THEBES- 1,290 BC
Thebes, City of the Living, crown jewel of Pharaoh Seti I , home of Imhotep, Pharaoh's high priest, keeper of the dead. Birthplace of Anck-Su-Namun, Pharaoh's mistress.
No other man was allowed to touch her.
Anck-Su-Namun walked through the beautiful temple. Imhotep's priests watched her as she walked through the drapes to find her lover, Imhotep. She went up to him and they kissed passionately. Imhotep rubbed some of the body paint on her shoulder.
Imhotep's priests were closing the doors but the Pharaoh burst through them and looked at the priests confused. "What are you doing here?" he asked them.
The priests backed away, as his arrival was unexpected.
The Pharaoh walked towards the curtains and opened them. Anck-Su-Namun was standing alone next to a statue. She looked at the Pharaoh while she was slowly tapping her fingers on the statue's head. The Pharaoh looked at the smeared paint on her shoulder and pointed his finger at it. " Who has touched you?!" he said, angrily. Anck-Su-Namun looked at her shoulder and back at the Pharaoh. She looked over his shoulder and the Pharaoh followed her gaze. Imhotep was standing there. He drew the Pharaoh's sword from his belt. The Pharaoh looked at him shocked.
"Imhotep?! My priest?!" he yelled.
Anck-Su-Namun drew a dagger from behind her back and stabbed the Pharaoh. He yelled in pain. Anck-Su-Namun looked at him with no emotion in her eyes. Imhotep sliced the Pharaoh's chest which made the Pharaoh yell in more pain.
Imhotep's priests were watching what was happening behind the curtains as they watched the shadows of Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun stab the Pharaoh repeatedly. The doors were being pounded on as the guards were trying to get in. Anck-Su-Namun and Imhotep, who took the sword he was holding out of the Pharaoh's chest, looked up as they heard the door being pounded on. "Pharaoh's body guards." said Imhotep. The priests ran from the door as it was still being pounded on. Anck-Su-Namun turned to Imhotep.
"You must go! Save yourself!" she said to him.
"No." he said.
"Only you can resurrect me." she said again. Imhotep looked at her.
The door busted open and the guards walked towards the curtains.
"I won't leave you!" yelled Imhotep, as he struggled to get out of the priests grip as they tried to pull him away. "Get away from me!" He yelled again and struggled more.
Anck-Su-Namun waved her hand over his face as the priests pulled him away. "You shall live again!" he yelled as he was dragged away. Anck-Su-Namun looked at him sadly. "I will resurrect you!" he yelled again. Anck-Su-Namun turned around as the curtains were opened. The guards were shocked as they saw they saw the Pharaoh's dead body. She glared at them.
"My body is no longer his temple." she yelled. She raised the dagger that was in her hands and stabbed herself. Imhotep saw this and looked away.
To resurrect Anck-Su-Namun, Imhotep and his priests broke into her crypt and stole her body. They raced deep into the desert, taking Anck-Su-Namun corpse to Hamunaptra, city of the dead, ancient burial site for the sons of the Pharaohs, and resting place for the wealth of Egypt.
Imhotep was carrying a book as he and his priests were walking down the staircase towards a table that was in the middle of the room
For his love, Imhotep dared the God's anger by going deep into the city, where he took the black Book of the Dead.
The priests were chanting as Imhotep walked towards the table Anck-Su-Namen's corpse was laying on. Anck-Su-Namun soul had been sent to the dark underworld, her vital organs removed and placed in five sacred canopic jars. Imhotep started reading from the book as the chanting from the priests continued.
A black liquid started to rise out of a pool of water and flew towards the table and went into Anck-Su-Men's body. Anck-Su-Namun gasped as she awoke. Her soul had come back from the dead. Imhotep raised a dagger in his hand and prepared to stab her. But, the Pharaoh's guards had followed him and stopped him before the ritual could be completed. Anck-Su-Namun's soul came out of her body and flew back to the pool where it had came from.
Imhotep shouted in anger.
Imhotep's priests were condemned to be mummified alive. The priests were screaming and groaning in pain as the guards were pulling and cutting out their organs. As for Imhotep, he was condemned to endure the Hom-Dai, the worst of all ancient curses, one so horrible it had never before been bestowed.
A guard took a knife and started to walk towards Imhotep and cut out his tongue. The guards started to wrap him up with white cloth and put him in a sarcophagus. One of the guards poured a bucket of flesh eating scarabs into it and they started to eat him alive. They put the cover over the sarcophagus and locked it with a key.
He was to remain sealed inside his sarcophagus, the undead for all of eternity. The medjai would never allow him to be released, for he would arise a walking disease, a plague upon mankind, an unholy flesh eater with the strength of the ages, power over the sands and glory of invincibility.
And that is where our story begins.