╽𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇╳𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓╽

╼ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏 ╳ 𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑨𝑴𝑰𝑻𝒀 ╾

Twilight envelops the small desert planet with its sapphire radiance. Seated beside the campfire, a solitary figure remains deep in thought. 

Vash is looking up at the stars, his usual look in his eyes, happy and bright and energetic.

"There's something about the night that makes it so much better than the day, don't you think? You can be alone with your own thoughts, just you and your mind... no one can interrupt you here!"

Vash laughs softly to himself, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice but it's quickly quashed by another laugh and he smiles once more.

Vash's gaze slowly falls back down.

His piercing stare is fixed intently on the intense, blazing flames that dance and flicker in the cool desert breeze. Despite the weariness that creeps into his eyes, he refuses to avert his attention. This light, this heat was his only source of solace. The biting winds send a chill through him. It was always coldest at night in the ocean of yellow sand. Starved, athirst, and fatigued with exhaustion, he sits - conserving what little energy he has left as he waits for the dawn to break.

The desert was eerily quiet except for the sound of the fire crackling in front of him. Vash lets out a deep sigh, breaking the stillness with his breath.

And then, his attention is drawn towards something in the distance. He notices a movement in the sand, a consistent shifting.

It draws near.

Suddenly, Vash snaps out of his stillness and fixates on the darkening horizon. As the sky fades to black, he notices a vague silhouette approaching him with slow, shuffling steps. Instinctively, he readies himself for any potential danger by gripping his revolver and aiming it in the direction of the mysterious drifter.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" He demands, gun at the ready, his finger on the trigger. His eyes are fixed on this figure. "This is your last warning, stranger!"

They stop. 

Vash's snarl did not faze the drifter, who calmly lifted their head to meet his intense gaze. As Vash observed the drifter's appearance, he couldn't help but notice their peculiar eyes, which appeared to be made of glass. The drifter's face was unlike any other he had ever seen; it looked as if it had been mangled and twisted by some unknown force. The drifter's trench coat was pulled tightly around them, making them look almost ethereal in the flickering light of the nearby flames. The fire's luminance reflected off of their glassy eyes, which only added to their enigmatic appearance.

"Who are you? Are you a bandit, a bounty hunter, or something? I won't hesitate to shoot!" Vash threatens as he slowly starts to approach the person but still keeps his aim steady. "You won't have a chance to even draw or aim!"

There is a rattling noise. 

Vash looks down and watches a gas canister roll to his feet. It ignites. In the blink of an eye, Vash is blinded by pitch-black smoke. The fire has been snuffed out. He can't see the sky. It's just suffocating darkness.

"What the?! Wait! Where'd you go?!" Vash is now in a hurry to get his vision back. He breaks into a coughing fit as the smog invites his lungs. It burns. It felt like he was smoking fire.

"This can't be happening... I'm vulnerable now!" He starts running around, looking for the person in his surroundings. He clenches his revolver, still heaving the thick smoke out of his lungs.

Then, a distorted almost garbled voice speaks to him. "Vash the Humanoid Typhoon... you've terrorized humanity long enough..."

"Huh?! Wh...who are you?!" Vash shouts back. He winces his eyes to try and peer through the smog. "W-where are you?! Show yourself!" He can't see a thing in front of his nose, he can only hear shifting in the sand all around him.