Page 77 of Sins of His Wrath

"Phase two." His voice had a grim quality that hadn't been there yesterday. "The demand for magical artifacts grew. The Sy Dynasty pushed for more production, more innovation." His voice was flat, stripped of emotion. "They became fixated on creating more powerful enchantments, more complex tools."

Thennirae'ssteady pace continued, jutting rocks giving way to a flat expanse. In the distance, the skeletal remains of a settlement emerged from the haze of heat. Naya could make out collapsed structures—stone foundations, crumbling walls, the occasional pillar standing in defiance of time and destruction. Beyond it, a forest of dead trees stretched toward the horizon—twisted, blackened silhouettes against the pale sky, their branches gnarled and curled.

"The Sy began pushing the boundaries of what was possible with magic," Akoro continued, his chest pressed against her back as they rode. "Traveling to places in the blink of an eye, flying, bringing the dead back to life… They didn’t all work, but enchantments grew increasingly complex, requiring more power, more control."

"And the wild magic?" Naya asked, unable to tear her eyes from the approaching ruins.

"It began to respond." His voice darkened, his body tensing behind her. "All of the boundaries of the Sands began to shift. The map you saw was from before phase three. But once magic became disrupted, the map was no longer accurate. The Nnin-kaa Sands were obviously the most dangerous. When it began shifting, creeping closer to Tsashokra, places that had never known wild magic began experiencing disturbances."

Thenniraeslowed slightly as they approached a particularly rocky stretch. Akoro's arms tightened around her, steadying her against the jostling motion.

"The Vos and Qor families saw what was happening—how the magical boundaries were weakening, how the land itself seemed to resist the increasingly powerful enchantments. They warned the Sy Dynasty that they were tampering with forces beyond their control."

"They didn't listen," Naya said quietly, feeling the tension in his body.

"No." Akoro's voice dropped to a dangerous growl, his breath warm against her neck. "They had grown too powerful to be checked. There were huge clashes between the families, Vos and Qor trying to stop Sy from continuing. But Sy was now the most powerful dynasty. They had the kind of wealth no one could even dream of at that time. They had wealthy customers outside of the region, and they used the tools as weapons, to spy on others. They believed their mastery over magic made them untouchable."

Thenniraecrested a small rise, giving them a clearer view of the devastation ahead—a once-thriving village reduced to ruins, surrounded by a forest of dead, twisted trees. The sight was a stark illustration of his words, a physical manifestation of hubris and its consequences.

"They were very wrong," he said.

Thenniraeslowed to a halt at the edge of what must have once been the village square. Akoro dismounted, then lifted Naya off. The ruins seemed more ominous up close—broken walls and collapsed roofs, all covered in a fine layer of sand and ash.

Naya looked from the dead trees back to the village ruins, taking in the scale of destruction. "What happened here?"

Akoro's gaze drifted across the village. "Phase three.”

“Thennin-eellithi,” Naya whispered.

Akoro shot her a look, then led the way through the debris-strewn paths of the ruined village, his broad shoulders tense, his steps measured and careful. Naya followed, picking her way over fallen stones and half-buried timbers, her feet sliding along the ground.

“If you cannot be careful, I will carry you again.”

Naya glanced up, and he paused, looking at her, stern and unrelenting.

She scowled at him. “Just tell me about phase three. I have questions I need to ask.”

Akoro made a growling sound at the back of his throat and continued, coming to a stop before the remnants of what might have been a dwelling. Only the foundation remained, with a partial wall rising from one corner like a broken tooth. He crouched, running his fingers through the sand-coated stone.

"It happened quickly," he said, his voice low. "A magical disaster of unprecedented scale."

Naya knelt beside him, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. "What kind of disaster?"

His eyes met hers, dark and haunted. "The Sy Dynasty had created their most powerful artifact yet—a device that could harness and redirect the energies of the Nnin-kaa Sands themselves. They believed it would give them absolute control over all magic in the region."

He stood abruptly, striding toward another structure. Naya hurried to keep pace with him.

"What went wrong?" she asked.

Akoro gestured to a blackened patch of ground where nothing grew, not even the sparse vegetation that had taken root elsewhere in the ruins. "You can't control what you don't understand. The artifact failed catastrophically. It broke the boundaries of the Nnin-kaa Sands."

Naya shook her head horrified. “They drew the wild magic out of the Nnin-Kaa Sands?”

“It destroyed most of the region,” he pointed toward the dead forest, "that was once a thriving woodland. After the surge, wild magic flooded through everything, warping the land, destroying settlements. Entire areas became uninhabitable within hours."

“It looks like the one you took me to before,” Naya said, staring at it.

“This one happened earlier.”

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