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Shurima was indeed barren compared to the lush landscapes of Ionia. There were barely any plants that survived in this heat, if there were any. Yasuo couldn’t recall; he only remembered the heat and towering rocks taking root in the sand.
It’s been a few days since Taliyah brought Yasuo to Shurima. He was thanked and warmly welcomed by her tribe for providing his mentorship to her, even mentioning--to Taliyah’s embarrassment--that he was already like family to her. Though he entertained them by agreeing, Taliyah did feel like a little sister to him. A very tall little sister.
She had shown him some of the wonders of the Shuriman desert, such as underground crystal caves and cities built around oases. They also met other nomadic tribes like hers, who were stopping by to replenish supplies.
Seeing these bustling towns made Yasuo wonder if there really was more to this barren desert. He just had to look further.
They were sitting under a small tented roof, watching passerbys while enjoying a snack from a nearby vendor. Yasuo wicked beads of sweat across his forehead as he leaned away from the inching sunlight. “So, any reason you brought me to this place? Rather far from where your tribe is, isn’t it?”
Taliyah paused chewing for a moment before swallowing it down with water. “Yes! It’s because I wanted to show you something special before you left for Ionia. We’d have to travel once the sun starts setting, but it’s faster to get there from here than traveling from my tribe.”
Yasuo squinted between the two pillars at the entrance of the city. “Well, the sun’s definitely about to set, because I’m starting to go blind here.”
“We can go after I finish this, Master Yasuo,” Taliyah answered with a chuckle. “I promise it won’t be too far.”
Yasuo turned to look at the setting sun for a moment, watching the desert skies slowly burn into night. From here, he could see the city they were coming from lighting their torches. The city looked like a speck of light in the horizon.
“Master Yasuo?” Taliyah called. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m coming,” Yasuo said. He turned back to Taliyah with a complacent smile.
They continued their walk across the desert, and a canyon began to appear closer from the sandy dunes. It stretched farther and wider as they approached. A fissure in the canyon wall greeted them when they arrived. When Yasuo leaned to the side the fissure, he saw a path within.
“We’ll need to take this path to get to what I want to show you. Follow me.” Taliyah led Yasuo through the canyon as she began to explain, “This place is more special to me anywhere else, because I came here back when I was just getting to know myself and my newfound powers.” She glanced at her open palms. “I found this place when I was wandering the desert to gain some sort of grasp to who I was.”
Yasuo made a quiet snort. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was more rocks.”
Taliyah laughed in response. “No, it’s even better. You might even come to like it as much as I do.”
“Hm, it’s gotta beat Ionia’s landscapes to impress me, Little Sparrow.”
“Oh, it has a charm of its own. You’ll see!” She gasped and turned to Yasuo. “We’re here. Close your eyes, Master Yasuo.”
He raised a brow but closed his eyes to entertain her a bit. He followed the sound of her footsteps out of the canyon into an open clearing. He kept going until Taliyah stopped him.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now!”
Yasuo opened his eyes to a field of desert sunflowers and whitestem paperflowers, specks of golden and white flowers on the sand against the twilight sky. It was like an endless horizon of them. He was almost surprised they could survive in the Shuriman desert.
Taliyah stood beside him with an expecting look. “What do you think, Master Yasuo?”
“I’m impressed, but it’s not as charming as I expected it to be. Thought it’d have more of an impact,” Yasuo answered.
Her smile did not falter; it grew wider. “You must wait until nightfall. That is when the real magic happens.” Without another word, Taliyah sat among the flowers and juggled a few pebbles in the dirt.
Yasuo stared at the field before averting his gaze to the sun. A sliver of the sun remained before nightfall. And so he waited.
As the sun completely set, the flowers glowed brighter and brighter under the darkening sky. Yasuo had passed it off as a trick of the light, but now, he was gazing upon a field of glowing flowers. His lips parted from surprise. He approached the field, where Taliyah was, and gently cradled a sunflower in his hand.
Taliyah gave him an excited grin. “What do you think of it now?”
Yasuo took a moment to gather his thoughts, still speechless by the sight of glowing, golden flowers. “You were right, Little Sparrow.” He looked up at her with a satisfied smile. “I’m more than impressed. This place really does have a charm of its own.”
She gathered some flowers in her hands by his. She fell silent for a moment before humming in thought. “It isn’t much, but I wanted this to be my token of gratitude for what you have done for me, Master Yasuo.” Her thumb traced the petals, staring at the glow. “When I had given up hope and lost my way, you helped light the path I should take again. And I thought, perhaps, this can provide some comfort to you as it has for me.”
A light breeze swept through the canyon and carried a few stray petals into the sky. The petals still retained their glow for a few seconds before dulling and disappearing into the night.
Yasuo chuckled. “Quite a sight I’ll remember for a long time, Little Sparrow.”
They sat among the flowers in silence, gazing at the field of golden flowers under the Shuriman night sky. A moment of peace and comfort was all they needed.