Camila’s eyes were fixed on the ever-encroaching wall of sand. It had completely consumed the horizon, merging with the crimson sheen that had been evenly distributed across the planet until the entire planet was painted red. The wafting sands transformed the corrupting haze into a mixture of hues that shifted from pink to gold depending on subtle changes in perspective. Camila thought the shades of color could have been beautiful in a less threatening context.

The expanding sands slowly climbed upwards, eventually rising higher than any human construction on Earth. She saw it as a demonstration of power and control that choked any survivors into helplessness before a single attack was made.

The whole pseudo weather formation was unlike anything she had seen before, especially in terms of scale, and she had been Charlie’s companion throughout the assimilation. There was no greater specialist when it came to the weather. The formation was like a shifting sandstorm-themed cathedral with unlimited depth, meant for grand displays of strict control. She stared into the infinity mirror of sand, spotting shadows instead of her own reflection as she focused on the distance where the hovering grains became stationary.

Previously, the sands had simply swallowed the exterior outposts, creating a claustrophobic environment that suffocated the defenders, but it was different when forced to contend with Neon Park and its well-developed civilization shard. Instead, when encroaching on the human territory, it was transformed into a wave that was barely being held back by invisible counter currents, flowing with a glacial pace that could only be recreated by an ultra slow motion perspective of the largest dust storms formed in arid regions of the world.

Rather than rolling forward, it crept along the ground. Then, thanks to the settlement territory, most of its gradual momentum was forced up into the sky, where it threatened to inevitably crash down as it followed the dome-like curvature of the settlement. The combination of factors created an oppressive wall of sand. They knew they couldn’t let anyone be caught in the aftermath when it inevitably broke through. In the meantime, it simply inched forward, eating up the territory a little bit at a time, seemingly satisfied with its dramatic and unavoidable procession.

Beyond the edges, the vibrant skyline of New York City was nothing but a hazy memory. Even the foundations of iconic landmarks were long gone, substituted with an apparatus of sand and mana that established an entirely different world. The Eradication Protocol depleted what was left of human civilization, wiping the slate clean with dunes made from golden grains. All of the construction was reconfigured into more sand, increasing the coverage of the enemy domain, turning all their developments against them in the end.

The nearby Brooklyn Bridge was next on the chopping block, already reduced to a set of decorative gothic arches on top of sturdy caissons, no longer providing any connection between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Soon it would be fully eroded away as well, consumed by the fine dust that hovered above the ground everywhere else. Thousands of years of erosion were applied at once, wielding the inevitability of time as a weapon against humanity. It was a fitting attack for an Icon named Inevitable Conclusion.

Outside of the shrinking shard territory, only the shape of Lady Liberty stood tall. She was shielded by a layer of thick ivy that may have already become freestanding after the erosion entered the territory of Neon Park. The leaves themselves were covered in sand, but either way, her shadow lived on. A dusted verdant crown and fist of hanging vines held to the sky was all that was left. The neutral plants had become her final ally, carrying the torch after she no longer could. It was a local demonstration of the dynamic playing out with life across the entire planet, where normal plants and animals were spared and left to bear witness to the apocalypse.

The last of the phantom ships assigned to Neon Park idled in the churning grey waters of the East River, waiting until the final seconds to disembark while Camila and Charlie held the line. Ahead of them was the monumental sandstorm that whirled high into the atmosphere, cloaking the millions of reptilian forces of mana that impatiently waited to throw themselves at the defenders.

Behind Camila, the last remnants of human civilization lingered in a pocket of tamed territory, centered on the abandoned civilization shard. It was a space that was tiny compared to its original breadth of the super settlement. The few defenders who had stood at the forefront of the assault until the end were loading themselves onto the phantom ships and heading south, leaving the last moments to the powerhouses from Ghost Reef. It was a dramatic change from the vast armies that had held strong in the previous days, weeks, and months, but the reduced size of the perimeter meant it was possible to close out with just the two of them.

When a four-legged lizard inched beyond the edge of sandstorm and into the diminishing Lighthouse territory, a powerful blast of wind halted its forward momentum. The gust practically lifted the oversized creature from the ground, forming a massive divot in the wall of sand while preventing its intended charge. Before it could unveil its aggression, it was fully neutralized.

A moment later, an angled bolt of jagged lightning snapped the monster’s gaping jaw shut as it was turned to golden ash. The blast of electric power barely needed any buildup to exceed the boss level monster. It was as clear a warning to the rest as they would ever receive.

With Charlie at her full capacity, Camila was able to search and observe, but it had been a while since they found anyone new. As much as she wished that was a sign that everyone had been able to escape safely, she would be naive to believe everything had gone perfectly.

A gritty film coated every surface as the second to last ship left with what had to be the final group of evacuees. Anyone else hiding in the deteriorating ruins was really risking exposure to excessive corruption, let alone execution by the forces of mana.

The thickness of the sand in what had once been secured territory was a sure sign that the Icon of Mana representing the so-called dragons was drawing close. Its roars still occasionally echoed across the region, though it had been silent for a few hours. Its suffocating presence was tangible in the way the red haze gradually incorporated a sandstorm of debris and pressed on the otherwise relatively secure Lighthouse territory. Its intention to scour them was impossible to ignore, even in the individual grains that snuck into the imperfect bubble of safety and swept forward.

A sense of frustration lingered in the back of Camila’s mind. Despite their best efforts, they were giving up on a major stronghold, and she really didn’t like it. The presence of the expanding sandstorm weighed on her, acting like a constant reminder of the ultimate power that was conquering Earth. It was so overwhelming, she was essentially powerless to stop it, like an ant in front of a flood. Her inability to hold it back right there on the last streets of Neon Park was proof enough. Losing the city was a significant blow to humanity as a whole, as it had been allocated the most resources of any of their strongholds across the world, even compared to Ghost Reef. She didn’t like what that said about their chances.

For all of their efforts, they only had a relatively trauma free evacuation to show for it. Months had gone by as they battled the hordes of reptilian invaders, but no matter how many they defeated, more eagerly pressed forward. In the grand scheme, with over a hundred years to go, they barely delayed their slide into hell. The Eradication Protocol was clearly never meant to be a prolonged effort. It was absolutely designed to complete its task in a matter of days or weeks, months at the most, but not years.

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It wasn’t only the number of enemies that proved overwhelming, but as time went on, the monsters continued to coalesce their power, evolving into higher forms that the average person struggled to compete with on an individual basis. There was no comparison to the smooth progression experienced by Primal Construct manifestations, as if the mechanism was distinct. The forces of mana were basically stretching their bodies and warming up while the planetary sponsor’s manifestations had to grow and evolve.

No amount of preparation could have readied them for the true strength of the forces of mana. It seemed like the Eradication Protocol had no concept of fairness. That individuals like her, Charlie, Platinum, and Neon could still fight was extraordinary, but even they could sense that it was only a matter of time before the combination of power and numbers would be unbearable. They’d be stretched thin before a year or two had passed.

As she adjusted her unique bracers, her thoughts drifted to the faces she had witnessed in the previous days.She remembered the terrified eyes of the soldiers of Neon Park as they slowly realized that no amount of teamwork, coordination, and enthusiasm would empower them to contend with the strongest of the charging lizards and the scaled generals that followed in their wake, surging on waves of sand. Then there were the overwhelmed expression of the medics and all the well-equipped members of the Lighthouse, returning from the empty sand streets that they swept for survivors one last time, calling out into the sandstorm for anyone left behind and not receiving any response other than the lizards’ hissing growls as the ambushes piled on. Everyone felt a heavy responsibility for the conflict that had arisen and the preparations that had led them there, settling deep in their chests, representing the weight of a city they thought still had a chance as they faced the second apocalypse, and ultimately realizing it was yet another loss.

All of the subordinate settlements and outposts in the region had consolidated into Neon Park, but their final holdout didn’t last nearly as long as they imagined. Just as the breakaway defenses barely held for days or weeks, they could only measure their resistance in months despite everything. That they avoided such a dramatic end where they were completely wiped out, instead loading up on the Tempest Fleet ships, was a small consolation when they had hoped to be fighting until the end.

Despite the grim reality, she clung to a sense of confidence in Ghost Reef. Losing Neon Park wasn’t the end. It was a strategic retreat, sacrificing a buffer zone so that humanity could gather its collective strength, but Camila couldn’t help frowning. It was a lot of pressure to place on the shoulders of the survivors and their relatively tiny island settlement. In the end, an entire world’s worth of enemies would be entirely focused on Ghost Reef if they couldn’t hold a single other shard.

“What do you think, Charlie?” Camila asked, in tune enough with the Aeromancer to know she was probably having even more anxious thoughts.

“We’re gonna have to leave soon.” Her timid friend answered. “I don’t know why these lizards are still holding back, but I don’t want to be here when they really start the last push. I don’t think I’d be able to block them long enough for us to leave.”

Camila nodded, agreeing completely. “At least we’ll have a little break while we sail down the coast.”

Charlie zapped another lizard and waited for the crackling in the air to slow before she responded. “I don’t think they’ll leave us alone even after we start running.”

“No, I don’t suppose they will.” Camila muttered in acceptance, unable to keep the last dash of optimism alive.

They continued inching backwards, witnessing the edge of the sandstorm creep forward and chew right through the brick apartment buildings that had held on throughout the assimilation inside settlement territory. Bits of paper, styrofoam, and insulation drifted in the clear air before dissolving as they touched the sandy domain.

Whenever a lizard poked a bit too far ahead, it caught a blast of lightning that sent a flash of illumination through the storm. They revealed glimpses of millions of shadows, all waiting for their turn, causing even the abnormally confident Camila to feel waves of anxiety.

The dragons weren’t a uniform set of enemies. They ranged from the size of a motorcycle to the size of a city bus, and those were the mere soldiers. They climbed over each other, with the lighter variants using their taller comrades to glide further across the sea of scales on primitive, inadequate wings. Every once in a while the building-sized individuals lumbered forward, each footstep splashing sand in all directions. If they needed to step ahead and become a wrecking ball for a particularly reinforced building, they did so happily. By the end, as the amount of territory standing in resistance shrank, the dragons revealed unnatural patience. She couldn’t help but find the hints of conscious thought in the lizards unnerving.

A crash of shattering glass pulled her attention from the sands, coming from one of the last buildings before they reached the riverside. Camila shifted to protect Charlie, clenching her fists while anticipating an individual reptilian, but to her surprise a bloodied human stumbled out of an adjacent door, features hidden by disheveled hair and a bit too much blood. She had been sure that everyone had evacuated, so it was an unexpected sight that had her taking a closer look as she rushed to help.

“What the hell?” Camila exclaimed. “Carlos?” She questioned as the person stumbled toward her and she prevented him from falling.

He was scratched and bloodied, with one of his arms almost completely gone. A tourniquet had been wrapped around his upper arm where it ended as a bloody cloth covered stump.

“Jesus! What happened?” She continued as she confirmed it was him and realized his pitiful state.

“Cici! Gabby needs help!” He shouted, surprisingly coherent for being such a mess as he stumbled forward.

“Where?” She demanded, rushing to catch him so that he wouldn’t fall at her feet.

“She’s with grandmother.” He pointed to the north, using his one good arm.

“How did this happen?” She repeated. “You should have evacuated at least two days ago?”

“There was an emergency, some people were caught in the storm. We were a little too slow getting back out.” He mumbled, wobbling a bit. “I think I need to sit down.” He concluded.

“Let’s get you to the ship. One of the phantoms is a medic.” Camila suggested, reaching for his good arm to throw it over her shoulder.

He feebly pushed her away. “No, no, you go save them. You have to go fast and I can still jump one more time. I’ll go to the ship, you go to grandmother.” He ordered, uncharacteristically decisive, leaving Camila in surprise at his coherence. She let him go, watching as he drifted backwards before falling into his shadow and disappearing to safety.

Camila and Charlie exchanged a look that encompassed an entire conversation, only possible due to their familiarity with each other.

“Go ahead.” Charlie spoke, acknowledging the necessity for speed while maintaining their current responsibility. “I’ll make sure the ship stays protected until you get back.”

Camila nodded at her, hesitating just a second before activating her skills, turning into a blur, and sprinting away.

The last phantom ship wasn’t quite visible, but they both knew it was there, waiting for Charlie and Camila before it left. Other than Carlos, there would be no other humans. Instead, an entire crew of loyal phantoms were defending the decks, manning cannons, and waiting for the Aeromancer to use her skills to send them on their way. It was thanks to Charlie that they could wait until the last second to leave. The entire reason it was there was for the final evacuation of any remaining survivors.

After Camila left, Charlie stood alone in the middle of a large intersection, where pockmarked pavement eroded into a drifting dune and buildings actively disintegrated. Her silhouette looked particularly small as she became the solitary figure meant to resist a wall of sand that hid innumerable enemies and already covered a fifth of the world’s landmass.