Welcome to The Spirit Of Time! Thank you very much for checking in.
Just some quick head ups before I will leave you in peace to hopefully enjoy the story:
English is not my first language, so mistakes might happen.
This story is already completed. I originally wrote it in my native language but recently got the urge to practice my writing skills in English, so what you read below happened. The original title is "Die Seele der Zeit". If by some crazy coincidence someone who has already read the original stumbles upon this, reading it again may be worth a shot if you enjoyed the German version for the story is not only being translated but undergoing a massive re-write as well.
Even though the story is finished, the translation is not. Since I'm a PhD-student and working part-time updates may be slow. But I finished this story once and I intend to do so again.
About the story: It contains OCs (don't like, don't read, you know the drill); romance might be hinted at but there will be no actual shipping involved, not between canon characters, not between OCs and not between canon characters and OCs. In later chapters some violence may be involved.
If you happen to notice any mayor errors please let me know! I'm doing this to improve.
Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy the ride!
Prologue - Sahara
The night was stretched out over the land like a cloth of black velvet. A thousand tiny suns illuminated the darkened sky. But none of them could match the moon's intensity as it cast its light down upon the world. The wind was whispering in the dunes, whose heights and depths it constantly recreated. It drove grains of sand away, the grit chasing through the desert in small swaths.
The desert was constantly in motion. Something would change today as well. Maybe it would even mark the end of an era.
In the midst of this serenity two dark horsemen chased through the night accompanied by the hoof-trampling of their mounts. Black robes hid their faces in darkness. Neither said a word. Their path led to a rocky ridge which lay above the endless dunes. Upon reaching it both steadied their horses and jumped off the animals' backs. Hidden by rocks and withered blades of grass they sneaked forward to gain a better view of their actual destination. Not far from their position, along the Nile's waters, someone had set up a camp. A dozen fires flickered amongst the countless tents. Armed men patrolled the area. The smell of excrements filled the air, accompanied by a cacophony of sounds.
The man watching the camp turned towards the other cloaked figure as she came to his side. „A really big army, if you ask me." His voice floated faintly through the night. „But many have tried to bring about Egypt's downfall. Armies with even greater numbers, men with extraordinary powers dared to try – and all of them paid the price for their foolishness. They won't succeed either."
„Don't judge them too soon, Kipino. You know what the Eldest is thinking about this. He may not know what is to come exactly. But I believe him when he says that he's feeling something. A prescience, something that's creeping closer. This battle will be different from all those Egypt had to fight so far."
The young man looked at his companion inquiringly. „But why should we care? We never participated in the pharaohs' battles. Why would it be different this time?"
She looked at him. Light, lavender-colored eyes locked with his. „Something will happen. He is even more restless then he lets on. I can see it. But he will be patient as usual. He will wait and watch how things turn out – a virtue that I don't possess." She glanced back down at the camp. „That's why I'm here. To find out who is controlling these men and what they are planning."
Kipino looked at her in horror. „Oh no, I can't allow this!"
„You will have to allow it, my friend. You got no other choice. That is, if you don't want to drag me back home in chains", she replied, darting a challenging glance at him.
„Does the Eldest know about this?"
„Should he? I'm not his slave, Kipino. I can make my own decisions. It's even expected of me. And, to be honest: I might not have informed him of my intentions – but if he knows me only half as well as I think he does he won't be surprised." She looked at him sternly. „You can wait here for me or you can leave. That's the only choice you're allowed to make. Mine is already carved in stone."
Before he could say anything else, she advanced towards the edge. Her black robe bulged in the night's breeze as she slipped down from the cliff. Kipino swallowed hard as his eyes followed her figure chasing across the sand towards the camp, half-concealed by the darkness. He sighed. „May you return unharmed, mistress …"
Long before she reached the waters of the Nile the surroundings changed. Lush greenery sprouted up, date-trees grew here and there – it was perfect for creeping up towards the alien warriors unseen. She stalked through the night without making a sound, always watching out for the bonfires so she could evade them. Finally she succeeded in pressing forward to where the tents were set up most densely, right into the heart of this army. She observed two guards that stood around not too far away. Obviously they didn't care too much for their duty for they seemed kind of drunk. Those were the most dangerous ones. Of course, they wouldn't notice as much in their drunk state, compared to their sober brothers in arms. But if they noticed something, they reacted a lot more impulsive. A dutiful guard would make sure that he had really seen something. A drunken one would simply start shouting and roil the whole camp – a case she had to evade at all costs. Even though her first impression of the army wasn't really positive so far. Most of these men seemed old, sick or both. She could hear agonized noises coming from inside various tents.
Someone really was about to attack Men-nefer with such an army? No man who was in his right mind would dare to even think about it. There had to be more to this than met the eye.
When the two guards suddenly started screaming and punching each other she seized the opportunity and scurried further into the camp. She had been able to distinguish a tent that towered above the others. This was her only clue for this camp didn't have any emblems that told her about the soldiers' origin.
Finally, she reached the tent. Other ones were scattered around it, close by, so the guards were only stationed in front of the entrance – a big mistake. She creeped up from behind the makeshift housing. When she found a spot with a small tear in the fabric, she crouched down, making sure no one was able to see her. She listened carefully while trying to discern something within the tent. She could hear three male voices.
„… won't take long anymore. Then, Egypt will never glance down upon us ever again!"
„May your wishes become true, My Lord. But please, understand my concerns. Your troops don't create the impression that they're able to stand up against the creatures that dwell in the souls of the Egyptians …"
„Silence! You really want to question the great Caesian?"
Caesian, huh? She knew that name – even though it wasn't one that she would link to glory and great legends. Quite the opposite. Caesian was the king of a small land in the west that suffered from great poverty. A bloody civil war had raged in this country for many summers. By now this lands laws were more of an adornment than actual rules that had to be followed. Nobody who had a choice would set foot into this man's kingdom voluntarily.
„Let him keep his doubts. His astonishment will be even greater when he sees what I am capable of."
Suddenly there was the clank of metal. She tried to see where it came from. First she could only discern the figures of the men. Then she laid eyes upon something one of them held in his hands. She stretched the edges of the hole further apart carefully.
Then she froze. The man was holding a golden scepter, all over decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was about six feet in length. Feathers, molded out of gold, dangled from the sharp tip at the upper end, framing the head of a Seth-animal.
„By the gods … that is …"
She had only heard the stories, over and over again.
She had never seen this thing with her own eyes.
But what she was seeing was enough. She knew immediately what kind of scepter this was. And its sight made her blood run cold.
She creeped away from the tent in silence before getting up. She sneaked through the rows of makeshift housing as fast as she could without being discovered. As soon as she was out of range of the last group of soldiers, she sprinted back towards the cliff where Kipino would be waiting for her. Thoughts danced around in her head.
Where did Caesian get that scepter? If he knew how to use it then it didn't matter how pathetic his army was. Inside the artifact dwelled powers that went beyond the imagination of a simple human being.
She reached the cliff, where Kipino offered her a hand and pulled her up onto the rocky surface. After climbing up she went straight for her horse.
„Mistress? What happened?", her companion inquired, alarmed.
She mounted the animals back. „Follow me, we have to get back to Set Akhet immediately. I'll explain everything on the way."