The Black Sands Oracle

The Black Sands whisper. Not of gold, but of ghosts — echoes of lives lived and lost amongst the dunes. Elara, a thief with quicksilver fingers and eyes like storm clouds, knows these whispers. They're how she survives, pilfering relics from forgotten god-kings.  But her heart remains a locked vault, until she unearths the Oracle, a pulsating obsidian stone thrumming with the emotional residue of bygone eras.
The Oracle's awakening throws the desert into chaos.  Two tribes, locked in a bitter feud, crave its power. The Sunstone Clan, warriors scorched by the sun, yearn to rewrite their history of defeat. Their leader, Xerxes, a man consumed by ambition, sees the Oracle as his key to a glorious future, no matter the cost.  The Moonwhisper Clan, mystical weavers of moonlight and memory, believe the Oracle is the key to preserving the whispers of their ancestors.  Their leader, Isara, a woman of unsettling calm, harbors a terrifying secret: a connection to the Chronarium, a time-altering device hidden within a lost city.
Caught between these warring factions, Elara discovers the Oracle is more than just a repository of feelings; it’s a compass pointing towards the Chronarium.  With each touch, the desert's sorrows seep into her soul, blurring the lines between her memories and those of forgotten generations.  Kaelen, a Sunstone warrior haunted by betrayal, enters Elara’s life like a desert wind — disruptive, yet necessary.  Drawn to her resilience, he becomes her reluctant protector, his inner turmoil mirroring the conflict tearing his tribe apart.
Together, they navigate tribal politics, Xerxes’s ruthless pursuit, and Isara’s subtle manipulations, uncovering a forgotten history that intertwines their destinies with the fate of the desert itself.  They learn of the Sundering, a cataclysmic event that fractured time, and the Chronarium's terrible power to reshape the past.  The lost city, shrouded in myth and guarded by ancient mechanisms, tests their bond and reveals fragments of Elara's lost past, whispering a seductive promise: the chance to reclaim what she lost.  But tampering with time has a cost, threatening to unravel not just individual lives, but the very fabric of reality.
Elara must choose: rewrite her personal tragedy or safeguard a future threatened by the Chronarium's power.  As a black sand storm rages, she stands before the Chronarium, the temptation to rewrite history almost overwhelming.  But the Oracle, now a part of her, shows her the consequences: a fractured timeline, the echoes of the past silenced forever. In a moment of heartbreaking clarity, she chooses to become not a thief of moments, but a guardian of eternity.