He had returned.

To Egypt.

To the one place in this realm where a portal to the world of his own kin existed. A place he might never see again.

Because he was a fugitive.

Anubis, the proud lord of the underworld, the embalmer of souls and the guardian of the afterlife, was a fugitive. He was an escaped prisoner, though he hadn't broken out of his cell. Osiris had followed the Laws, had judged him, had executed the will of the Ennead, and Anubis had been banished.

He was free now, but not really.

He had broken a Law and had been judged, the verdict executed by the will of the Ennead.

No god had ever broken through the ushabti's shackles.

Except Khonshu.

That had actually quite floored him. Khonshu had destroyed the magically spelled cage. He had still been connected to his avatar and that avatar had managed the impossible. He had cracked the barrier between them, had reached for the imprisoned god, and he had released him.

Now Anubis was another exception, but he had been released by Khonshu's chosen soul-bound.

There wasn't a Law that gave Osiris any power to pursue him, to trap and banish him again. But the Ennead wouldn't reinstate him in the Duat either.

Anubis was adrift.

Homeless. Jobless. With barely an idea what to do with himself except learn about this realm again, to watch humankind, and live among them.

Like he lived with Steven Grant.

It was a comfortable, quiet existence, interspersed with Steven's seemingly endless questions. He liked the bright young avatar. He loved talking about the past, which wasn't that much in the past for him, actually. Anubis could see the interest, the love this half of the avatar held for all things Egyptian, and he was a bottomless well of knowledge.

It didn't change the fact that he was trapped here.

It could be worse, Anubis mused, but it also could be better.

Because he remembered. Like all of his kind, he remembered when he had been worshipped, when he had had avatars who served him with pleasure and devotion, and he clearly remembered the one whom he had risked everything for.

And lost.

The guilt over what had happened would always accompany him. It had been just one human in thousands upon thousand, one seemingly insignificant life. Such a short life-span, but a life filled with hopes and dreams, with laughter and tears. He would… could… never forget that moment when he had raised Kenna's soul from the Duat back to the world of the living, only to find that the two souls of the unborn children had perished, slipped past him to a place where they couldn't be retrieved.

Kimas was long gone and forgotten in the history books of humankind, but Anubis would always remember him. Him and Kenna. She hadn't known about her husband's service as the avatar of Anubis until the moment Anubis had caught her soul before it entered the Field of Reeds and had returned her.

Kimas had been his avatar before he had ever met his wife and he had served him faithfully. It had been a devotion that had touched the guardian of the underworld and it was the reason why he had committed a crime, had broken more than one Law of the Ennead.

Anubis pushed the memories aside.

His eyes were on the Great Pyramid. It had been one of the greatest wonders of its time, a fabulous monument, richly decorated on the outside to be a bright beacon.

It was just a shadow of its former glory now.

Like himself.

Like they all were.

"Things have changed," he murmured. "Quickly. Profoundly."

Khonshu stood silently next to him. He was the epitome of what had been and what was now. He was not the proud god Anubis remembered. Nothing about him was the Khonshu he had last seen before the jackal-headed entity had been banished to stone.

This Khonshu wore his pain, his scars and his anger for all the world to see, yet he wasn't driven by it. His decrepit appearance didn't match the power Anubis felt thrumming underneath the tall, slender form that was bordering on thin. A form that was swathed in tattered wrappings and adorned by faded jewelry, yet he had only briefly made the mistake to see it as the true state of the other deity. There was a fire in the moon god, a vortex of energy, that hadn't been this powerful before. It was accompanied by a ruthlessness only tempered by a protective streak a mile wide.

He had grown in leaps, had surpassed the imaginary bounds of their kind, and Anubis could feel the endless loops between Khonshu and his avatar. His soul-bound.

He had always been a complicated, complex personality with a close-to mercurial temper, protective of his chosen realm, highly interested in humankind, and so singular-minded when it came to justice and vengeance, it had bordered on obsessive. Anubis remembered the famous arguments among the Ennead, when Khonshu had been a part of it, just like had belonged himself.

It had been entertaining times.

Khonshu had been a whole new challenge to Osiris and the head of the Ennead had truly grown through those long, harsh arguments.

Back then.

In a past that would never return.

He didn't feel any melancholy at all. The past was the past.

Yes, Khonshu's change was clear to feel, how hiw own past had shaped what he was today. Anubis could see the balance within the moon god, the bonds he had woven, the way he was entwined with his avatar.

His very special and unique avatar. The anchor of an eternal entity. Human, but so much more.

It was a connection forged deeper than a mere oath and the power of it was clear to see. Anubis was the guardian of souls and his eye looked deeper, saw more, and he had seen the web of entangled lines, the power between them.

Khonshu had taken a step no other god had ever dared to or had been brave enough to consider. He had opened himself up, had risked everything, had gambled, and the gamble had clearly paid off.

Anubis wasn't jealous, nor was he lingering morosely on the past. He knew he had made a mistake, even if it had been born out of love for his avatar. He had paid for it, as had the human who had trusted him. The man who had lost so much and had lashed out in pain and suffering.

He understood.

He wasn't angry. Unlike Khonshu had been, and partly still was. The moon god wore his anger for the world to see, even if it was no longer his driving force.

Marc Spector was the lightning rod and the anchor on one. Khonshu's salvation, to a degree. His absolution and his future. A warrior, but not a tool.

Equals, he thought.

No human had ever been equal to the gods. It was a new concept to an entity who used humans as their vessel.

"I cannot ever go back," the jackal-headed entity finally said as he straightened to his full height, shoulders squared. It was a realization as well as a statement.

"You cannot." He tilted his head a little. "Unless you plan on appealing to Osiris for a pardon and reinstatement."

Anubis grimaced. "He might find it in himself, after convening with the Council, to pardon my crimes… but there is no place for me anymore. And our time here has passed."

Khonshu snorted in disdain. "Hardly."

"Our kin have left this realm!"

"A decision based on embarrassingly childish reactions." Khonshu's cape whipped up. "They wanted worship. Humankind moved on, as they have all the time. Even while we walked among them, some Pharaohs chose one deity over the multitude. The Ennead cannot adapt, are trapped in their opulence and sedate lifestyles. Humankind, like all living creatures, has evolved, has changed, has adapted, but not them. They are impassive; gridlocked."

Anubis glanced at the other deity. He heard the judgment, Khonshu's low opinion on their kind. It was actually hard to miss. There was also a passion in the other god, a drive, and a need to be here, to stay with humankind and keep watch.

"Not all," he said calmly. "Not all sided with Osiris' decision to leave humankind on their own."

The other huffed. "They still followed. Like mindless drones! All of them!"

"You stood by your chosen realm."

The endless sockets seemed to swirl with the darkness inside. "I will not abandon them! Ever!"

Anubis nodded, eyes roaming over the pyramids, the desert beyond and the sprawling city of millions just behind. Khonshu had always been a warrior. A protector and a fighter, the guardian of his chosen realm.

"You will not abandon him. Your chosen. Your soul-bonded," he murmured.

Khonshu was silent, refusing to answer. Fierce protectiveness radiated off of him. He was bristling with it.

"You have done what no other would have dared. You gave a large part of yourself to him. You share a soul bond. He bears your mark. I can feel its depth and strength." Anubis' expression was almost fond. "He has accepted you. Both of them have. Two souls, each so strong and independent, yet so different. The warrior, of course, but also the scholar. Opposite sides and yet… not. Your choice was filled with so many inherent dangers, so many variables, and yet you and him… them… it is perfect."

The rags danced around the slender figure and Anubis could read the pride in every line of the other entity's body. Possessive, claiming pride. And his love.

Anubis sat down on the warm sand and rested his lower arms on his knees. He closed his eyes and his ears moved like little radar dishes, soaking up the sound. He could hear the noise of the city in the distance, the airplanes overhead, the thrum of it all. He also felt the presence of the portal he could never use. The scent of the very air had changed with the progression and evolution of humankind, but underneath the layer of artificialness was still the old world he had last seen. It persevered, hung on, and while there were only relics left, it was far more than he would have thought.

"It's a peaceful place. This, here. As is your soul-bound's home. It heals spiritual wounds, distracts from dark thoughts."

Khonshu regarded the other god in silence. Anubis' ears flicked and an amused smile played over his lips. His face was still turned to the sky, eyes closed.

"You don't feel the calmness?" he asked.

It got him a soft rumble.

"You feel it within your soul-bound. His home mirrors it. It is a reflection of your energy. It is a protected place, Khonshu. Your magic is everywhere and it is Home." White eyes opened and looked at him. "May I remain within this realm?" Anubis asked formally. "You have my word and my vow to protect what is yours, never to harm him or his kindred, and to defend those chosen by you against whatever threatens."

Khonshu tilted his head. "It is not in my power to deny or grant such requests, Anubis. I am not the lord or regent of this realm."

He smiled. "No, you are not. You were never inclined to rise to such a position. You are a warrior, Khonshu." Like Anubis had been himself and still was. "You have grown, have surpassed bounds no other dared to. Your avatar was gracious enough to grant me refuge in his home. I ask you to grant me refuge in the realm you have chosen to protect." His ears flicked. "It's a realm I'd choose to protect, too. I am, after all, a guardian and out of a job."

The last was infused with humor and he felt Khonshu's reaction more than he saw it. The other god briefly smirked, the wave of energy clear to feel.

"Tawaret is doing a commendable job," his old friend remarked, with a lot of teasing.

Anubis chuckled. "I should hope so. I liked the Duat, the souls I met, despite their sometimes none too happy fate. But that is my past. My present is here now and I want it to be a future, too."

"I do not preside over this realm," Khonshu repeated.

"No, you don't. But you take responsibilities here. You protect this; fiercely. With everything you are."

"Stay or leave, it is your decision to make," he muttered roughly.

Anubis' lips lifted into a smile. "Then I will stay." The power of the words resonated within his magic.

"Very well." Khonshu thumped the moon staff into the soft sand. "Do as you like."

With that he was gone in a puff of wind.

Anubis' smile stayed. He closed his eyes again, turned his face toward the sky, and inhaled the unfamiliar familiar air.


Layla had been out of contact for almost a month.

A month Marc had alternated between worrying and telling himself that his wife was fine, could take care of herself, and would skin him alive if he popped up wherever she was just to check on her.

Still, when she finally shot him a text, with several interesting pictures attached, he breathed a sigh of relief. It turned into a happy smile when she added that she was coming to London on the 23rd and to not plan any Moon Knight outings.

She also wanted everything on the last Unholy job.

"Fuck, she has no idea what happened," Marc groaned as realization settled in.

This wasn't just about the whole magic-gone-wild thing and barely getting out of there with their god in one piece. It was about their latest resident. What did it say about his life that he hadn't given it much thought when it came to Layla? He had been more worried about the Magic Mansion than any kind of fallout from having Layla meeting Anubis.

Marc wasn't even sure she would be able to see him. Khonshu, sure. Khonshu had become real to her through Marc, through the growing connection that had finally become the soul bond. She was an integral and important part of the threes that made up their powerful triangle.

She might be able to see him, Steven mused.

Or not, he thought. Hopefully not. Because the whole ushabti mess was just one more thing he had to explain to her.

Layla's involvement in everything that is us and Khonshu enables her to perceive so much more.

"Not helping, Steven."

I wasn't trying to. I'm only pointing out the facts.

Marc muttered something uncomplimentary.


Layla arrived in the late afternoon, carrying nothing but a smallish bag. She looked a little disheveled, her hair wilder than usual, and her clothes were wrinkled from spending almost all day on planes or airports, but Marc didn't care. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling everything inside him relax and unwind.

"Welcome home."

She kissed him, smiling at his expression when they parted. "What did I miss?"

"A lot?"

She rolled her eyes, then gave him a once-over.

"I'm fine."

"But you weren't."

He refused to be baited, which was enough for Layla. She dumped her bag, went into the kitchen, got herself a cold drink, then walked over into the living room area.

Only to stop short.

"Since when do you have a dog… that looks… like Anubis the Protector of Souls?" Layla asked conversationally.

Marc froze for a moment, then turned to look where Layla was nodding.

Anubis. It was really Anubis! He hadn't been around for days and for some reason he had decided to return. Right in the moment Layla El-Faouly had walked into the flat.

Talk about bad timing.

Damnit!

So much for slowly easing her into the latest news of his weird and wonderful life. That Layla had immediately identified him correctly spoke length about her own mindset when it came to him.

But here he was, the former god of the underworld, in his pitch-black, canine glory. Sitting primly in the middle of the room. If he had simply appeared like any dog, not a problem. But he had the golden markings everywhere and his fur looked rather unnatural. Almost like he was made of black stone rather than as a being of flesh and blood. His eyes were white this time. The golden, stylized collar and the chain dangling from it, ending with an ankh, didn't help either.

"What the fuck?" Marc breathed. "Showing off much? The hell?!"

Anubis tilted his head, ignoring his glare. "She can see me," the entity remarked, sounding puzzled and yet also intrigued.

"Oh, she can," Layla answered, meeting the milky white eyes. "She can also hear you."

"You are not an avatar."

"Nope."

"But you can see me."

"Very astute." Layla rounded on Marc and shot him a demanding look, nodding her head sharply at the new addition to his flat.

"Long story," he groaned with a long-suffering expression playing over his features.

"I'll order pizza. You," she pointed at him. "Talk!"