CHAPTER TWO

Flames of Eternity

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story from The Mummy (1999) except for my OCs.

Here are some terms to know:

Ammit: Demon present in the Temple of Two Truths. She appears as a demon with the head of a crocodile, the mane and body of a lion, and the back legs of a hippo. She eats the hearts of those deemed unworthy.

Anubis: The jackal-headed God who was the conductor of souls and the judge of the pure of heart in the Temple of Two Truths. He was the original lord of the Underworld and was said to have created mummification to resurrect Osiris when he was killed by his brother Set (or Seth).

Duat: The Ancient Egyptian Underworld.

Ma'at: Goddess of truth, justice, balance, and order. Ma'at was also a group of laws that the Ancient Egyptian people followed to salvation.

Set(h): The God of war, chaos, and storms. He was the brother of Isis and Osiris and was to blame for the death of Osiris. His punishment was to guard Ra as he made his way through the Underworld each night against Apep.

Temple of Two Truths: The golden hall where Anubis took the deceases' heart and weighed it against a feather of truth, which was said to come from the goddess Ma'at. If the heart was pure, the dead would be taken to meet Osiris; if the feather was heavier, their heart was eaten by a demon, and the soul ceased to exist forever.

Osiris: Egypt's first pharaoh (according to myths) and the God of the world. Once his brother, Set, killed him, he became the God of the Underworld.

"Man is separated into Soul and Body, and only when the two sides of his senses agree together, does utterance of its thought conceived by mind take place."
― Muata Ashby, Ancient Egyptian Proverbs

Anubis was stoic as he walked beside Imhotep. At the end of the hallway that had been previously blocked off, a door materialized. Imhotep gasped silently and internally cursed that if Anubis hadn't shown up when he did, he didn't know what would have become of him. He could already tell that the God was perturbed by his presence here in the Underworld. Imhotep knew that his soul would never be allowed to rest or make it to the Field of Reeds because of the Hom-Dai. He also knew that the accursed would have the sacred spells chipped off of their sarcophagus and that they would suffer in the realm of demons for eternity. That was the extent of his knowledge. It had never been done, its repercussions too great. What they were, Imhotep had no idea. He just knew that the priests in the temple had been terrified of it and would not even go near the black Book of the Dead. My friends, I have cursed them to this fate too, then? Imhotep sighed, the graveness of his actions making the throbbing of his heart painful.

Anubis stopped in front of the door, turning to look at Imhotep, his eye ridges slightly raised, as if questioning whether he should allow Imhotep through the threshold. Satisfied with his internal answer, Anubis turned and opened the door. The bright flash of light that had accosted Imhotep when he had first landed here struck his eyes once again. But this time, he did not shield his eyes, as the brightness quickly returned to the dim light torchlight.

The next room was a vast cavern covered in ancient spells. The words seemed to glow and move as Imhotep's eyes roved over them. The golden walls seemed to glitter with the same stardust as the rooms he had gone through before. But instead of stemming from darkness, the glittering sparkles seemed to glow, almost as if struck by sunlight. They walked further into the space, the door behind them shutting with a thud and disappearing once more in a flash of blue light. Up ahead, the cavern began to slope upwards, and large columns covered in hieroglyphs appeared on both sides of them.

They continued walking in silence for quite some time until Anubis spoke. "Imhotep, we have always trusted you. I wish it hadn't come to this…." He sighed, pushing up his golden bracelets once again, a nervous tick. "We had always had high hopes for you," Anubis said solemnly. Imhotep had no idea what that meant and looked at the God perplexedly. Anubis glanced in Imhotep's direction but avoided eye contact.

Before Imhotep could speak, he looked past Anubis and stopped walking.

"Yes, the Hall of Two Truths," Anubis said.

A beautiful woman sat on a throne towards the back of the alcove. Her white linen dress was almost completely see-through. It was covered in a green and blue bead net slip, adorned with gold. On her head was a golden crown covered in blue feathers. Her arms were crossed over her lap, draping her iridescent feathers over the sides of the golden throne. She made eye contact with Imhotep, scowled, and turned her gaze away from his. Imhotep dropped his eyes and saw the large gold scale in front of her for the first time. One side held one of her feathers; the other side was empty. As if feeling his gaze, the scale tipped all the way to the right, dropping the feather to the floor. A small, ugly creature came out from behind the throne to sit at her feet, looking around the base. The demon licked its lips in disappointment that there had been no heart drop on the floor. "Next time, Ammit." She spoke, stroking the top of its head. The woman turned towards Imhotep again and raised her eyebrows, wordlessly challenging him to speak. Imhotep knew that his heart was meant to be on the other side of the scale, and she had just wordlessly told him that he was pure evil.

Anubis sighed again, seeming annoyed by Imhotep's lack of words.

"I believe that the divine goddess Ma'at has just told you that your heart is not fit enough to be judged. What do you think of that?" Anubis said, looking at Imhotep.

What do I think of that? Imhotep thought. They think I'm a monster! He yelled inside his own head.

"Yes, Imhotep, you are a monster in our eyes." The goddess spoke from her throne, unfurling her arms from their position. She stood and walked towards him now, conveying nothing but supreme power. Imhotep's mouth began to bleed once again.

"We can hear your thoughts." Anubis snickered beside him. "Guess I don't have to worry about fixing that tongue of yours then."

Why am I a monster? He thought, keeping firm eye contact with the goddess. I have done nothing wrong. Seti is the one who should be punished, not I!

"You have both made many mistakes, Imhotep." She said, stopping in front of him now, coolly accessing him. "But he did not make the same grave ones as you have."

Up close, she was even more breathtaking. Her olive-toned skin seemed to sparkle like the light of the sun was inside of her. Amber eyes flecked with gold were lined with kohl and blue eyeshadow. Those same eyes held all of the kindness in the world but also commanded power over any mortal man.

I don't understand. Yes, we had an affair behind his back, but so what? Seti had numerous other concubines and seven wives. What's so different about what we did?

"He was a God amongst men, the son of Horus. He is allowed to make such transgressions. You are a servant of Osiris. You knew the rules." She said evenly. "Any other woman would have been fine, but you had to choose the pharaoh's next wife."

Imhotep did not have an answer.

"You also killed Seti. As a priest, you know that murder not done in war is a grave sin."

Anubis, who had been quiet throughout this, spoke up. "Imhotep, you remember all of the bodies that you prepared for the Underworld, the ones who had been murderers? Well, your efforts were in vain. They never made it past the Hall of Two Truthsーtheir hearts were devoured by Ammit. You, for some strange reason, Osiris still wanted to see…you were supposed to go directly to the realm of demons." Anubis said, anxiety seeping into his voice. He quickly cleared his throat and put on a false air of containment.

"Come, we mustn't stay here too long. Osiris will want to see you sooner or later."

Nodding towards Ma'at in respect, Anubis started to lead Imhotep away once more. Behind them, Ma'at called out. "Imhotep, your heart will never be pure enough to truly be with her again." A last little dig at him as she went to sit on her golden throne once again, languorously stretching out. Ammit came to sit by her once again, its soulless eyes boring into Imhotep's back, angry that it had missed a meal.

Imhotep kept his back turned to the goddess as her words rang in his ears. Will I never see her again? I have to! I promised her! Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Anubis' growing anger. Ancksunamuns face appeared in his mind unprompted. Dark eyes that seemed to swallow up the light around them, intoxicating his soul, making him drunk in her presence. Her soft black hair tickled her shoulders, just barely touching, leading his gaze to her elegant neck, which he longed to kiss. Her lips were soft and plump, parted in anticipation. If he pictured it hard enough, he could almost see her hand reaching out towards him to caress his face.

"She is right, Imhotep," Anubis said, startling him out of his reverie. "Remember, we can read your thoughts…anyways," he said, rolling his eyes, leading them up yet another incline and around a corner. "I think you should know that she is not here." He said a bit harshly. Imhotep looked at him quizzically.

Clearing his throat, Anubis continued. "Since I am no longer ruler over this place, I cannot call the shots. You must remember that. If it had been up to me, the Hom-Dai would not have been used. You would have just ceased to exist. I think that is a fate worse than death and more suitable to you." Looking at him, the whites of his dark eyes showing, Anubis waited for his answer.

Imhotep felt a lump in his throat and tried to swallow, but was unsuccessful, and began to cough, spewing the blood from his tongue all over the golden floor. The droplets sprayed in all directions, and where they landed, they sizzled and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Imhotep's blood began to sting as more and more droplets fizzled out of existence. The hieroglyphs on the walls seemed to glow brighter, sealing his fate.

Anubis continued, unperturbed. "The femaleー," he cleared his throat, seeing Imhotep's eyes harden. "ーLady Ancksunamun will not be coming here. I mummified her once. I removed her heart to keep her from awakening here. She was not to be given another chance at life." Anubis said, his eyes flashing in brief anger. "But all of my work was destroyed when you tried to resurrect her after what you both did. That is another one of your mistakes."

Imhotep opened and closed his mouth to answer but remembered he could not speak. I am sorry, My Lord, but you have to understand why I did what I did, right?

Anubis ignored Imhotep's response and walked faster down the hall. Once they had left the Hall of Two Truths behind, the golden floor had continued to slant upwards, coming to an unnervingly high peak. Looking down, he saw there was a crossroads. To the left, a hallway shrouded in mysteryーblood red torches lit the walls, becoming increasingly dim. Unhuman noises emitted from the depths, and strange chanting could be heard in Imhotep's ears when he looked upon it. He turned away, hoping the next option was better. To the right of them were two large gold and green doors, decorated with hieroglyphic spells denoting law, order, and truth. Large green heads of Osiris adorned the handles. A small sign simply read, "He Who Enters Here Will Be Righteous."

A large, heavy hand landed on Imhotep's shoulder, "Let us go inside and meet your fate."

"Father." Anubis kneeled at the God's feet. His head bowed in reverence.

The God sat high up on a golden throne adorned with bulls' heads. The large hall they resided in glittered as if the walls were made of rainbows. Where the light stemmed from, Imhotep could not see. It seemed to be lit with the light of the sun, as did everything else since Anubis had found him.

Imhotep bowed his head in respect at the great green God before him. He did not dare move a muscle until he saw that Anubis rose to stand.

"Imhotep, my boy, you have come at last." A calm voice said in almost a whisper. Imhotep looked up now. The green-skinned God sat in his white robe, linen bandages hung from his arms in tatters. His yellow eyes seemed to glow brighter as he made eye contact with him. The room suddenly seemed to shift, becoming taller and longer, and the God before him seemed to grow in stature and power. Osiris stared down at Imhotep, an almost bemused look upon his green face.

"Anubis, fetch my scepter," Osiris commanded, his voice still a dry whisper. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Imhotep for a second. He began to feel hot, and sweat beaded on his brow. Oh my Gods, he thought, I wasn't prepared for this. He felt like he couldn't look away; Osiris' eyes bore into his, scrutinizing every part of him. There was a strange shift inside of his mind, almost as if someone was inside of it, rummaging around, sifting through memories, and throwing out the inconsequential ones. His head began to feel overcrowded, and the beginnings of a migraine began to form at his temples. All he wanted to do was look away, but some strange power held him there, baring his soul for the God to see. Suddenly the feeling of fullness stopped, and the God sat back in his throne, looking down at him with a new light of understanding and something else…almost like he was disturbed by what he saw. The sound of light footsteps drew near. Osiris looked away from him then, taking the scepter from Anubis as he handed it to him. Imhotep felt immediate relief as he was released from the God's hold on his mind. Once he was released, he felt a strange tickle of something unhuman curled up in his stomach. He grimaced and pushed it down, swallowing hard, trying to ignore it.

Nodding at Anubis, Osiris turned his gaze upon Imhotep once more, a new fire in his yellow eyes that hadn't been there before. The scepter was long and golden, decorated ornately with precious gems and crystals, coming to a point to form a star made of lapis lazuli. He stroked the wiry beard on his face thoughtfully while twisting the scepter absentmindedly in his other hand. Finally, he spoke. This time his voice was not a whisper but a powerful timbre that rose and fell like the waves of the sea.

"So we finally meet, young one," Osiris stated once again.

Yes, my Lord, Imhotep bowed again, I, who was your humble servant all of these years.

At that, Osiris laughed, "My servant, huh? Well…you certainly were one of my brightest priests, and we all had such hopes for your future…" he said, sighing, continuing his ministrations on the scepter. He looked over at Anubis as he spoke, making eye contact with the other God. "But I'm afraid that that is all said and done now. Now you must face your consequences."

Imhotep looked at the green-skinned God in trepidation, waiting for him to continue.

"You see…in your lifetime; we had foreseen you becoming a God amongst men, a man who was to be worshiped for all of eternity, here to walk these golden halls with us. But things aren't always as we plan them to be, are they?" He cleared his throat and continued. "Now, we are at an unforeseen path. One that we've never taken before. You are the bearer of the curse of Seth, the Hom-Dai. And you see, Imhotep, I'm worried."

Why are you worried? Imhotep thought, anxiety starting to creep into his mind. When he was alive, he had been confident and poised, but now he felt as though he was falling apart at the seams. When I was alive…but he wasn't truly dead, was he? There was a strange burning in his chest that had merely been a flutter of memory but was now growing in strength. He swallowed uncomfortably again, trying to rid himself of the feeling.

"Yes, my boy, when you were alive, you were a different man. But now you must have noticed the anger in your soul? The mark of Seth? That is to be our greatest obstacle of all."

Imhotep froze. The anger. The anger was just broiling at the surface. He had managed to push down now for quite some time, but he felt it stronger now, the poisonous lull of its embrace taking hold of his heart, his bones beginning to sizzle under the venomous power the curse held. Looking up now at Osiris, Imhotep's muscles were clenched to hold back the wave of anger threatening to override his senses. He did not want to let it win. The burning in his chest spread through his body now without abandon. Shaking with newfound rage, Imhotep gritted his teeth, noticing that his mouth no longer bled.

"Yes," he hissed through his clenched teeth, "I feel it."

Osiris watched all of this unfold rapidly before his eyes. When Imhotep came into the hall, he seemed demure, scared even; resigned to the fate that lay before him, his heart still beating for the temptress that led him here. He mused over what to do with the boy. Imhotep had always been one of his most loyal worshippers, always venerating him before all else. Praying to him at dawn, noon, sunset, and moonrise. He kept the temple in His name in perfect order, always doing his duty to Him and his country. Osiris had even nudged the stars of fate and put Pharaoh Seti in his path, making them friends, hoping that Imhotep would live up to his true destiny and make Egypt the mightiest empire in the world. But then, temptation had been brought in the form of a woman.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he felt a bit weak today. The task before him made him feel as if he had died once again. He knew what he had to do, and he didn't like it. His malevolent brother Seth had created that godforsaken curse, the Hom-Dai, in hopes of it being used frequently, building himself an army of chaos. Osiris scoffed; the curse had become a feared whisper amongst the priests in the land of Egypt, none would use it. He was honestly surprised he hadn't seen Seth here today, commemorating his victory.

Looking down again at the bronzed priest on the floor below him, his black robes hung in tatters from his lithe body, swaying with the movement of Imhotep's restrained breathing. The priest's brow was slick with sweat, running in rivulets down his shaking body as he tried in vain to hold back the power of the curse. Osiris knew the curse was useless here in the Underworld. But it would make Imhotep an unstoppable force of death and decay in the land of the living, bringing destruction with him wherever he went. He could not let that happen. He had to protect the people of Egypt. It was his duty.

Sighing gravely, Osiris brought the scepter to the floor, striking the base. The lapis star glowing brightly in the gloom, a green haze emitting from it.

"If you feel it, then I have no choice Imhotep," Osiris said, "You must be banished to the realm of the demons, where your soul will be for all eternity."

Imhotep's mouth gaped open and closed, unable to find words. The blaze of anger in his eyes was starting to win over, making the priest appear more and more dangerous as time went on.

"I will not abandon Ancksunamun! I promised her! Where is she?" Imhotep all but bellowed the last word, shaking with the fury he tried so hard to keep back.

"She is not here, and she never will be, as Anubis, no doubt told you before."

"What did she do so wrong that she deserves such a fate?" Imhotep glared.

"It is what you both did that sealed her fate, and what will seal yours," he said, brandishing his scepter, ready at a moment's notice for when the curse's full power was released.

"What else have we done that was so bad?" Imhotep said now menacingly, taking a step closer.

"You shall see." That was all he simply said before Imhotep disappeared in a flash of green light.

He made eye contact with his son, Anubis, "Well, I guess all we can do now is wait and see if the prophecy comes true. Pray that he isn't awoken." He stood up stiffly and clapped Anubis on the back, "And you, my son, are to be his protector, make sure that his body is never found."

Anubis' dark eyes flickered, "As you wish, father."

Pain. There was nothing but unimaginable pain. He writhed and screamed in agony as the hands of demons ripped away at his flesh, incinerating it, feasting upon it, and feeding off of his misery. All he could feel was the weight of all the pain he had caused others.

He felts the bodies of his priests, his family, being mummified alive. The disappointment and fear that they felt moments before their painful deaths. The face of Seti flashed in his mind before he felt the pain of being stabbed in the back, literally and figuratively. Seti had trusted him, made him his closest ally and friend, trusted him with his life. Enough so that he had told Imhotep in secret that if anything happened to him, he wanted Imhotep to succeed him instead of his young son, Ramses. He felt the searing pain of the spear as it dug into Seti's back again and again, and he wailed in pain. The demons were smiling as the memories hit him faster and faster. The pain seemed to multiply by the second. He had no idea how long he had been here. It had already felt like an eternity.

The face of a beautiful young girl smiled at him through the gloom. He struggled to remember her name, but it seemed like the demons were there to do more than feast off of his pain. They wanted to add to it in any way they could. The golden face with the dark eyes looked at him, on her mouth, he could hear the words I love you. Suddenly the face shrank back, becoming a corpse, the flesh rotting and falling off her skin. Imhotep began to weep. The memories of his life hitting him now full force. Ancksunamun…