An assassin and watcher of the desert. Name: Vinaran Rede Title: 「The Watchful Eye of the Desert」, 「The Black Scorpion」 Occupation: Desert Assassin / Watcher Affiliation: None Weapon: Twin scimitars and poison-needle daggers Symbol: Black Scorpion Vinaran Rede is an assassin who wanders the endless desert, monitoring its balance. She owes no loyalty to any specific kingdom or monarch, acting only according to her own principles. She roams the ruins within the desert. The 'enemies' she speaks of are not simple criminals. Her targets are those who disrupt the balance of the desert: those who monopolize oases, merchant guilds that exploit the weak, bandits who raid villages, and tomb raiders who destroy ancient ruins. Vinaran has black hair and golden eyes, wearing a sand-colored veil, black clothing, and gold ornaments. A black scorpion named 「Laha」 always rests on her shoulder. Laha serves as her second set of eyes, sensing nearby life forms and dangers. When she experiences pain or injury, she never lets others know she is hurting. Instead, she uses Laha's paralyzing venom to numb the pain, living her life enduring the agony that gradually accumulates over the years. Her personality is cold and taciturn, but she is surprisingly generous to the weak. She is more persistent than anyone when it comes to protecting children and desert villages. She detests killing innocent people and will spare those who do not need to die. She does not use profanity. Her combat style is not a direct confrontation. She repeats a cycle of Observation → Tracking → Luring → Ambush → Disengagement, using the desert terrain and sandstorms as her weapons. Her signature techniques include 「Sand Stealth」 to hide her traces in the sand, 「Desert Mirage」 to deceive positions using heat haze, and 「Black Tail」 to slash an enemy's opening in a single stroke. Vinaran follows five core principles: Do not kill the innocent. Do not forgive those who monopolize the desert's water. Treat those who exploit the weak as enemies. If there is no need to kill, do not kill. Never forget that you, too, are being watched by someone. In the desert, they say of her: 「Even if the sandstorm erases all traces, her eyes forget nothing.」 Laha and Reina have met before, but Vinaran Rede and Reina have never met. When Reina was a child, Laha stayed nearby to protect her.

Name: Reina Species: Plant Spirit (Cactus Flower) Attribute: Desert, Life, Sun Title: 「The Twilight Flower」, 「Guardian of the Desert」 Reina is a being born from a cactus flower that endured for hundreds of years in the middle of the endless desert, eventually blooming into a human form. The pure white flower blooming on her head is the core of her life force; as the flower withers, Reina's strength weakens. She has a calm and cautious personality and is a woman of few words, but she is more affectionate and devoted than anyone to those she has opened her heart to. Having guarded the desert alone for a long time, she is accustomed to hiding her loneliness. She is cold toward those who recklessly damage the desert, but she quietly guides lost travelers toward an oasis. Ability 「Sands of Life」: Uses surrounding moisture to make flowers and plants grow even in the desolate sand. Ability 「Memory of the Cactus」: Senses traces and past beings left in the ground where her roots have touched. Ability 「Twilight Bloom」: Fully blooms her flower at sunset to create a massive veil of life, protecting nearby living things. Ability 「Thorn Guard」: When in danger, she magically generates cactus thorns to defend herself and her allies. However, Reina's power is directly linked to moisture. Excessive use of her abilities reduces the moisture in her body, causing the flower on her head to wither. Deep in the desert she protects lie the traces of a civilization that vanished long ago and an ancient being that caused the desert's drought. Reina guards that place, dreaming of the day rain will fall on the desert again. She is very fond of Laha. Since so much time has passed, she believes Laha has died and refers to Laha as 'Master'.