Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert
Chapter 363

Chapter 363

The dark elves awoke a full day after their brands had been removed.

“Gasp!”

“Ah… We’re still alive?”

Led by the female dark elf, the others opened their eyes one by one.

They looked around in a daze at first, then instinctively touched their necks as if realizing something.

“The brand… it’s gone?”

“This can’t be!”

“How…?”

The dark elves couldn’t hide their astonishment at the brand being completely erased without leaving a single scar.

The first to grasp the situation was the female dark elf.

She looked at Zeon and asked,

“Did you remove the brand?”

“It wasn’t me. Brielle did. If you want to thank someone, it should be her.”

At Zeon’s answer, the female dark elf turned to Brielle.

She stared at her for a moment, then her expression shifted to disbelief.

“Don’t tell me… Are you a High Elf?”

“Impressive that you noticed. Yes, I am.”

“What is your name, child of the noble lineage?”

“My name is Brielle. And yours?”

“I am Floa, as you can see, of the dark clan.”

“Alright, Floa. Guardian of the dark clan. How did you end up joining hands with the orcs?”

“We didn’t join hands. We were blackmailed—used against our will.”

“Did they have something on you?”

“The children of our clan are in their hands.”

“How did that happen?”

“While our warriors were out hunting, the orcs attacked and took over.”

Floa closed her eyes in shame.

For a dark elf to have their base overrun and be exploited by orcs—such humiliation could not be washed away.

Floa was the leader of the warriors among the dark elves.

The fact that she had failed to protect her people as their commander tormented her.

Brielle asked again,

“Weren’t there defenders left behind to guard the village?”

“There were.”

“And even so, they were overwhelmed by orcs?”

“There was… a traitor. He opened the gates for them.”

“Insane. An elf betraying their own kind?”

Brielle’s eyes trembled.

It was a hard truth to accept.

Among elves tainted by the human world, betrayal was common.

In Neo Seoul, such cases were frequent. Eli, the second-in-command of the northern district, was a prime example.

But in closed elf communities, betrayal was exceedingly rare.

To pure elves, fellow villagers were more than blood relatives.

To betray such bonds had happened only a few times in all of elven history.

“Who betrayed you?”

“It was Elder Karode, one of the village’s council.”

“Why?”

“He lost his daughter a year ago. He blamed us for her death.”

“So he sold his people to orcs?”

“He said we should suffer the same pain he did.”

“The world’s rotting, even the elves are going mad.”

Brielle shook her head.

Then Floa knelt on one knee before her.

“Floa of the dark clan humbly requests aid from Brielle of the noble lineage. I ask that you extend your hand and illuminate the darkness with the grace of your kind.”

She placed her right hand over her heart and held up her left palm for Brielle to see.

It was the highest show of respect a dark elf could give.

For a dark elf still part of a functioning tribe to offer such a gesture to another race was virtually unheard of.

It was a plea born of desperation.

The village, now under orc control, had become a ruin.

Countless dark elves were being trampled beneath orc feet and crying out in anguish.

Until now, there had been no way to fight back—because of the brands placed on them by Chuangka.

Not only the warriors, but all the dark elves in the village bore them.

They had no choice but to endure.

But now that Brielle had proven she could remove the brands, there was no reason to suffer any longer.

Brielle bit her lip gently and looked down at Floa.

She could feel the desperation in her plea.

As a High Elf, Brielle was of the noblest elven lineage.

With that nobility came great responsibility.

Among them was the duty to answer when other elves asked for help.

Brielle wanted to respond to Floa’s request.

But she hesitated—because of her identity.

“I’ve lost the right to call myself a High Elf… How could I help them like this?”

From the moment she left her village and was captured by humans, Brielle had forfeited her High Elf status.

Though her essence hadn’t changed, no elf would accept one who had been tainted by human hands.

That’s why Brielle couldn’t easily say yes to Floa’s plea.

Her gaze turned to Zeon.

Whenever she faced an important decision, she always looked to him.

He had always guided her toward the right path.

As if reading her thoughts, Zeon nodded.

That gave Brielle the courage she needed.

She looked Floa in the eyes and declared,

“I, Brielle of the High Elf lineage, accept the plea of Floa of the dark clan. Your enemy shall be mine, and together we shall face the storm.”

It was the oath of a High Elf.

Such an oath could never be revoked or retracted.

It must be upheld.

Since Floa had asked in earnest, Brielle responded in kind.

Floa rose to her feet and said,

“Thank you… for granting a selfish request.”

“Do you know where the children are being held?”

“I do. I’ve known for a while. We just couldn’t act because of the brands.”

Floa touched her neck.

She still felt as though the brand was there, though her skin was smooth and unmarked.

It had been so long since her neck felt this free.

At that moment, Zeon asked Floa,

“Why were the orcs after the Armored Ant eggs?”

“They said it was for a potion.”

“A potion?”

“I don’t know what kind. That repulsive orc never shared such details.”

Floa looked apologetic.

She had asked for help, yet couldn’t offer any useful information.

Zeon smiled.

“No need to apologize. We’ll just ask Chuangka directly.”

“Thank you.”

“As I said, the thanks should go to Brielle. Everything that’s happened is because of her decision.”

“Understood.”

Floa nodded.

Zeon then crumbled the sand that had blocked the entrance to the cave.

“After being in here so long, I need some air. Let’s go out.”

“Wow, I never thought I’d be this happy to see the sun again.”

Levin was the first to step outside, stretching as he emerged.

Zeon, Brielle, and the dark elves followed after.

Floa turned to Zeon and said,

“I’ll lead you to our village.”

“Please do.”

“Alright.”

Floa nodded, then looked to her fellow dark elves.

Now freed from their brands, their faces were filled with resolve.

Floa and her group led the way, followed by Zeon, Brielle, and Levin.

Zeon spoke to Brielle.

“Watch how they move.”

“Why?”

“They’ve adapted to the desert. You might learn something as a fellow elf.”

“Got it.”

Brielle answered with determination.

Then Levin chimed in,

“What about me?”

“You’re not going to get much out of it.”

“Why not?”

“As I said, it’s a movement technique only elves can master.”

“Oh… what a waste.”

“If things get tough, you can just go ghost and fly off. Don’t be greedy.”

“Hehe! Just joking. I actually agree with you.”

Levin laughed.

What he needed most right now wasn’t another race’s techniques, but to refine his own abilities.

Still, he couldn’t help being curious.

Zeon wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t worth noting.

Levin stared intently at the dark elves’ backs.

Their pace gradually quickened.

Leaning forward slightly, they pushed against the wind in small, swift steps.

At a glance, they didn’t look fast.

But in reality, they were moving at incredible speed.

It was hard to keep up just walking normally.

And yet their breathing never faltered.

Walking through sand that sinks past the ankles consumes a huge amount of stamina.

Even top-level Awakened often collapsed after just an hour or two of movement.

But the dark elves showed no change in expression as they sprinted through the desert.

Their faces remained calm, as if walking on flat ground.

After watching for a while, Brielle discovered the reason.

“They’re all focusing mana in their soles.”

Elves also use mana, just like human Awakened.

But their method is more refined and efficient—thanks to generations of handling pure mana.

The desert-adapted dark elves had developed a unique technique for movement.

It was called Wind Walking, and only passed down among dark elves who lived in desert tribes.

Those from broken clans had no way to learn it.

That’s why this was Brielle’s first time seeing it.

Leaning slightly forward to reduce wind resistance, shortening stride length, and increasing step frequency—this prevented them from sinking into the sand.

At the same time, they created a cushion of mana at the soles of their feet.

The mana cushion allowed them to move quickly across the sand.

Children born in the village were always taught this skill.

The concept was simple enough once understood, but not everyone could learn it.

First, one had to be light.

Second, one had to be able to efficiently control mana.

Third, one needed the stamina of a warrior.

Without meeting these three criteria, mastering Wind Walking was impossible.

Zeon also knew about it.

But he hadn’t learned it—because he had Sandstep, the ultimate skill of a sand mage.

There was no need to learn a technique that didn’t suit him.

But Brielle was different.

She didn’t yet have a proper movement skill.

That’s why she struggled whenever they traveled across the desert.

She could ride Gaia if necessary, but sometimes that wasn’t an option.

For Brielle, Wind Walking was essential.

Luckily, she grasped the core idea immediately.

“Is this how it’s done?”

She mimicked the dark elves—leaning forward, shortening her stride, and speeding up her steps.

That part she could manage.

The problem was the mana cushion.

She could send mana to her feet, but couldn’t keep it condensed.

Even when she managed to form a cushion, it would vanish after a few steps.

She lost her balance and fell into the sand repeatedly.

“Pffft! Ugh, gross.”

“Take my hand.”

Floa offered her hand as Brielle spat out sand.

Brielle gave her a curious look, and Floa said,

“You’ll never be able to master Wind Walking like that. You need help.”

“Alright.”

Brielle took her hand without hesitation.

Floa pulled her along and said,

“I’ll help. Remember this feeling.”

Mana from Floa flowed into Brielle through their joined hands.

It traveled through her legs, reaching her soles.

Instead of being released, the mana circled several times below her ankles.

That’s where the transformation happened.

The normally dispersive mana thickened like sticky rice cake.

At that moment, Brielle had a profound realization.

‘So this is the true core of Wind Walking.’