A great nothingness surrounds us.

The fine sand was blown across our faces by the hot wind of the desert.

My friend walked as far forward as she could, her sun-kissed face obscured by the loose fabric. At first, I didn't understand the reason why she wrapped herself up. After all, why would you want to cover your face from the sun?

- But now I understand.

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

Experience Points: 261/450

Here, in this place, the sun is much more than overly generous.

The only plants we saw, if any, were dry shrubs. I don't know how they grew up here, let alone from birth to death, but it seems like they did.

It's hot.

It's much hotter here than in the dry heath of my and Birch's hometown, the other side of the world, on the other side of the great river.

-[Sunflower]-

You will die in {9 If you can't find water, it will take a few hours.

Well.

It's really troublesome.

I'd love to drink some water right away. But there is no water in sight.

I turned my head to the left and saw nothing but sand.

I turned my head to the right and saw nothing but sand.

Oh.

There is no way around it.

I tucked the petals and leaves in and hid them behind Birch's head.

For a moment, I wanted to dig into her body and drink her wet blood. But I decided not to.

She must be thirsty too, and it would be unkind for me to drink the water from her body.

We hid.

There are others ahead of us.

There are five of them.

They are of the same kind as her, and they are going in the same direction as us.

And yet they haven't seen us yet.

At one point, I doubted that Birch would try to get their attention. But she didn't.

I can understand that. In the past, her contact with her peers has not been smooth. I wonder why? They seem to be social animals, don't they? But Birch always leaves them.

My friend is like a bird without a flock.

Sad.

Don't worry, Birch. You will always have me.

(Sunflower) Activation: (Photosy

thebiosis)

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

EXP: 263/450 EXP (Birch): 06/310

We survived the first day of the Great Desert. In this case, "surviving" is an applicable term.

I would say that we have "thrived".

- But we didn't.

-[Sunflower]-

You will die in {2 If you can't find water, it will take a few hours.

The sunset here is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. However, in a way that I was most reluctant to admit, I was glad that the sun had left to start a new day.

- And that's a good thing.

We can learn from this.

I'm a growing sunflower.

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

Experience Points: 268/450 EXP (Birch): 11/310

"Hey, look," Birch muttered, staring at a strange thing in front of us.

A plant. It is large, green and stands out from the desert landscape.

Birch slides down the huge soft sand dunes and heads towards the next one.

What a strange plant it was to her. It's green, tall, and has two arms, just like my friend. It's hairy, like my friend.

She poked.

It poked her in the back.

- Not literally, of course.

(Opuntia Stechitus)

A cactus. It is an exceptionally hardy plant that thrives in the arid lands of the world. Its roots are deeply rooted in the soil, absorbing and storing large amounts of water.

Yes.

It was a very lucky turn for a sunflower as smart as me.

Birch grabbed her knife.

It seems that our search has been successful once again.

She plunged into its flesh and cut off large chunks of its body. Precious water dripped from its flesh like blood.

Life is a gift.

The desert is one of the most beautiful places.

However, it is deadly.

It was far more deadly than anywhere we've been before.

No monster will hunt us down.

There are no predators who will take us for food.

We have not encountered external threats.

It's just the land itself.

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

XP: 269/450 EXP (Birch): 12/310

The desert is like the world itself, a great entity that has decided that it has had enough of life and has decided to wipe it out completely.

-But.

Birch crouched down and watched as a lizard scurried across the land.

(Birch) Use: [Ambient Energy Wave]

Soul: 18/23

(The desert thorn lizard) is dead

Nature delivers.

Another cactus.

We are grateful.

The lizard provided my friend with its flesh, and its blood provided me with water and minerals.

But Birch and I are growing.

I'm growing into a ripe sunflower, big and beautiful.

She is growing into an adult female of the same type, big and beautiful.

These things all need nutrition. These things need moisture.

Thank you, cactus.

I will remember the taste of your precious juice for the rest of my life.

Another day passed, and another cactus passed.

If our luck continues, we will easily cross the desert.

Well...

"Easy" is a relative word.

Birch fights with every step she takes, and the desert wrestles with her, stopping her from advancing. Her body, though light, still sank into the soft sand of cotton. The wind blew against her, as if no one could cross the desert. The sun basks on us, punishes us for our arrogance, punishes us for wanting to find the place where it sleeps.

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

EXP: 277/450 EXP: 20/310

Nature is fighting us like never before.

But I, myself, can easily cross the desert.

- After all, I can only sit here. Birch takes care of everything.

What a life.

Our third day in the desert was over, and we camped near the fourth cactus.

We have yet to reap the bounty of its water and flesh and save it for the day to come.

The nights were cold. It was colder than anywhere we've been. They are even colder than in a boat, in the big water.

Birch had no way to make a fire here, but curled up on my trunk and wrapped in her layers of clothes, which she took off from her face and bag and put on her back when the sun went down.

I did my best to wrap my roots around her. But they have little effect on its warmth.

I couldn't hold on to the sand here, so I crushed it into lumps. It's too thin and soft.

Oh.

I looked at the cactus and stretched out my roots to catch it.

The three of us are all we can do, right?

The cactus is screaming.

How unusual.

Birch didn't hear, I took back my roots, not interested in anyone breaking the silence of the night.

What a rude thing to do.

Please don't wake up my friend.

I quieted the cactus.

We spent the fourth day in this barren wasteland, Birch munching on the juicy flesh of the cactus left over from the previous night as he walked.

It looks like it's supposed to be a place where no one can survive this long, but here we are.

Fate has guided us well. Like the previous days, we climbed over many dunes and hills. We always look west, towards heaven.

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

Experience Points: 279/450 EXP (Birch): 22/310

Something came into our field of vision in the distance.

A cactus.

- Or, a "cactus".

She and I walked towards it, and we found ourselves staring at the man, who was just standing there, his arms outstretched, raised to the sky, as if praying.

It is one of five of its kind that we saw when we first entered the desert.

He stood there, scorched by the sun, dried by the heat, his breath stolen by the tiny, searing sand of the moor.

Like the other four companions, his body was shrouded in death.

His body should have sunk into the sand a few hours ago, but now it stood upright, motionless.

He almost looked like a cactus.

- Haha.

Birch chewed as she looked down at the wet red lump of flesh in her hand, then looked up at the man, who she didn't see was a man.

My roots, through the base of her neck, into her skull, into her eyes and senses, don't let her think so.

To Birch, my dearest friend, he looks like a cactus.

She raised her knife and prepared to get us some more "water".

I am a sunflower that supports you.

A day passed, and we came to the end of the desert. It couldn't have come at a better time.

We don't have cacti anymore.

Birch knelt on the oasis we had arrived. Green, lush, fertile meadows stretch out in all directions. Sparse and tall trees dot the lush, damp landscape.

There is real water and fruit here.

I think we'll stay here for a while, nourish ourselves with the moist treasures here, and then continue our journey.

I'd say Birch should be resting in the shade.