This is basically a side story to The Mark of Destiny trilogy. It can be ready in its own, or following the trilogy. It's also quite a bit darker, hehe.

Strong gusts of wind kicked up sand. The rays of the sun beat down on all traversing the Ashen Wastes. It was hot and dry, and the desert was littered with remains from those that had met their end. Most learned to avoid the wasteland entirely, but there were some who braved it despite the dangers.

A young woman sat idly against the massive rib bone of an unknown beast, an open book on her lap. Her skin was tanned from the amount of sun it was exposed to. Hair as black as night was tied together and trailed down her shoulder and almost reached her hip. She wore a long, plain white dress with brown sandals on her feet. Eyes as green as emeralds scanned the words on the pages before her. She was so absorbed in the tales that she failed to notice the creepy crawly inching closer to her toes.

A knife suddenly came down, striking through the scorpion and causing the girl to jump in surprise. She looked down at the arachnid, then followed the arm wielding the blade until she met the rounded face and confident grin of her younger brother.

She frowned at him and slammed her book shut. "Do you mind? I'm trying to read."

The boy sheathed his knife and placed his hands on his hips triumphantly. "But I saved you! I killed that vile creature that was about to attack you!"

His sister looked down at the dead scorpion. "Ah yes, you rescued me from this vicious scorpion," she replied in a sarcastic tone. "Judging by its size, the sting would've caused some discomfort, but nothing more."

"Come on, Ophelia! Can't you at least try to play along?! I'm going to be the next hunter and protector of the family, you know!"

Ophelia rolled her eyes at him. "You killed a scorpion, Leander. That's not exactly something worthy of taking Dad's place. He might've given you his lucky knife, but that doesn't mean you're ready for that much responsibility." She nodded her head past him to the children running and playing by the wagon. "All of them will be looking up to you once you're in charge. You'll have to offer guidance and protection. Do you really think you can do that?"

The group of children were all siblings and cousins, all younger than Ophelia and Leander with heads of black hair just like them. There were two women preparing snacks with the rations they had. That was their mother and their aunt, responsible for caring for the children and making meals and sewing clothes. Then there was a lone man over by the oxen, grooming and watering the animals while occasionally pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow. That was their father, strong and brave. He was in charge of navigating and getting everyone safely from one place to another.

The child hung his head sadly. "I guess not..." He met her gaze once more. "But one day, I will. I'll learn how to fight and hunt. I'll learn all the safe routes. I'll keep everyone safe."

Ophelia smiled. "I don't doubt that. You've got the determination, that's for sure." She picked up the dead scorpion between her thumb and forefinger. "Now, how about a snack?" She snatched his dagger from its sheath and cut off the stinger, then sliced the arachnid in half before returning the blade to his hip.

Leander eagerly accepted half of it, watching her plop it into his open hand. "Thanks, Sis."

He opened his mouth to shovel the snack in, but Ophelia was quick to place a hand over his half of the scorpion. "Leander, we mustn't forget our prayer." The boy nodded, silently mouthing an 'oh'. He copied his sister and closed his eyes. "Great Goddess of Death, thank you for providing this sustenance. In death, there is life."

The pair then chomped down on the scorpion, its carapace causing an audible crunch with each bite. Ophelia rose to her feet, dusting the sand from her dress before picking up her book. She smiled and ruffled the boy's messy hair, then lightly poked his chubby belly.

"Let's go before everyone starts eating without us."

The siblings rejoined their family by the wagon. Their mother and their aunt had put together a meal of bread with fruit jam and honey. It was simple but considering they could only carry things that wouldn't easily spoil, it was pretty good and kept everyone from going hungry. Ophelia had just finished her bread when her father came over to her with a kind smile.

"Ophelia, could you make sure your grandmother's eaten while I get the oxen ready to go? You know how she is."

His daughter nodded. "Of course, Dad. I need to return her book anyway."

"That's my girl."

Taking a slice of bread slathered in honey balancing it on top of the book, Ophelia carefully climbed into the back of the covered wagon. It wasn't the biggest wagon, and at night, everyone had to squeeze in to sleep. But it provided shelter, that was the important thing. It was just big enough for them all and their supplies. Seated inside at that moment was an elderly woman with a small deck of cards scattered in front of her. She appeared so focused on the cards and the meaning behind them that she barely noticed her granddaughter climb in.

"Grandma, I brought you a snack," Ophelia spoke up, earning the old woman's attention. "And I brought back your book as well."

Her grandmother smiled wide, graciously accepting both things. "Thank you, dear." She set the book in the stack with the others, then took a bite of bread, her eyes returning to the cards.

Ophelia crawled closer to sit next to the old woman. "What do you see, Grandma?"

"I see...something extraordinary..." She suddenly grasped onto Ophelia's hand, squeezing it tight. "Overcoming death... The Blood Tree withers... One fated to die... The Mark of Death..."

The young woman jerked her hand away, startled by the ominous rambles of her elder. "G-Grandma, what are you talking about? You're scaring me."

Her grandmother met her gaze only to smile. "Whatever do you mean, dear?" She took another bite of her bread as if nothing had happened.

That wasn't the first time Ophelia had witnessed her grandmother doing or saying something strange. The old woman often had a way of predicting things. Her father had even told her before that his mother had always had a knack for predicting things through her cards. But it was the first time she'd heard her say something so alarming.

"Everyone, get ready to go!"

The booming voice of her father snapped Ophelia from her thoughts. She crawled out of the back of the wagon, leaving her grandmother inside like always. The man of the family was up front to guide the oxen, a whip in hand. His wife and his sister were both near the back of the wagon with the children. Once he saw that everyone was present and accounted for, Ophelia's father cracked the whip and got the oxen moving. Sand was kicked up by the wheels, and everyone steadily sped up to walk alongside the wagon.

That was how almost every day went for nomads like them. Constant walking - traversing the land of Nocuous. It was dangerous, though even more so if they were to stay in one place. There wasn't a single location that could really be called "safe" other than the capital city Prominence. But that was how the nomads preferred it. Hiding behind walls and living under the thumb of the rich wasn't a life they wanted. And being hunters was just as hazardous a life. So, they chose to walk that path with only their families and their survival skills to aid them. Their reverence for the Goddess Morana was also a part of their lifestyle, and they believed she gave them protection for their faith.

Leander slowed his pace to walk alongside his big sister. "Ophelia, are you okay? You're quieter than usual."

The girl looked down at the shorter boy, forcing a small smile. "I'm fine. Just lost in my thoughts."

She was hesitant to tell him what was really on her mind. Her grandmother's words repeated over and over in her head. For some sign of proof of the old woman's rambles, Ophelia looked northwest. Even at that distance, the Blood Tree stood tall over the land, dark and foreboding. It looked no different than any other time she saw it. That massive tree was believed to sustain all of Nocuous, and without it, the land would decay and die. Surely it wasn't capable of withering like a frail little flower. Yet Ophelia couldn't keep from pondering over what her grandmother's premonition could mean.

After a couple of hours of walking, the wagon abruptly stopped. The two oxen up front began to snort and stomp their hooves. Something was making them nervous. Ophelia noticed her mother, aunt, siblings, and cousins all murmuring to each other, baffled by the sudden pause in their journey.

"Stay here and keep the children together," she softly told Leander before steadily walking to the front of the wagon. "Dad, why did we..." She trailed off when she saw what the man was looking at. "Oh no..."

Not far ahead of them was a group of large rocks shooting up from the ground and towards the sky. But what was alarming were the giant serpents swimming about in the sand around the stones. They were longer than the wagon in length and thick enough around to swallow an ox whole. Tan scales covered their bodies, and elongated spines laid flat against the length of their backs. Specialized gills on the sides of their necks filtered out sand that got into their mouths and noses. Their snouts were narrow and made for burrowing, but their maws were filled with sharp teeth.

"Ophelia, tell everyone to remain quiet and calm," her father told her in a hushed voice. "We need to backtrack."

The girl almost immediately took hold of his arm, her eyes glued to the creatures circling the rocks like vultures. "But where are we going to go? We always take this route." She was trying hard to keep from panicking. "Wyrms never venture through this area...so why now?"

Her father took her by the shoulders, shaking her lightly to get her attention. "I don't know, but we can't continue forward like this. We need to go back and find a different path."

"But if we do that, we might run out of water before we can leave the Ashen Wastes. We'll dehydrate out here."

"We'll just have to take that chance," he told her, the frustration evident in his eyes. "Now come on. We need to let everyone know and turn the wagon around."

Ophelia's gaze went back to the serpent creatures out in the sand. What are they doing here? she asked herself. There are never wyrms on this route. Are they hunting? Did something else drive them out of their territory? She wasn't aware of her surroundings with her focus on those beasts. Staring at the rock spires, she shielded her eyes from the sun to get a better look. Perhaps it was the heat causing her to see things, or maybe she imagined it entirely, but she could've sworn she saw movement along those stones.

"Everyone, move!" her father's voice quietly called. Upon looking back, he had already turned the oxen around and the rest of the family was sticking close together out of fear. "Ophelia, let's go! We can't linger or the wyrms will hear us!"

With a nod, the girl turned to follow them. She gave the scene one last look, hoping to spot something out of place again. There was nothing out of the ordinary other than the wyrms circling about. Taking a step, she completely froze upon feeling a rumble beneath her feet. Her eyes darted down to the sand, and she took a sharp intake of air at the realization.

"Watch out!"

Ophelia looked up to see her father sprinting toward her. Just as the sand started to sink in under her, the man shoved her, sending her tumbling away. In the next instant, the sand gave way to a large maw of teeth that clamped down around her father. Terrified shrieks erupted from the children, and the man could only scream in agony before he was pulled under the sand. All that was left of him were red stains painting the ground.

"No..." Ophelia jumped to her feet. "Daaad!" Tears started pouring from her eyes, but she didn't have time to grieve.

The oxen began moving, bellowing with fear in their attempt to escape the danger. The two women gathered up the children, the youngest ones forced into the moving wagon where it was safest.

"Ophelia, we have to go! The rest of the wyrms are coming!"

Her mother's shouts were what forced her legs in motion. She started running to catch up with the others. However, she couldn't move fast enough. The shifting of the sand and the growls closing in behind her had her heart thumping. She dared to look back, seeing the large heads and the sharp spines breaching the sand like the fins of sharks. Ophelia suddenly stumbled, tripping and falling forward on the ground. She whimpered, expecting a pair of jaws to snap down on her at any moment. But they never came. She looked up from her position in the sand only to see the wyrms chasing after the rest of her family. The sand-dwellers were easily attracted by sound, so of course they were homing in on the source of the screaming and the stomping of feet.

By the time Ophelia had picked herself up, chaos had already ensued. Wyrms were circling like a pack of wolves around their prey. Two of them swam toward the wagon with their spines standing on end, slicing right through the wood and tearing it to pieces. The children and the elderly woman inside were sent flying out, though one of the kids was unlucky enough to be sliced through by the spines. The oxen were swiftly torn to shreds and gobbled up by a trio of wyrms. The two women tried their best to protect some of the children, and even Leander tried his best to fight back with his dagger, but their efforts were in vain. One by one, every one of them were torn apart or devoured. Ophelia was frozen in place, unable to make herself move. The combined feelings of horror, distress, and devastation overwhelmed her.

As swiftly as they had appeared, the wyrms vanished beneath the sands. There was blood and debris everywhere, and even a few limbs. Ophelia's eyes were wide and overflowing with tears. She shambled forward, looking around for some sign of life, and her stomach churned every time she saw a splatter of blood or a random arm or leg. She wanted to pinch herself in hopes that it was all just a nightmare she could wake up from. But there was no waking up from the reality of what occurred. She started to break down in a fit of sobs and dropped to her knees, trembling all over.

A soft groan caught her ears, making her pause. She looked around desperately for the origin of the noise. That's when she saw the ripped cover from the wagon laying on the ground, something moving under it. Ophelia got up and ran over to it, lifting it up to see the only other survivor of the attack.

"Grandma?" The girl gently reached down to help her grandmother to a sitting position. "Are you okay? By the Goddess, I can't believe you're alive!" She pulled the old woman into a hug, being careful of the bruises she'd sustained.

"Dear Ophelia..." Her grandmother lightly pushed her back so she could look her in the eyes. "Do not shed your tears. The others are with Morana now."

"How can you be so calm about this?" the girl cried. "They're all dead! We're all alone! What are we supposed to do now?!"

Her grandmother took her by the shoulders. "We can only do what we have always done - survive. For the sake of our family, we must always push on." Ophelia continued to cry, causing her to smile sadly. "I have watched many of my children pass over the years, whether it be from illness or monsters. Death is just a part of life. It's something we must all accept. That is the way of people like us."

"People...like us?" Ophelia sniffled, trying to understand her grandmother's point of view.

There was a growl from behind her that caused her to flinch and turn her head. A wyrm was creeping up on them, perhaps a straggler searching for scraps the others left behind. Ophelia hugged the old woman as a means of trying to shield her from the danger. The snarling maw of the beast inched closer and closer, but it suddenly hissed and burrowed, disappearing. Ophelia remained still, refusing to turn around when another sound caught her ears. A rattling noise resounded around them, causing her to tense up and bury her face into her grandmother's shoulder. She felt the old woman gently hold her, wrapping her frail arms around the younger female.

"Everything will be all right," the elder whispered. "You will survive. It is not your time yet, Ophelia, for the Goddess has told me so."

Her grip on her granddaughter loosened, and after a brief moment, there was a faint crackling followed by a cold hardness replacing the warmth of the old woman. Ophelia slowly picked her head up, gasping when she was met with a stone form of her grandmother in front of her.

"G-Grandma...?"

She slowly placed her hands on the old woman's wrinkled cheeks. Her whole body was grey and hard as rock. A permanent smile was etched on the statue's face. Just moments ago, she was warm to the touch, and suddenly she was as cold as a stone in a river.

"Turned to stone..." Ophelia mumbled, still stunned. "But there's only one creature capable of..." Her eyes widened slightly. "What I saw on the rocks was..."

Something suddenly wrapped around her leg, yanking her away from the statue. She yelped, squeezing her eyes shut. Her whole body was swiftly encircled by smooth, warm scales. Carefully, she took brief peeks at the creature to confirm her fears. It was a gorgon. The brown, diamond-patterned scales and the rattle on the tail was just like that of a rattlesnake. The top half of the monster was shaped like a human woman, but scales covered what would be skin. A very feminine face glared at Ophelia, fangs protruding from her lips. A head covered in snakes was creating an uproar with their hissing.

Ophelia could only squirm to try and free herself from the coils of the gorgon. The rattling of the monster's tail was almost deafening, yet she kept her eyes shut to avoid the petrifying gaze of the snake. That defiance alone angered the gorgon, and she hissed furiously. The muscular coils began to constrict around the girl, causing her to choke and gasp for air. She could actually feel the gorgon's face draw closer to hers, as if waiting for her eyes to open. But she refused to open them, even when she felt lightheaded from the air being squeezed from her lungs.

With an enraged scream, the gorgon did the most unexpected thing. She dove in and sank her fangs into the human's shoulder. Ophelia's eyes snapped open, and she shrieked with surprise and pain. As if to add to the agony, the gorgon's head of snakes latched onto her as well. Dozens of pairs of fangs pierced her flesh all along her neck, arm, chest, even the side of her face. The venom injected into her body made her head spin and her heart race. She almost went into a seizure before her vision went completely black and everything went numb.

The Mark of Death is now available on numerous digital stores, and along with the first trilogy now, is also available physically with print on demand! Hope you check it out!