having nightmares the blue particles had revealed themselves.

“So why do you resist, Saya?” His voice got louder, while the sound exploded like firecrackers. “Why resist fighting in the tournament you have wanted?!”

“...” Saya tried her hardest, pushing strength into her legs to stand. Her bandage was soaked in red, blood trickled from her ankle. She took up her scimitar, the very thing she wanted to use in the beginning. She dug it into the ground to bring herself on her feet. “Mashuu, please stop! I don’t want any of this! I don’t wanna fight no more… if it costs us our lives…”

“Your naïveté can only get you this far, just like the day my master moved to work in the capital. I was naïve,” More and more blue surrounded him, sparks of different colors and chemical reactions occurring within. “We were born with little to no worth. I once thought of you as someone I could trust after you went with me into that desert. But now I know that you are like the rest of your sahar-using friends. Foolish optimism…”

The blue saharic particles followed his blade as Saya saw it above her. His mercy spared everyone. Her legs locked. She had many questions unanswered. Saya clinged on to the last bit of strength in her body. Mashuu aimed and shouted, blood dripping from his mouth. It was time.

Tick.

A big flash blinded the arena, the azure bang booming outward like a clock shattering into pieces. The shamisen moved to rest.

Tock.

“Gh…”

Saya winced. She lifted her head off the jagged rocks on the ground, bleeding from multiple points. A faint trail of sand dissipated into the air as she moved forward from her position. Behind her, she widened her eyes.

“Mashuu?...” Saya turned to run, her legs collapsing on the sand. His bracelet began to display his heart rate, which was rapidly descending into a fast decline. Mashuu coughed violently, as red spilled from his mouth.

“W- wait, no… Alam Kaifuk!” She conjured as he winced again at the spell. It seemed that his body couldn’t handle the sahar attempting to heal him. From his attack, he was suffering an overdose, his internal organs most likely exploded in the moment. Saya knew, yet she kept on chanting.

“Alam Kaifuk! Alam Kaifuk! Don’t die please…” She sunk down as she began to weep for a clockmaker she met a long time ago. Saya didn’t want anyone to go before her. But no matter how many times she called out to him, his voice never returned. Her vision blurred, dizzy from the repercussions of her actions. The Dineh Kazaàd she had wished to participate in for her entire life, the ideal she had was far from the reality.

Collapsing onto the ground, she could hear her waning breath and heart beating in her chest. She reached out towards Mashuu one last time, while the clock ticked to his death.

Ding dong.