The sound of music filled your ears, with the buzzing noise of a busy street added to it. People talking and laughing loudly, before footsteps echoed in the room where you were resting. You guessed the person must have closed a window because the sound was immediately muffled and tuned down. You blinked a few times, adjusting your eyes at the brightness of the room.

They met a sandy colored ceiling filled with red floral patterns above you, and they slowly wandered around the room. Three beds in total, if you also counted the one you were laid on. It was heavily decorated with a red carpet and large curtains that adorned the corners of the room. Few furniture were added also, with a golden crest encrusted in them : the shape of a turtle with a lily drawn in the center of its shell.

"You're finally awake, Van'assam" a deep and rich voice resonated from your right.

You blinked, and directed your gaze at a tall and beautiful woman. Her red hair was pulled into a ponytail, the curls falling wonderfully behind her back. Your eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as they traveled to observe every detail of her dark-skinned body, noticing the hard abs she possessed. Years of training, that was for sure, and you guessed that she was some kind of warrior with the armor she was wearing. An amused glint passed in her orange eyes as you gulped heavily, and she opened her mouth to let out a chuckle.

"It's your first time in meeting a sand amazonian, huh?" the woman inquired, and you gazed at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry, but...Where am I?" you wondered.

"Welcome in Mona, the main town of Bilal Kingdom" she answered, hands folding on her hips.

"B-Bilal Kingdom?! We're already here?!" you exclaimed in awe, before your expression turned worried when you didn't see Coco. "W-Where's Coco-san? Have you seen him?"

"You mean the Van'assir? He's currently in a cell until we figure out his intentions for coming here"

The warrior explained in details what happened at the Sacred Opal and the mission she was entrusted with. The bar was a business independent to the Bilal Kingdom, situated around 20 km from Mona. At first, it was believed they were a simple business delivering exotic drinks and giving shelter to the travelers hoping to reach the Bilal Kingdom the next day of their journey. The kingdom wasn't aware of the dangerous and shady trades going on, but they decided to investigate and take a closer look when they heard the rumor of a renowned group of bandits staying there: the Serpents Siblings.

Halil and Aqila had their own wanted posters in the city, and they were tracked down by the sand amazonian for years. Until to this day.

"It's thanks to you and that Van'assir that we found out their hideout, with the help of Talib" smiled the sand amazonian.

"Talib?..."

As if on cue, the Sun Fennec with the red fur and the blue eyes jumped on top of the woman's shoulder. He released an happy chirp, landing on the bed and dancing on the covers.

"He told me that you saved him from a Whitesand-Sandworm, you and the Van'assir" continued the warrior. "You have my deepest gratitude, Van'assam"

"So his name is Talib?" you mused, petting the creature's ears. "And you're his owner?"

"Talib is part of our army, surveying and tracking down his targets. And once he does, he alerts us with a call we can hear a thousand meters away from his position. He was tasked to find the Serpent Siblings, leading us to their hideout at the Sacred Opal"

"What about them? Are they also in a cell here?"

"No. They will be sent back in their country to be judged there. Else the Serpent Siblings would immediately get the death sentence. Using the red powder and the toxic spores of Gilamesh is a sacrilege in Bilal..." she frowned, scowling.

"The red powder..." you breathed, frowning too.

"But no do not fret over our problems. You are a guest here, after all" the woman smiled. "My name is Naboris, commander of the sand amazonian and the army of Bilal"

"Naboris" you tasted her name on your tongue, finding it enjoyable. "It's a pretty name. Mine is (y/n), and I'm a chef at Hotel Gourmet"

"Chef, huh? And what's bring you here to our city? A simple travel? I don't suppose so if you brought a Van'assir with you"

"What does it exactly mean? Van-something...?" you arched an eyebrow, causing Naboris to let out a musical laugh.

"Van'assir means 'man of the outside', just like Van'assam means 'woman of the outside'..." the commander explained. "Because of our traditions, men are forbidden to enter Bilal unless they get the authorization of our old matriarch, Aisha the Fifth. That Van'assir was stubborn on leaving you in the city, so we had no choice but to imprison him..."

"O-Oh, he's my combo partner" you tried to explain nervously. "He came with me so we could learn a little bit more on the Music Chefs that are rumored to live here. You see, there might be a chance I'm one of them"

Naboris stared at you in silence, her mouth parted a bit in shock. You were thinking she wasn't believing you one bit before she stood up abruptly and marched to the door. Two female soldiers were standing behind, and she yelled orders at them in a language that you didn't recognize. They stared at each other in surprise, and then nodded at their commander. Naboris returned to your side as Tibal jumped on her shoulders once more, perching himself on them like a parrot:

"How much do you know about the Music Chefs?" she demanded carefully.

"Hm...Just that they originated here, and something about Food Music? Not much, really" you replied.

"I see...You'll have to meet the matriarch if you really wish to know more. The palace is close to the Chamber of Repose, where we are currently are. And we'll also get your friend, the Van'assir-..."

"As'aluste!" interrupted a soldier that came into the room, saluting to Naboris with a hand over her chest. "Commander, the Van'assir was moved to another location under the exigences of Dr. Inas-"

"Dr. Inas?!" barked angrily Naboris, her fangs poking out. "What did that fool do once again?! Don't tell me she wants to experiment on him?!"

"E-Experiment?!" you shrieked, remembering how Coco hated that kind of people. "We need to get him out of here, please!"

"M'edre!!" the warrior cursed, bringing a hand on her forehead. "That Nav'assam really does everything she wants! Once she takes an interest, it's impossible to keep her away!"

Mona was a beautiful city with an incredible architecture. Naboris was excited to guide you and tell you much more on the history of Bilal after you put on much more normal clothes.

The city inspired themselves of the Moorish architecture, with several buildings that resembled mosques, fortifications, and many other edifices. Mona possessed a central market at the plaza, where you could buy food, clothes, and various useful tools that you could find daily. All citizens were women, just like the tourists you encountered.

As you visited the city, you were also on your way to the laboratory where all the magic of science happens there. From what you learned, Naboris described Dr. Inas as 'an eccentric, but a notable genius' that uncovered many mysteries in the world, even making an advance in technology. Still, she kept hammering into you that she was a weird and stubborn woman who could go days without sleep.

"She started at least 50 fires last year...and she's currently trying to break her best score" Naboris deadpanned.

"Yet, she sounds like an amazing person..." you sweatdropped.

"Wait until you meet her..."

You finally arrived at the private laboratory of Mona. It looked like a normal building in the shape of dome with a large tower at the side, until you got a closer look at it. Several burns marks could be found on the surface, and the soil around the area seems polluted. What kind of experiments did she exactly made here? There was a lot of commotion inside, and a shadow passed over Naboris's face as you got closer to the entrance, climbing the stairs that led to it.

If the outside was a mess, then the inside was something else. Dilapidated wasn't a close word to describe what was exactly the laboratory. Furniture in ruins, lots of broken tools laid randomly on the floor of the hallways, several holes in the walls...The list went on. The whole building was in disrepair.

"So fascinating!" an enthusiastic and feminine voice echoed in a room at the end of the corridor.

"And I'm telling you, those are wrong!" another, much more familiar voice spat back.

"Coco-san!" you yelled, running ahead with Naboris charging after you.

You burst through the doors, and gaped at the scene unfolding in front of you. A short woman with a white lab coat was standing on a ladder, her hands holding several measure tapes that she enrolled around Coco's waist, thighs and biceps. Said man looked beyond comfortable, glaring at the doctor, unnerved. He also looked tired, and you were a bit sad to see that he wasn't wearing the clothes they lent to him at the Sacred Opal. Instead, he was back to his normal all-black suit with the green bands.

Dr. Inas blinking owlishly, noticing your sudden appearance at the door with Naboris, who looked beyond pissed.

"(y/n)-chan!" cried out Coco in relief.

"Coco-san, I'm so glad to see you're okay!" you replied, smiling at him.

"Huh? Oh, is that the partner you spoke of earlier?" inquired Dr. Inas, tilting her head and letting her wavy black hair fall over her shoulders.

"What are you doing with the prisoner, oyu'baka?!" Naboris showed her fist, gritting her sharp teeth at the scientist who simply grinned sheepishly. "You can't just barge into my business and do as you please! We were supposed to question him, not using that Van'assir as a guinea pig!"

"Please! I am not that old-fashioned!" scoffed Dr. Inas, dismissing Naboris with a wave of her hand. "I do not use my subjects of interest into guinea pigs! I simply...examine them"

"And what interest you so much about Coco-san to 'examine' him?" you narrowed your eyes at the scientist as you removed the measure tapes from your partner's body.

"Simply everything! A poisonous man is such an interesting concept!" she answered, walking up to her papers. "Let's see what I got from him for the moment..."

"What do you mean 'for the moment'?!" you snapped in unison with the Heavenly King while Talib rolled his eyes, releasing a grunt.

"Height: 200 cm. Weight: 100 kg. Blood Type: A. Birthday: October 29th" Dr. Inas began to list to everyone's disbelief, and you were wondering how she exactly got all that in such a short matter of time. "Ooooh...A Scorpio! Shoe size: around 11.5 to 12 inches. You know what they say? Yes, it is true"

"INAS!!!!" roared Naboris while both you and Coco blushed profusely, avoiding to look at each other out of embarrassment.

"What? Hey, I wanted to take a look out of curiosity, but he didn't want to..." the woman pouted.

"AS IF HE WOULD ACCEPT!?" you yelled.

"You didn't have to hit me..."

"I wanted to smack some sense in you!"

Both Naboris and Dr. Inas were walking ahead of you, while you stayed behind with Coco. Your partner assured you that nothing drastic really happened, and the 'experiments' he went through were in fact several surveys to figure him out by the scientist. Hence how she found out about his zodiac sign and blood type, but it was still a surprise how she got the right answers accurately with only a sheet of paper with 10 questions.

You were currently on your way to the throne room to meet the matriarch, under the surveillance of the commander and the many soldiers that protected the palace. Dr. Inas tagged along since she wanted to ask something to their empress, to Naboris's exasperation. The doors of the throne room were pushed open by the guards, revealing behind a short old woman sitting on a golden seat. She reminded you a bit of Granny Setsu, with gray curls that were attached in a bun, held by a beautiful flower pin. Aisha the Fifth was decorated by many jewels on her weak and frail body, wearing a white robe with silver designs.

"My empress..." Naboris bowed as she stopped in front of the old woman. "I brought you forward two curious guests. Inquiring information about...the Music Chefs"

"Music Chefs...?" repeated the old lady, her small eyes barely opened or noticeable gazing at you. "I can see a chef...Yes....But nothing as close as someone who uses Food Music efficiently..."

"Pardon me for disturbing you routine, Empress Aisha. I-" you were cut when she lifted her wrinkly hand to stop you from talking any more.

"You're not the source of my disturbance, neither are you the solution..." the empress sighed, leaning back against her throne. "If you're searching for Music Chefs, then you are too late"

"Too...late?" you echoed, gazing at the old woman dumbfounded.

"May we know the reason why?" inquired Coco, advancing forward and taking a step closer to the empress.

"And I shall answer you, Van'assir. But first, you need to understand our current situation...You are a fortune teller, right?"

"Exactly. How would you know?"

"It's in your eyes, Van'assir" smiled Aisha the Fifth. "With just one look, I can tell everything about you...All of your skills, all of your mistakes, all of your regrets...Certainly you have noticed the state of my people with your advanced vision?"

"Yes. Their electromagnetic waves are distressed and worried. The young girls are falling sick much more this year, and no doctors can explain why. There's no longer any pregnancy, too. And the farms' resources are exhausted" said Coco, causing you to blink in surprise and shock.

You weren't aware of this at all. When you visited the city, everything seemed normal. Unless this is exactly the impression they wanted to leave on the tourists to keep them coming in. But of course your partner would catch on much sooner than you about the problems going on with this kingdom.

"I'm not asking of you much, but to just listen to an old lady rambling about her kingdom who once prospered" she demanded.

Bilal was built around 800 years ago, by an empress that led her people safely and avoided the dangers of the Taj Desert. Malika the First, adored by the sand amazonian. A woman with great beauty and kindness, a ruler like none others. It was said that she was guided to this sacred area by the help of legendary beasts: L'Arabesque and Asfiya.

"Asfiya was the partner of Malika the First, known as the Sanctuary Tortoise" told the old woman. "A type of Tortoasis that brought upon her back life and fertility. She's considered as a Goddess to our people, and the benefactor of our city"

The legend about Asfiya told that she could grant one heart's deepest wish in exchange of a pure act. She also gave the opportunity to the citizens to farm various resources for their needs, and granted the passage of a pure river they could drink from. Some women of Bilal who reach a certain age can enter motherhood by a blessing of the Sanctuary Tortoise, where must of the pregnancies come from. Always daughters, keeping alive the traditions of a city made for and by women.

"But as you stated, the last woman who ever got pregnant was 5 years ago..." Aisha the Fifth closed her eyes sadly, shocking you and Coco. "Our rations of food is short and we received no news from the Sun Fennecs we sent to investigate the Sanctuary Tortoise. And then came the problem with the red powder..."

"The spores of a Toxic Gilamesh" added Coco with furrowed brows.

"This epidemic surfaced only one year ago, when we noticed a change in the demeanor of our farms, the Tortoases. Few of them have left the region, while others died from the drug. Rumors circulated about witnesses who sighted a Toxic Gilamesh, a gila monster that came straight up from terrifying fairy tales we used to tell our children. An enemy and predator of Asfiya"

"So...You're saying that something happened to the Sanctuary Tortoise, Asfiya? She's still alive?" you wondered.

"A Tortoasis can live for a thousand of years. After the death of Malika, she traveled to the north of Taj Desert in a prosperous region. There, she made her home in a cavern where our primary river pass through to give us water. But right now...We're not even sure if she's still there..." said Naboris.

"What does this story has anything to do with the Music Chefs?"

"Music Chefs were another treasure of this city..." the empress lowered her eyes to her laps. "...Until the day they disappeared without leaving a trace"