Sahara, on the Scarab's behalf

As you take off the blindfold, the sudden increase of light makes you once again curse your lack of eyelids to be able to blink. You move your hands up to block the sun for long enough to adjust, though that doesn't help too much due to your lack of fully solid hands, causing you to once again curse your un-mortality.

As you slowly adjust to the light, you see the silhouette of a figure you can only guess to be Sahara standing over you. As you become able to move your hands out of the way, you take note that she seems to be looking at you somewhat curiously.

Her demeanor is quickly explained when she near immediately speaks up, "I thought skeletons didn't sleep?" She mockingly crosses her arms in what you believe is foe-disproval. You think so as the rest of her body language suggests her to be rather happy.

You look at her in silence for a minute before shrugging and giving her a sideways hand shimmy to try and say you weren't really sleeping.

To your surprise, it would seem your gesture got correctly interpreted on your first attempt. "If you weren't sleeping, then why were you sitting unresponsive until I woke you up." She taps her foot and raises her eyebrow with a smirk.

You lean your head back in thought, trying to think of any possible explanation of what you just went through. In the end, you decide you just don't have a decent method, and simply shrug to her. She seems a little disappointed by this answer, but you don't really have anything better you can give.

You then remember the fact that she had been actively poking you to get your attention. You make some gestures to ask her why, and it takes a moment before she answers, "Oh, well when I woke up this little dude was just sitting next to you, so I thought I should wake you for him."

Looking to your side, you see your Scarab simply standing in perfect stillness. You stare at it in confusion for a little while, waving your hand at it to try and see if it will react. Getting nothing in response, you readjust yourself to try and examine it.

This, is when the gigantic pile of sand balls that towers over your sitting height finally enters your attention. You slowly turn to take in its full glory, the stack being formed into a perfect pyramid of spheres. You turn to look at Sahara, making a gesture to it in order to ask her about it.

She shrugs in response, "That was there when I woke up as well. Perhaps that's just the biggest stack he can make?" You scratch your jawbone in thought, that not quite fitting as an answer for your, regardless, you pick up the sand, mourning the loss of the beautiful structure.

As you suspected, this does not solve the issue. You look at it confused for a few moments before looking over to the sandpile to see if there were any complications. Or, you should say, you looked at where the sand pile was.

Your jaw hung open as you looked, seeing an entirely empty room up until the far doorway, at which point the sand piled up, seemingly held by an invisible ****. You cannot put together how just in one night that little beetle cleared nearly a third the chamber of sand.

You turn to Sahara, making aggravated hand waves towards the empty room. She looks over in confusion before realization and surprise overtake her face, "What are you-oh... OH! Holy guacamole the room is cleared out!" You tilt your head questioningly at her exclamation, "It's a thing I heard an adventurer say.

You shake your head, not much caring for an uncommon expression when you now had way more room to work with. And on that thought, you had more murals to examine. You walk up, exited for the prospect of more to do.

As you approach, you take in the remainder of the murals last two murals in the hall. They definitely both depicted their respective child, now more grown. However, what you couldn't see before was the depictions of other entities residing around the structures they approached.

With the black Lizard-man, there was something distinctly wrong with the being's appearance. It sat at the center of the structure, silver in appearance, possessing two digitigrade legs that ended in clawed feet that were too smooth to be compared to a reptile or avian. Above that, it wore almost clerical robes that seemed to have a strange motif of ribbons. To end it off, it had a somewhat flat face with a mouth full of fangs, and a blindfold that depicted a singular eye. A deep recognition filled you with dread at the sight of that eye, giving you flashbacks to the memories you had witnessed.

Moving to the other mural, it was slightly less disturbing. Around the shrine in its entirety was a serpent-like creature. It spiraled around, its entire body being traceable back to one sword that was displayed at the center of the shrine. It itself looked somewhat see-through, as it to depict it as a spirit or vision. It also had what appeared to be multiple heads, though you can't quite tell how many there were in the illustration.

You step back for a moment, taking them both in and trying to figure out what story was being told. It seems perhaps both of the protagonists gained otherworldly sponsors of some sort? But who were these entities, and you still weren't absolutely 100% certain who the two characters were.

As you ponder, Sahara approaches from behind you, making her own examinations. As you let her past, you take a moment to examine her. She seemed to be doing a bit better than when she first arrived, not looking to be in as immediate need of food or water. It would of course take her some time to truly recover completely, but there was no need to rush.

Other than that, she still seems to be happy with her current circumstance. You aren't quite sure if you would be yourself, with a collar permanently around your neck that would compel you to another's orders, but then again, she did seem to have a submission kink of some sort, so who were you to judge.

You reflect on how you got to this point, taking in how far you have come as you have a moment to simply think.