Sly's head was spinning, and his whole body was sore. He suddenly began to feel the scorching sand he was lying on and tried to open his eyes, but the sun forced him to cover his eyes with his hand. Once his eyes adjusted to such brightness, he looked around and felt how his heart sank.

"No…" The raccoon was surrounded by nothing but sand and the wreckage of Le Paradox's blimp. In the distance, he could see three pyramids and what appeared to be some kind of temple. This had to be a nightmare.

The thief grabbed his cane and struggled to get up. He first inspected what was left of the blimp but found nothing. Then, led by curiosity and desperation, he explored the temple. It was dark, and he could only see a wall in which the light coming through the door was reflected. Hieroglyphics, he knew them but couldn't read them. It was then that it hit him. He had no way to get back home. He was stuck in Ancient Egypt.

Sly leaned his back against the wall and felt a lump form in his throat. "This can't be happening..." he thought. The raccoon tried to calm down, but he couldn't help to imagine all the possible worst-case scenarios. In the middle of his despair, the thief spotted a small town on the horizon.

He made his way to town. This time, he felt how the unbearably hot sun burned his back. As soon as he arrived, an enthusiastic merchant offered him to buy his clothes. The color and the fabric seemed exotic and unconventional to him, so he offered Sly a big bag of gold coins. The thief accepted the offer and used part of the money to buy some more discreet clothes, water, and food. As he walked around the town's market, many other merchants offered to buy his cane, but Sly refused since, along with his mask, it was the only thing left he had from his father.

During the next three months, Sly wandered through many of the towns along the Nile river, trying to find a way back home. When the money began to run out, he decided to work for some older farmers in exchange for accommodation and very little money. One day, one of the farmers sent the raccoon to another village to buy some special seeds. The village in question was near the Red Sea coast, which meant the thief had a long walk ahead of him.

To protect himself from the sun, Sly wore a hooded cloak. And after the farmer gave him the coins for the seeds and grabbed his cane, he left for the village. After walking for almost two hours, the Ringtail stopped in front of two palm trees.

"Did he tell me to turn right… or left?" As he tried to remember the directions the farmer gave him, the thief grabbed his clay canteen to have some water. "Well, that's not good…" he said after realizing the canteen had a hole in it and was practically empty. Being too far to turn around, Sly decided to go right and keep walking, hoping to arrive at the village as soon as possible.

The raccoon felt how his mouth began to dry as the sun hit him on the back of the head. He thought if perhaps he ran, it'd be easier, but it didn't take him long to regret that. Sly started to sweat profusely and struggled to walk over the sand. He helped himself with his cane, but he reached a point where the heat was simply unbearable, and his legs just gave up. The thief collapsed on the boiling hot sand and closed his eyes as he fought to keep breathing. As all of his hopes began to fade, the raccoon rethought some of his life decisions. What would've happened if he had never left Carmelita's side to stop Le Paradox? It all probably wouldn't have ended this way. What if he had asked her for help? Would she have understood what his family's legacy meant to him?

"Carmelita… I'm sorry…" he said under his breath before passing out.

Suddenly, Sly was surrounded by darkness and tranquility. The insufferable heat of the desert was finally gone, and he felt great relief along his back. The raccoon thought for sure this was the end of him, but then he felt something. Something cold and wet that brought him back. The thief slowly opened his eyes before hearing a soft voice.

"Oh, you're awake..."

The Ringtail, who couldn't see clearly yet, felt a damp cloth on his forehead and tried to get up but felt dizzy. "Careful…" said the voice. "I think it's better if you get some more rest." Sly felt how the person beside him helped him lay back down.

"Wh-where am I?" asked the disoriented raccoon as he felt his head.

"You're in the city of Men Nefer, somewhere safe." Sly looked around and saw that he was in some kind of bedroom, lying on a not very comfortable bed. His eyes widened once he saw the figure sitting next to him. It was a raccoon. A female raccoon. But way different than Sly. Most of her fur was cream-colored, and the details of her tail, face, ears, and hands were light brown. "My name is Kirah." She introduced herself with a good-hearted smile.

"I'm Sly." replied the thief.

"It's very odd to see other raccoons around here. What were you doing in the middle of the desert all by yourself?" She asked, curious.

"I had to buy some seeds at a village, but my canteen broke, and I ran out of water."

"Oh, dear. You must be dying of thirst. Let me get you some fresh water." Kirah got up and walked out of the room. Once alone, Sly took away the cloth and sat up. The raccoon looked around as he felt his wet forehead. His headache had eased.

The room he was in was very dark. It only had one small window from which very little sunlight shone through. At the foot of the bed were his cloak and the bag in which he had his belongings, including the money he was given to buy the seeds. His ears twitched when he heard Kirah's footsteps approaching. She came back with a ceramic bowl filled with water and handed it to Sly.

"So, Sly, where are you from? Greece?" she asked as he finished drinking.

The thief had to stop and rethink his answer. In the case of his other ancestors, they believed him almost straight away when he told them he was from the future, but Kirah would probably think the heatstroke had melted his brain.

"Yeah, Greece." He decided to play it simple.

"And what are you doing down here in Egypt?"

"Well, It's complicated… I didn't really choose to be here."

"Were you banished from your home?"

"Yeah… I guess you could say that." Sly looked away with a saddened expression. Then, he had an idea. The raccoon grabbed the bag with his belongings and offered Kirah the coins he was given by the farmer. "Hopefully, I never come across that guy again. Here, as thanks for saving my life."

"Oh no. Sly, I'm just glad to help another fellow raccoon. Please, keep it." She turned down the money. "Besides, technically, I'm not the one who saved your life." Kirah shrugged.

"What?" said Sly, confused.

"It was my husband."

"Your husband?"

"Yeah, you were lucky he decided to go to the Great Bitter Lake today. He found you on the way back and carried you all the way here," explained Kirah.

"And where is he now?" asked Sly, who was eager to meet him.

"He's gone pay a visit to the city's blacksmith to ask him about the cane you were carrying. He seemed to really like it."

"My cane?" The thief looked around him again and realized it was gone. "He's got my cane?" Sly quickly got out of bed.

"Wait!" Kirah didn't try to physically stop the thief, but she did help him when he tripped and almost fell. "Sly, listen, it's not what you think. He'll be back here soon." Despite her attempts to calm him down, Sly got up and walked into the living room. He headed for the door, which was at the end of a long hallway, but at that moment a figure holding his cane appeared on its other side. Due to the light that entered through the door, Sly couldn't see clearly who was standing before him.

"Stop right there!" said the individual with an imposing voice.

"Give me back my cane!"

"Your cane? Listen, boy, I don't know who you are, but I don't take kindly to cheap imitators. If it wasn't for this cane I would've left you at the mercy of the desert."

"Imitator?" said Sly under his breath.

"Its shape… Its structure… It's almost identical to mine."

"What?" The thief began to put two and two together.

"Where did you get it? Answer me!" demanded the voice.

"You're… Slytunkhamen Cooper." A smile full of joy and relief was drawn on Sly's face before he began to walk toward his ancestor. Then, he was able to see him. It was like he was looking at one of the pages from the Thievius Raccoonus.

"Stand back! How dare you compare me to those corrupt and rotten pharaohs." He clenched his fists and swung his cane at Sly, but he was able to dodge it. "Whoa…" Sly lost his balance and fell back to the ground.

"Safir, don't hurt him!" said Kirah, who was watching everything from the living room.

"Safir?" asked Sly, confused.

"My name is Safir Kuper, and I won't let my family be the subject of mockery."

"It is you." Sly smiled again.

"Now, I'll ask you one more time, where did you get this cane?"

"My father gave it to me."

"Your father? Don't lie to me, boy." He threatened Sly with his cane.

"I'm not! I swear! Listen, I know you don't know who I am, but I know who you are."

"What?" It was now Safir who was confused.

"I am your long-lost cousin… from the lands of Greece." Sly decided not to bring up the time-traveling topic and prolong the made-up story he told Kirah.

There was a pause.

"Prove it," said Safir. Sly knew every single detail about his ancestors' lives, but the question was, which Slytunkhamen was this? The first one? The second? Or the third?

"I will. I just have one question."

There was another pause.

Safir sighed and furrowed his brow. "Go ahead..."

"Have you… discovered any islands lately?" asked Sly.

His ancestor raised one of his eyebrows. "No?" he denied, somewhat confused.

Since Kaine Island hadn't been discovered yet, that meant the Cooper Vault hadn't been created and that the ancestor standing before Sly was none other than Slytunkhamen Cooper I.

"Alright…" The raccoon thought his words carefully. "I know that you come from a lineage of great master thieves and that you have a pair of canes shorter than mine."

"Oh, come on. Almost everybody around here knows that."

"I also know about your Shadow Power and the Thievius Raccoonus."

"How do you-?"

"I've told you. We're related. I've heard so many stories about you, and it's an honor to finally be able to meet you." Sly tried to sugarcoat his words to make him sound more convincing.

Safir stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Although he wasn't aware he had any long-lost relatives in Greece, he found Sly's words credible. After all, they were quite similar in physical appearance.

"What's your name?" asked Safir.

"Sly… Sly Cooper."

"Well then, Sly," His ancestor offered him his hand to get up and handed him his cane. "Welcome home." Safir hugged him as a sign of respect.

Since then, Sly would stay with Safir and Kirah. The couple let him sleep in their smaller bedroom, and the thief helped with all the chores he could, apart from going out on missions with his ancestor. Both thieves learned so much from each other. And, even though Sly enjoyed the experience of living with one of the best master thieves of the Cooper Clan, he still had some hope to get back home. Meanwhile, in the present day, Carmelita, Bentley, and Murray were still on the look for their friend.