beewax

It's... someone's past.

Huh?

It's a diary.

Whatever the case, this is your stop. The place you're headed isn't too far from here. We need to be on our way, so this is as far as we can take you.

Thanks for the ride, Mister.

Hahaha, not at all. If you weren't there to save my caravan from the quicksand, I would literally be six feet under right now.

May the sands bless the rest of your journey!

Haha... thanks!

This is the last oasis. O Faceless God, please grant me a miracle.

Hello, is anybody home?

Anyone?

This place looks pretty rundown. Doesn't look like anybody lives here.

Huh...?

Who is it?

Agh!

You entered my tribe's territory without our permission, outblood!

I-I didn't see anyone on my way here. I thought this oasis didn't belong to anybody.

Of course you didn't.

But why?!

Put down that spear before you ask any questions.

*Whimpers*... Okay.

(Why is she acting like I wronged her when she was just doing me dirty?)

What are you doing here, outblood?

I was asked to deliver someone's belongings to his homeland.

I have all his things in this bag. Why don't you take a look? If he's not from here, I'll leave immediately.

Bring it over. Let me see.

He's never been back all these years... So he's passed away.

You knew him?

Right, going by seniority, he was my younger cousin. I took care of his mother before she passed away.

Does he have any other family besides you?

(Shakes head)

Outblood, there aren't a whole lot more people in this tribe. The young ones have all left to make a living. The only ones left are the older folks, and there's less and less of them by the year.

What will happen to the tribe once everyone's gone?

Do you still not understand, prick? Our tribe will disappear soon. From the oasis, and from Sargon.

Then... What do we do with his things?

I'll bury them next to his mother.

(Grips onto her spear uneasily) Now that I delivered these, I... I'll leave now. I won't bother you anymore.

Prick, you're already here. Stay and help me. We only have his things, not his body, but his spirit has returned, and he needs a proper funeral.

Okay, no problem. I-I can help.

Then come with me. We need to get started.

Mister? M-May I ask you a question?

Go ahead.

If everyone's gone, why do you insist on staying?

Because I'm the tribe's priest. Until the tribe is gone for good, someone has to be here to guard it.

Besides, what if someone wants to come back? Like he did...

You want to throw the first dirt, kid?

M-May I?

You're the one who brought him back. You have more than enough right to.

Okay.

Um, Mr. Kadeem asked me to bring your belongings back to your home, and I made it. Please forgive me for all the accidents that occurred on the road.

All fruits born on the lands eventually make their way back to the soil, buried and awaiting to sprout anew.

My dear brother, may you return to your loving mother's embrace. May you find peace under the golden sands. May there never be tears wheresoever you go.

(May he be blessed by the golden sands.)

Thanks for helping me. Do you want something to eat? It must have been a tough journey.

No, no, this kind of journey is nothing out of the ordinary for my tribe.

I've never left this oasis. I can't imagine how your desert tribe lives. Just looking at the tumbling sands makes me afraid.

There's nothing to be afraid of. A god lives in the desert, and He protects us.

We used to believe the forest had a god too, and it was thanks to Him that our tribe managed to survive and prosper, but it looks like we've been abandoned.

Of course not. Gods don't abandon their children.

But what if His children abandoned their faith in Him?

You mean those who left...?

Did he live a good life outside?

Not really. He got infected with an incurable disease. Rocks grew on his body. It hurt, and could spread to other people. He would've been ostracized in lots of places.

Did it hurt when he died?

I don't know. He had already passed away by the time I got there... But Mr. Kadeem was there to take care of him, so he probably died peacefully. At the very least, he wasn't alone.

And who's Mr. Kadeem?

Mr. Kadeem's in charge of the place where he worked. He's very experienced when it comes to treating Oripathy.

I used to complain that he never came back to see his own mother one last time. He mentioned in his letter that it'd only take a day of travel on foot to get back here from where he settled down.

Huh?

Was it... that close? *Whimper*... To tell the truth, I got lost on my way here. It took me half a month to find this place.

Perhaps he traveled somewhere else after he sent that letter.

But now that I've heard what happened, I can understand why he wasn't willing to come back.

Nobody here's ever come down with a disease like that. I wouldn't be able to do anything for his pain here, and if he spread it to others, I'd have no way to deal with that.

So...

Ankhesena opens her mouth only to find herself unable to say what she was going to say.

Once someone has set their mind on crossing a desert, they can no longer turn back. Because the sands that blow with the wind will undoubtedly swallow the path they'd taken.

And the courage they took so long to gather is never enough for them to look back at their unrecognizable past.

*Sigh*—

Old fool, stop sighing in front of the kids. You'll bring them bad luck.

You dare call me old with that white beard of yours? Take a look yourself. The ones who came back from their journeys this year are just half that of last year. What should we do if this keeps happening?

Who am I to influence how they think? Once they've experienced all the amazing things outside, who would come back here to live a life of nothing?

And how can you be so unbothered by that? The tribe will collapse one day if this keeps up.

I'm at my wits' end too, but we can't just keep the children here and not let them leave.

(Shakes head helplessly)

Right, I have something I need to discuss with you. I got a letter a few days ago, and I'm worried about what it says.

What's wrong?

A child caught that disease and wants to come back...

That's a good thing. They should.

He said he's infected with an incurable disease, and he's worried about spreading it to others in the tribe... But I can't bear seeing one of our children stranded out there.

What should we do?

(Tugs Carnelian's sleeve)

Sis...

What's wrong, Ankhesena?

You'll go on your journey in a year. Will you come back after you leave?

Of course I will, it's just...

Sis?

I don't know what He has in mind for me. What if He doesn't want me to stay here?

No... Once you leave, I'll keep praying to Him. Wherever His children walk, they are bound to be far from evil.

That's not evil, Ankhesena. It's not...

Who is it?